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Government

152 Terms

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Declaration of Independence
pronouncement of separation from former mother country, Britain; it founded the US
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Articles of Confederation
the original constitution that governed during the Revolutionary war; it was considered weak and heavily flawed
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Shays’s Rebellion
in 1787, war soldiers rebelled in attempt to prevent foreclosures of their land as a result of high interest and tax
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Constitutional Convention
1787 meeting in Philadelphia to write a new national constitution
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Checks and Balances
constitutional separation and limitation of powers within the three branches of federal government
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Rule of law
the law is applied broadly and equally; no one is above the law
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Popular sovereignty
people are the source of authority and power in government
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Limited government
federal government with predefined limits to its power and authority
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Natural rights
rights that are inherently given to the people
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Social Contract
mutually beneficial agreement between the people and the government
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Representative Democracy (Republic)
form of government where elected individuals represent the people
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Participatory Democracy
form of government where citizens participate directly and individually
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Elitist Democracy
political system where the well-educated and wealthy are in power
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Pluralist democracy
political system where competing interest groups are in power
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Great (Connecticut) Compromise
Bicameral legislature - House of Reps to be proportional to state population and Senate to be 2 seats/state
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Three-Fifths Compromise
slaves are to represent 3/5 of a person
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Importation of Slaves Compromise
Congress is given authority to prohibit the slave trade; it would be banned after 20 years
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Article v Amendment Process
amendments need a 2/3 vote of Congress to be proposed and a 3/4 vote of state legislatures to be passed
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Federalists
individuals who advocated for a strong central government and feared tyranny of the majority (the poor)
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Anti Federalists
individuals who oppose a strong central government and support small state governments as well as fear tyranny of the minority (wealthy elite)
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Federalism
sharing of power between state and national governmental power through levels (federal, state, local) not separation
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Access points
a point in policymaking that allows citizens to influence government
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Block Grants
federal funds that allow states to determine which category they will go to
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Categorical Grants
federally funded grants to states for a specific category. If accepted, states have to also accept the national regulation that comes with taking the money
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Federal Mandates
federal requirements also applied to state and local government
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Federal Exclusive Powers
enumerated powers given to the national government
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Concurrent Powers
powers shared between the federal and state government
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10th Amendment (Reserved Powers)
the powers not delegated to the US by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively (or the people)
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Congressional enumerated powers
congressional powers explicitly expressed in the Constitution
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Congressional Implied powers
congressional powers implied in the Constitution
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House Constitutional Powers
impeach, tax, foreign trade/treaties, VP appointment, elect President in case of tie
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Senate Constitutional Powers
impeachment trials, President nominees, 2/3 vote for treaties, elect VP in case of tie
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Raising revenue/power of the purse
congressional ability to tax and spend raised revenue
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Discretionary spending
portion of budget that president requests and Congress appropriates
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Mandatory/entitlement spending
spending determined by laws and regulations, not by Congress
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Congressional leadership
Senate → president pro tempore, majority leader, minority leader; House → speaker of the house, majority leader, minority leader
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Pork Barrel projects/Earmarks
(often local) projects that are funded by the federal budget through Congressman
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Logrolling/reciprocity
exchanging of favors between politicians, particularly through reciprocal voting
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Trustee/partisan/politico models
elected representatives are responsible for governing all; elected representatives are responsible fro deciding in line with party
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Gerrymandering
manipulation of district lines to favor a certain group
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Presidential formal powers
explicit powers assigned to the president
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President informal powers
implicit powers assigned to the president
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Bully Pulpit
office/position that gives occupant opportunity to address any issue
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Executive orders
informal powers of the president to manage operations of the federal government
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Executive agreements
an international agreement made by executive branch dealing with routine matters
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Judicial Review
constitution is supreme and must be upheld/interpreted by SCOTUS judges
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Stare Decisis
court must make decisions that align with past court rulings
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Judicial activism
loose interpretation of constitution; interpreted generally and applied to modern circumstances
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Judicial restraint
decide cases by strictly interpreting the Constitution
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Iron triangles
policy making relationship between Congress, bureaucracy, and an interest group
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Article I Congress
all legislative powers is vested in the US Congress
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Representation: House and Senate
two houses that make up the bicameral legislature in Congress. House consists of 435 members and Senate consists of 100 members
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Necessary and Proper clause
congressional powers to make a law are deemed necessary and proper
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Committee Hearings
meeting of Senate/House/joint/special committee to gather information and opinions on proposed legislation, conduct an investigation, and evaluate activities of a government department
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Senate filibuster/cloture
filibuster → an action (ie prolonged speech) to delay or prevent a decision regarding legislation; cloture → procedure to end debate and take a vote
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Article II - Executive
executive power is vested in the President (+ VP + Cabinet)
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Cabinet v White House Staff
Cabinet → body made of 15 heads of executive departments; White House Staff → body responsible for helping the President carry out his role as Chief Executive Officer
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22nd Amendment
President can be in office for a maximum of two terms
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Article III - Judiciary
all judicial powers are vested in one SCOTUS and other lower level courts
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Electoral College
people represent the states in President and vice presidential elections
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SCOTUS and public opinion
approval ratings of SCOTUS decisions have generally declined and disapproval ratings have risen
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Bureaucracy
body of government appointed officials in executive branch who works for the President
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Civil liberties
enumerated rights to protect citizens from the government; found in the Bill of Rights
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Civil rights
personal rights to protected citizens social freedom and equality; guaranteed by the constitution
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Minority rights
personal rights belonging to racial, ethnic, religious, gender, and class minorities
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Symbolic speech
form of nonverbal and unwritten speech
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Rights of the accused
right to remain silent, right to an attorney, right to a fair and speedy trial, right to know that anything said can be used against them in court, right to know who your accuser is
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Selective Incorporation
when the federal law is applied to states, ensuring they cannot override their granted constitutional rights
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Right to privacy
fourth amendment protection from unreasonable searches and seizures
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Affirmative Action
action taken to include and advocate for racial minorities among other applicants (in education or employment)
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First Amendment
freedom of speech, religion, press, petition, and assembly
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Free Exercise clause
allows citizens to practice their religion at they wish (as long as it does not interfere with public morals or government interest)
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Establishment clause
the government cannot establish one religion
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Second Amendment
right to keep and bear arms
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Fourth Amendment
right to privacy and security in one’s own home; no unreasonable searches and seizures
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Clear and present danger test
test to determine whether speech is protected or unprotected (harmless or harmful)
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Fifth Amendment
right to remain silent
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Miranda Rule
warning must be given the accused, telling them what their rights as the accused are
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Sixth Amendment
right to a speedy and public trial, right to know the nature and cause of the accusation
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Eighth Amendment
no excessive bail, no cruel and unusual punishment
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Fourteenth Amendment
no state can make or enforce any law that infringes on the rights of US citizens; no state can deprive a person of life, liberty, or property without due process. Equal protection of laws
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Exclusionary Rule
law that prohibits the use of illegally obtained evidence
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Due Process clause
states cannot deny an person life, liberty, or property without due process of law
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Equal Protection clause
all citizens of the US are equally protected under the law regardless of factors like race, gender, religion, etc
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Bill of Rights
first 10 amendments of the constitution
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Patriot Act/USA Freedom Act (2001)
law with purpose to prevent against terrorist attacks
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National Organization for Women
group of activists working to end gender inequality and discrimination
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Civil Rights Act of 1964
law that prohibited discrimination on basis of race, religion, sex, and ethnicity
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Voting Rights Act of 1965
prohibited discriminatory voting practices (literacy tests, poll taxes, etc)
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Title IX
prohibited discrimination on basis of sex in education programs and activities (with federal financial assistance)
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Political culture
the values, feelings, and knowledge associated with the political process
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Political socialization
the process of forming one’s own political view
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Social demographics
characteristics of a population
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Political ideology
a collection of views on/way of thinking of politics
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Keynesian economics
economic theory that government should manage economy (spend more in recession, cut spending when inflation occurs)
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Globalization
the process of businesses integrating and influencing internationally
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Public policy making
the process in which public policies are made
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Individualism/Individual freedom
principle of being independent and self reliant
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Conservative ideology
a set of political views typically held by Republicans; in support of tradition and individualism
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Liberal ideology
a set of political views typically held by Democrats; in support of modernization and equality