Ap Govt. Buzzword

Limited Government

Government can only exercise the powers granted to it by the constitution. Government should be conducted according to the rule of law

Natural Rights

John Locke stated that the natural rights were life, liberty, and property; these rights are inalienable (cannot be taken away by the government).

Popular Sovereignty

The principal that governmental authority is derived from the people-consent of the governed

Republicanism

The idea that government is rooted in the consent of the governed; a representative or indirect democracy (laws are made by people the citizens elect).

Social Contract

John Locke’s Social Contract states that citizens give up little of their rights in order to have the remainder of their rights protected by the government.

Direct/participatory democracy

A system of government in which members of the polity (voters in the community) meet to discuss all policy decisions and then agree to abide by majority rule.

Pluralism

The interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is taken to mean government by people operating through competing interest groups.

Elite theory (sometimes called power elite theory)

The view that a small group of people actually makes most of the government decisions.

Federalism

Power is divided between the national government and the state governments.

Federalists

Supporters of ratification of the U.S. Constitution; they wanted a strong national (federal) government and weaker state governments.

Anti-Federalists

Did not support ratification of the U.S. Constitution; they wanted stronger state governments and weaker national (federal) government; they wanted a bill of rights.

Factions

James Madison called political parties and interest groups “factions” in Federalist No. 10.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States; gave more power to the states than to the national (federal) government.

Shay’s Rebellion

A 1786 rebellion in which an army of 1,500 disgruntled farmers marched to Springfield, MA, and forcibly restrained the state court from foreclosing on farmers’ mortgages. The rebellion caused many U.S. leaders to call for a stronger national government.

Great Compromise

A decision made during the Constitutional Convention to give each state the same number of representatives in the Senate regardless of size; representation in the House was determined by population.

Electoral college

A body of electors chosen by each party to cast ballots for president and vice president. If the Democratic Party electors vote for president and vice president. If the republican party candidate wins the most votes, the republican electors vote for president and vice president.

Three-fifths comprise

Agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention (meeting to rewrite the constitution) stipulating that each slave was to counted as three-fifths of a person for purposes of determining population for representation in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Congress

The bicameral (two chambers x House of Representatives and the Senate) legislature of the United States.

President

The person in charge of the Executive branch of government who carries out the laws.

Federal Judiciary

The three-tiered court system (district court, court of appeals, and Supreme Court) of the national government.

Check and Balances

A government structure that gives each of the three branches of government some degree of oversight and control over the actions of the others.

Separation of powers

The founding fathers divided the government into three branches [Legislative (divided further into House of Representatives and Senate), Executive, and Judicial] so that no one branch would have too much power.

Concurrent powers

Powers shared by the national government and the state government such as the ability to tax.

Federal Revenue Sharing

A federal program that lasted from 1972 to 1986 that sent money from the federal government to state and local governments to use as each government saw fit.

Mandate

A requirement that a state undertake and activity or provide a service because the national government says it must. Many times the national government provide provides money to the state to accomplish the activity (there might be financial penalties for not complying).

Categorical grants

Grant given for a very specific purpose; given to states and local governments from the national government.

Block grants

Broad grants (outlays of money) with few strings attached; given to states and local governments from the national government for broad categories such as education and transportation.

Tenth Amendment

Powers not given to the federal government (national government) or denied to the states, are reserved to the states.

14th amendment

All persons born or naturalized in the US are citizens of the US and the state they live in; no state shall limit a citizens, privileges and immunities of citizenship; no state shot deprive a person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; no state shall deny a person equal protection of the laws.

Commerce clause

The third clause of article one, section 8 of the constitution, which gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states. This clause has been cited many times by the Supreme Court to uphold laws and active by Congress.

Necessary and proper clause

Article one, section 8, clause 18 states that Congress shall have the power to make all laws “ necessary and proper” for carrying out their enumerated powers; also called the elastic clause.

Enumerated/expressed powers

Powers of legislative, executive, and judicial branches that are specifically spelled out in the constitution.

Implied powers

Powers, derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary improper clause. These powers are not stated in the constitution specifically, but are considered to be reasonably implied through the exercise of delegated powers.

Policy making

The crafting of proposed ways to resolve public problems.