AP Government and Politics

Participatory democracy

Broad participation by individuals

Pluralist democracy

Group-based participation

Elitist democracy

Limited participation by a “national aristocracy” (or meritocracy, chosen by talent and virtue, not wealth…in theory

Meritocracy

Those that rule that are chosen by merit (intelligence)

popular sovereignty

The idea that the power of a government is derived from the consent of its people and is expressed through the election of representatives.

social contract/consent of the governed

An agreement between the people and their government signifying their consent to be governed.This establishes the basis of government. It sets up rights and conduct in which individuals will expect

natural rights

the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property.

separation of powers

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law.

checks and balances

a system that allows each branch of a government to amend or veto acts of another branch so as to prevent any one branch from having too much power.

confederation

Constitutional arrangement in which sovereign nations or states, by compact, create a central government but carefully limit its power and do not give it direct authority over individuals.

Shays Rebellion

Daniel Shays, a war veteran, led the rebellion. Many farmers were in debt and many were Revolutionary War soldiers who had been paid in worthless currency and taxed heavily by Massachusetts. Certain states were in crippling debt after the Revolutionary War while others weren’t, which left people who fought in the war in debt. Many farmers faced foreclosure on their farms and homes, thus, they protested mortgage foreclosures in 1786-1787. It highlighted the need for a strong national government.

Virginia Plan

a proposal for a new form of government and called for the number of votes each state received in Congress to be based on population, rather than each state receiving one vote. The plan proposed a separation of powers that would be divided among three branches: legislative, executive, and judicial.

-Structure of legislative branch: Bicameral-two houses

-Representation: population-based (higher population=more representation)

-structure of executive branch: one president

New Jersey Plan

(Similar to Articles of Confederation)

-Unicameral

-State based: each state equally represented

-Multiple presidents: three chief executives

-Role of national government: provides defense but does not override state authority.

Connecticut Compromise (a.k.a. Great Compromise)

Gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of its population, but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population.

Federalists

Federalists, such as Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay, believed that the United States should form a strong central government to unite the states.

Anti-federalists

Believed that the states should maintain the same level of power and authority with only a weak central government.

-Brutus

Ratification

occurs when a law, treaty, or other legal binding document is signed into law by some kind of agent, and the person that the agent is representing approves it.

commerce clause

Article I, Section 8, Clause 3: [The Congress shall have Power . . . ] To regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States, and with the Indian Tribes; . . . The Commerce Clause gives Congress broad power to regulate interstate commerce and restricts states from impairing interstate commerce.

supremacy clause

The Supremacy clause establishes that federal laws/United States Constitution take precedence over state laws/state constitutions.

necessary and proper clause

gives Congress power to make “all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution” other federal powers

Three-Fifths Compromise

Compromise between northern and southern states at the Constitutional Convention that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.

electoral college

• Selection of electors

• Meeting of electors who cast votes for the president and vice president

• Counting of the electors' votes by Congress

In other U.S. elections, candidates are elected directly by popular vote. But the president and vice president are not elected directly by citizens. Instead, they are chosen through the Electoral College process.

enumerated powers

powers explicitly, or expressly, identified in the Constitution. They define the limits of power for each branch of the federal government.

ex: to collect taxes; pay debts and borrow money; regulate commerce; declare war; and raise and support an Army and Navy.

implied powers

Implied powers are those not explicitly stated in the Constitution but are inferred from its language, allowing the federal government to carry out its enumerated powers effectively.

ex: create a national bank, establish a federal minimum wage, establish a military draft.

federalism

the division and sharing of power between the national and state governments.

concurrent powers

Powers that the Constitution gives to both the national and state governments, such as the power to levy taxes.

reserved powers

powers that are not specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution, nor prohibited to the states, thus allowing them to be exercised by state governments.

ex: regulating businesses within a state, creating public schools, issuing professional licenses, establishing local governments, and passing voting laws.

categorical grants

federal grants given to state and local governments to encourage their cooperation in implementing specific purposes and programs.

block grants

an annual sum of money that is awarded by the federal government to a state or local government body to help fund a specific project or program

mandates

official orders or requirements imposed by a higher authority, often referring to federal requirements that states must follow to receive funding or support.

ex: Civil rights mandates, like the Civil Rights Acts.

Voting regulations, like the Voting Rights Act 1965

Declaration of Independence

a document that declared that the United States were independent from Britian and that a new country would be formed out of its former colonies.

July 4, 1776, the 13 American colonies severed their political connections to Great Britain. The Declaration summarized the colonists' motivations for seeking independence.

Articles of Confederation

The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established the functions of the national government of the United States after it declared independence from Great Britain.

weaknesses: Congress could not raise funds, regulate trade, or conduct foreign policy without the voluntary agreement of the states.

Constitution

The framers of the Constitution separated the powers of government into three branches, granting legislative power (the power to pass laws) to Congress, executive power (the power to administer the laws) to the president, and judicial power (the power to interpret and enforce the laws) to the courts.

What was Brutus’s main argument in Brutus 1?

Brutus was Anti-Federalist

• Viewed the proposed national government’s power as overshadowing the state’s authority and that the centralization of power would lead to the loss of autonomy and sovereignty of individual states. 

• Feared the proposed Constitution might lead to despotism because a republican government would not succeed in a large nation due to a disconnect between representatives (government) and the people.

What was James Madison’s argument in Federalist 10?

Madison was a Federalist (in favor of the Constitution)

Factions are dangerous, but inevitable in human nature. To mitigate their negative effects, he advocates for a large republic, which would make it more difficult for any single faction to dominate because of diverse ideas, thus preventing “tyranny of the majority”.

How did Federalist 51 explain the need for checks and balances?

By dividing the government into separate branches, with checks and balances, no one branch or person could get too powerful.This system provides a “double security” to prevent abuse of power/tyranny. Madison argues that because humans are not perfect, there must be a system in place to control power.

How did Marbury v. Madison further define the system of checks and balances?

The decision in Marbury v. Madison established judicial review, which allows the supreme court to declare laws unconstitutional. This case marked the first time the judicial branch struck down a law passed by Congress (part of legislative branch).

How did McCulloch v. Maryland define federalism?

The court decided that the Federal/National Government had the right and power to set up a Federal bank and that states did not have the power to tax the Federal Government because of the “Necessary and Proper” Clause.

How did US v. Lopez define federalism?

The Supreme Court ruled in favor of Lopez, stating that the act was an overreach of federal power. This case marked a limit on federal power.. It upheld the principle that states have control of local issues, like gun possession on school grounds.

What are the main principles of a democratic government?

• respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms

• holding free and fair elections

• a pluralistic system of political parties and organizations

• separation of powers

• independence of the branches of government

• freedom of expression and the press

What were the main causes of the American Revolution?

• After the French and Indian War, Great Britain began to exert more power over the thirteen colonies. Britain taxed the colonies because they were in debt after the war.

• Enlightenment ideas gave people an incentive to rebel

• Colonists felt underrepresented in Parliament

• Americans wanted self-governance

Which principles of American democracy does the Declaration of Independence articulate?

These ideas, that all men are created equal and that government is based on the consent of the governed, became the foundation for the US political ideal of popular sovereignty: that the government exists to serve the people, who elect representatives to express their will.

Why were the Articles of Confederation a failure?

Congress could not raise funds, regulate trade, or conduct foreign policy without the voluntary agreement of the states, which led to economic collapse and uprisings such as Shays Rebellion.

 What are the different forms of democracy? How are each of them present in our political system?

• Participatory democracy is a model of democracy in which citizens have the power to decide directly on policy and politicians are responsible for implementing those policy decisions.

• Pluralist democracy is a model of democracy in which no one group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy.

• Elite democracy is a model of democracy in which a small number of people, usually those who are wealthy and well-educated, influence political decision-making.

Participatory democracy: townhall meetings

Pluralist democracy: Interest groups that influence politicians through monetary donations, lobbying, and testifying in Congressional hearings.

What were the major compromises made at the Constitutional Convention?

The Great Compromise, the Three-Fifths Compromise, and the Electoral College.

Why did ratification of the Constitution prove difficult? Why was the Continental controversial?

The Constitutional Convention was secretive by a small oligarchy. The Articles of Confederation were scrapped entirely, not just amended. Anti-federalists were concerned the president would be just as powerful as the king and this power would threaten individual liberty and rights. 

What is the basic structure of the US government? What are the major powers of each branch?

The Federal Government is composed of three distinct branches: legislative, executive, and judicial. The legislative branch makes the law, the executive branch enforces the law, and the judicial branch interprets the law.

What does the legislative branch do?

Makes laws. the House of Representatives and the Senate, which together form the United States Congress.

What does the executive branch do? Who is in this branch?

Enforces laws. The President.

What does the judicial branch do? Who is in this branch?

The Supreme Court interprets laws.

How does the Constitution ensure checks and balances?

The legislative branch makes laws, but the President in the executive branch can veto those laws with a Presidential Veto. The legislative branch makes laws, but the judicial branch can declare those laws unconstitutional.

Which powers are exclusive to the federal government?

Only the federal government can coin money, regulate the mail, declare war, or conduct foreign affairs.

Which powers are concurrent?

Concurrent powers refer to powers that are shared by both the federal government and state governments. This includes the power to tax, build roads, and create lower courts.

Which powers are reserved to the states?

Establishing and maintaining public schools, creating marriage laws, regulating businesses within the state, and establishing local governments.

Exclusive Powers

Powers reserved either to the federal government or state governments

Federal revenue sharing

The practice of sharing federal income tax revenue with state and local governments

Mandate

A requirement that states or local governments meet a specific condition in order to receive federal aid.

What does the Tenth Amendment grant?

Any powers not explicitly delegated to the federal government by the Constitution, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

(Reserved Powers)