Unit 1 AP Gov Vocabulary

Natural Rights

all people have certain rights that cannot be taken away- life, liberty, and property (pursuit of happiness)

Social Contract

Implicit agreement among the people in a socie4ty to give up some freedoms to maintain social order

Popular sovereignty (consent of the governed)

all government power comes from the consent of its people

Limited government

a government’s power cannot be absolute

Separation of powers

constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. This prevents ne branch of government from becoming too powerful

Checks and balances

system where each branch of the government has power over the other branches and may choose to block the other branch’s power

Republicanism

the democratic principle that the will of the people is reflected in government debates and decisions by their representatives

Tyranny

form of government where a single ruler or a small group has absolute power often using it to oppress the control the people. There are no checks on the ruler, so they essentially do whatever they want with no concern for the rights of the people

Direct democracy

form of government where citizens directly vote on laws

Representative democracy

form of government where citizens elect representatives to vote on laws

Participatory democracy

emphasizes participation by individuals in politics and civil society

Pluralist democracy

emphasizes group based activism by nongovernmental interests striving for impact on political decision making

Elite democracy

emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil socie4ty (think about wealthy and powerful only)

Federalists

Supported ratification of the Constitution and a strong central government

Anti-federalists

Opposed the ratification of the Constitution and wanted more power reserved to state governments rather than a strong central government

Factions

Organized group of people who share common interests and try to influence the government to benefit its members even if those interests are in conflict with the common good (good for all). Factions are typically harmful to the rights of other citizens and often undermine the stability of the government

Majority rules/ minority rights

the idea that the group with the most members has the power to make decisions, but the rights of the group with fewer people can NEVER be taken away. The majority cannot oppress the minority-called tyranny of the majority

Shay’s Rebellion

a farmer uprising in Massachuse4tts led by Daniel Shays that highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of confederation like no power to raise a standing army, no federal taxing ability, and no president. This led of getting rid of the Articles of Confederation and drafting the U.S. Constitution

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

Created a bicameral system of Congress with representation in the House of Representatives based on each state’s population and the Senate represe4nting each state equally

Electoral College

Created a system for electing the president by electors from each state rather than by popular vote or by congressional vote

Bicameral Congress

The structure of the U.S. Congress where it is divided into two separate chambers: the House of Representatives and the Senate (bi=two cameral=chambers)

Three-fifths compromise

provided a formula for calculating a state’s enslaved population for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives and for taxation

Federalism

System of government in the U.S. in which power is shared between the national and state governments

Exclusive power

Power held by only one level of government and includes enumerated powers and implied powers

Enumerated Powers

Powers that are written in the Constitution

Implied Powers

Powers that are not specifically written in the Constitution but are inferred from the Necessary and Proper clause

Reserved powers

Powers not specifically given to the national government but are reserved to the states, as stated in the tenth amendment

Concurrent powers

powers shared between both levels of government (federal and state) such as the power to collect taxes, the power to make and enforce laws and the power to build roads

Revenue sharing

national funding given to the states with almost no restrictions to the states on its use and is the least used form of funding

Block grants

national funding given to the states with minimal restrictions to the states on its use and is preferred by the states

Categorical grants

national funding given to the states that is restricted to VERY specific categories of expenditures, is preferred by the national government, and is the most commonly used form of funding

Mandates

requirements by the national government of the states