AP Gov 2: AMSCO AP US Government and Politics Chapter 2

Articles of Confederation

Document that laid out the first form of government for the United States of America and allowed Congress to engage in diplomacy, declare war, and acquire territory, did not give federal government key powers like taxation and was replaced

Shays’ Rebellion

1787 insurgency of impoverished veterans who protested against high taxes and private economic pressures, eventually foiled by private and local militias which killed 4, highlighted need for a federal standing army

Confederation Congress

Legislature established under Articles of Confederation which had little power in terms of the economy

Constitutional Convention

1787 meeting of 55 delegates to discuss issues with Articles of Confederation, led to the drafting of the Constitution

Virginia Plan

Proposal by James Madison & Edmund Randolph at the Constitutional Convention including a 3 branch system with a bicameral legislature and strong federal government whose branches had checks and balances over each other

New Jersey Plan

Proposal by William Patterson at the Constitutional Convention with states having most of the power which was shared with the federal government and a unicameral legislature where each state had 1 vote

Great Compromise/Connecticut Compromise

Roger Sherman’s proposal for a bicameral legislature where the lower house’s representation was based on state population and the upper house gave equal representation to each state

Three-Fifths Compromise

Agreement that 60% of a state’s slave population would count towards its representation in the House of Representatives

Electoral College

System of presidential elections in which each state gets an amount of electors equal to the number of representatives and senators who in turn vote based on their state’s popular vote

Confederal System

Loose gathering of sovereign states that come together for a common purpose, giving the federal government limited power

Commerce Compromise

Agreement that Congress can impose a tariff on imports but not exports, and that it could regulate interstate trade

Article I

Part of the Constitution which details the functions of Congress, giving it certain responsibilities, has 10 sections

Article II

Part of the Constitution detailing responsibilities of the President and the executive branch

Article III

Part of the Constitution establishing the judicial branch and outlining the powers of the Supreme Court and lower courts

Article IV

Part of the Constitution detailing relations between the states, requiring them to be open about their laws and to respect the rights of other states’ residents, gives procedures for adding new states to the nation

Article V

Part of the Constitution which details procedure for proposing amendments and ratifying the Constitution, requires 2/3 of Congress and ¾ of states to ratify an amendment

Article VI

Part of the Constitution establishing the Constitution as the supreme law of the land, federal supremacy, and that no religious tests may be imposed to hold public office, ensures that debt incurred before ratification continued to be held

Article VII

Part of the Constitution regarding the ratification of the Constitution itself, requiring 9/13 states to approve it in order to take effect

Federal Supremacy

Doctrine in the Constitution establishing that the federal government has ultimate authority over the states

Ratification

Formal consent given by a state to approve an amendment or the Constitution itself

Bill of Rights

Set of 10 amendments protecting the rights and liberties of individuals and states

First Amendment

1791 addition to the Constitution protecting the freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, and petition

Second Amendment

1791 addition to the Constitution safeguarding the right of the people to keep and bear arms

Third Amendment

1791 addition to the Constitution preventing the government from requiring citizens to quarter soldiers during peacetime

Fourth Amendment

1791 addition to the Constitution banning unreasonable search and seizure by law enforcement or government officials without probable cause

Fifth Amendment

1791 addition to the Constitution protecting the rights of the accused from self-incrimination, requiring due process, and banning double jeopardy charges

Sixth Amendment

1791 addition to the Constitution protecting the right to a criminal trial by an impartial jury of one’s peers and establishing the right of a defendant to confront their accuser

Seventh Amendment

1791 addition to the Constitution establishing the right to federal civil trial for disputes over certain amounts

Eighth Amendment

1791 addition to the Constitution banning cruel & unusual punishment and excessive bail or fines

Ninth Amendment

1791 addition to the Constitution protecting the rights of the people which are not listed in the Constitution, the document is not an exhaustive list of every right for individuals and the people

Tenth Amendment

1791 addition to the Constitution establishing that the federal government only has the powers which is granted by the Constitution, all other powers are held by the states and cannot be infringed upon by the federal government

USA PATRIOT Act

2001 law covering intelligence gathering & sharing between executive branch agencies, points of criminal procedure, and border protection, decreased thresholds for monitoring of communications, lengthened time of detaining illegals

USA Freedom Act

2015 law upholding certain parts of its 2001 counterpart while phasing out mass collection of phone & internet data

Elementary and Secondary Education Act

1965 law giving underfunded schools more adequate resources while maintaining state control and management of schools

No Child Left Behind Act

2002 law establishing standardized testing to measure student performance and sanctioning underperforming schools while calling for improved teaching methods

Race to the Top

Obama’s education initiative giving states incentives to adopt national standards regarding college and career preparedness at graduation

Every Student Succeeds Act

2015 law allowing states to set their own standards for educational achievement while requiring the Department of Education to approve the plans, providing supports for disadvantaged students

Federalism

System where the federal government gets its power from the states but ultimately has authority

Separation of Powers

Division of government roles between the three branches

Checks and Balances

Safeguards given to other branches of government to prevent one from exercising excessive power

Stakeholders

People or groups who will be affected by legislative policies

Judicial Review

Doctrine established by Marbury v. Madison (1803) which gives courts to nullify the actions of other branches if they are ruled unconstitutional or outside the scope of a law

Federalist No. 51

1788 essay by “Publius” arguing for bicameralism, separation of powers, federalism, and checks & balances

Veto

Presidential disapproval for a bill passed by both houses of Congress

Pocket Veto

President kills a bill by refusing to sign it at the end of legislative session, done to override provision which causes a bill to become law if he does nothing with it after 10 days

Advice and Consent

Senate’s power to make suggestions to the President, and to ultimately confirm/approve presidential nominations for executive office and judge positions

Two-Thirds Override

Congress’ power to make a bill become a law regardless of the President’s veto if 2/3 of both houses agree to override the veto

Impeachment

House of Representatives’ power to bring charges against the president, judge, or other officials for wrongdoing, simple House majority is needed but 2/3 of Senate is needed to convict of “treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors”