AP US Govt: Chapters 1-3

Brunswick's AP United States Government

Participatory democracy theory

Direct citizen role in decision-making

Pluralist democracy theory

Many different interest groups compete for influence + policy comes from bargaining

Elite/class democracy theory

the wealthy and powerful dominate government decisions

Hyperpluralism democracy theory

too many strong groups compete + government gridlock

Hobbes

Strong central authority

Social contract: agreement between people, who give up some freedoms, + govt, who protect citizens, to organize society and security

Locke

Natural rights (life, liberty, property) → language was used in US Constitution

Consent of the governed

Rousseau

Popular sovereignty: government authority comes from the people

Supremacy Clause

Supreme law of the land > state laws

Elastic / N+P Clause

Not explicitly stated but implied powers

Commerce Clause

Power to regulate trade across state lines

Gibbons v. Ogden

Federalist #10

Madison

Factions are dangerous but a large republic forces them to compromise

Federalist #51

Madison

Separation of powers; Checks + Balances

Brutus #1

Warned of too much power given to nat’l govt (Surpemecy and Elastic)

Marbury v. Madison

Judicial review: letting courts strike down unconstitutional laws

Unitary system

Power is centralized in nat’l govt

Confederal system

States hold most power + nat’l govt weak

Federal system

National + state govt share power

10th amendment

Division of power; powers not given to nat’l govt are reserved for states

Concurrent powers

Division of power; state and federal court can do things (tax, borrow money, run courts)

Gibbons v. Ogden

Under the Commerce Clause, nat’l govt had power over interstate commerce

Brown v. Board of Education

Under Equal Protection Clause; ended school segregation

Layer Cake / Dual Federalism

State + nat’l gov operate separately with clear boundaries

ended in 1930s

Marble Cake / Cooperative Federalism

State + nat’l govt works together, sharing costs + responsibilities

New Deal and on

Devolution

Movement to return fed govt powers to state

Regan era

Categorical grants

Money for specific purposes

Block grants

Money for broad programs, more flexibility

Project grants

Based on merit or competition

Forumla grants

Based on population + need

Certain formulas (NY>MT in terrorist money)

Matching funds: Requires state to match with own money (Medicaid)

Funded mandates

fed gov provides money to carry out

Unfunded mandates

States must follow fed requirements without money to aid

Americans with Disabilities Act

Preemption

Federal law overrides state law

• Supremacy clause → federal rules preempt local laws

Limits on national gov

Cannot tax exports, violate BoR, change state boundaries

Limits on states

Cannot coin money, tax imports/exports, make treaties, deny due process

Extradition

States must return fugitives to the state where the crime happened

Nullification theory

States could declare federal laws invalid; rejected