AP Gov: Chapter 1 (Foundations of American Democracy)

Anarchy

The absence of government and laws

Autocracy

Government by one person with absolute power

Dictatorship

Government in which the leader has absolute power and authority

Monarchy

Government ruled by a monarch

Oligarchy

Government ruled by a few powerful people

Junta

Government that has taken power in a country by force, often a military or political group

Theocracy

Government controlled by religious leaders

Democracy

Government by the people both directly or indirectly, with free and frequent elections

Direct Democracy

Government in which citizens vote on laws and select officials directly

Representative (Republican) Democracy

Government in which the people elect those who govern and pass laws

Direct Primary

An election in which voters choose party nominees

Intiative

A procedure whereby a certain number of voters, by petition, may propose a law of constitutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters

Referendum

A procedure that allows citizens to vote on measures passed by the legislature or proposed amendments to the constitution

Recall

A procedure that allows voters to remove officials from office before the end of their term

Participatory Democracy

Democracy in which citizens have the power to decide directly on policy, and politicians are responsible for implementing those policy decisions

Pluralist Democracy

Democracy in which no one group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy

Elite Democracy

Democracy in which a small number of people, usually those who are wealthy and well-educated, influence political decision-making

Constitutional Democracy

Government that enforces recognized limits on those who govern and allows the voice of the people to be heard through free, fair, and relatively frequent elections

Constituionalism

The set of arrangements that requires our leaders to listen, think, bargain, and explain before they act or make laws and holds them politically and legally accountable for how they exercise their power

1. Town Hall Meetings

2. Initiatives

3. Referendums

Give an example of participatory democracy

Interest Groups

Give an example of pluralist democracy

Electoral College

Give an example of elite democracy

Natural Rights

The rights of all people to dignity and worth

Political Culture

The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms citizens hold about their relationship to the government and to one another

Personal Liberty

The freedom of an individual to act upon their own free will, limited only by the authority of law to secure public health, safety, or morals of other recognized social interests

Individualism

The principle of individual freedom and rights over those of the government, as long as it does not interfere with the rights of others

Equality

Equal rights and opportunity for all, regardless of race, gender, class, or religion

The American Dream

The idea that the United States is a land of opportunity where individual initiative and hard work can bring economic success

Capitalism

An economic system based on private property, competitive market, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the production, distribution, and pricing of goods and services

Popular Consent (Popular Sovereignty)

The idea that a just government must derive its powers from the consent of the people it governs

Free & Fair Elections

The idea that frequent elections are free and open to all citizens of voting age with equal voting power

Majority Rule

Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority

Plurality Rule

Governance according to the popular vote

Majority Party

The candidate or party that wins more than half the votes cast in an election

Plurality Party

The candidate or party with the most votes cast in an election, not necessarily more than half

Freedom of Expression & Assembly

The idea that free and fair elections depend on voters having access to facts, competing ideas, and views of candidates without government interference in speech, the press, or assembly and protest

Justice & the Rule of Law

The belief that society should be governed by a system of laws that are equally applied and just

The exercise of voting privileges requires an educated citizenry, often excluding the poorly educated and illiterate

Describe the educational conditions that influence the development of democracy.

Nations with strong economics have a better chance of sustaining democratic governments than those with widespread poverty because political power is also likely to be concentrated where economic power is concentrated

Describe the economic conditions that influence the development of democracy.

A democratic government by discussion and compromise cannot flourish in a society fragmented by warring groups but rather in a society with many overlapping associations and groups with common interests

Describe the social conditions that influence the development of democracy.

Democracy requires citizens to widely share a set of attitudes and beliefs about the government

Describe the ideological conditions that influence the development of democracy.

Democratic Stability

Influenced by educational, economic, social, and ideological conditions but often challenged by the conflict between the basic values of democracy

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

English philosopher who advocated absolute sovereignty (autocracy) as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings

John Locke (1632-1704)

English Enlightenment philosopher who favored a Representative (republican) government where the supreme authority resided in the law-making legislature, like England's Parliament.

Charles Montesquieu (1689-1755)

French Enlightenment philosopher who advocated a representative democracy in which the legislative, executive, and judicial powers were separate and kept each other in check to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful

Jean-Jacques Rousseau (1712-1778)

Genevan Enlightenment philosopher who advocated a direct democracy in which every citizen had an equal responsibility to agree on the laws that governed them

The Declaration of Independence dissolved America's political bonds with the Kingdom of Great Britain and explained why America declared independence.

(Declared independence from Britain)

What was the purpose of the Declaration of Independence?

Social Contract

In exchange for power, the government must protect citizens rights

Social Contract

The people have the right to abolish a corrupt government and institute a new one

Limited Government

The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on the government to protect the natural rights of citizens

1. Refusing to establish Judiciary Powers and making judges depend on his will to maintain their positions and salaries

2. The Quartering Act (forced to house armed troops)

3. Cutting off international trade

4. Imposing taxes without consent

5. Depriving the benefits of Trial by Jury

   (These are just five examples)

What are some grievances against the King of Britain in the Declaration of Independence?

Articles of Confederation (1781-1789)

The first governing document of the confederated states, drafted in 1777, ratified in 1781, and replaced by the present Constitution in 1789

1. Congress could not levy taxes, nor regulate commerce

2. Congress could not raise an army (they could only request soldiers from the states)

3. Congress could not generate revenue through taxes (revenue came from states, each contributing according to the value of privately owned property within its borders)

4. No strong leader to take quick, decisive action (action must be approved among states)

5. No national currency

6. Each state has one Congress vote, regardless of population

What were the major weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?

Shays' Rebellion (1786-1787)

A rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in Western Massachusetts in 1786-1787 protesting mortgage foreclosures

Shays' Rebellion

Highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out

The rebellion demonstrated the failures of the Articles of Confederation, highlighting the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out

Congress didn't have the power to raise troops to suppress the rebellion

What was the effect of Shays' Rebellion?

The rebellion deeply shocked Americans and spread fear of anarchy that turned many to the idea of a stronger central government

How did American citizens react to Shays' Rebellion?

A unicameral legislature (no separation of powers)

What type of legislature did the Articles of Confederation have?

With the states

Where did the majority of the power rest under the Articles of Confederation?

Nine (9) States

How many states were required to pass a law under the Articles of Confederation?

All Thirteen (13) States

Complete approval was required

How many states were required to amend the Articles of Confederation?

There was NO Executive branch, nor was there a president

Was there an Executive branch under the Articles of Confederation?

There was NO Judicial branch (supreme court). The state courts enforced and interpreted national laws

Was there a Judicial branch under the Articles of Confederation?

There WAS a legislative branch, which comprised of a single house. Congress delegates voted by state—with each state receiving one vote, regardless of its population

Was there a Legislative branch under the Articles of Confederation?

Declaration of Independence (1776)

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

Annapolis Convention (1786)

A September 1786 convention held to consider problems of trade and navigation, attended by five states, that issued the call to Congress and the states for what became the Constitutional Convention

Virginia Plan

Resolutions that called for a strong national government with bicameral legislation based on population

New Jersey Plan

Resolutions that called for a strong national government with unicameral legislation with equal state representation

Connecticut ("Great") Compromise

Proposal for strong central government with bicameral legislation that called for one house with equal state representation and a second house with representation based on population

3/5ths Compromise (1787)

A compromise that counted three out of every five slaves for House of Representative appointment and direct taxation

Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

A provision of the 3/5ths Compromise to prevent Congress taxation of exports and to eliminate the importation of slaves in 20 years; done by Congress in 1808

Electoral College

Electoral system used in electing the president and vice president, in which voters vote for electors pledged to cast their ballots for a particular party's candidates

Constitutional Convention

The convention in Philadelphia, May 25 to September 17, 1787, that debated and agreed upon the Constitution of the United States

Bicameralism

The principle of a two-house legislature

Federalists

Supporters of the ratification of the Constitution

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of ratification of the Constitution

City regions and Seaboard

Where were federalists typically concentrated?

Rural areas inhabited by farmers and the poor

Where were anti-federalists typically concentrated?

They believed the new government wouldn't protect individual rights

Why were the anti-federalists opposed to the constituion?

The Federalist Papers

A series of essays to persuade New York voters to ratify the Constitution

The Anti-Federalist Papers

A series of essays to encourage New York voters to reject the proposed Constitution

Most small states (satisfied by equal Senate representation) ratified the Constitution

Which states ratified the Constitution first?

The Bill of Rights

How were many larger states convinced the ratify the Constitution?

Protects individual rights and liberty and limits the national government

What does the Bill of Rights do?

The federalists deemed the Bill of Rights unnecessary, while the anti-federalists supported the Bill of Rights

What were the initial federalist vs. anti-federalist views of the Bill of Rights?

Ratification

The official approval of something, usually by vote

Thomas Jefferson

Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?

With a government that derives it's power from the consent of the governed.

How do people secure their natural rights?

According to Jefferson, the colonists repeatedly asked the king to stop hurting them to no avail

How did the colonists' react to British tyranny?

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

Federalism

A system in which power is divided between the national and state governments

James Madison

Who wrote Federalist #10?

Factions

Citizens who are united and motivated by some common passion or interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens or to the interests of the community

Defended the form of republican government proposed by the Constitution and addressed the dangers of factions in democracy

What was the purpose of Federalist #10?

Federalist #10

A document addressing the dangers of factions in democracy and defending the form of republican government proposed by the constitution

Various and unequal distribution of property

What is the oldest, most common and longest lasting source of faction?

James Madison

Favors a republic where public voice is more consonant to the public good than if pronounced by the people themselves

James Madison

Who wrote Federalist #51?

Advocates separation of powers and addresses checks and balances

What was the purpose of Federalist #51?

Separate powers keep each other in check and are "essential to the preservation of liberty"

What is the purpose of separating the powers of the federal government?