AP Gov Vocabulary 1.1-1.4

Politics

The process of influencing the actions and policies of government.

Government

The rules and institutions that make up that system of policymaking.

Democracy

A system of government where power is held by the people.

Natural Rights

The right to life, liberty, and property, which the government cannot take away.

Social Contract

People allow their governments to rule over them to ensure an orderly society.

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that the government's right to rule comes from the people.

Republicanism

A system in which the government's authority comes from the people through their representatives.

Inalienable Rights

Rights the government cannot take away.

Liberty

Social, political, and economic freedoms.

Participatory Democracy

A theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic government.

Civil Society Groups

Independent associations outside the government's control.

Pluralist Theory

A theory of democracy that emphasizes the role of groups in the policy making process.

Elitist Theory

A theory of democracy that the elites have a disproportionate influence in the policy making process.

Political Institutions

the structure of government, including the executive, legislature, and judiciary.

Constitutional Republic

A democratic system with elected representatives in which the constitution is the supreme law.

Federalists

Supporters of the newly written Constitution, who emphasized the federal character of the proposed union.

Factions

A group whose goals are at odds with the rights of other citizens or the overall well-being of the common good.

Anti-Federalists

a loose political coalition of politicians, who unsuccessfully opposed the strong central government envisioned in the U.S. Constitution of 1787 and whose agitations led to the addition of a Bill of Rights.

Brutus 1

Anti Federalist document arguing against the constitution.

Federalist No. 10

Federalist document arguing for the constitution.