AP Government - Unit One Basics

Thomas Hobbes

Humans should give up some of their rights to live in peace

Jean Jacques Rousseau

Popular sovereignty is the way we should carry out laws

Baron de Montesquieu

Best gov't is a republic with limited power

John Locke

Natural law is the law of God

Natural Rights

All people have rights that cannot be taken away

Social Contract

An implicit agreement in a society to give up freedom to maintain social order

Limited Government

A govt's power cannot be absolute

Popular Sovereignty

All gov't power comes from the consent of its people

Separation of Powers

A model that divides the gov't into 3 separate branches

Federalism

The division of power between the national and state gov't

Republicanism

A form of gov't which citizens elect their representatives

Checks and Balances

A system in which each branch can limit the power of the other branches

George Washington

Leader of the continental army

Thomas Jefferson

Wrote the declaration of Independence

James Madison

Father of the Constitution

Participatory Democracy

Broad participation in politics

Elite Democracy

Limited participation in politics. Held by the wealthy few.

Pluralist Democracy

Group based activism

Large Central Gov’t

Which of the following is not a weakness of the Articles of Confederation?

Shay’s Rebellion

Armed uprising that sparked the ratification of the Constitution

Great Compromise

Proposed a two house system of representation

New Jersey Plan

Proposed the sovereignty of states with a limited national gov't

Virginia Plan

Proposed a 3 branch system of gov't

Electoral College

Created a system for electing the president with electors

Legislative Branch

Makes the laws

Judicial Branch

Interprets the laws

Executive Branch

Enforces the laws

Executive

Can appoint supreme court justices

Legislative Branch

Can create lower courts, impeach, approve/reject judges' appointments

Judicial Branch

Appointed for life

Legislative Branch

Can override a veto with a 2/3 vote

Executive Branch

Can veto legislation

Judicial Branch

Can declare acts unconstitutional

Ronald Reagan

Which of the following presidents was not impeached

Exclusive Powers

Held only by the national gov't

Reserved Powers

Given to the states

Concurrent Powers

Shared between both the federal and state gov't

Revenue Sharing

National funding with no restrictions. Least used form

Categorical Grants

National funding that is restricted to specific use

Block Grants

National funding with minimal restriction on the states use

Mandates

Requirements by the national gov't of the states

Commerce Clause

Congress has the power to regulate interstate trade

Supremacy Clause

The national gov't and its laws have precedence over state laws

Necessary and Proper Clause

Congress has the power make laws to carry out its enumerated powers

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Gives each state the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state. (must follow the law of the state you are in)

Privileges and Immunities Clause

States cannot draw unreasonable distinctions between their own residents and people who happen to live in other states

Equal Protection Clause

Gives people security under federal law

Impeachment

House formally charges an official with abuse of power or misconduct

Federalists

Supported the ratification of the constitution

Brutus No. 1

Document that opposed the ratification of the Constitution