AP Gov unit chapter 1 & 2

unalienable

A human right based on nature or God.

Articles of Confederation

A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.

Constitutional Convention

A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution.

Shays’s Rebellion

A 1787 rebellion in which ex-Revolutionary War soldiers attempted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes.

Virginia Plan

Proposal to create a strong national government.

New Jersey Plan

Proposal to create a weak national government.

Great Compromise

Plan to have a popularly elected House based on state population and a state-selected Senate, with two members for each state.

republic

A government in which elected representatives make the decisions.

judicial review

The power of courts to declare laws unconstitutional.

federalism

Government authority shared by national and local governments.

enumerated powers

Powers given to the national government alone.

reserved powers

Powers given to the state government alone.

concurrent powers

Powers shared by the national and state governments.

separation of powers

Sharing of constitutional authority by multiple branches of government.

checks and balances

Constitutional ability of multiple branches of government to limit each other’s power.

faction

A group with a distinct political interest.

Federalists

Those who favor a stronger national government.

Antifederalists

Those who favor a weaker national government.

coalition

An alliance of groups.

habeas corpus

An order to produce an arrested person before a judge.

bill of attainder

A law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guilty of a crime.

ex post facto law

A law that makes an act criminal even though the act was legal when it was committed.

Bill of Rights

First ten amendments to the Constitution.

line-item veto

An executive’s ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature.

sovereignty

The ultimate political author in a system.

unitary system

A system of government where sovereignty is fully vested in the national government, not the states.

confederation or confederal system

A system of government where state governments are sovereign, and the national government can do only what the states permit.

federal system

A system of government where the national and state governments share sovereignty.

“necessary and proper” clause

Section of the Constitution allowing Congress to pass all laws “necessary and proper” to its duties, and that has permitted Congress to exercise powers not specifically given to it (enumerated) by the Constitution.

nullification

The doctrine that a state can declare null and void a federal law that, in the state’s opinion, violates the Constitution.

dual federalism

Doctrine holding that the national government is supreme in its sphere, the states are supreme in theirs, and the two spheres should be kept separate.

cooperative federalism

Idea that the federal and state governments share power in many policy areas.

laboratories of democracy

Idea that different states can implement different policies, and the successful ones will spread.

initiative

Process that permits voters to put legislative measures directly on the ballot.

referendum

Procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed by the legislature.

recall

Procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office.

grants-in-aid

Money given by the national government to the states.

categorical grants

Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport.

conditions of aid

Terms set by the national government that states must meet if they are to receive certain federal funds.

mandates

Terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants.

waiver

A decision by an administrative agency granting some other party permission to violate a law or rule that would otherwise apply to it.

devolution

The transfer of power from the national government to state and local governments.