Unit 1 Vocab - AP Gov

3/5ths Compromise

A legal rule that decided that three out of every 5 enslaved people would count for population and taxation.

Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States.

Block Grants

A fixed sum of money awarded by a higher level of government (like the federal government) to a state or local government for broad social welfare or community purposes.

Brutus 1

1787 Anti-federalist essay that believed the proposed US Constitution gave too much power to the federal government and threatened state sovereignty and individual liberties.

Categorical Grants

Federal funds given to state and local governments for narrowly defined purposes, featuring strict spending rules and detailed matching or reporting requirements.

Checks and Balances

A system that lets each part of a government limit the power of the other parts.

Concurrent Powers

Powers held by both the federal government and the states (like taxation and courts).

Constitution

Plan of government; in the United States the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the land.

Electoral College

The official system used in the United States to indirectly elect the president and vice president. It is not a physical place, but a group of people called electors chosen by each state to cast votes for these offices.

Enumerated Powers

Powers of the federal government.

Exclusive Powers

Authority rights granted solely to one specific level of government or branch.

Federalism

Division of governmental powers between the states and federal government.

Federalist 10

Written by James Madison in 1787, argues that a large, representative republic is the best way to control the dangers of political factions.

Federalist 51

Written by James Madison in 1788, explains how the structure of the U.S. Constitution prevents tyranny through separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism.

Federalist 70

Written by Alexander Hamilton in 1788, argues that a single, energetic and unitary president is vital for the United States.

Federalist 78

Written by Alexander Hamilton in May 1788, explains and defends the structure and powers of the judicial branch under the proposed U.S. Constitution.

Great Compromise

Was an agreement from 1787. It solved a big fight over how states would get seats in the new U.S. government. It created a two-part Congress: the House of Representatives based on population, and the Senate with two members for every state.

Impeachment

The formal process where a legislative body brings official charges of misconduct against a public official.

Implied Powers

Government rules and actions that are not directly written in a constitution, but are assumed to be needed to carry out the written powers.

Mandates

An official order, a clear command, or the power to act given to a leader, government, or group by law or an election.

Participatory Democracy

A governance model that emphasizes broad, direct engagement of individual citizens in political and policy decisions, rather than relying solely on elected representatives.

Pluralist Democracy

A political model where power is spread across many diverse groups rather than controlled by a single elite or the general public as one mass.

Separation of Powers

The division of the government into three independent branches - legislative, executive, and judicial.

State Sovereignty

The core political and legal power of a government to rule its land and people. It means the state makes its own laws, runs its own public services, and manages its borders without outside interference from other countries.

Supremacy Clause

It states that the Constitution, federal laws made under it, and U.S. treaties are the "supreme Law of the Land".