AP Government and Politics Terms

These flashcards focus on key terminology related to AP Government and Politics, aiding in the comprehension and retention of essential concepts for examination preparation.

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 democracy

Government in which the people elect those who govern and pass laws; also called a republic.

Constitutional democracy

A 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.

Constitutionalism

The set of arrangements, including checks and balances, federalism, separation of powers, rule of law, due process, and a bill of rights, that requires our leaders to listen, think, bargain, and explain before they act or make laws.

Statism

The idea that the rights of the nation are supreme over the rights of the individuals who make up the nation.

Popular consent

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

Majority rule

Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.

Articles of Confederation

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

Constitutional Convention

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

Virginia Plan

Initial proposal at the Constitutional Convention made by the Virginia delegation for a strong central government with a bicameral legislature dominated by the big states.

Three-fifths compromise

Compromise between northern and southern states at the Constitutional Convention that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.

Federalists

Supporters of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government.

Judicial review

The power of a court to refuse to enforce a law or a government regulation that in the opinion of the judges conflicts with the U.S. Constitution.

Impeachment

Formal accusation by the lower house of legislature against a public official, the first step in removal from office.

Federalism

Constitutional arrangement in which power is distributed between a central government and subdivisional governments, called states.

Necessary and proper clause

Clause of the Constitution setting forth the implied powers of Congress.

Full faith and credit clause

Clause in the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the civil judgments rendered by the courts of the other states.

Civil law

A law that governs relationships between individuals and defines their legal rights.

Affirmative action

Remedial action designed to overcome the effects of discrimination against minorities and women.

Bicameralism

The principle of a two-house legislature.

Public opinion

The distribution of individual preferences or evaluations of a given issue, candidate, or institution within a specific population.

Iron triangle

A policy-making alliance that involves a very strong ties among a congressional committee, an interest group, and a Federal Department or agency.

Majority-minority district

A congressional district created to include a majority of minority voters; ruled constitutional so long as race is not the main factor in redistricting.

Eminent domain

Power of a government to take private property for public use, requiring just compensation.

Isolationism

The desire to avoid international entanglement altogether.

Soft power

The reliance on diplomacy and negotiation to solve international problems.

Quid pro quo

Something given with the expectation of receiving something in return.

Crossover sanctions

A technique that permits the use of federal money in one program to influence state and local policy in another.

Implied powers

Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions.