AP Government 1 & 2

Government

system for implementing decisions made through the political process

Faction

groups of like-minded people who try to influence the government

Separation of Powers

division of government power across the judicial, executive, and legislative branches

Checks and Balances

system in which each branch of government has some power over the others

Federalism

division of power across the local, state, and national levels of government

Public Goods

services or actions that once provided to one person become available to everyone

Collective Action Problem

members of a group would benefit by working together but instead each individual refuses to cooperate and reaps the benefit from those who do the work

Free Rider Problem

incentive to benefit from others without helping which leads individuals in a collective action situation to refuse to work together

Politics

process that determines what government does

Free Market

economic system based on competition among businesses without government interference

Redistribution

policies favored by democrats that use taxes to attempt to create social equality

Culture Wars

political conflict in the US between “red-state” Americans and “blue-state” Americans

Ideology

cohesive set of ideas and beliefs used to organize and evaluate the political world

Conservative

side of ideological spectrum defined by lower taxes, free market, and limited government (Republican)

Liberal

side of ideological spectrum defines by stronger government programs, market regulation (Democrat)

Libertarians

those who prefer limited government and tend to be conservative on issues such as social welfare, environment, and government funding education, but liberal on speech, abortion, drugs

Norms

unwritten rules and informal agreements among citizens and elected officials about how government and society should work

Democracy

government by the people, people elect leaders, fair elections must have two candidates

Liberty

political freedom, freedom of speech, press, assembly, religion, protection from government control, outlined in the Bill of Rights and the Constitution

Equality

equality before the law, equal opportunity, NOT materialistic

Articles of Confederation

1st attempt at a new American government, restricted national government too much, replaced by Constitution

Limited Government

political system in which the powers of the government are restricted to prevent tyranny by protecting property and individual rights

Monarchy

form of government in which power is held by a single person who comes to power through inheritance

Republicanism

form of government in which interests of people are represented through elected leaders

Popular Sovereignty

government gains its legitimacy through regular elections in which people living under government participate to elect leaders

Natural Rights

“unalienable rights” defined in the Declaration of Independence, “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” should be governments central purpose

Federalists

those at Constitutional Convention who favored strong national government and a system of separated powers

Antifederalists

those at the Constitutional Convention who favored strong state government and feared a strong national government would threaten individual rights

Pluralism

having a variety of parties and interests within a government will strengthen the system so no group has total control

Virginia Plan

proposed by larger states during Constitutional Convention that based representation in the national legislature on population

New Jersey Plan

suggested by the smaller states in response to the Virginia Plan, each state should receive equal representation

Great Compromise

compromise between big and small states in which congress has 2 houses: Senate with 2 legislators per state and a House of Representatives based on population

Parliamentary System

system of government in which legislative and executive power are closely joined: legislative selects chief who forms cabinet

Reserved Powers

powers not given to national government by the Constitution or prohibited to the states are reserved to the states and the people

National Supremacy Clause

Constitution and the laws and treaties of the US are the “Supreme Law of the Land” meaning national law are over state laws if there is conflict

Three-Fifths Compromise

states decision during Constitutional Convention to count each enslaved person as 3/5 of a person in a state’s population

Bill of Rights

first 10 amendments to the Constitution; protect individual rights and liberties

Enumerated Powers

powers granted to Congress, the President, or the Supreme Court in the first 3 articles of the Constitution

Power of the Purse

constitutional power of Congress to raise and spend money

Impeachment

negative or checking power over the other branches that allows Congress to remove the President, Vice President, or judges for abusing power

Judicial Review

Supreme Courts power to strike down a law or an executive branch action if unconstitutional

Executive Powers Clause

executive power shall be vested in a President of the US

Commerce Clause

gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states

Implied Powers

powers supported by the Constitution that are not expressly stated in it