AP Gov Unit 1 Test

Pluralist Democracy

a model of government where no single group dominates politics and policymaking is influenced by the competition among many diverse and organized interest groups

Participatory Democracy

a model of government that emphasize broad, direct participation of citizens and politics and civil society, with an active role in policymaking and decision-making beyond just voting for representatives

Social Contract

the idea that people willingly give up some of their freedom to a government in exchange for the protection of their rights and the maintenance of social order

Republicanism

a political ideology that emphasizes citizen participation in a representative government, where the power is held by the people and exercises through their elected representatives

Popular Sovereignty

the principle that the authority of a government is derived from the consent of the governed, and therefore the people are the ultimate source of all political power

Commerce

the buying, selling, and the exchange of goods and services, which the Constitution’s Commerce Clause grants Congress the power to regulate, and which has been used to justify a wide range of federal legislation

Legislative

the part of government responsible for creating, debating, and passing laws

Faction

a group of citizens, whether a majority or minority, united by a common interest or passion that is adverse to the right of other citizens or to the permanent and aggregate interest of the community

Natural Rights

fundamental, universal rights that people possess by nature or by virtue of being human, and are not granted by government

Centralized

a form of government where power and authority are concentrated in a single, central governing body, as opposed to being distributed among different regional or local authorities

Decentralized

the process of distributing power, authority, and decision-making from a central government to lower level, such as regional or local governments

Pluralism

a theory of government and politics emphasizing that many diverse and competing groups—rather than a single elite—influence the policymaking process

Public Policy

the actions, laws, and decisions that a government chooses to do or not to do in order to address a public problem

Judicial

the part of government responsible for interpreting laws, applying them to specific cases, and exercising judicial review to determine their constitutionality

Amendment

a formal change or addition to the US Constitution, typically proposed by Congress and ratified by the states, that modifies or clarifies the foundational principles of the government

Executive

the branch if government responsible for implementing and enforcing laws made by the legislature

Survellience

the government’s monitoring of individuals or groups, often for national security or law enforcement purposes, which raises a key debate between public safety and the protection of civil liberties, particularly the right privacy under the Fourth Amendment

Concurrent

powers that are shared by both the federal government and state governments, allowing both levels to legislate and act in the same policy areas

Enumerated/Delegated

the specific, explicit powers granted to the federal government, primarily Congress, that are directly listed in the U.S. Constitution, most notably in Article I, Section 8

Democracy

a system of government where power is vested in the people, who either rule directly or through freely elected representatives

Declaration of Indepndence

a document drafted by Thomas Jefferson that formally announced the American colonies’ separation from Great Britain and articulated the Enlightenment principles of natural rights, popular sovereignty, and social contract theory that would serve as the philosophical foundation for the new American government

Article’s of Confederation

ratified in 1781, served as the United States’ first governing document, creating a weak central government and a loose alliance of sovereign states due to a fear of centralized power after the American Revolution

Philadelphia Convention/“Grand Committee”

a 1787 meeting where delegates from twelve states convened to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, ultimately drafting the U.S. Constitution, while the “Grand Committee” was a key group within the Convention that negotiated the Great Compromise, resolving the contentious issue of legislative representation between large and small states

Ratification

the formal approval process by which a proposed by which a proposed constitutional amendment or treaty is officially adopted, often requiring a specified majority vote from a legislative body or states

Grants

federal funds given to state and local governments for a particular purpose, serving as a tool for the national government to influence state policies and programs

Mandates

authoritative federal commands that require state and local governments to comply with specific policy actions or regulations, often without government providing the necessary funding

Stakeholders

individuals, groups, or organizations that have a vested interest in, or can be affected by, the outcomes of a particular government policy, decision, or action

Allocation

the government’s process of distributing scarce recourses, such as money, power, or authority, among competing interests, programs, and different levels of government

Elite Democracy

a model of policymaking in witch a small minority of wealthy and well-educated individuals holds the most political power and influences governmental decisions

Federalists

the political leaders who supported the ratification of the U.S. Constitution and advocated for a strong, government to manage the nation effectively

Anti-Federalists

opponents of the 1787 U.S. Constitution who feared that a strong centralized government would threaten states’ rights and individual liberties, demanding the the inclusion of a Bill of Rights

Federalist #10

a foundational essay arguing that a large constitutional republic is the best form of government to control the negative effects of factions by making it difficult for any single interest to form a tyrannical majority

Federalist #51

an essay by James Madison that explains how the constitutional principles of separation of powers and checks and balances control the abuses of government and protect liberty by setting ambition against ambition

Brutus #1

an Anti-Federalist paper argues against ratifying the Constitution because a large, powerful national government would destroy state sovereignty, threaten individual liberty, and be unable to represent the people’s interests effectively

Shay’s Rebellion

an armed uprising in Massachusetts led by indebted farmers that exposed the critical weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation and served as a catalyst for drafting the new U.S. Constitution

Great Compromise (Connecticut)

an agreement reached during the Constitutional Convention that created a bicameral legislature, establishing proportional representation based on population in the House of Representatives and equal representation for each state in the Senate

Bicameral

a lawmaking body divided into two separate houses or chambers, such as the United States Congress, which consists of the Senate and the House of Representatives

Electoral College

the body of electors, established by the Constitution and chosen by the states, that is responsible for formally electing the President and Vice President of the United States, with each state’s number of electors equaling it’s total representation in Congress

3/5 Compromise

an agreement reached during the 1787 Constitutional Convention that counted each enslaved person as three-fifths of a free person for the purposes of determining a state’s population for both legislative representation and taxation

Impeachment/Removal

a two-step political process where the House of Representatives votes to formally accuse a federal official of wrongdoing, and the Senate then holds a trial to determine if the official should be removed from office

Necessary and Proper Clause/“Elastic Clause”

a provision in Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution that grants Congress the power to make any laws needed to carry out its listed, or “enumerated,” powers

Slave Trade Compromise

am agreement at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that permitted the importation of enslaved people to continue for 20 years, until 1808, in exchange for giving the federal government the power to regulate interstate and foreign commerce

Separation of Powers

the principle that divides the legislative, executive, and judicial powers or government into distinct branches, each with its own responsibilities and a system of checks and balances to prevent any single branch from becoming too powerful

Checks and Balances

a system that allows each branch of government—the legislative, executive, and judicial—to limit the powers of other branches, preventing any single one from becoming too powerful and thereby safeguarding liberty

Tyranny

the accumulation of all powers—legislative, executive, and judicial—into the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, which the framers of the Constitution sought to prevent through the principles of separation of powers and checks and balances

Article V

outlines the two methods for ratifying constitutional amendments, requiring either a two-thirds vote by both chambers of Congress or a national convention to propose an amendment, followed by ratification by three-fourths of the state’s legislatures or state conventions

U.S. Constitution

the foundational document that established the framework of the American government, including the three branches of government and a system of check and balancees, while also outlining the powers of the federal government and protecting individual rights

McCulloch v Maryland

a landmark Supreme Court case that affirmed the supremacy of the federal government over states by ruling that states could not tax the Bank of the United States and by broadly interpreting the Necessary and Proper Clause to uphold Congress’ implied powers

US v Lopez

the landmark ase where the Supreme Court ruled that the Gun-Free School Zones act of 1990 was unconstitutional because Congress has overstepped its authority under the Commerce Clause, holding that carrying a gun in a school zone was not an economic activity that substantially affected interstate commerce

Commerce Clause

found in Article I, section 8 of the U.S. Constitution, grants Congress the expansive power to regulate interstate and international trade, which the Supreme Court has interpreted over time to include a broad range of economic and non-economic activities that substantially affect interstate commerce

10th Amendment/Reserved Powers

the final amendment of the Bill of Rights that affirms the principle of federalism by reserving all powers not specifically delegated to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states, to the respective states or the people

14th Amendment

a Reconstruction-era amendment that defines citizenship and requires states to provide all citizens with due process of law and equal protection of the laws, which has been the basis for applying most of the Bill of Rights to the states through the doctrine of selective incorporation

Federalism

a system of government that divides and shares powers between a national government and several state governments, each with its own responsibilities and a degree of autonomy, as outlined in the U.S. Constitution

Categorical Grants

federal funds given to state and local governments for specific, narrowly defined purposes, with “strings attached” that ensure the money is spent according to federal guidelines and priorities

Block Grants

a type of federa grant-in-aid that provides state and local governments with funds for broad, general purposes, giving them more discretion and flexibility in how they spend the money compared to the more restrictive categorial grants

Supremacy Clause

the provision in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution, federal laws, and treaties as the “Supreme Law of the Land,” meaning they take precedence over any conflicting states laws

When did government first appear?

When human beings realized that they could not survive without some way to regulate their own actions, as well as those of their neighbors.

At the most fundamental level, why does government exist?

To keep order.

As we progressed as humans, government became there to:

-Provide goods and/or equality

-Tax citizens to take care of public institutions/processes

-Social and political enforced equality

-Protect basic human freedoms/natural rights

Government

An institution that provides the order, protection, equality, etc. (Defined set of rules, processes, and procedures on how this institution functions/operates/works).

Politics

opinions and beliefs about the use of te power by a state’s governing body

“State” vs. “state”

State (capital “S”)-our 50 states

state (lowercase “s”)-country/nation

4 characteristics of a state

-Territory (land with defined borders)

-Population (population of citizens living there and people to run the government)

Sovereignty [independent of any other state’s (country’s) control]

Government (make laws/rules, execute those rules, provide consequences and justice for rule breakers)

Based on how good or bad you believe human nature is and what humans should be provided by their state…

Government should:

-maintain order more/less

-provide public goods and services more/less

-promote equality more/less

-protect basic human freedoms more/less

How have states (countries) chosen which form of government is best for their territory and population throughout human history?

-time period

-population size

-current global conflicts

-political turmoil

-research/knowledge

4 theories of the origins of state throughout human history

-Divine right theory

-Evolutionary theory

-Force theory

-Social contract

Divine Right Theory

the population of a territory is religiously obligated to give the government it’s sovereignty because of religious beliefs in those religious leaders and religious rules

Evolutionary Theory

the population of the territory grows so much that a government is formed from the need for organization and sovereignty is naturally obtained since that population was on that territory from the beginning

Force Theory

the population of a territory are forced to abide by the government, forcing it’s sovereignty

Social Contract

the population of a territory gives up freedoms by abiding the laws, but reap the benefits that the government provides—giving it sovereignty

Who wrote The Levithan?

Thomas Hobbes

What did Hobbes believe about the state of nature?

-all individuals were naturally equal

-everyone was free to do what they needed to survive

-because of the freedom, everyone suffered from fear and danger of violent death; and the life of man was very bad

How did Hobbes believe the lack of order in the state of nature should be rectified?

Individuals needed to create some supreme power to impose peace on everyone.

What did Hobbes agree people had to do under a government?

There was an implied agreement that Hobbes said that the people agreed among themselves to “lay down” their natural rights of equality and freedom and give up absolute power to a sovereign.

What did Hobbes believe about a social contract?

The people would give up their rights and the sovereign would make and enforce the laws to secure a peaceful society, making life, liberty, and property possible. He believed that a social contract was an agreement between the people and not between them and their king. Once the people had given absolute power to the king, they had no right to revolt against him.

What did Hobbes think about religion and government?

He feared religion could become a source of civil war. So he suggested that the church become a department of the king’s government, which would closely control all religious affairs. In any conflict between religion and the king, the individual should obey the kind or choose death.

What did Hobbes believe about a king as the head of government?

He believed that a government headed by a king was the best form that the sovereign could take. Placing all power in the hands of a king would mean more resolute and consistent exercise or political authority.

What did Hobbes and many other Enlightenment thinkers at the the time believe the natural rights were?

Life, liberty, and property.

What/who were a big influence to the U.S. Constitution?

The Enlightenment/Enlightenment thinkers

What did John Locke write/publish?

Two Treatises of Government

What did John Locke think about natural rights?

Natural rights existed in the state of nature and could never be taken away or even voluntarily given up by individuals—they were “inalienable”.

What did Locke think about the social contract?

It was not just an agreement among the people, but between them and the sovereign (preferably a king).

What did Locke think about the Sovereign?

-the natural rights of individuals limited the power of the king

-the king did not hold absolute power

-the king only acted to enforce and protect the natural rights of the people

-if a sovereign violated the natural rights of the people, the social contract was broken, and the pope has the right to revolt and establish a new government

What/who did the theory from Locke’s Two Treatises of Government inspire?

Thomas Jefferson—he used Locke’s theory in writing the Declaration of Independence. (King of England violated their natural rights and they had the right to form a new government.)

What did Locke believe the most important natural right to be?

Property

What did Locke think that the role of government should be?

He thought that government was mainly necessary to promote the “public good,” that is to protect property and encourage commerce and little else. He thought that the government should “govern lightly.”

What kind of government did Locke favor? (Besides a king.)

A representative government.

Who did Locke want the representatives in government to be?

Only men of property and business

Who did Locke believe should have the right to vote?

Only adult male property owners should have the right to vote. Locke was reluctant to allow the property less masses of people to participate in government because he believed that they were unfit.

Where did Locke believe the supreme authority of government should reside?

In the law-making legislature (like England’s Parliament). The executive (prime minister) and courts would be creations of the legislature and under its authority.

What was Charles Montesquieu’s greatest work?

The Spirit of the Laws

What did Montesquieu believe about the state of nature?

Individuals were so fearful that they avoided violence and war. The need for food, cause the timid humans to associate with others and seek to live in a society. Montesquieu wrote that “As soon as man enters into a state of society, he loses the sense of his weakness, equality ceases, and then commences the state of war.”

What did Montesquieu think about a social contract?

He said that the state of war among individuals and nations led to human laws and government.

What did Montesquieu think that the main purpose of government was?

To maintain law and order, political liberty, and the property of the individual.

What did Montesquieu think about the type of government that should be in place?

He opposed the absolute monarchy of France at the time and favored the English system as the best model of government. (Though he somewhat misinterpreted how political power was actually exercised in England.)

What did Montesquieu believe he saw in the English government that became one of his most well known ideas?

Separation of powers

What coincided with Montesquieu’s idea of separation of powers in the English government?

Checks and balances—each branch of government would balance each other out and check each other’s powers. He had mentioned an executive branch, legislative branch, and a court system.

What did Montesquieu conclude that the best form of government is?

One in which the legislative, executive, and judicial powers were separate and kept each other in check to prevent any branch from becoming too powerful. He believed that uniting these powers would lead to despotism.

What/who did Montesquieu’s beliefs of separation of powers inspire?

Americans for the foundational of the U.S. Constitution

What did Jean-Jacques Rousseau believe about human nature?

That man was naturally good and corrupted by society.