AP GOV - ALL Terms

Limited Government

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution.

Natural Rights

the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property

John Locke

17th century English philosopher who opposed the Divine Right of Kings and who asserted that people have a natural right to life, liberty, and property.

Social Contract

A voluntary agreement among individuals to secure their rights and welfare by creating a government and abiding by its rules.

Popular Sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

The "Grand Committee"

a committee at the Constitutional Convention that worked out the compromise on representation

Declaration of Independence

the document recording the proclamation of the second Continental Congress (4 July 1776) asserting the independence of the colonies from Great Britain

Articles of Confederation

A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.

Preamble

Introduction to the Constitution

U.S. Constitution

The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of the U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation.

Representative Democracy

A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people.

Participatory Democracy

a system of government where rank-and-file citizens rule themselves rather than electing representatives to govern on their behalf

Pluralist Democracy

a theory of democracy that holds that citizen membership in groups is the key to political power

Elite Democracy

a theory of democracy that limits the citizens' role to choosing among competing leaders

Federalist \#10

An essay composed by James Madison which argues that liberty is safest in a large republic because many interests (factions) exist. Such diversity makes tyranny by the majority more difficult since ruling coalitions will always be unstable.

Brutus \#1

October 18, 1787; need for homogeneity- impossibility of large republic because of lack of representation

Federalists

supporters of the Constitution

Anti-Federalists

people who opposed the Constitution

Central Government

a government that acts for all the states within the country

Reserved Powers

Powers given to the state government alone

Republic

A form of government in which citizens choose their leaders by voting

Factions

Political groups that agree on objectives and policies; the origins of political parties.

Shay's Rebellion

Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out.

Virginia Plan

"Large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation.

New Jersey Plan

A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

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

Three-Fifths Compromise

Agreement that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person in determining representation in the House for representation and taxation purposes (negated by the 13th amendment)

Slave Trade Compromise

Congress could not regulate or outlaw slavery or slave trade until 1808

Ex post facto law

a law that makes an act criminal although the act was legal when it was committed

Bill of attainder

a law that punishes a person accused of a crime without a trial or a fair hearing in court

Electoral College

A group of people named by each state legislature to select the president and vice president

Article IV

Relations among states

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Constitution's requirement that each state accept the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of every other state

Privileges and Immunities Clause

prevents a state from treating citizens of other states in a discriminatory manner.

Amendment Process

step 1: amendment proposed by 2/3 vote of both houses of congress OR a constitutional convention called by congress on petition of 2/3 out of 50 states. THEN amendment ratified by 3/4 of the 50 state legislatures OR 3/4 of special constitutional conventions called by 50 states THEN the new amendment!

Article V

Amending the Constitution

Article VI

Supremacy Clause

Article VII

Ratification

Ratification

Formal approval

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

Separation of Powers

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law

Federalist \#51

Argues that separation of powers within the national government is the best way to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of one person or a single group.

Tyranny of the majority

The potential of a majority to monopolize power for its own gain to the detriment of minority rights and interests.

Multiple policy access points

Where many pieces of legislation deal with parts of policy problems but never deal with the entire problem.

Impeachment

A formal document charging a public official with misconduct in office

Exclusive powers

Those powers that can be exercised by the National Government alone

Concurrent Powers

Powers held jointly by the national and state governments.

Federal Balance of Power

the degree to which power is centralized in the federal government or devolved to the subnational governments

Dual Federalism

A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies.

"Layer Cake" Federalism

federalism characterized by a national government exercising its power independently from state governments.

Cooperative Federalism

A system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government. They may also share costs, administration, and even blame for programs that work poorly.

"Marble Cake" Federalism

Conceives of federalism as a marble cake in which all levels of government are involved in a variety of issues and programs, rather than a layer cake, or dual federalism, with fixed divisions between layers or levels of government.

Fiscal Federalism

The pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; it is the cornerstone of the national government's relations with state and local governments.

Grants

A sum of money given by a certain organization, especially the government, for a certain reason or cause

Incentives

a positive or negative environmental stimulus that motivates behavior

Conditions-of-aid

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

Revenue Sharing

federal sharing of a fixed percentage of its revenue with the states

Mandates

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

Clean Air Act (1970)

The law aimed at combating air pollution, by charging the EPA with protecting and improving the quality of the nation's air.

Americans with Disabilities Act (1990)

A law passed in 1990 that requires employers and public facilities to make "reasonable accommodations" for people with disabilities and prohibits discrimination against these individuals in employment.

Categorical Grants

Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport

Block Grants

Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services

Tenth Amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Commerce Clause

The clause in the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 1) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the implied powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government

Enumerated Powers

Powers given to the national government alone

Implied Powers

Powers not specifically mentioned in the constitution

Inherent Powers

The powers of the national government in foreign affairs that the Supreme Court has declared do not depend on constitutional grants but rather grow out of the very existence of the national government.

State Sovereignty

the concept that states have the right to govern themselves independent of the federal government

Supreme Court of the United States

The highest court in the federal judiciary specifically created by the Constitution. It is composed of nine justices and has appellate jurisdiction over lower federal courts and the highest state courts. It also possesses a limited original jurisdiction.

Statute

law

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

the Supreme Court upheld the power of the national government and denied the right of a state to tax the federal bank using the Constitution's supremacy clause. The Court's broad interpretation of the necessary and proper clause paved the way for later rulings upholding expansive federal powers

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Commerce clause of Constitution does not give Congress the power to regulate guns near state-operated schools

Institutions of Government

Formal policymakers within the government, including the executive, legislature, judiciary and bureaucracy

Article I

Legislative Branch

Bicameral

A legislature consisting of two parts, or houses

Constituency

the people and interests that an elected official represents

Coalition-building

the banding together of several interest groups for the purpose of lobbying

Revenue

income

Congressional Committee

committee deals w/ specific topic, work of congress goes through committees

Standing Committee

A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area

Select Committee

A temporary legislative committee established for a limited time period and for a special purpose.

Conference Committee

Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form.

Joint Committee

A committee composed of members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate; such committees oversee the Library of Congress and conduct investigations.

Speaker of the House

the leader of the majority party who serves as the presiding officer of the House of Representatives

President of the Senate

Vice President

President Pro Tempore

Officer of the Senate selected by the majority party to act as chair in the absence of the vice president

Majority Leader

the legislative leader elected by party members holding the majority of seats in the House or Senate

Minority Leader

The principal leader of the minority party in the House of Representatives or in the Senate.

Majority Whip

a go-between with the majority leadership and party members in the house of representatives

Minority Whip

a go-between with the minority leadership whose job mirrors that of the majority whip but without the power that comes from holding a majority in the House of Representatives

Committee Chairperson

Leader of a congressional committee. Usually the longest serving member of the majority party on that committee (seniority rule). A very powerful position - Controls the committee calendar, agenda, and hearings. Can pigeonhole (table) a bill by refusing to schedule debate on it.

Filibuster

A procedural practice in the Senate whereby a senator refuses to relinquish the floor and thereby delays proceedings and prevents a vote on a controversial issue.

Cloture

A procedure for terminating debate, especially filibusters, in the Senate.

Quorum

The minimum number of members who must be present for business to be conducted in Congress

Hold

held

Unanimous consent

an agreement by every senator to the terms of debate on a given piece of legislation

Rules Committee

A standing committee of the House of Representatives that provides special rules under which specific bills can be debated, amended, and considered by the house.

Committee of the Whole

A committee that consists of an entire legislative body; used for a procedure in which a legislative body expedites its business by resolving itself into a committee of itself.

Discharge Petition

Petition that, if signed by majority of the House of Representatives' members, will pry a bill from committee and bring it to the floor for consideration.