Unit 1 - AP Gov. & Politics

• Government

The institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies. It maintains social order, provides public services, and enforces binding decisions.

• Public Policy

All the things a government decides to do or actions it takes in response to a problem. Examples include laws regarding taxation, defense, education, and healthcare.

• The four characteristics of a state

A political community must possess a population, territory, sovereignty, and government. Together, these elements allow a state to function as an independent political entity.

• Origins of the State (Theories)

The four main theories explaining how states formed are the Force Theory, Evolutionary Theory, Divine Right Theory, and Social Contract Theory. The Social Contract Theory heavily influenced the founding of the United States.

• The Purpose of Government

As outlined in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, the purpose is to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty.

• Presidential vs. Parliamentary form of government

In a presidential system, the executive and legislative branches are separate, independent, and coequal, with a president chosen by the people. In a parliamentary system, the executive leader (prime minister) is chosen directly from and by the majority party in the legislature.

• Two forms of democracy

In a direct democracy, citizens vote directly on laws and policies themselves. In an indirect (or representative) democracy, citizens elect representatives to make laws and govern on their behalf.

• Compromise

The process of blending and adjusting competing views and interests to reach a majority agreement. It is a core necessity of a functioning democracy.

• Anarchy

The total absence of government, law, and order. Without a governing authority, society typically falls into chaos and lawlessness.

• Ordered government

The concept that government should be structured with local offices and rules to maintain order among citizens. Early English colonists created orderly local governments based on what they knew from England.

• Limited government

The principle that government is not all-powerful and is restricted in what it may do. Individuals possess certain rights that the government cannot take away.

• Landmark English Documents - Magna Carta

Signed in 1215, this document limited the power of the English monarchy and established that the king was not above the law. It introduced trial by jury and due process, heavily inspiring American constitutional rights.

• Three types of English colonies in America

The thirteen colonies were organized as royal colonies (direct crown control), proprietary colonies (run by a proprietor chosen by the king), or charter colonies (largely self-governing).Unicameral vs. Bicameral

• Stamp Act

A 1765 British law that imposed a tax on newspapers and legal documents in the American colonies. It sparked widespread colonial outrage, leading to the famous cry of "no taxation without representation."

• The Declaration of Independence

Adopted on July 4, 1776, this document announced the severance of political ties between the thirteen colonies and Great Britain. It established the core American principles of human equality and unalienable rights.

• The Articles of Confederation and its weaknesses

The first constitution of the United States, which established a weak central government that lacked the power to tax or regulate trade. Its inability to enforce laws or raise an army eventually led to its replacement.

• Framers

The group of 55 delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 to draft the U.S. Constitution. They included brilliant political minds like James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington.

• The Constitution

The supreme law of the United States that established our current framework of government. It structures the three branches of government and protects the basic rights of American citizens.

• Virginia Plan

A proposal that favored larger states, calling for a bicameral legislature where state representation would be based on population.

• New Jersey Plan

A proposal that favored smaller states, calling for a unicameral legislature where each state received equal representation regardless of population.

• Connecticut Compromise

Also known as the Great Compromise, it settled the debate between large and small states by creating a bicameral Congress. Representation is equal in the Senate and based on population in the House of Representatives.

• 3/5 Compromise

An agreement between Northern and Southern states that counted three-fifths of a state's enslaved population for both congressional representation and taxation purposes.

• Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

An agreement stating that Congress could regulate foreign and interstate commerce but could not tax exports from any state, nor ban the slave trade for 20 years.

• Federalists and Anti-Federalists

Federalists favored ratifying the new Constitution and wanted a strong central government. Anti-Federalists opposed ratification, fearing a strong central government would destroy individual liberties and states' rights.

• Ratification

The formal approval process required to give a constitution, amendment, or treaty legal force. Nine out of thirteen states had to formally ratify the U.S. Constitution for it to take effect.

• The Six Basic Principles of the Constitution

The foundational concepts of American government

• Amendment Process

The two-step constitutional method for changing the Constitution, requiring proposal by a two-thirds vote in Congress (or a national convention) and ratification by three-fourths of the states.

• Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, ratified in 1791 to guarantee specific personal freedoms and limit government power.

• Informal Amendment Procedures

The process by which changes are made to how the Constitution is interpreted and applied without changing its actual written words. This happens through basic legislation, executive action, court decisions, party practices, and custom.

• Federalism

A system of government in which power is divided and shared between a central national government and several regional state governments.

• Delegated Powers

Powers specifically granted to the national government by the Constitution. They can be expressed, implied, or inherent.

• Reserved Powers

Powers not given to the national government, which are set aside specifically for the states under the 10th Amendment. Examples include regulating education and issuing driver's licenses.

• Concurrent Powers

Powers that are shared and exercised by both the national and state governments at the same time. Examples include the power to collect taxes, build roads, and establish courts.

• Division of Powers

The basic principle of federalism where governmental powers are split on a geographic basis between the national government and the states.

• McCulloch v. Maryland - Supremacy Clause

A landmark 1819 Supreme Court case that established the supremacy of the federal government over state governments and confirmed Congress's implied powers. It ruled that states cannot interfere with or tax legitimate federal institutions.

• Admitting new states

The process managed by Congress under Article IV of the Constitution, which requires an area to petition for admission, receive an Enabling Act to write a state constitution, and be approved through an Act of Admission