AP Gov Unit 1

Representative democracy

A political system where votes select representatives who then vote on matters of public policy.

Participatory democracy

Model that emphasizes broad, wide-spread political and societal participation

Pluralist democracy

Emphasizes group-based activism by non-governmental groups for influencing the policy-making process. Groups play a major role in influencing policy-making

Elite democracy

Model where elites who are people with resources and influence have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policy-making process

Natural rights

Life, liberty, and property. Rights that everyone is born with that cannot be taken away by anything. Applies to every human

Social contract

Unspoken agreement that exists between the people and the government. Idea that the people give up a little bit of freedom in exchange for protection

Popular sovereignty

The idea that the government has permission to rule because of the consent of the governed

Limited government

A government’s power cannot be absolute. The government’s job is to protect the people and the people’s rights and that is it

The Declaration of Independence

A document declaring the thirteen American colonies independent from British rule.

The Articles of Confederation

The first constitution of the United States, creating a confederation of sovereign states.

Shays’ Rebellion

An armed uprising in 1786-87 by farmers in Massachusetts protesting economic injustices.

The Constitution of the United States

The supreme law of the United States, establishing the national framework of government.

Separation of powers

The division of government into distinct branches to limit any one branch from exercising the core functions of another.

Checks and balances

A system that ensures that political power is not concentrated in the hands of individuals or groups.

Republicanism

An ideology centered on citizenship in a state organized as a republic.

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

An agreement during the Constitutional Convention that created a bicameral legislature.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement that counted three-fifths of a state's slave population for legislative representation.

Electoral College

The body that formally elects the President and Vice President of the United States.

Supremacy Clause

A clause in the Constitution declaring that federal law takes precedence over state law.

Federalists

Supporters of the proposed Constitution who favored a strong national government.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents of the Constitution who favored a weaker national government.

Federalism

A system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units.

Brutus No. 1

An Anti-Federalist paper arguing against the Constitution's centralized government.

Federalist No. 10

An essay by James Madison arguing that a large republic can best control factions.

Enumerated powers

Powers that are given to the government and exclusively stated in the Constitution

Exclusive powers

 a subset of enumerated/expressed powers and they are powers that only the federal government can carry out

Implied powers

powers that only the federal government can carry out, yet are not explicitly stated in the Constitution

10th Amendment

 powers that are not given to the federal government are to be given to the states and the people instead

Reserved powers

Reserved powers are powers that are retained for the states due to the Tenth Amendment and not being given to the federal government instead

Concurrent powers

powers that are granted to both the state government and the federal government in the Constitution, allowing the powers to overlap.

Commerce Clause

Grants Congress the power to regulate business and commercial activity

Necessary and Proper Clause

Gives Congress the ability to create any laws that they deem necessary and proper, even if the ability isn’t explicitly stated in the Constitution

Categorical grants

Grants that provide money to states or local/regional governments for specific policies, however, there are sometimes specific conditions that are attached to the grants

Policymaking

The process of creating laws and policies.

Mandates

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

Block grants

Grants that provide federal money for public policies in a way that tries to increase state, local, and regional authority for spending money while also trying to lessen federal influence

Revenue sharing

The distribution of a portion of federal tax revenues to state and local governments.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

A Supreme Court case that established the principle of federal supremacy over state law.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

A Supreme Court case that limited the scope of the Commerce Clause.