AP Gov Vocab

American Political Culture

The set of beliefs, customs, traditions, and values that Americans share

Authority

The right to use power

Bureaucratic View

View that the government is dominated by appointed officials

Civil Society Group

An independent association outside the government’s control

Constitutional Republic

A democratic system with elected representatives in which the constitution is the supreme law

Democracy

A means of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public’s preferences

Direct Democracy

A government in which all or most citizens participate directly

Elite

Persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource, like money or power

Elite and Class Theory

Argues that society is divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite rules on the basis of wealth

Government

Institutions that make public policy for a society

Gross Domestic Product

The total value of all goods and services produced annually by the United States

Hyperpluralism

Argues that too many strong influential groups cripple the government’s ability to make coherent policy by dividing government and its authority

Ideology

The beliefs and ideals that help to shape political opinion and eventually policy

Inalienable Rights

A human right based on nature or God

Intense Preferences

Beliefs and preferences based on strong feelings regarding an issue that someone adheres to

Latent Preferences

Beliefs and preferences people are not deeply committed to and that change over time

Libery

Social, political, and economic freedoms

Linkage Institutions

Institutions such as parties, elections, interest groups, and the media, which provide a linkage between the preferences of citizens and the government’s policy agenda

Marxist View

View that the government is dominate by capitalists

Majority Rule

Weighing the desires of the majority in choosing among policy alternatives

Minority Rights

Protecting the rights and freedoms of the minority in choosing among policy alternatives

Monarchy

A form of government where one ruler, usually hereditary, holds political power

Natural Rights

These are rights to which people are entitled by natural law, including life, liberty, and property

Oligarchy

A form of government where a handful of elite society members hold political power

Participatory Democracy

The theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic government

Partisanship

Strong support, or even blind allegiance, for a particular political group

Pluralist Theory

Argues that there are many centers of influence in which groups compete with one another for control over public policy through bargaining and compromise

Policy Agenda

The list of subjects or problems to which people inside and outside government are paying serious attention at any given time

Policy Gridlock

Where each interest uses its influence to thwart policies it opposes so that no coalition forms a majority to establish policy

Policy Impacts

The effects a policy has on people and problems

Policymaking Institutions

Institutions such as Congress, the presidency, and the courts established by the Constitution to make policy

Policymaking system

Institutions of government designed to respond to each other and to the priorities of the people by governmental action

Political Culture

An overall set of values widely shared within a society

Political Institutions

The structure of government, including the executive, legislative, and judiciary

Political Issue

This arises when people disagree about a problem or about public policy choices made to combat a problem

Political Participation

The ways in which people get involved in politics

Political Power

Influence over a government’s Institutions, leaderships, or policies

Politics

Determines who we select as our government leaders and what policies they pursue; in other words, who gets what, when, and how

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that the government’s right to rule comes from the people

Power Elite View

View that the government is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside the government

Private Goods

Goods provided by private businesses that can be used only by those who pay for them

Public Goods

Things everyone can share

Public Policy

A choice that government makes in response to some issue on its agenda

Representation

The relationship between the leaders and the followers

Representative Democracy

A government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote

Republicanism

A system in which the government’s authority comes from the people

Single-Issue Group

Groups so concerned with one matter that their members cast their votes on the basis of that issue only

Social Capital

Connections with others and the willingness to interact and aid them

Social Contract

People allow their government to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society

Toll Good

A good that is available to many people but is used only by those who can pay the price to do so

Totalitarianism

Form of government where government is all-powerful and citizens have no rights

Amendment

A new provision in the Constitution that has been ratified by the states

Anti-Federalists

Opposed the new Constitution, feared the new Constitution would erode fundamental liberties, and argued that the new Constitution was a class-based document serving the economic elite

Articles of Confederation

The document that outlined the voluntary agreement between states and was adopted as the first plan for a permanent union of the United States

Bicameral

A two-house legislature

Bill of Attainder

When the legislature declares someone guilty without a trial

Bill of Rights

The first ten Amendments to the Constitution passed after ratification, specifically protecting individual liberties to fulfill promises made by the Federalists to the Anti-Federalists in return for their support

Checks and Balances

Each branch requires the consent of the others for many of its decisions

Coalition

An alliance of factions

Compromise on Importation

Congress could not restrict the slave trade until 1808

Concurrent Powers

Powers shared by the national and state governments

Connecticut Compromise

The plan adopted at the Constitutional Convention to provide for two chambers in Congress, one representing states equally and the other representing states on the basis of their share of the population

Consent of the Governed

People must agree on who their rulers will be

Constitution

A nation’s basic law creating institutions, dividing power, and providing guarantees to citizens

Constitutional Convention

Meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution

Declaration of Independence

The document used by the signers to announce and justify the Revolutionary War and which was specifically designed to enlist the aid of foreign nations in the revolt

Enumerated Powers

Powers given to the national government alone

Equal Rights Amendment

Was first proposed in 1923, passed by Congress in 1972, but was not ratified by ¾ of the states; this Amendment mandated equality of rights under the law regardless of gender

Ex Post Facto Law

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

Executive Branch

The institution responsible for carrying out laws passed by the legislative branch

Expressed Powers

Authority specifically granted to a branch of the government in the Constitution

Factions

Groups of people, currently known as political parties or interest groups, who arise as a result of unequal distribution of wealth to seize the reins of government in their own interest

Federalism

Government authority shared by national and state governments

Federalist Papers

Articles written to convince others to support the new constitution

Federalists

Argued for ratification of the Constitution by writing the Federalist Papers; included Madison, Hamilton, and Jay

Grand Committee

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

Great Compromise

Plan to have popularly elected House based on state population and a state-selected Senate with 2 members for each state

Habeas Corpus

An order to produce an arrested person before a judge

Implied Powers

Powers beyond Congress’ enumerated powers which ensure that it can carry out its duties

Judicial Branch

The institution responsible for hearing and deciding cases through federal courts

Judicial Review

The courts have the power to decide whether the actions of the legislative and executive branches of state and national governments are in accordance with the Constitution

Legislative Branch

The institution responsible for making the laws

Limited Government

Clear restrictions on what rulers could do; this safeguards natural rights

Line-Item Veto

An executive’s ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature

Marbury v. Madison

Judicial review was established in this 1803 Supreme Court case

Necessary and Proper Clause

Section of the Constitution allowing Congress to pass all laws “necessary and proper” to its duties, and which has permitted Congress to exercise powers not specifically given to it by the Constitution

New Jersey Plan

A plan by some of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention to provide each state with equal representation in Congress

Republic

A system based on the consent of the governed where power is exercised by representatives of the public

Reserved Powers

Any powers not prohibited by the Constitution or delegated to the national government; powers reserved to the states and denied to the federal government

Separation of Powers

Each branch of government would be independent of the others

Shay’s Rebellion

A series of armed attacks on courthouses to prevent judges from foreclosing on farms

Supremacy Clause

Article VI of the Constitution states that the supreme law of the land is the Constitution, the laws of the national government, and treaties

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement reached by delegates at the Constitutional Convention that a slave would count as 3/5 of a person in calculating state’s representation

US Constitution

The document where the foundations of US government are written, providing for national institutions that each have separate but not absolute powers

Unalienable

A human right based on nature or God

Unicameral

A one-house legislature

Veto

The power of the president to reject a law proposed by the Congress

Virginia Plan

A plan by some of the delegates to the Constitutional Convention to provide each state with a share of congressional seats based on its share of the population

Writ of Habeas Corpus

This enables people who are detained by authorities to secure an immediate inquiry and reasons why they have been detained

Block Grants

Broad program grants given more or less automatically to states and communities, which exercise discretion in how the money is spent