AP Government AP Exam Review (Updated 2024)

Democracy

A political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

Participatory Democracy

model of democracy in which citizens have the power to decide directly on policy and politicians are responsible for implementing those policy decisions.

Pluralist Democracy

model of democracy in which no one group dominates politics and organized groups compete with each other to influence policy.

Elite Democracy

model of democracy in which a small number of people, usually those who are wealthy and well-educated, influence political decision making.

majority rule

Governance according to the expressed preferences of the majority.

majority

more than half

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.

Bicameralism

The principle of a two-house legislature.

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

The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population.

Connecticut Compromise

Reached at the Constitutional Convention that established two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives, in which representation is based on a state's share of the U.S. population, and the Senate, in which each state has two representatives.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Between northern and southern states at the Constitutional Convention that three-fifths of the slave population would be counted for determining direct taxation and representation in the House of Representatives.

Federalists

Supporters of the U.S. Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption.

Antifederalists

Opponents of ratification of the Constitution and of a strong central government, generally.

The Federalist Papers

Essays promoting ratification of the Constitution, published anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison in 1787 and 1788.

Social Contract

contract between the government and the people and argued if a government violated this than the people can take power back

Popular Sovereignty

A belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

Republicanism

A philosophy of limited government with elected representatives serving at the will of the people. The government is based on consent of the governed.

Preamble

mission statement that gives an outline for the goals of the new constitution

Policy

the laws the government creates and the manner in which they are carried out

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

Politics

the process of influencing the actions and policies of government

Government

the rules and institutions that make up the system of policy making

Republic

a government ruled by representatives of the people

Amendment

A change to the Constitution

Federalism

Constitutional arrangement in which power is distributed between a central government and subdivisional governments, called states in the United States. The national and the subdivisional governments both exercise direct authority over individuals.

Devolution Revolution

The effort to slow the growth of the federal government by returning many functions to the states.

unitary system

Constitutional arrangement that concentrates power in a central government.

Confederation

Constitutional arrangement in which sovereign nations or states, by compact, create a central government but carefully limit its power and do not give it direct authority over individuals.

delagated powers

powers given explicitly tot he national government and listed int he Constitution

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

Supremacy Clause

Contained in Article IV of the Constitution, the clause gives national laws the absolute power even when states have enacted a competing law.

Federal Mandate

a requirement the national government imposes as a condition for receiving federal funds

reserve powers

All powers not specifically delegated to the national government by the Constitution. The reserve power can be found in the Tenth Amendment to the Constitution.

concurrent powers

Powers that the Constitution gives to both the national and state governments, such as the power to levy taxes.

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Clause in the Constitution (Article IV, Section 1) requiring each state to recognize the civil judgments rendered by the courts of the other states and to accept their public records and acts as valid

Extradition

A legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.

interstate compact

An agreement among two or more states. Congress must approve most such agreements.

National Supremacy

Constitutional doctrine that whenever conflict occurs between the constitutionally authorized actions of the national government and those of a state or local government, the actions of the federal government will prevail.

Preemption

The right of a federal law or a regulation to preclude enforcement of a state or local law or regulation.

Centralists

People who favor national action over action at the state and local levels.

Decentralists

People who favor state or local action rather than national action.

states' rights

Powers expressly or implicitly reserved to the states.

project grants

Federal categorical grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications

formula grants

Federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations.

catagorical 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

Privleges and Immunities Clause

citizens of one state cannot be discriminated against in other states

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.

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.

grants-in-aid

money given by the national government to the states

Fiscal Federalism

the federal government's use of grants-in-aid to influence policies in the states

Conservative

A person who believes government power, particularly in the economy, should be limited in order to maximize individual freedom.

Liberal

people who believe the government should be used to help people and support more government intervention.

political culture

the set of attitudes, beliefs, and sentiments which give order and meaning to a political process and which provide the underlying assumptions and rules that govern behavior in the political system

Individualism

giving priority to one's own goals over group goals and defining one's identity in terms of personal attributes rather than group identifications

free enterprise

an economic system in which private business operates in competition and largely free of state control.

Rule of Law

principle that the law applies to everyone, even those who govern

Limited Government

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

Ideology

a system of ideas and ideals, especially one that forms the basis of economic or political theory and policy.

Saliency

the degree to which an issue is important to a particular individual or group.

Populists

a member or adherent of a political party seeking to represent the interests of ordinary people.

Progressives

reformers who worked to stop unfair practices by businesses and improve the way grovernment works

political socialization

the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions

life cycle effect

the impact of a person's age and stage in life on his or her political views

Benckmark Poll

first type of poll used in an election before a candidate declared their intention to run used to gather information about people's views and concerns

tracking polls

continuous surveys that enable a campaign or news organization to chart a candidate's daily rise or fall in support

exit poll

a survey taken at polling places of how people voted

approval ratings

The percentage of survey respondents who say that they "approve" or "strongly approve" of the way the president is doing his job.

representative sample

randomly selected sample of subjects from a larger population of subjects

universe

the population from which a sample will be drawn

random sample

a sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion

margin of error

the range of percentage points in which the sample accurately reflects the population

public opinion

the sum of individual attitudes about government, policies, and issues

scientific poll

a representative poll of randomly selected respondents with a statistically significant sample size, using neutral language

Agenda

a list of potential policy ideas, bills, or plans to improve society

Fiscal Policy

Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling taxing and spending.

Supply Side Economics

An economic philosophy that holds the sharply cutting taxes will increase the incentive people have to work, save, and invest. Greater investments will lead to more jobs, a more productive economy, and more tax revenues for the government.

Sixteenth Amendment

Explicitly permitted Congress to levy an income tax.

Internal Revenue Service

The branch of the U.S. Treasury Department in charge of collecting taxes

Progressive Tax

A tax for which the percentage of income paid in taxes increases as income increases

Flat Tax

a tax system in which all people pay the same percentage of their income

Monetary Policy

Government policy that attempts to manage the economy by controlling the money supply and thus interest rates.

Inflation

A general and progressive increase in prices

Federal Reserve

A seven-member board that sets member banks reserve requirements, controls the discount rate, and makes other economic decisions.

Bonds

Certificates of debt that carry a promise to buy back the bonds at a higher price

Discount Rate

The interest rate on the loans that the Fed makes to banks

Reserve Requirement

the percentage of deposits that banking institutions must hold in reserve

North American Free Trade Agreement

Agreement that allows the opening of borders between the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

Social Welfare

programs to help certain groups of people

Mandatory Spending

Required govt spending by permanent laws

Entitlements

A claim for government funds that cannot be abridged without violating the rights of the claimant; for example, social security benefits or payments on a contract.

Social Security Act of 1935

Created both the Social Security Program and a national assistance program for poor children, usually called AFDC.

Medicare

A federal program of health insurance for persons 65 years of age and older

Medicaid

A federal and state assistance program that pays for health care services for people who cannot afford them.

Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act

health care reform law passed in 2010 that includes incentives and penalties for employers providing health insurance as a benefit

political ideology

a set of beliefs about the desired goals and outcomes of the processes of government

party ideology

a party's philosophy about the proper role of government and its set of positions on major issues

party identification

an individual's attachment to a political party

Conservatism

an ideology favoring more control of social behavior, fewer regulations on businesses, and less government interference in the economy