ap us government unit 1

natural rights

rights people possess by natural law apart from the government, influenced by englightment

popular sovereignity

by nature the govern is in the hands of the people

social contract

in order to protect their natural rights, people willingly give some of that poweraway to a government

republicanism

people elect leaders to represent them and create laws in the public interest

limited government

a gov that is prevented from tyranny through a system of checks and balances and the distribution of power among several acting members

participatory democracy

emphasizes broad participation in the political process by most, if not all, members of the society

pluralist democracy

groups of people associate with intense groups who them compete to influence policy

elite democracy

emphasizes more limited participation in the policymaking on the assumption that government is complicated and therefore the most educated people need to run it

participatory democracy examples

• 1st amendment’s freedom of speech and press

• allows people to express their political opinions

• 15th and 19th amendments that expanded voting rights, prohibiting race and sex barriers

pluralist democracy examples

• first amendment freedom of assembly

• allows political parties and interests group to flourish

elite democracy example

• elected representatives legislate to behalf of their people

federalist 10 (James madison)

argued that with so many competing functions in a large republic, liberty would be upheld by their competition because of factions

factions

groups of people who believe their interests are more important than any other interests

the solution of factions

1. take away the cause of faction (against the freedom of speech so no)

2. try to manage their effect

solution: separation of powers in the federal gov, sharing of power between the federal and state government

brutus 1

championed a broad participatory model, feared the curtailment of personal liberties reflected in a larger republic like the united states; large centralized gov could not adequately represent the views of the people because it would be largely separated by them

shays rebellion

veterans not getting paid, rose up in MA

grand committee

members of constitutional convention 1787

great compromise

how people would be represented in the new congress

virginia plan

congressional representatives should be apportioned by population, favored large states

new jersey plan

each states should be represented equally with one vote per state, favor small states

bicameral

house of representation by population portion, senate by 2 votes per states

electoral college

each states is given the number of electors that corresponds to the number of congressional representatives they have in the house

3/5 compromise

3/5 of the enslave population would count toward representation

compromise of importation of slaves

20 years after the constitution ratified, congress cannot touch the slave trade, after that, slave trade abolished

articles 5

2 stage process to amend the constitution, proposal and ratification

constitution ratified

1788

federalism

the sharing of power between national and state governments

exclusive power

powers specifically delegated by the constitution to federal government

reserved power

power kept by the states

concurrent power

powers shared by both federal and state government

fiscal federalism

withhold finding

categorical grants

given a states comply with specific federal standard

block grants

given to states for a relatively broad purpose and the states can spend money as they see fit

mandates

to follow federal standard

unfunded mandates

no funding, still need to achieve

10th amendment

lays down the basis for reserved power (powers kept by the states)

14th amendment

applies the bill of rights, or the first amendment to the states, empowered the federal gov to make sure citizens liberties are also upheld by the states

commerce clause

allows congress to regulate commerce among the states

necessary and proper clause

the elastic clause; grants congress the power to make all laws "necessary and proper" for executing its enumerated powers

mucnlloch v. maryland

• supreme court ruled that the necessary and proper clause implied certain powers given to the federal government even if they were not explicitly mentioned in the constitution

• when federal and states conflicted, federal>states due to supremacy law

united stats vv. lopez

• congress had used the commerce clause to ban guns on school property, the court decided that carrying guns to school is no way related to interstate commerce

• congress overstepped its bounds into state authority , win for state power