All AP Gov Vocab terms units 1-5

This is every term you will ever need!

absentee or mail-in ballots

voting completed and submitted by a voter by the day of an election without the voter going to the polls.

affirmative action

a policy designed to address the consequences of previous discrimination by providing special consideration to individuals based upon characteristics such as race, ethnic origin, gender, disability, and age.

agenda setting (media)

the media's ability to highlight certain issues and influence public views about which policies are the most important.

amendment

a formal change made to the Constitution.

American political culture

a dominant set of beliefs defined by democratic ideals, principles, and core values.

amicus curiae brief

a brief filed by an individual or a group that is not a party to a case but is acting as a 'friend of the court,' to provide additional information for justices to consider when reviewing the case.

Antifederalists

those opposed to the proposed Constitution, who favored stronger state governments.

appellate jurisdiction

the authority of a court to hear and review decisions made by lower courts in that system.

apportionment

the process, occurring every 10 years after the census, to determine the number of representatives for each state using census data.

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

a governing document that created a union of thirteen sovereign states in which the states, not the national government, were supreme.

bargaining and persuasion

an informal tool used by the president to persuade members of Congress to support the administration's policy initiatives.

battleground or swing state

a state where the polls show a close contest between the Republican candidate and the Democratic candidate in a presidential election.

benchmark poll

a survey taken at the beginning of a political campaign to gauge support for a candidate and determine which issues are important to voters.

bicameral

having a two-house legislature.

bills of attainder

legislative acts that declare people guilty and impose punishment on those people without a trial.

bill of rights

a list of fundamental liberties and rights that individuals possess. The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution are referred to as the Bill of Rights.

bipartisanship

agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation.

block grant

a type of grant preferred by states that gives state officials more authority over how federal funds are spent.

Brutus No. 1

an Antifederalist Paper arguing that the country was too large to be governed as a republic and that the Constitution gave too much power to the national government.

budget deficit

the annual shortfall when a government takes in less money than it spends.

budget surplus

the amount of money remaining when the government takes in more money than it spends.

bully pulpit

presidential appeals to the public to pressure other branches of government to support the president's policies.

bureaucrat

an official employed within a government entity.

bureaucratic discretion

the power to create and enforce policies and decide what Congress meant when it passed a law.

candidate-centered campaign

a campaign in which the public's focus is on the characteristics of the candidate and not on the party.

categorical grants

national funding to the states where spending is specifically restricted to certain categories.

caucus

a process through which a state's eligible voters meet to select delegates to represent their preferences in the nomination process.

checks and balances

a design of government in which each branch has powers that can prevent the other branches from making policy.

civil disobedience

the intentional refusal to obey a law, in order to call attention to its injustice.

civil liberties

constitutionally established guarantees that protect the fundamental rights and freedoms of individuals from unreasonable interference by the government.

civil rights

protections for individuals from discrimination based on race, national origin, religion, sex, and other characteristics, ensuring equal treatment under the law.

Civil Rights Act of 1964

legislation outlawing racial segregation in schools and public places and authorizing the U.S. attorney general to sue individual school districts that failed to desegregate.

civil society group

independent association outside the government's control.

clear and present danger test

legal standard that speech posing an immediate and serious threat to national security is not protected by the First Amendment.

closed primary

a primary election in which only those voters who have registered as a member of a political party may vote.

cloture

a procedure through which senators can end a filibuster and proceed to a vote, provided sixty senators agree to it.

coalition

demographic groups of voters who support a political party over time.

command-and-control economy

economic policy in which government dictates much of a nation's economic activity, including the amount of production and the prices of goods.

commerce clause

clause that grants Congress the authority to regulate interstate business and commercial activity.

committee chair

leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee's agenda.

Committee of the Whole

consists of all members of the House and meets in the House chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier and faster to debate a piece of legislation.

compliance monitoring

the process of ensuring that the bureaucracy is following regulations and using funds wisely.

Compromise on Importation

an agreement that Congress could not restrict the slave trade until 1808.

concurrent powers

powers granted to both states and the federal government in the Constitution.

concurring opinion

an opinion that agrees with the majority decision but offers different or additional reasoning that does not serve as precedent.

confederal system

a system where the subnational governments have most of the power.

conference committee

a temporary joint committee that resolves differences between the House version and Senate version of a bill.

conservatism

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

constituency

citizens in a district or state who elect a representative or senator.

constitution

a document that sets out the fundamental principles of governance and establishes the institutions of government.

Constitutional Convention

a meeting attended by state delegates in 1787 to fix the Articles of Confederation.

consumer price index (CPI)

the cost of a fixed basket of goods and services over time, used to measure the cost of living.

critical election

a major national election that signals a change in the balance of power between the two parties.

de facto segregation

a separation of individuals, based on their characteristics, that arises not by law but because of other factors, such as residential housing patterns.

de jure segregation

the separation of individuals, by law, based on their characteristics, such as race.

delegate

A person who acts as the voters' representative at a convention to select the party's nominee.

delegate role

The idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to vote according to their constituents' wishes.

democracy

A system of government where power is held by the people, including free and fair elections and civil rights and liberties.

demographic characteristics

Measurable characteristics of a population, such as economic status, education, age, race or ethnicity, and gender.

discharge petition

A motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House of Representatives for debate.

discretionary spending

Spending for programs and policies at the discretion of Congress and the president.

dissenting opinion

An opinion that disagrees with the majority opinion and does not serve as precedent.

divided government

When control of the presidency and one or both chambers of Congress is split between the two major parties.

double jeopardy

After an individual has been acquitted of a crime, charging that individual with the same crime again in the same jurisdiction.

due process clause

Clause in the Fourteenth Amendment that restricts state governments from denying persons their life, liberty, or property without legal safeguards.

economic recession

A period of decline in economic activity, typically defined by two consecutive quarters of negative GDP growth.

elastic or necessary and proper clause

Clause that grants the federal government the authority to pass laws required to carry out its enumerated powers.

Electoral College

A constitutionally required process for selecting the president through slates of electors chosen in each state.

elite theory

A theory of democracy based on the premise that participation in politics and civil society is limited because elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policymaking process.

entitlement program

A program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income.

entrance survey

A poll conducted of people as they come into an event.

enumerated or expressed powers

Powers explicitly granted to the national government through the Constitution.

equality of opportunity

The core American value that everyone should have an equal chance to compete.

equal protection clause

Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment that requires the states to treat all persons alike with regard to application of the laws.

establishment clause

First Amendment protection against the government requiring citizens to join or support a religion.

exclusionary rule

A rule that evidence obtained without a warrant is inadmissible in court.

exclusive powers

Powers that only the national government may exercise.

executive agreement

An agreement between a president and another nation that does not have the same durability as a treaty but does not require Senate ratification.

executive branch

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

Executive Office of the President (EOP)

A collection of offices within the White House organization designed mainly to provide information to the president.

executive order

The informal power of the president to issue policy directives that do not require congressional approval.

executive privilege

A right claimed by presidents to keep certain conversations, records, and transcripts confidential from outside scrutiny.

exit poll

A survey conducted outside a polling place in which individuals are asked who or what they just voted for and why.

ex post facto laws

Laws that punish people for acts that were not crimes at the time they were committed.

expressed or enumerated powers

Authority specifically granted to the national government through the Constitution.

extradition

The requirement that officials in one state return a defendant to another state where the defendant allegedly has committed a crime.

faction

A group of self-interested people who use the government to get what they want, trampling the rights of others in the process.

federal civil service

The merit-based bureaucracy, excluding the armed forces and political appointments.

federal courts of appeals

The middle level of the federal judiciary; these courts review and hear appeals from the federal district courts.

federal district courts

The lowest level of the federal judiciary; these courts usually have original jurisdiction in cases that start at the federal level.

federalism

The sharing of power between the national government and the states.

Federalists

Supporters of the proposed Constitution, who called for a strong national government.

Federalist No. 10

An essay in which Madison argues that the dangers of faction can be mitigated by a large republic and republican government.

Federalist No. 51

An essay in which Madison argues that separation of powers and federalism will prevent tyranny.

Federalist No. 78

Essay by Alexander Hamilton that the federal judiciary would be unlikely to infringe upon rights and liberties but would serve as a check on the other two branches.

Federalist Papers

A series of eighty-five essays, written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay and published between 1787 and 1788, that lay out the theory behind the Constitution.

federal bureaucracy

The departments and agencies within the executive branch that carry out the laws of the nation.

federal judiciary

The branch of the federal government that interprets the laws of the nation.

Federal Reserve System

A board of governors, Federal Reserve Banks, and member banks responsible for U.S. monetary policy.

federal system

A system where power is divided between the national and state governments.