AP Gov Unit 1 test review

The Declaration of Independence

Established the basic principles of American democracy

U.S. Constitution

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

Natural rights

Fundamental rights of all humans that cannot be taken away; not received from a government.

Popular sovereignty

People are the source of governmental power; consent of the governed

Social contract

People give up some freedoms to maintain social order and protect natural rights by creating a government

Limited government

Government power cannot be absolute; the federal government is restricted by the Constitution

Republicanism

A representative form of government where citizens select representatives who vote on policy, and individual liberties are protected

Participatory democracy

A theory that widespread participation in politics and civil society is essential to democratic government

Pluralist democracy

A theory of democracy that emphasizes the role of nongovernmental group-based activism in an effort to impact the policymaking process

Elite democracy

The Electoral College selects the president because the framers did not trust the people to directly elect the president; established a republic instead of a democracy

Brutus No. 1

Emphasized the benefits of a small, decentralized republic and warned of the loss of liberty that would result from a large, centralized government (anti-federalist viewpoint)

Federalist No. 10

Argues that a large republic is the best way to control factions, delegate authority to elected representatives, and disperse power between the states and the national government

Federalist No. 51

Separation of powers & checks and balances limit governmental power, control abuses by the majority, and protect minority rights

Federalists

Supported the new Constitution and a strong central government

Anti-federalists

Opposed the new Constitution and believed in states' rights, feared the national government would restrict personal liberty and take over state powers; wanted more restrictions on governmental power and to have a bill of rights added

Articles of Confederation

A document that created a union of 13 sovereign states in which the states, not the national government, were supreme; established a very weak federal government and a unicameral Congress in which each state had one vote

Unicameral

A one-house legislature

Bicameral

A two-house legislature

Shays' Rebellion

A popular uprising against the government of Massachusetts that showed the weakness of the federal government under the Articles of Confederation and caused more people to support a new Constitution and a stronger centralized government

Constitutional Convention

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

Writ of habeas corpus

The right of people detained by the government to know the charges made against them

Ex post facto laws

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

Virginia Plan

A plan of government calling for a 3-branch government with a bicameral legislature, where more populous states would have more representation in Congress

New Jersey Plan

A plan of government that provided for a unicameral legislature with equal votes for each state

Grand Committee

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

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

An agreement for a plan of government that drew upon both the Virginia and the New Jersey plans; settled issues of state representation by calling for a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives apportioned proportionately, and a Senate apportioned equally (2 per state)

Electoral college

Compromise between those who wanted Congress to vote for the president and those who wanted citizens to directly elect the president

Amendment process

The Constitution can be amended by either 1.) a ⅔ vote in both houses of Congress to propose and ¾ of state legislators ratify, OR 2.) ⅔ of the states request a National Convention to propose and ¾ of state conventions ratify

Three-fifths compromise

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

Compromise on importation

Congress could not restrict the slave trade until 1808

Separation of powers

A design of government that distributes powers across institutions in order to avoid making one branch too powerful on its own

Checks and balances

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

Legislative branch

The institution responsible for making laws

Executive branch

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

Judicial branch

Responsible for hearing and deciding cases through the federal courts

Federalism

The sharing of power between the national government and the states

Delegated powers

Powers given to the federal government in the Constitution

Reserved powers

Powers not given to the national government, which are retained by the States and the people

Concurrent powers

Powers granted to both the states and the federal government in the Constitution

Dual federalism

A form of American federalism in which the States and the national government operate independently in their own areas of public policy

Cooperative federalism

The federal government and states share responsibilities, costs, and administration of policies

Fiscal federalism

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

Grants-in-aid

Federal money provided to states to implement public policy objectives

Federal revenue sharing

When the federal government apportions tax money to the states with no strings attached

Mandates

Federal requirements that states must follow without being provided with funding

Categorical grants

Grants-in-aid provided to states with specific provisions on their use

Block grants

A type of grant-in-aid that gives state officials more authority in the disbursement of federal funds.

Incentives/ conditions-of-aid

What states must do to receive federal money

13th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that outlaws slavery

14th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that provides that persons born in the U.S. are citizens and prohibits states from denying persons due process or equal protection under the law

15th Amendment

A constitutional amendment that gave African-American males the right to vote

Commerce Clause

Grants Congress the authority to regulate Interstate business and commercial activity

Necessary and Proper/ Elastic clause

Language in Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution, granting Congress the powers necessary to carry out its enumerated powers

Enumerated/ Expressed powers

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

Full faith and credit clause

A constitutional clause requiring states to recognize the public acts, records, and civil court proceedings from another state

Priviledges and immunities clause

A constitutional clause that prevents states from discriminating against people from out of state

Extradition

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

Supremacy Clause

Constitutional provision declaring that the Constitution and all national laws and treaties are the supreme law of the land

Implied powers

Authority of the federal government that goes beyond its expressed powers

Selective incorporation

The process through which the Supreme Court applies fundamental rights in the Bill of Rights to the states on a case-by-case basis

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Established that Congress has the implied power to charter a bank under the Necessary and Proper Clause, and states may not tax the federal government; established the supremacy of the U.S. Constitution and federal laws over state laws

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Involves the 10th Amendment; limits the federal government's ability to pass legislation under the Commerce Clause, and gives more power to the states

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Outlawed racial discrimination by businesses that serve the public (on account of the Commerce Clause)

The Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990

Made it a federal crime to bring a gun within 1000 feet of a school