ap gov units 1-5 vocab

Social Contract

the agreement of free and equal people to abandon certain natural rights in order to find secure protections for society and to find freedom in a single body politic committed to the general good

Popular Sovereignty

the people as the ultimate ruling authority and a government of officials to carry out the laws

Republicanism

the political ideology in which citizens elect leaders for a limited period of time; the leaders' job is to make and execute laws in the public interest

Participatory Democracy

depends on the direct participation of many, if not most, people in a society, not only in government but in public life as well

Pluralist Theory

people with widely varying interests find others who share their interests and organize and unite into nongovernmental groups to exert influence on political decision making

Elitist Theory

elected representatives make decisions and act as trustees for the people who elected them

Articles of Confederation

the document that laid out the first form of government for the new nation

Shay's Rebellion

insurgents demanded the government ease financial pressures by printing more

money, lowering taxes, and suspending mortgages, in early 1787, Daniel Shays,

a former captain in the Continental army, led a band of violent insurgents to the

federal arsenal in Springfield

Virginia Plan

called for a three-branch system with a national executive, a judiciary, and a bicameral legislature

New Jersey Plan

assured states their sovereignty through a national government with limited and defined powers

Great Compromise

a two-house Congress composed of a House of Representatives and a Senate

Bicameral

a two-house legislature

Three-Fifths Compromise

the northern and southern delegates agreed to count only three of every five enslaved persons to determine representation in the House for those states with slaves

Separation of Powers

framers assigned the legislative, executive, and judicial branches distinct responsibilities to dilute power among the three branches

Expressed or Enumerated Powers

a limited number of specific powers that allow for the creation of public policy

Necessary and Proper/Elastic Clause

gives Congress the power "to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers", implying that the national legislature can make

additional laws intended to take care of the items in the enumerated list

Implied Powers

give Congress authority to enact legislation addressing a wide range of issues—economic, social, and environmental

Supremacy Clause

places national law, treaties, and presidential action above state authority

Federalists

those who supported the proposed

constitutional structure, a strong federal government, and full ratification

Antifederalists

those who opposed the consolidation of the states under a federal government

Federalist No.51

an essay supporting a strong central government written by Publius outlining the early ideas of the separation of powers in a unified federal government

Federalist No.10

an essay written by James Madison that addressed the concern that a few powerful individuals might unite into a faction, or interest group, to dominate political decisions

Brutus No.1

a commentary on the dangers of too large and

too consolidated a government, argues that rarely would the citizens of a large nation know of the workings of government or know their elected representative

Federalism

the sharing of powers between the national government and state governments

Exclusive Powers

powers that are delegated only to the federal government

Commerce Clause

empowers the Congress to "regulate commerce with other nations, and among the several states"

Tenth Amendment

distinguishes the two governing spheres and prevents the federal government from taking any powers that are reserved to the states

Reserved Powers

powers that are not specifically listed and remain with the states

Concurrent Powers

powers that are held by authorities at both levels, state and federal

Full Faith and Credit Clause

requires states to be open about their laws and encourages states to respect one another's laws, also requires states to not play favorites with their own citizens or exclude outsiders from basic privileges and immunities

Extradition

the return of criminal fugitives and runaway slaves back to states they had fled

Fourteenth Amendment

promises U.S. citizenship to anyone born or naturalized in the United States and requires

states to guarantee privileges and immunities to its own citizens as well as those from other states

Categorical Grants

grants with particular congressional guidelines or requirements

Unfunded Mandate

require states to comply with a federal directive without the reward of funds

Block Grants

federal money given to states for broadly defined reasons, offering large sums of money without strings

Apportionment

dividing seats in the House of Representatives into roughly "equal and uniform" districts

Speaker of the House

atop the power pyramid, the only House leadership position mentioned in the Constitution, the de facto leader of the majority party in the House, recognizes members for floor speeches and comments, organizes members for conference committees, and has great influence in most matters of lawmaking

House Majority Leader

floor leader of the majority party, direct debate among their party's members, guide their side's discussion, first members recognized in debate, spokespersons for the party through news conferences and in interviews

Minority Leader

floor leader of the minority party, direct debate among their party's members, guide their side's discussion, first members recognized in debate, spokespersons for the party through news conferences and in interviews

Majority Whip

deputy leader of the majority party, in charge of party discipline, keeps a rough tally of votes among their party members, aids in determining the optimum time for a vote, communicates leadership views to members, strong-arms party members to vote with the party, assures that party members act professionally, may insist a member step down or leave in the occurrence of scandals

Minority Whip

deputy leader of the minority party, in charge of party discipline, keeps a rough tally of votes among their party members, aids in determining the optimum time for a vote, communicates leadership views to members, strong-arms party members to vote with the party, assures that party members act professionally, may insist a member step down or leave in the occurrence of scandals

President pro tempore

temporary president, mostly a ceremonial position held by the most senior member of the majority party, presides over the Senate in the absence of the vice president, signs

legislation, issues the oath of office to new senators, the Twenty-fifth Amendment states the president pro tem assumes the position of vice president in case of a vacancy

Senate Majority Leader

wields much more power in the Senate than the vice president and pro tem, the chief legislator, the first person the chair recognizes in debate, the leader who sets the legislative calendar and determines which bills reach the floor for debate, guides the party caucus on issues and party strategy

Filibuster

a tactic in which Senators try to stall or even kill a bill by speaking for an extremely long time to block a nomination or to let the time run out on a deadline for voting on a bill

Cloture

enabled and required a two-thirds supermajority to stop debate on a bill and allow for a vote, in 1975, the Senate lowered the standard to three-fifths, once reached, each Senator has the privilege of speaking for up to one hour on that bill or topic

Pork Barrel Spending

funds earmarked for specific purposes in a legislator's district

Logrolling

trading votes to gain support for a bill

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

created by Congress in the 1970s, the president's budgeting

arm, headed by a director who is essentially the president's accountant, arranges the annual budget by considering the needs and wants of all the federal departments and agencies, the fiscal and economic philosophy of the president, federal revenues, and other factors

Mandatory Spending

payment required by law, or mandated, for certain programs including Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, unemployment insurance, and other special funds for people in temporary need of help

Budget Deficit

the difference between spending and revenue, government has to borrow money to pay

Discretionary Spending

funding that congressional committees debate and decide how to divide up, pays for everything else not required under mandatory spending

National Debt

the total amount of money that a country's government has borrowed and owes

Delegate Model

a voting model followed by members, especially in the House, in which representatives try to reflect the will of their constituency, representation can be substantive or descriptive

Trustee Model

a voting model followed by members, especially in the Senate, in which representatives believe they are entrusted by their constituency to use their best judgment, regardless of how constituents may view an issue, sidesteps any concern over an uninformed constituency reacting from emotion rather than reason and knowledge

Politico Model

a voting model which attempts to blend the delegate and trustee models, in which lawmakers consider a variety of factors and decide their action or vote for whatever political calculations make the most sense to them at the time, especially when there seems to be little public concern

Redistricting

the reshaping of congressional districts based on shifts in population using the constitutionally required census every ten years

Gerrymandering (Partisan & Racial)

illogical district lines drawn to give the advantage to one party

Executive Branch

enforces the law

Formal (or enumerated) Powers

powers of the office that are defined in the Constitution

Informal Powers

political powers interpreted to be inherent in the office

Veto

used by the president to reject a bill, exercising executive checks and balances, based on power granted in Article I, Section 7, of the Constitution

Pocket Veto

the president's refusal to sign, kills the bill

Treaty

allows presidents to facilitate trade, provide for mutual defense, help set international environmental standards, or prevent weapons testing, as long as the Senate approves

Executive Order

empowers the president to carry out the law or to administer the government

Signing Statement

offered by presidents when signing a bill into law, explains their interpretation of a bill, their understanding of what is expected of them to carry it out, or just a commentary on the law

Executive Privilege

the president's right to withhold information or their decision making process from another branch, especially Congress

Executive Office of the President

operates within walking distance of the White House, coordinates several independent agencies that carry out presidential duties and handle the budget, the economy, and staffing across the bureaucracy

Impeachment

an accusation of wrongdoing

Bully Pulpit

a prominent stage from where the president could pitch ideas to the American people, with "bully" meaning "excellent," not aggressive or violent, persuasion

Original Jurisdiction

when the Supreme Court has the authority to hear a case for the first time

Appellate Jurisdiction

when the Supreme Court acts as an appeals court

Federalist No. 78

document written by Hamilton affirming that the independent judicial branch has the power of judicial review to examine acts of legislatures to see if they comport with the proposed Constitution

Federal (US) District Courts

94 district courts in the US, atleast one in each state, trial courts with original jurisdiction over federal cases, try federal crimes, have U.S. attorneys, settle civil disputes

Federal (US) Courts of Appeals

above the district courts, don't determine facts, shape the law, the losing party from a fact-based trial can appeal, have a panel of judges sitting at the bench but no witness stand and no jury box, consist of 11 geographic circuits across the country

Supreme Court

atop the hierarchy with the chief justice and eight associate justices, mostly hears cases on appeal from the circuit courts and from the state supreme courts, the nine members determine which appeals to accept, vote whether or not to overturn the lower court's ruling, its rulings become the law of the land

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

established judicial review, the power to check the other branches

Judicial Review

examining acts of legislatures to see if they comport with the proposed Constitution

Precedent

a ruling that firmly establishes a legal principle

Stare Decisis

"let the decision stand"

Majority Opinion

written by a justice, reflects the Court's ruling, sums up the case, the Court's decision, and its rationale

Concurring Opinion

an opinion written by a justice who agrees with the majority and joins that vote, but has reservations about the majority's legal reasoning

Dissenting Opinion

an opinion written by a justice who votes against the majority, has no force of law and no immediate legal bearing but allows a justice to explain his or her disagreements to send a message to the legal community or to influence later cases

Judicial Restraint

when judges hesitate to inject their own preferences into legal rulings unless a law is clearly unconstitutional

Judicial Activism

when judges overlook legal precedents and follow their own political views in rulings, when judges strike down laws or reverses public policy

Federal Bureaucracy

the vast, hierarchical organization of executive branch employees that take care of the federal government's business

Administrative Adjudication

when the regulatory agencies, commission, and boards within the bureaucracy can impose fines or other punishments, targeting industries or companies

Bureaucrat

government official

Iron Triangle

the strong interdependent relationships between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group

Issue Network

collaborate to create specific policy on one issue, include committee staffers, academics, advocates, leaders of think tanks, interest groups, and/or the media

Delegated Discretionary Authority

the power to interpret legislation and create rules, given to executive departments and agencies by Congress

Congressional Oversight

a responsibility to assure that the agencies and departments