AP Gov Unit 1 Chapter 3 Vocab

unitary governments

a way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government; most nationals governments today are like this

supremacy clause

Article VI of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits

Tenth Amendment

the constitutional amendment stating that "The powers not delegated to the U.S. by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

McCulloch v. Maryland

An 1819 Supreme Court decision that established the supremacy of the national government over state governments; in deciding this case, Chief Justice John Marshall and his colleagues held that Congress had certain implied powers in additon to the enumerated powers found in the Constitution

elastic clause

the final paragraph of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which authorizes Congress to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out the enumerated powers

Gibbons v. Ogden

a landmark case decided in 1824 in which the Supreme Court interpreted very broadly the clause in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, giving Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce, encompassing virtually every form of commercial activity

full faith and credit

a clause in Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the official documents and civil judgments rendered by the courts of other states

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

privileges and immunities

a clause in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution according citizens of each state most of the privileges of citizens of 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

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

fiscal federalism

the pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; it is the cornerstone of the national government's relations with state and local governments

categorical grants

federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or "categories," of state and local spending. they come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions

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 formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations

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

Federalism

a way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government share formal authority over the same area and people.

intergovernmental Relations

the entire set of interactions among national, state, and local governments—including regulations, transfers of funds, and the sharing of information—that constitute the workings of the federal system

devolution

transferring responsibility for policies from the federal government to state and local governments

Enumerated powers

powers of the federal government that are listed explicitly in the constitution. for example, article 1, section 8, specifically gives congress the power to coin money and regulate its value and impose taxes.

Implied Powers

powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the constitution, in accordance with the statement in the constitution that congress has the power to “make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution” the powers enumerated in Article 1.