AP Government - 2nd Semester Review (Units 3-5)

There's a separate flashcard set for units 1-3 on my profile

Brown v Board of Education

declared that race-based school segregation violates the Fourteenth Amendment’s equal protection clause

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Legislation barring discrimination in public accommodations

Title IX

A provision of the Education Amendments of 1972, which prevents schools and universities receiving federal funding from discriminating against female students

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Legislation prohibiting racial discrimination in voting, including the use of literacy tests

Affirmative Action

Efforts to improve opportunities for underrepresented or disadvantaged groups, especially in relation to employment or education

Equality of Opportunity

ensures that all interested individuals have the same ability to access and the chance of receiving particular resources, such as employment, housing, or education, without discrimination based on irrelevant factors such as age, race, religion, or gender

Individualism

the belief that individuals should be responsible for themselves and for the decisions they make

Free Enterprise

• laissez-faire

• capitalism

• less government restrictions on business

Laissez-faire

Theory that opposes governmental interference in economic affairs beyond what is necessary to protect life and property

Rule of Law

• no one is above the law

• transparency

• equal application of the law

Limited Government

A principle of constitutional government; a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution.

Political Socialization

process by which a person develops political values and beliefs

Political Socialization Factors

• Family

• schools

• peers

• media

• social environments (including civic and religious organizations)

Globalization

resulted in U.S. political culture both influencing and being influenced by the values of other countries

Life-Cycle Effects

the changes in one person’s life as they age, marry, have children, buy a home, or retire. Different events in one life might influence political beliefs

Tracking Polls

track public opinion over time

Exit/entrance polls

polls on election day about votes, helps predict outcome and helps with demographic voting habits

Focus Group

smaller groups that are asked more in-depth questions.

Benchmark Polls

often used by candidates when running for office to see where they stand

Random Sampling

a sample chosen randomly that is meant to be an unbiased representation of the total population

Representative Sample

randomly draws from all groups in proportion to their representation in the population, usually between 400-2000 people

Sampling Error

occurs when the results of the survey differ from the “true” population results

Democratic Party (DEM)

Party that aligns towards liberals

Republican Party (GOP)

Party that aligns towards conservatives

Liberal

tend to want more regulation over economy/business/society to create more equality, but less regulation over social behavior

Conservative

tend to want less regulation over economy/business and more regulation on social behavior

Libertarian

they want little to no government regulation over the economy or social behavior. As little government interference as possible

Liberal Ideologies

personal privacy—areas of behavior where government should not intrude—extends further than conservative ideologies do (except in arenas involving religious and educational freedom)

Conservative Ideologies

favor less government involvement to ensure social and economic equality

Libertarian Ideologies

disfavor any governmental intervention beyond the protection of private property and individual liberty.

Keynesian Economics

An economic philosophy that encourages government spending (through the creation of jobs or the distribution of unemployment benefits) in order to promote economic growth. Increase in deficit spending.

Supply-side economics

an economic philosophy that encourages tax cuts (especially for the wealthy and corporations) and deregulation to promote economic growth. Conservative ideology

Fiscal policy

Government decisions about how to influence the economy by taxing and spending.

Monetary policy

Government decisions about how to influence the economy using control of the money supply and interest rates.

19th Amendment

Cannot deny voting rights based on gender

24th Amendment

Federal poll taxes illegal

26th Amendment

Minimum voting age is now 18

Rational Choice

voting based on what is perceived to be in the citizen’s individual interest

Retrospective Voting

voting to decide whether the party or candidate in power should be reelected based on the recent past

Prospective voting

Voting based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future

Party-line voting

Supporting a party by voting for candidates from one political party for all public offices at the same level of government

Political Efficacy

A citizen’s belief that their vote matters and can influence government policies

Saliency

The importance of an issue to a person

Linkage Institutions

channels that allow individuals to communicate their preferences to a policy-maker

• Political parties

• Elections

• Interest groups

• Media

Party platforms

Main agenda and goals of the political party if elected

Candidate Recruitment

parties try to find candidates who give them the best chance of winning

Realignment

when large groups shift voting behavior from one party to another

Third Party

Minor parties (not democratic or republican)

Lobbying

Seeking to influence a public official on an issue

Issue Networks

A group of individuals, public officials, and interest groups that form around a particular issue, usually a proposed public policy that they wish to support or defeat.

Free Rider problem

A problem of group behavior that occurs when an individual can receive a public benefit without making a personal contribution of money or effort.

Incumbent

those currently in office running for re-election. They tend to have a better chance of winning (fame and money)

Closed Primary

a primary election limited to registered members of a political party

Open Primary

a primary election that is not limited to registered party members. Allows for independent voters to choose a party to vote for during primary elections

Caucus

a meeting in a voting precinct at which party members choose nominees for political office after hours of speeches and debates

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

an effort to ban soft money and reduce attack ads with “Stand by Your Ad” provision: “I’m [candidate’s name] and I approve this message”

Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission

ruled that political spending by corporations, associations, and labor unions is a form of protected speech under

PACs

An organization, usually representing an interest group or corporation, that raises money with the goal of supporting or defeating candidates, parties, or legislation. There are limits to the amount of money a ___ can donate to a candidate or party in each election.

Super PACs

may raise unlimited funds in support of a candidate or party as long as they do not coordinate in any way with the candidate or party or donate directly to the candidate.

Independent Expenditures

money raised by individuals that they spend in support of a candidate or issue. Money does not go to the candidate or party.

Gatekeeper

The media’s role in setting the political agenda by drawing public and government attention to certain issues

Investigative Journalism

Deep, original investigation on a specific topic, often conducted over a long period of time and sometimes involving the exposure of secret information

Watchdog

The role played by the national media in investigating political personalities and exposing scandals.

Horse Race Journalism

Journalism that focuses on who is winning or ahead in the polls rather than on candidates' policy agenda or debates.

Media Consolidation

The process by which a few large companies have acquired the majority of news sources in the United States. Today, six companies

• CBS

• Comcast

• Disney

• News Corporation

• Time Warner

• Viacom

control 90% of American media outlets

Reliability of Data

the extent to which an experiment, test, or measuring procedure yields the same results on repeated trials

Federal Reserve

The country's central banking system, which is responsible for the nation's monetary policy by regulating the supply of money and interest rates

Midterm Elections

national elections held two years after the presidential elections, during which voters elect members of Congress

Validity

refers to how accurately and truthfully they measure what they intend to measure in public polls

General Election

Elections in which voters elect officeholders

Interest groups

An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy

Electorate

Citizens that are eligible to vote

Candidate Centered Campaign

Political campaigns where the focus is primarily on the candidate's personal image, ideas, and individualit

Coalition

A temporary alliance of several groups who come together to form a working majority and so to control a government

Critical Elections

an electoral earthquake where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party

Proportional Government

any type of electoral system under which subgroups of an electorate are reflected proportionately in the elected body

Winner-Take-All System

system that awards all electors to the Presidential candidate who wins the State's popular vote

Due Process

provides a constitutional basis for the protection of individual rights against government intrusion

Miranda Rule

A requirement that law enforcement officers inform a person subject to an interrogation of their right not to incriminate themselves under the Fifth and Sixth Amendments

Single Issue Group

Interest groups that focus on a narrow interest, dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics

Party Conventions

large meetings held by political parties every four years to officially nominate their presidential candidate and establish platform policies.

Electoral College

A body of electors chosen by the voters in each state to elect the President and Vice President of the United States

Protected Speech

speech that is protected under the first and 14th amendments to the Constitution

Does NOT include:

• Incitement to imminent lawless action

• Harassment

• True threats

• Defamation

• Obscenity

11th Amendment

states are protected from suits from citizens/foreigners living in another state/country

12th Amendment

Specifies the separate election of the president and vice president by the electoral college

13th Amendment

no slavery

14th Amendment

people cannot be denied citizenship by race

• Equal Protection Clause

• Due Process Clause

15th Amendment

men cannot be denied the right to vote based off of race, color, or previous slave status

16th Amendment

Congress gets to levy a tax on income

17th Amendment

direct election of senators by voters

18th Amendment

prohibits alcohol

19th Amendment

women get the right to vote

20th Amendment

establishes start dates for Congress and the President term

21st Amendment

repeals ban on alcohol

22nd Amendment

president can only serve 2 terms

23rd Amendment

citizens in the District of Columbia can vote for their own electors

24th Amendment

poll taxes banned

25th Amendment

establishes procedures for a successor of a president

26th Amendment

citizens 18 and older can vote

27th Amendment

any laws changing the salaries of congress takes effect for the next term