AP Government ALL vocab terms

natural rights

rights to life, liberty, and property; rights that the government cannot take away (inalienable)

social contract

people give consent to the government to rule over them in return for a functioning and orderly society

popular sovereignty

idea stating that the government’s right to rule is derived from the people

republicanism

authority of the government comes from the people, through a representative, not a direct democracy

participatory democracy

relies on political participation by the masses, direct democracy not representative

pluralist democracy

relies on groups interested in a specific cause to influence policy making

elitist democracy

theory of democracy that states a small minority of people, elites, hold the most influence over policy making

politics

 the process of influencing governmental actions and policies

government

rules and institutions that make up the system of policy making

democracy

government says the power is held by the people

american political culture

beliefs/customs/traditions/values that Americans share

liberty

social, political, and economic freedoms

civil society groups

associations that are independent of government control

political institutions

structure of government (executive, legislative, and executive branches)

constitutional republic

democratic system in which representatives follow the constitution as supreme law of the land

constitution

the document laying out how the government may function and the institutions within that government

republic

form of government in which representatives from a state indirectly represent the people

articles of confederation and perpetual union

an agreement amongst the 13 states that served as the United States’ first frame of government

unicameral

one house legislature

shay’s rebellion

a violent rebellion against the Massachusetts government that proved the lack of national security under the articles of confederation

constitutional convention

a convention of delegates from all states except Rhode Island met to address the problems of the Articles of Confederation and reconstruct a new constitution

writ of habeas corpus

the right of an individual to know what they are being detained for

bills of attainder

imposing punishment on a person without them having a trial in court

ex post facto laws

the right to not be punished for committing an act that was not a crime at the time

virginia plan

called for 2 legislative bodies and proportional representation based on the population of a state

new jersey plan

called for 1 legislative body and equal representation, each state got one vote regardless of population

grand committee

created at the constitutional convention to solve the issue of how to apportion representatives in the national legislature

great (connecticut) compromise

combined the Virginia and New Jersey plan into a compromise, with a bicameral legislature where one house (the Senate) had equal representation and the other (the house of representatives) had votes based on population in the other house

bicameral

2 house legislature

3/5 compromise

slaves were counted as ⅗ a person for population counting purposes, they still were not capable of voting

compromise on importation

congress was unable to ban the slave trade until 1808

separation of powers

division of the government into distinct branches that each carry out a certain role in order to stop one branch from becoming too powerful

checks and balances

separating powers of government and allowing each branch to amend or override other branch’s decisions

federalism

sharing power between state and national governments

legislative branch

made up of the house and senate, collectively making up congress

expressed and enumerated powers

powers the government has that are expressly stated in the constitution

necessary and proper/elastic clause

 the powers necessary for the government to use their express powers

implied powers

powers granted to the government that aren't explicitly stated in the constitution

executive branch

the president, responsible for enforcing the laws put in place by other branches

judicial branch

the supreme court, in charge of deciding the meanings and implications of laws and whether something is constitutional

supremacy clause

states that the constitution is the supreme law of the land

amendment

adjustment/fixes being made to the constitution

federalists

those in support of the new constitution

antifederalists

oppose the constitution and a strong government

federalist papers

papers written by federalists with a goal of convincing the public that a strong central government under the new constitution would be good for the nation

federalist no. 51

federalist paper by James Madison enforcing checks and balances

faction

a party or group that operates outside of government control with self-seeking goals

federalist no. 10

federalist paper by James Madison that emphasizes the danger of factions and the idea that a strong national government can protect against them

brutus no. 1

anti federalist essay arguing against a strong central government, listing the dangers of a stronger government and fear mongering against the constitution

unitary system

a system where the national government holds all the power over subnational governments

confederal system

a system where subnational (state) governments hold most of the power

federal system

a system where power is divided between national and subnational governments

exclusive powers

powers exclusive to the national government and only to be exercised by the national government

commerce clause

grants congress the authority to regulate INTERstate business and commercial activity

10th amendment

the basis of federalism, reserves the powers that are not delegated to the national government to the states and the people

reserved powers

powers not given to the national government, they are retained by the states and the people

concurrent powers

powers that are granted to both federal and state governments in the Constitution

full faith and credit clause

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

extradition

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

privileges and immunities clause

constitutional law that prevents states from discriminating against citizens of another state

13th amendment

constitutional amendment that outlawed slavery

14th amendment

constitutional amendment that provides that persons born in the United States are citizens and prohibits states from denying persons due process or equal protection under the law (birthright citizenship)

15th amendment

constitutional amendment that gave african american men the right to vote

dual federalism

a form of American federalism in which the states and the nation operate independently in their own areas of public policy

selective incorporation

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

cooperative federalism

a form of American federalism in which the states and the national government work together to shape public policy

grants-in-aid

federal money provided to states to implement public policy objectives

fiscal federalism

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

categorical grants

grants-in-aid provided to states with specific rules for their use

unfunded mandate

federal requirements that states must follow without being provided any funding to execute said requirements

block grant

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

revenue sharing

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

devolution

returning more authority to state or local governments

pork-barrel spending

legislation directing funds to projects within districts or states

logrolling

trading votes on legislation by members of congress to get their earmarks passed

oversight

efforts by congress to ensure that governmental departments are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals

constituency

a body of voters in a given area that elect a representative or senator

apportionment

process of determining the number of reps for each state using census data

redistricting

states redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census

gerrymandering

intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters

partisan gerrymandering

drawing district boundaries into strange shapes with a goal of benefiting a political party

majority minority district

a district in which voters of a minority ethnicity make up the electoral majority within that district

malapportionment

an uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts

incumbency

being already in office as opposed to running for the first time

incumbency advantage

institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in a election

speaker of the house

the leader of the house of representatives, chosen by an election of its members

political action committee

organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns

house majority leader

the person who is second in command in the house of reps

whip

a member of congress chosen by their party members whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline

minority leader

the head of the party with the second highest number of seats in congress, chosen by party members

senate majority leader

the person who has the most power in the senate and is head of the party with the most seats

committee chair

leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committees agenda

discharge petition

a motion filed by a member of congress to move a bill out of committee and to the floor for a vote by House of Reps

house rules committee

committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor

committee of the whole

consists of all members of the house of representatives and meets in the house chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation

hold

a delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill

unanimous consent agreement

an agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill

filibuster

tactic through which a senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation

cloture

a procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided 60 senators agree to it

officer of management and budget

the executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending boundaries