AP Government and Politics Unit 1 Vocabulary

Government

the institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society

public goods

goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share

politics

the process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies theses leaders pursue. Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues

Political Participation

All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. Voting is the most common but not the only means of political participation a democracy. Other means include protest and civil disobedience.

policy agenda

the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time

Policy agenda

the issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time

Public policy

a choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.

Political Issue

an issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it.

linkage institutions

the political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. includes: elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media.

power

the ability to do something or act in a particular way, the capacity or ability to direct or influence the behaviors of others or events

majoritorian politics

traditional political philosophy which asserts majority or pop is entitles to a certain degree of primary in society and has the right to make decisions that affect the society

indirect democracy

system in which the people are ruled by their representatives. Also known as representative democracy, or republic

direct democracy

a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives.

traditional democratic theory

rests upon a number of key principles that specify how governmental decisions are made in a democracy

majority rule

a fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory; in a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire is respected

pluralism

a theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies; bargaining and compromise - best policy emerges; both sides win

representation

a basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers

hyperpluralism

a theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened. This is an extreme form of pluralism.

elitism or class theory

small number of interest group that has influence controlled by those with power (particularly big businesses); big businesses run policies, not politicians; policies benefit corporate interest and the wealthy win

republic

a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

popular sovereignty

supreme or ultimate authority derived from the people over an autonomous state. , rule by the people

minority rights

a principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities and allows that hey might join majorities through persuasion and reasoned arguement

constitution

a nation's basic law. it creates political institutions, assigns or divides powers in government, and often provides certain guarantees o citizens.

The Declaration of Independence

the document approved by representation of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence.

natural rights

rights inherent in human beings, not dependent of governments, which include life, liberty, and property.

consent of the governed

the idea that government derives its authority by sanction of the people.

limited government

the idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens.

U.S. Constitution

the document written in 1797 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of US government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation.

Articles of Confederation

a constitution drafted by the newly independent states in 1777 and ratified in 1781. It created a weak national government that could not levy taxes or regulate commerce. In 1789 it was replaced by our current Constitution in order to create a stronger national government.

Shay's Rebellion

a series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings.

Factions

interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth that James Madison attacked in Federalist Paper #10.

New Jersey Plan

the proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population

Virginia Plan

the proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's share of the US population

Connecticut Compromise

the compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention that established 2 houses of Congress, the House of Representatives & Senate. The House of Reps' representation is based one a state's share of the US population, and the Senate represents each state equally.

Three-Fifths Compromise

a compromise between Southern and Northern states reached during the Philadelphia Convention of 1787 in which three-fifths of the enumerated population of slaves would be counted for representation purposes regarding both the distribution of taxes and the apportionment of the members of the United States House of Representatives. It was proposed by delegates James Wilson and Roger Sherman.

writ of habeas corpus

a court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody.

checks and balances

features of the Constitution that limit government's power by requiring that power be balanced among the different governmental institutions.

separation of powers

a feature of the Constitution that requires each of the 3 branches of government-executive, legislative, and judicial, to be relatively independent of the others so that one cannot control the others. Power is shared among these 3 institutions

Federalists

Those who favor a stronger national government

Antifederalists

Those who favor a weaker national government

The Federalist Papers

a collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail.

Marbury vs Madison

the 1803 case in which Chief Justice John Marshall and his associates first asserted the right of the Supreme Court to determine the meaning of the US Constitution. The decision established the Court's power of judicial review over acts of Congress, in this case the Judiciary Act of 1789.

Judicial Review

the power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress and, by implication, the exutive are in accord to the US Constitution. Judicial Review was first established by John Marshall and his associates in Marbury v. Madison.

social contract

agreement to give up our freedom to protect our individual rights. ie: articles of confederation/ constitution

Federalism

A constitutional arrangement whereby power is divided between national and sub national governments, each of which enforces its own laws directly on its citizens and neither of which can alter the arrangement without the consent of the other.

Unitary government

A way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government. Most national government conform to the governmental system

Bill of Rights

the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution, drafted in response to some of the Anti-Federalist concerns. These amendments define such basic liberties as freedom of religion, speech, press, and guarantee defendant's rights.

Confederation Government

It is a government where the states hold most of the power. The central Government has little power. The states tell the central government what to do. There is a legislative and justice system, but no executive branch.

Intergovernmental Relations

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

supremacy clause

the clause in article VI of the Constitution that makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws as long as the national government is acting within its constitutional limits.

Tenth amendment

the constitutional amendment stating, "the powers not delegated to the United States 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. The Court, led by Chief Justice John Marshall, held that Congress had certain implied powers in addition to the powers enumerated in the Constitution.

Concurrent powers

Powers shared by the national and state governments

Delegated Powers

also called "enumerated powers." Delegated powers are those which are specifically listed in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution as being granted to the Congress.

Reserved powers

Powers given to the state government alone

Implied powers

Powers not mentioned specifically in the Constitution as belonging to Congress but inferred as necessary and proper for carrying out the enumerated powers.

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 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, as encompassing virtually every form of commercial activity.

Full faith and credit clause

clause in article IV of the constitution requiring each state to recognize the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of all other states.

extradition

a legal process whereby a state surrenders a person charged with a crime to the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.

privileges and immunities

the provision of the constitution according citizens of each state the privileges of citizens of other states.

dual federalism

a system of government in which both 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 national government

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 government

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 grant given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications

formula grants

federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulation

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.

revenue sharing

Federal sharing of a fixed percentage of its revenue with the states

new federalism

This is a political philosophy of devolution, or the transfer of certain powers from the United States federal government back to the states. The primary objective of this, unlike that of the eighteenth-century political philosophy of Federalism, is the restoration to the states of some of the autonomy and power which they lost to the federal government as a consequence of President Franklin Roosevelt's New Deal. (10th Am.)

interstate commerce clause

the national government has the power to regulate anything involved with in######.

Formal Amendment Process

Article V; the (difficult) process of adding or deleting words to the constitution (27 times since 1788); propose by 2/3 vote of Congress or Constitutional Convention (never used); ratify by 3/4 vote of state legislators or state convention (only used once)

Informal Amendment Process

Changing the meaning of the Constitution without a formal amendment (ex. Supreme Court opinions, laws, custom)

devolution

transferring responsibility for policies from the federal gov't to state and local governments

enumerated powers

powers of the federal gov't that are specifically addressed in the Constitution, listed in Article I

political system

a complete set of institutions, interest groups (such as political parties, trade unions, lobby groups), the relationships between those institutions and the political norms and rules that govern their functions (constitution, election law).

political ethics

The practice of making moral judgements about political action and political agents.

funded mandates

when a level of U.S. government tells a branch of government to do something and gives money to help them

unfunded mandates

statute of regulation that requires state or local government to preform certain actions with no money provided for fulfilling the requirements