AP Gov Unit 1

Federalist No. 78

An essay written by Alexander Hamilton arguing for the necessity of an independent judiciary with lifetime tenure for judges to protect the Constitution and ensure judicial review.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the authority of a state and its government are created and sustained by the consent of its people, through their elected representatives, who are the source of all political power.

Representative Democracy

A system of government in which citizens elect officials to make decisions on their behalf, blending elements of participatory, pluralist, and elite models.

Social Contract

A philosophical concept, popular during the Enlightenment, that posits an implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits, sacrificing some individual freedoms for state protection.

Confederation

A system of government where independent states unite for common purposes but retain their sovereignty, creating a weak central authority.

Shays' Rebellion

An armed uprising in Massachusetts in 1786-1787 led by Daniel Shays, protesting economic hardships and aggressive tax collections. It exposed the weakness of the national government under the Articles.

Treaty of Paris (1783)

The treaty that officially ended the American Revolutionary War and recognized the United States as an independent nation. The national government under the Articles struggled to enforce its provisions due to state actions.

Republican Form of Government

A system of government where power is held by the people and their elected representatives, rather than by a monarch or dictator. The Articles aimed to preserve this form while balancing state and national powers.

Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention that allowed Congress to regulate interstate and foreign commerce but prohibited it from banning the slave trade for 20 years and from taxing exports.

Federalism

A system of government in which power is divided between a national (federal) government and various regional (state) governments.

Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention that established a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House of Representatives and equal representation for each state in the Senate.

New Jersey Plan

A proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for a unicameral legislature with equal representation for all states, favored by smaller states.

Ratification

The process of formally approving a treaty, contract, or, in the context of the U.S. Constitution, an amendment or the Constitution itself, by states.

Supremacy Clause (Article VI)

A clause in the U.S. Constitution that establishes the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties as the supreme law of the land, taking precedence over state laws when there is a conflict.

Virginia Plan

A proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for a strong national government with a bicameral legislature, where representation would be based on population, favored by larger states.

USA PATRIOT Act

A controversial law passed in response to the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, which significantly expanded the surveillance and investigative powers of law enforcement agencies to prevent terrorism.

Tenth Amendment

The amendment to the U.S. Constitution stating that powers not delegated to the federal government, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.

Full Faith and Credit Clause (Article IV)

A clause in Article IV of the Constitution requiring states to honor the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of other states.

Privileges and Immunities Clause (Article IV)

A clause in Article IV of the Constitution stating that citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens in the several states, preventing discrimination against out-of-state residents.

Extradition (Article IV)

The legal process by which a state is required to return a person accused of a crime in another state to that state for trial or imprisonment.

Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8)

Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 of the Constitution, which gives Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states, with foreign nations, and with Indian tribes.

Formula Grants

Categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or administrative regulations.

Block Grants

Federal grants given to states with broad discretion on how to spend the money within a general policy area, offering more flexibility than categorical grants.

New Federalism

A political philosophy of devolution, or the transfer of certain powers from the United States federal government back to the states, initiated by Presidents Nixon and Reagan.

Intergovernmental Regulations

Federal rules or laws that impose requirements or standards on states, often with associated penalties or conditions for federal funding.

Federalist No. 51

An essay by James Madison arguing for the necessity of separation of powers and checks and balances to prevent tyranny and protect liberty.

Judicial Review

The power of the Supreme Court to declare acts of the legislative and executive branches unconstitutional.

Access Points

Opportunities or avenues through which citizens, special interest groups, or other entities can interact with government branches to influence policy or voice concerns.

Constitutional Division of Federalism

The framework established by the US Constitution that defines the powers and responsibilities of the federal and state governments.

Fourteenth Amendment (1868)

An amendment that defines national citizenship and includes the Due Process Clause and the Equal Protection Clause, limiting state power and ensuring civil rights.

Federal Mandates

Requirements or orders that direct state or local governments to comply with federal rules or regulations, often as a condition for receiving federal funds.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

A landmark Supreme Court case that limited Congress's power under the Commerce Clause, ruling that the Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 exceeded Congress's constitutional authority.

National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) (1970)

A landmark US environmental law that requires federal agencies to assess the environmental impacts of their proposed actions.

Superfund (Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act of 1980 - CERCLA)

A federal program designed to clean up sites contaminated with hazardous substances and pollutants.

Preemption

The principle in federalism that allows a federal law to override state or local laws on the same subject.

Conservationist President

A term often used to describe President Theodore Roosevelt due to his extensive efforts in establishing national parks and conserving natural resources.