AP gov unit 1 study

Natural Rights

Fundamental rights inherent to all humans that cannot legitimately be taken away; Locke identified life, liberty, and property as natural rights.

Social Contract

The idea that people agree to give up some freedoms and obey government in exchange for protection of their rights and security.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the ultimate authority of government comes from the people, or the consent of the governed.

Limited Government

The principle that government power is restricted by laws and constitutional boundaries and cannot act without limits.

Declaration of Independence

The 1776 document that declared the colonies independent from Great Britain; drafted primarily by Thomas Jefferson and influenced by John Locke's natural rights and popular sovereignty.

Thomas Jefferson

The primary author of the Declaration of Independence, which justified American independence using ideas such as natural rights and popular sovereignty.

John Locke

Enlightenment thinker who argued that people are born with natural rights and that government exists through the consent of the governed.

Life, Liberty, and Property

John Locke's three natural rights that influenced the Declaration of Independence; Jefferson used "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" in the Declaration.

Participatory Democracy

A form of democracy emphasizing direct citizen involvement in government and policymaking, such as ballot initiatives, referendums, and town halls.

Pluralist Democracy

A form of democracy in which competing interest groups organize and attempt to influence government policy.

Elite Democracy

A form of democracy in which elected representatives and people with greater wealth, education, resources, and political access have greater influence over policymaking.

Representative Democracy

A system in which citizens elect officials to represent their interests and make government decisions on their behalf.

Interest Group

An organized group of people with shared interests that attempts to influence government policy.

Ballot Initiative

A process allowing citizens to gather support and place a proposed measure on the ballot for voters to decide.

Referendum

A process allowing citizens to vote directly on whether to approve or reject a law or government action.

Federalist No. 10

Essay by James Madison arguing that a large republic can control the harmful effects of factions because many competing interests make it difficult for one faction to dominate.

James Madison

Federalist and Founding Father who argued in Federalist No. 10 that a large republic and competing factions could protect against majority tyranny.

Faction

A group of citizens united by a common interest or passion that may threaten the rights of other citizens or the public good.

Brutus No. 1

Anti-Federalist essay arguing that the proposed Constitution created an overly powerful national government that could threaten individual liberty and state authority.

Anti-Federalists

People who opposed or had serious concerns about ratification of the Constitution because they feared a strong national government would threaten states' rights and individual liberties.

Federalists

People who supported ratification of the Constitution and favored a stronger national government capable of maintaining order and protecting the union.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. constitution, which created a weak national government and left most political power with the states.

Weakness of the Articles of Confederation

The Articles created a national government that lacked important powers, including the power to tax directly, regulate interstate commerce, enforce laws through an executive, and operate a national judiciary.

Unicameral

A legislature consisting of one chamber; the Articles of Confederation created a unicameral Congress.

One State, One Vote

Under the Articles of Confederation, every state had one vote in Congress regardless of population or size.

No Executive Under the Articles

The Articles of Confederation did not create a separate executive branch to enforce national laws.

No National Judiciary Under the Articles

The Articles of Confederation did not create a national judicial branch to interpret federal law or resolve federal disputes.

Shays' Rebellion

An armed uprising of Massachusetts farmers in 1786–1787 that demonstrated the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and increased support for a stronger national government.

Constitutional Convention

The 1787 meeting in Philadelphia where delegates originally intended to revise the Articles of Confederation but instead created the U.S. Constitution.

Great Compromise

Compromise that created a bicameral Congress with a House based on population and a Senate with equal representation for every state.

Connecticut Compromise

Another name for the Great Compromise.

Bicameral

A legislature consisting of two chambers; the U.S. Congress consists of the House of Representatives and Senate.

House of Representatives

The chamber of Congress in which representation is based on state population; members serve two-year terms and are directly elected by voters.

Senate

The chamber of Congress in which every state receives two senators regardless of population; senators serve six-year terms.

Three-Fifths Compromise

A constitutional compromise that counted three-fifths of enslaved people when determining representation and direct taxation; it did not mean enslaved people received three-fifths of a vote.

Electoral College

The constitutional system in which states select electors who formally cast votes for president and vice president.

Ratification

The formal approval of the Constitution by the states; nine states were required for the Constitution to take effect.

Article V

The section of the Constitution establishing the formal amendment process.

Constitutional Amendment

A formal change or addition to the Constitution.

Amendment Process

Under Article V, amendments can be proposed by two-thirds of both houses of Congress or by a convention called by two-thirds of the states, and must be ratified by three-fourths of the states.

Separation of Powers

The division of government responsibilities among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches to prevent excessive concentration of power.

Legislative Branch

The branch consisting of Congress that makes laws, controls taxation and spending, declares war, and performs other constitutional duties.

Executive Branch

The branch headed by the president that enforces laws, serves as commander in chief, conducts foreign policy, and carries out other executive powers.

Judicial Branch

The federal court system headed by the Supreme Court that interprets laws and resolves constitutional and legal disputes.

Checks and Balances

The system through which each branch of government has powers that can limit the actions of the other branches.

Presidential Veto

The president's power to reject a bill passed by Congress, preventing it from becoming law unless Congress overrides the veto.

Two-Thirds Override

Congress can override a presidential veto if two-thirds of both the House and Senate vote to do so.

Advice and Consent

The Senate's constitutional role in approving presidential appointments and treaties.

Judicial Review

The power of courts to determine whether laws or government actions violate the Constitution.

Federalist No. 51

James Madison essay explaining why separation of powers and checks and balances are necessary to prevent tyranny; associated with the idea that "ambition must be made to counteract ambition."

Federalism

A system in which power is divided between the national government and state governments.

Exclusive Powers

Powers held only by the national government, such as declaring war and coining money.

Concurrent Powers

Powers shared by the national and state governments, such as taxation, borrowing money, and establishing courts.

Reserved Powers

Powers not delegated to the national government and therefore reserved to the states or the people under the Tenth Amendment.

Tenth Amendment

The amendment stating that powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited to the states, are reserved to the states or the people.

Categorical Grants

Federal funds given to states or local governments for specific purposes and usually accompanied by strict conditions.

Block Grants

Federal funds provided for broad policy areas that give states greater flexibility in deciding how to spend the money.

Mandates

Federal requirements that state or local governments must follow.

Unfunded Mandate

A federal requirement imposed on state or local governments without providing sufficient federal money to pay for carrying it out.

Necessary and Proper Clause

The constitutional clause giving Congress power to make laws necessary and proper for carrying out its enumerated powers; also called the Elastic Clause.

Enumerated Powers

Powers specifically listed in the Constitution and granted to the federal government, particularly Congress.

Implied Powers

Powers not specifically written in the Constitution but reasonably inferred from the enumerated powers.

Commerce Clause

The constitutional provision giving Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states, with foreign nations, and with Native American tribes.

Supremacy Clause

The constitutional principle that the Constitution, federal laws, and treaties are the supreme law of the land when validly made, overriding conflicting state laws.

Police Power

The authority of state governments to regulate health, safety, welfare, and morals within their jurisdictions.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Supreme Court case that upheld Congress's implied power to establish a national bank and ruled that Maryland could not tax the federal bank because federal law is supreme over conflicting state action.

McCulloch v. Maryland — Necessary and Proper Clause

The Court ruled that Congress could create the national bank even though the Constitution did not explicitly list a power to create one because it was a reasonable means of carrying out enumerated powers.

McCulloch v. Maryland — Supremacy Clause

The Court ruled that Maryland could not tax the national bank because a state cannot interfere with a valid federal institution.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Supreme Court case that struck down the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act because Congress had exceeded its Commerce Clause authority.

Lopez — Commerce Clause Significance

The case demonstrated that Congress's Commerce Clause power has limits and cannot be used to regulate every activity that might have an indirect connection to the national economy.

Contemporary Federalism Debates

Modern conflicts over how much authority should belong to the federal government versus the states, including debates involving national security, privacy, education, and state policy.

USA PATRIOT Act

A federal law enacted after the September 11, 2001 attacks that expanded government surveillance and investigative powers, creating debates involving national security and Fourth Amendment privacy rights.

Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA)

A federal education law that replaced No Child Left Behind and gives states more flexibility in implementing education policies while maintaining federal requirements.

Federalism and Education

Education is primarily administered by state and local governments, but the federal government influences education through laws, funding, and grants.

Federalism and Privacy

National security laws and surveillance programs can create tension between federal powers and individual privacy protections under the Fourth Amendment.

Federalism and State Authority

Federalism creates an ongoing balance between national authority and state authority, with constitutional rules determining which level of government has power in particular areas.

Federalism and the Tenth Amendment

The Tenth Amendment supports state authority by reserving powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people.

Federalism and the Supremacy Clause

The Supremacy Clause supports federal authority by establishing that valid federal law takes priority over conflicting state law.

Federalism and the Commerce Clause

The Commerce Clause gives Congress authority over interstate commerce but has limits, as demonstrated by United States v. Lopez.

Federalism and the Necessary and Proper Clause

The Necessary and Proper Clause allows Congress to use implied powers to carry out its enumerated responsibilities.

Natural Rights vs. Popular Sovereignty

Natural rights concern the rights people possess by virtue of being human, while popular sovereignty concerns the people's authority over government.

Popular Sovereignty vs. Representative Democracy

Popular sovereignty means the people are the ultimate source of governmental authority, while representative democracy is the system through which people exercise that authority by electing representatives.

Participatory vs. Pluralist Democracy

Participatory democracy emphasizes direct citizen involvement, while pluralist democracy emphasizes organized groups competing to influence government.

Pluralist vs. Elite Democracy

Pluralist democracy emphasizes competition among many interest groups, while elite democracy recognizes that people with greater resources and political access can have greater influence.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

Federalists supported ratification and a stronger national government, while Anti-Federalists feared the Constitution gave the national government too much power and threatened individual liberties and state authority.

Federalist No. 10 vs. Brutus No. 1

Federalist No. 10 argues that a large republic can control factions through competing interests, while Brutus No. 1 warns that a large republic and strong national government could threaten liberty and state power.

Articles of Confederation vs. Constitution

The Articles created a weak national government dominated by states, while the Constitution created a stronger national government with executive and judicial branches and greater federal powers.

Great Compromise — House vs. Senate

The House represents states according to population, while the Senate gives every state two representatives.

Checks and Balances vs. Separation of Powers

Separation of powers divides government responsibilities among branches, while checks and balances gives those branches tools to limit one another.

Categorical Grants vs. Block Grants

Categorical grants are restricted to specific purposes and have more conditions, while block grants cover broader policy areas and give states more flexibility.

Enumerated vs. Implied Powers

Enumerated powers are explicitly listed in the Constitution, while implied powers are reasonably inferred from those listed powers.

Exclusive vs. Concurrent Powers

Exclusive powers belong only to one level of government, usually the national government, while concurrent powers are shared by national and state governments.

Reserved vs. Enumerated Powers

Reserved powers belong to the states or people because they were not delegated to the federal government, while enumerated powers are specifically granted to the federal government.

McCulloch vs. Lopez

McCulloch expanded recognition of federal implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause, while Lopez limited Congress's Commerce Clause authority.

Unit 1 FRQ — Big Idea

The Unit 1 FRQ may require connecting democratic ideals, constitutional structures, federalism, founding documents, Supreme Court cases, and the balance between governmental power and individual rights.