AP Government Unit 1 Vocabulary Flashcards

These flashcards cover key vocabulary terms and concepts related to Unit 1 of AP Government, including foundational ideas and the structure of government.

Enlightenment

An 18th century European intellectual movement that influenced the framers of the Constitution with ideas such as natural rights, popular sovereignty, and social contract.

Natural Rights

The belief that individuals are born with certain inalienable rights granted by their creator, not by a monarch.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the authority of the government is created and sustained by the consent of its people.

Social Contract

An implicit agreement among the members of a society to cooperate for social benefits, where individuals give up some freedom for state protection.

Republicanism

A political ideology centered on the governance system in which elected representatives make decisions on behalf of the people.

Checks and Balances

A system that ensures that no one branch of government becomes too powerful by providing each branch with the means to check the powers of the others.

Federalism

A system of governance in which power is divided between a central government and regional governments.

Articles of Confederation

The original constitution of the United States that established a weak federal government and left the majority of the power with the states.

Great Compromise

The agreement during the Constitutional Convention that created a bicameral legislature, balancing the representation of large and small states.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement that determined that for purposes of representation, enslaved individuals would count as three-fifths of a person.

Fiscal Federalism

The financial relationship between the federal and state governments, particularly in terms of grants and funding.

Unfunded Mandate

A regulation or policy imposed by the federal government on state governments without providing funding to cover the costs.

McCulloch v. Maryland

An 1819 Supreme Court case that affirmed the implied powers of Congress and established federal supremacy over state laws.

United States v. Lopez

A 1995 Supreme Court case that ruled that Congress had overstepped its bounds by using the Commerce Clause to regulate gun possession on school property.

Direct Democracy

A form of democracy in which people vote directly on laws and policies rather than through elected representatives.

Participatory Democracy

A model of democracy emphasizing broad participation of constituents in the shaping of public policy.

Pluralist Democracy

A model of democracy in which interest groups compete for influence over policy, providing a voice to various segments of society.

Elite Democracy

A model of democracy in which a limited number of representatives make decisions, assuming that they are the most educated and qualified.