AP US Government and Politics Unit I: Foundations of American Democracy

Government

The institutions that make Public Policy decisions for a society, comprised of four policymaking institutions in the US: Congress, The President, The Federal Bureaucracy, and The Courts.

Congress

A policymaking institution consisting of the House & Senate that handles law, Congressional Statue, and budgetary choices.

The Federal Bureaucracy

Executive Branch agencies that handle regulations and administrative laws.

Collective Goods

Public goods and services such as schools, roads, and trash collection that national governments must provide.

Politics

Who gets What, When, & How; how political participation and linkage institutions affect which issues make it onto the Policy Agenda.

Linkage Institutions

Entities like political parties, interest groups, and the media that link people to public policy outcomes.

The Lasswell Model

A theory of policymaking that analyzes what group wants what and determine the best means for them to achieve that goal, similar to marketing.

The Schattschneider Model

A theory describing policy as a cycle of conflict where issues enter the Policy Agenda due to conflict, leading to decisions that leave at least one group upset.

Pluralism

A contemporary theory where many groups vie for power with no one set of groups dominating, ensuring everyone receives policy at some point.

Elitism

A theory asserting that societies are divided along class lines and that upper-class elites, such as BIG CORPORATIONS, receive disproportionate influence.

Hyperpluralism

A state where too many influential groups cripple the government's ability to govern, resulting in counterintuitive or contradictory policy.

Majoritarianism

The principle that the majority governs the nation, often at the expense of the minority by focusing on a select set of interests.

Direct Democracy

A form of government where all citizens participate in all policy decisions.

Indirect/Representative Democracy

A system where democracy is facilitated through representatives, which Baron de Montesquieu argued becomes necessary when a state becomes too large.

Referendum

An element of direct democracy where the government asks the people to approve legislation, such as Bonds.

Initiative

A process where the people petition the government to add legislation.

Recall

A procedure where the people vote to remove an elected official from office.

American Creed

The American Political Culture based on Liberty, Egalitarianism (Equality), Individualism, a Laissez-Faire approach to the free market, and Populism.

Thomas Hobbes

Author of "Leviathan" (1588-1679) who argued man is self-interested and government is necessary to maintain order.

John Locke

Author of "The Second Treatise of Civil Government" (1632-1704) who proposed that men enter a Social Contract to preserve natural rights.

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

Author of "The Social Contract" (1712-1778) who focused on the collective good and equality.

Baron de Montesquieu

Author of "Spirit of the Laws" (1689-1755) who advocated for Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances.

The Declaration of Independence

A document by Jefferson to King George III and Parliament containing a statement of purpose for natural rights, a list of $27$ grievances, and a declaration of war.

Articles of Confederation

The first US government system which featured a weak central government, a unicameral legislature, and lacked the power to tax or regulate commerce.

Shay’s Rebellion

A raid on county courts protesting farm foreclosures that demonstrated the weakness of the Articles of Confederation in maintaining an army and collecting taxes.

Madisonian Principles

Constitutional principles including Popular Sovereignty, Republicanism, Individual Rights, Limited Government, Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, Judicial Review, and Federalism.

Writs of Habeas Corpus

A constitutional protection requiring that citizens must know what they are charged with and cannot be held indefinitely without a charge.

Bills of Attainder

A denied power preventing citizens from being punished without due process or court proceedings.

Ex Post Facto Laws

Laws that cannot be applied retroactively; one cannot be punished today for an act that was legal when it was committed yesterday.

Judicial Review

The power established in Marbury v. Madison (1803) for the Judicial branch to determine the constitutionality of laws and government actions.

Connecticut Compromise

An agreement establishing a bicameral legislature with a Senate based on equal representation and a House of Representatives based on state population.

3/5ths Compromise

A constitutional agreement stating that for the census and House representation, slaves would count as $\frac{3}{5}$ of a person.

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution, including Madison, Hamilton, and Jay, who wrote $85$ essays called The