AP Government Unit 1 Flashcards

Vocabulary flashcards covering core foundational terms, Enlightenment thinkers, foundational documents, court cases, and analytical methods from the AP Government Unit 1 Study Guide.

Natural Rights

Fundamental rights inherent to all human beings, influenced by Enlightenment philosophy and fundamental to the founding of American government.

Social Contract

An implicit agreement among individuals to create a government that protects their natural rights.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that political power and government authority reside in the consent of the people.

Republicanism

A system of government where power is exercised by elected representatives accountable to the people.

Federalism

A constitutional arrangement dividing governing authority between a central national government and regional state governments.

Separation of Powers

The division of legislative, executive, and judicial responsibilities among distinct branches of government.

Checks and Balances

Constitutional mechanisms enabling each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches.

Expressed / Enumerated Powers

Powers specifically granted to the national government by the text of the Constitution.

Reserved Powers

Powers not delegated to the national government by the Constitution, nor prohibited to the states, which belong to the states or the people.

Commerce Clause

A clause in Article I of the Constitution granting Congress the authority to regulate trade with foreign nations and among the states.

Necessary and Proper Clause

A constitutional clause authorizing Congress to pass all laws appropriate for executing its expressed powers.

Factions

Groups of citizens united by a common interest or passion that may be adverse to the rights of others or the permanent interests of the community.

Limited Government

A system in which constitutional restraints restrict government powers to safeguard individual rights.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the United States Constitution, added to protect individual civil liberties from national government overreach.

John Locke

An Enlightenment thinker whose theories on natural rights and the social contract strongly influenced the Founding Fathers.

Jean Jacques Rousseau

An Enlightenment philosopher who championed popular sovereignty and political consent through the social contract.

Baron de Montesquieu

An Enlightenment political thinker who formulated the concept of separating government powers into distinct branches.

Voltaire

An Enlightenment thinker renowned for advocating freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and civil liberties.

Thomas Hobbes

An Enlightenment political theorist who developed an early social contract theory stressing centralized authority to prevent societal conflict.

Articles of Confederation

The first governing constitution of the United States, characterized by a weak national government and strong sovereign states.

Shays' Rebellion

An armed uprising of farmers in Massachusetts that exposed the central government's weaknesses under the Articles of Confederation.

Great Compromise

An agreement at the Constitutional Convention establishing a bicameral legislature with representation based on population in the House and equal state representation in the Senate.

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

The debate over constitutional ratification between proponents of a strong central government (Federalists) and advocates for state sovereignty and a bill of rights (Anti-Federalists).

Declaration of Independence

The 1776 foundational document articulating natural rights and declaring the American colonies free from British rule.

Federalist No. 10

An essay written by James Madison arguing that a large republic is best equipped to control the harmful effects of factions.

Federalist No. 51

An essay explaining how separation of powers and checks and balances inside the federal system protect liberty.

Brutus No. 1

An Anti-Federalist essay expressing fears that a powerful central government under the new Constitution would erode state sovereignty and personal rights.

United States Constitution

The fundamental framework of national government established to reform the national government structure beyond the Articles of Confederation.

Emancipation Proclamation

An executive order issued during the Civil War, studied alongside the Declaration of Independence and the 13th Amendment regarding foundational liberties.

13th Amendment

The constitutional amendment that formally abolished slavery in the United States.

McCulloch v. Maryland

A landmark Supreme Court decision confirming national power, the implied powers of the Necessary and Proper Clause, and federal supremacy over state laws.

United States v. Lopez

A landmark Supreme Court decision limiting national power under the Commerce Clause.

CDC Method

A written response structure (Claim, Data/Evidence, Commentary) used to synthesize reading evidence and knowledge of Unit 1 topics.