AP US Government Study Guide

Chapter 1: The Study of American Government

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Legitimacy

political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution

Authority

the power or right to give orders or make decisions

Democracy

a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

Political elite

An identifiable group of persons who poses a disproportional share of some valued resource, such as money or political power; people who possess more political power than others and are commonly referred to in the U.S. as "activists"

Direct democracy

A form of government in which citizens rule directly and NOT through representatives

Representative democracy

A system of government in which citizens elect representatives, or leaders, to make decisions about the laws for all the people.

Bureaucratic theory

The hierarchical structure and standarized procedures of government allow bureaucrats to hold the real power over public policy; proposed by Max Weber

Power elite theory

the theory that a small number of very wealthy individuals, powerful corporate interest groups, and large financial institutions dominate key policy areas.

Pluralist theory

A theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies.

Marxist theory

the ideology espoused by Karl Marx which holds that government is a reflection of economic forces, primarily ownershop of the means of production

Chapter 2: The Constitution

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Unalienable

incapable of being repudiated or transferred to another, natural rights that belong to everyone and cannot be taken away

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution that were led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. They firmly believed the national government should be strong. They didn't want the Bill of Rights because they felt citizens' rights were already well protected by the Constitution.

Articles of Confederation

this document, the nations first constitution, was adopted by the second continental congress in 1781during the revolution. the document was limited because states held most of the power, and congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control coinage

Anti-Federalists

They opposed the ratification of the Constitution because it gave more power to the federal government and less to the states, and because it did not ensure individual rights. Many wanted to keep the Articles of Confederation. The Antifederalists were instrumental in obtaining passage of the Bill of Rights as a prerequisite to ratification of the Constitution in several states. After the ratification of the Constitution, the Antifederalists regrouped as the Democratic-Republican (or simply Republican) party.

Declaration of Independence

the document recording the proclamation of the second Continental Congress (4 July 1776) asserting the independence of the colonies from Great Britain

The Federalist Papers

This collection of essays by John Jay, Alexander Hamilton, and James Madison, explained the importance of a strong central government. It was published to convince New York to ratify the Constitution.

Constitutional Convention

The meeting of state delegates in 1787 in Philadelphia called to revise the Articles of Confederation. It instead designed a new plan of government, the US Constitution.

Separation of powers

Constitutional division of powers among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches, with the legislative branch making law, the executive applying and enforcing the law, and the judiciary interpreting the law

Shays's Rebellion

Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out; Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts in 1786-1787, protesting mortgage foreclosures. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out.

Bill of attainder

A law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guilty of a crime

Great Compromise

Compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house

Writ of habeas corpus

a court order that requires police to bring a prisoner to court to explain why they are holding the person

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution, containing a list of individual rights and liberties, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press.

Ex post facto law

a law that would allow a person to be punished for an action that was not against the law when it was committed

Line-item veto

an executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature

Federalism

a form of government in which power is divided between the federal, or national, government and the states

Republic

a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

Amendment

a change in, or addition to, a constitution or law

Checks and balances

A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power

Judicial review

review by a court of law of actions of a government official or entity or of some other legally appointed person or body or the review by an appellate court of the decision of a trial court

Chapter 3: Federalism

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Unitary system

a government that gives all key powers to the national or central government

School districts

A special-district government responsible for administering public schools

Confederate system

system of government in which nations or states agree to join together under a central government, to which the nations or states grant certain powers. The United States had a confederate system of government under the Articles of Confederation, from 1781 to 1789.

Counties

A territorial unit between a city/town and the state itself.

Federal system

a government that divides the powers of government between the national government and state or provincial governments

Sovereignty

ability of a state to govern its territory free from control of its internal affairs by other states

Grant-in-aid

when the national gov. appropriates money to the states on the condition that it be spent as dictated by the national gov

10th amendment

The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

Block grants

Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services

Necessary and proper clause

Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the implied powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government

Categorical grants

Federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes or "categories," of state and local spending. They come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions. Compare to block grants.

Dual federalism

A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies.

Revenue-sharing grants

Federal grants distributing a portion of federal tax revenues to state and local governments

Initiative

allowed all citizens to introduce a bill into the legislative and required members to take a vote on it

Referendum

The name given to the political process in which the general public votes on an issue of public concern.

Recall

The act of removing an official by petition

Devolution

the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states

Chapter 4: American Political Culture

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Political culture

The widely shared beliefs, values, and norms concerning the relationship of citizens to government and to one another.

Class consciousness

a belief that you are a member of an economic group whose interests are opposed to people in other such groups

Political ideology

A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose. It helps give meaning to political events, personalities, and policies.

Civic competence

A belief that one can affect government policies

Civic duty

The belief that in order to support democratic government, a citizen should always vote.

Political tolerance

The willingness of people to reasonably tolerant to the opinions and actions of others that are not in accordance with their own.

Political efficacy

a belief that you can take part in politics (internal efficacy) or that the government will respond to the citizenry (external efficacy)

Protestant work ethic

Sociological term used to define the Calvinist belief in hard work to illustrate selection in elite group

Internal efficacy

The belief that one can understand politics and therefore participate in politics

External efficacy

The belief that one is effective when participating in politics, for example that the government will respond to one's demands

Chapter 5: Public Opinion

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Gender gap

A term that refers to the regular pattern by which women are more likely to support Democratic candidates. Women tend to be significantly less conservative than men and are more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending.

Random sample

A sample that fairly represents a population because each member has an equal chance of inclusion.

Social status

A measure of one's social standing obtained by combining factors such as education, income, and occupation.

Political ideology

A coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy, and public purpose. It helps give meaning to political events, personalities, and policies.

Liberal

a person who generally believes the government should take an active role in the economy and in social programs but that the government should not dictate social behavior

Poll

an inquiry into public opinion conducted by interviewing a random sample of people

Conservative

a person who believes government power, particularly in the economy, should be limited in order to maximize individual freedom

Sampling error

The level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll. The more people interviewed, the more confident one can be of the results.

Public opinion

The distribution of the population's beliefs about politics and policy issues

Libertarians

People who wish to maximize a personal liberty on both economic and social issues. The prefer a small, weak government, that has little control over either the economy or the personal lives of citizens.

Political cleavage

a deep and lasting salient dimension of political conflict and competition within a given society, such as religion, ethnicity, ideology, or other forms of identity.

Populists

People who hold liberal views on economic matters and conservative ones on social matters. The prefer a strong government that will reduce economic inequality, regulate businesses, and impose strincter social and criminal sanctions

Chapter 6: Political Participation

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Registered voters

those legally eligible to vote who have registered in accordance with the requirements prevailing in their state and locality

26th Amendment

lowered the voting age to 18

Motor-voter law

this was a law to encourage more people to participate in voting. This allowed people to register to vote while they renewed their license. The thought was that most people renew their license and thus it would give them a chance to register at the same time.

19th Amendment

Amendment to the U.S. Constitution (1920) extended the right to vote to women in federal or state elections.

Literacy test

A test administered as a precondition for voting, often used to prevent African Americans from exercising their right to vote.

Australian ballot

A government printed ballot of uniform size and shape to be cast in secret that was adopted by many states around 1890 in order to reduce the voting fraud associated with party printed ballots cast in public.

Grandfather clause

A clause in registration laws allowing people who do not meet registration requirements to vote if they or their ancestors had voted before 1867 (basically allowing all whites to get around literacy tests and vote).

15th amendment

Ratified 1870. One of the "Reconstruction Amendments". Provided that no government in the United States shall prevent a citizen from voting based on the citizen's race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Poll tax

A requirement that citizens pay a tax in order to register to vote

Voter apathy

The lack of interest among the citizenry in participating in elections.

Voting Rights Act of 1970

gave 18 year olds the right to vote in federal elections, contained provisions lowering the voting age to eighteen in state elections.

Voting-age population

Citizens who are eligible to vote after reaching the minimum age requirement.

Chapter 7: Political Parties

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Political party

a group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy

Political machine

well organized political organization that controls election results by awarding jobs and other favors in exchange for votes

Two-party system

An electoral system with two dominant parties that compete in national elections.

Winner-take-all

An almost obsolete system whereby a presidential aspirant who won the preference vote in a primary automatically won all the delegates chosen in the primary

National convention

A national meeting of delegates elected in primaries, caucuses, or state conventions who assemble once every four years to nominate candidates for president and vice president, ratify the party platform, elect officers, and adopt rules.

Super delegates

party leaders and elected officials who become delegates to the national convention without having to run in primaries or caucuses.

National committee

one of the institutions that keep the party operating between conventions. The national committee is composed of representatives from the states and territories.

Straight-ticket voting

Practice of voting for candidates of only one party in an election

Congressional campaign committee

an organization maintained by a political party to raise funds to support its own candidates in congressional elections

Split-ticket voting

Casting votes for candidates of one's own party and for candidates of opposing parties, e.g., voting for a Republican presidential candidate and a Democratic congressional candidate.

National chairman

Day-to-day party manager elected by the national committee

Plurality system

An electoral system in which the winner is the person who gets the most votes, even if he or she does not receive a majority; used in almost all American elections.