AP Gov Glossary (Unit 1)

Amend

Amend

to change the words and often the meaning of a law, document, etc

Anti-Federalist

opposed Constitution; supported strong state + local governments + weak federal government

Article

separates part of a legal document that deals w/ a single subject

Articles of Confederation

first US governing document, est. by the Continental Congress post-independence; replaced by Constitution b/c it was too weak to hold nation together

Authoritarian

of, relating to, or favoring concentration of power in a leader or an elite not constitutionally responsible to the people

Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

major compromise to the constitution, set time limit of 20 years on the slave trade + allowed congress to regulate commerce

Common law

laws that developed from English court decisions and customs; forms basis of laws in the U.S.

Concurrent powers

power held simultaneously by more than one entity; specifically: power delegated to fed gov by Constitution that is also held by the states

Confederation

group of ppl, countries, organizations, etc., joined together in some activity or effort

Constitutional republic

form of gov i/w structure of gov defined by constitution; power of that gov derived from the ppl, who elect representatives to serve them

Convention

regulatory agreement b/w states of matters affecting all of them

Direct democracy

form of gov i/w ppl vote directly issues

Divine right of kings

belief that monarchs derive their right to rule directly from God

Electoral College

electors who elect the pres. and vice pres.; each state gets different #’s of electors based on population—> electors vote for pres. based on how the gen. population votes in elections; 270 electoral college votes needed to win presidential election

Elitism

theory of democratic gov.; elites hold the power in the society

Enlightenment

18th cen. movement that stressed science and logic over tradition and religion

Enumerated powers/expressed powers

powers specifically named and delegated to federal government/prohibited 2b exercised by the states under the Constitution

Federal

of or relating to a form of government i/w power shared b/w central gov. and individual states, provinces, etc.; of or relating to the central government

Federalism

distribution of pwr in an organization (government) b/w central authority and constituent units

Federalist

supporters of Constitution; supported strong national gov and weak state governments

Great Compromise

agreement creating a bicameral legislature (Senate and House of Representatives) w/ = rep. in Senate and population-based rep. in HOR

Hyper-Pluralism

theory of democratic gov; states there are too many groups fighting for power—> nothing gets accomplished

Impeach

to charge (a public official) with a crime done while in office

Implied powers

pwr not specifically delegated to federal gov by Constitution but is implied by necessary and proper clause 2b delegated for the purpose of carrying out the enumerated powers

Judeo-Christian

relating to both Judaism and Christianity

McCulloch v. Maryland

SCOTUS ruled against the state of Maryland who tried to impose restrictions on the Bank of the United States; set safeguards on pwr of federal gov over state govs

Monarchy

form of gov i/w country ruled by monarch

Natural rights

right considered to be conferred by natural law

Pardon

act of officially saying that someone who was judged to be guilty of a crime will be allowed to go free and will not be punished

Parliamentary system

system of gov having the real executive power vested in a cabinet composed of members of the legislature who are individually and collectively responsible to the legislature

Pluralism

theory of democratic gov; pwr divided among many members of society

Preamble

statement made @ the beginning of something (such as a legal document) and usually gives the reasons for the parts that follow

Presidential system

system of gov i/w pres. is constitutionally independent of legislature

Ratification

to make (a treaty, agreement, etc.) official by signing it or voting for it

Republic

country governed by elected representatives and by an elected leader (such as a president) rather than by a king or queen

Reserved powers

specifically: powers not expressly delegated to the federal government nor expressly prohibited to the states and are therefore left to the states under the Tenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Social contract

actual/hypothetical agreement among the members of an organized society or between a community and its ruler that defines and limits the rights and duties of each

Socialism

way of organizing a society i/w major industries are owned and controlled by the government rather than by individual people and companies

Theocracy

form of gov i/w a country is ruled by religious leaders

Three-Fifths Compromise

agreement on how slave population would be counted; three-fifths of slaves counted as population for representation purposes and three-fifths of slaves counted for the purposes of taxation

Tribal

of or relating to a tribe or tribes

Unitary

form of gov i/w all powers are held by a single, central agency

United States v. Lopez

SCOTUS case i/w court ruled in favor of Alfonso Lopez who had brought a gun to school and violated a federal law; rolled back some of the power of the federal government over states, the judges argued the commerce clause did not apply to this specific case.

Veto

pwr of one department/branch of a gov to forbid/ prohibit finally/provisionally the carrying out of projects attempted by another department; especially: pwr vested in a chief executive to prevent permanently or temporarily the enactment of measures passed by a legislature