AP US Government and Politics Review Flashcards

Flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to politics and public policy, origins of democracy, the Constitution, federalism, civil liberties, political culture and public opinion, political participation, media, political parties, and economic policy.

What is the ability to mobilize people or institutions to achieve a desired result?

Power

What is the right to exercise power?

Authority

What shows where political authority is drawn from and is recognized and accepted?

Legitimacy

In which form of government do power, authority, and legitimacy lie within the state?

Authoritarian

In which form of government do power, authority, and legitimacy lie within the people?

Democracy

Which type of democracy involves all citizens participating directly in holding office or making policy decisions?

Direct Democracy

In which type of democracy do leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote?

Representative Democracy

Which theory of democracy states that who governs and to what ends is determined by the majority of the people?

Participatory Theory/Democracy

Which theory of democracy states that who governs and to what ends is determined by the economic relationships within the country?

Marxist (Class) Theory/Democracy

Which theory of democracy states that who governs and to what ends is determined by a small coalition of several factions within the United States?

Elite Theory/Democracy

Which theory of democracy states that who governs and to what ends are largely determined by the thousands of federal government employees?

Bureaucratic Theory/Democracy

Which theory of democracy believes that no one can gain a monopoly on power due to the complexity of the nation?

Pluralist Theory/Democracy

What is a purposive course of governmental actions to deal with matters of public concern?

Public Policy

What is any burden, monetary or non-monetary, that people must bear/pay if a policy is adopted?

Cost

What is any fulfillment, monetary or non-monetary, that people believe they will get if a policy is adopted?

Benefit

What type of politics is it when everyone pays and everyone benefits?

Majoritarian Politics

What type of politics is it when everyone pays, but few benefit?

Client Politics

What type of politics is it when few pay, and few benefit?

Interest Group Politics

What type of politics is it when few pay, but everyone benefits?

Entrepreneurial Politics

Which ancient government developed the concept of popular sovereignty?

American Roman Republic (6th Century BC)

Which ancient government phased from an oligarchy to a monarchy and then to a direct democracy?

Ancient Greek Government (5th Century BC)

Which early English legal concept involved judges looking to earlier court decisions involving a similar case/issue?

English Common Law

Which document forced King John to sign and subjected the King to the laws of England?

Magna Carta (1215)

What is an example of separation of powers and checks and balances and was established in 1265 as the King ceded power?

British Parliament

Which document was the first example of a list of guaranteed rights and civil liberties to the nation?

English Bill of Rights (1689)

Who believed an absolute monarchy was necessary to control the unruly masses of society?

Thomas Hobbes (1588-1679)

Who was a believer of natural rights, which are rights that are guaranteed to all men and cannot be taken away?

John Locke (1632-1704)

Who believed that power needed to be divided within a government to prevent the abuses of tyranny?

Baron De Montesquieu (1689-1755)

Which act forced colonists to house British soldiers against their will?

Quartering Act

What are rights given to all people that cannot be taken away by the government?

Natural Rights

What are rights that are not specifically mentioned in the Constitution?

Unenumerated rights

Who takes detailed notes and was considered the Father of the Constitution?

James Madison

Who was the ambassador to France and believed strongly in adding a Bill of Rights to protect citizens’ liberties?

Thomas Jefferson

Which plan favored larger states and proposed a bicameral legislature with proportional representation based on population?

Virginia Plan

Which plan favored smaller states and proposed a unicameral legislature with equal representation among states?

New Jersey Plan

Which compromise combined elements of the Virginia and New Jersey Plans?

Connecticut/Great Compromise

What clause states that federal law is the supreme law of the land?

Supremacy Clause

What clause states that Congress can regulate trade/economic activity between the states?

Interstate Commerce Clause

What clause states that Congress has the power to make all laws that are necessary and proper for the advancement of the nation?

Elastic Clause/Necessary and Proper Clause

What involves electors electing the President, not the people?

Electoral College

What is the belief in the common man's ability to govern?

Anti-Federalists

What is the belief that the common man was motivated by their own passions and self-interests and only the elite could effectively govern?

Federalists

What is the use of presidential power to keep certain information secret/confidential?

Executive Privilege

What involves the House filing impeachment charges and the Senate holding the impeachment trial?

Impeachment

What is the process where the meaning/interpretation of the Constitution is changed without an amendment being added?

Informal Change

In what year was the right to free speech, assembly, religion, press, and petition established?

1791

In what year was right to bear arms established?

1791

In what year was the freedom from unreasonable search and seizure established?

1791

In what year was citizenship established?

1868

In what year was the two-term limit for President established?

1951

What is the form of government in which power is divided between a central government and smaller regional governments?

Federalism

During which type of federalism was the federal government largely supreme over the states and became heavily involved in state/local government affairs?

Cooperative Federalism

Which type of federalism involves a new transfer of power from the federal government back to the states?

New Federalism

What Supreme Court case upheld the Civil Rights Act of 1964?

Heart of Atlanta v. US (1964)

What Supreme Court case determined citizens can be fined for not purchasing health insurance under the powers of the Taxing and Spending Clause?

National Federal of Independent Business v. Sebelius (2012)

What type of grant will be provided to the states for specific purposes and comes with strict guidelines?

Categorical Grants

What type of grant offers federal money for a general governmental program without any strings attached?

Block Grant

What are direct orders from the federal government to the states or local governments that require compliance with an activity, program, or law?

Mandates

What is the process by which the Supreme Court has determined that certain civil liberties apply to both the federal and state levels of government?

Selective Judicial Incorporation

What is the standard of equal treatment that must be observed by the government?

Equal Protection Clause

What denies the government the right, without due process, to deprive the people of life, liberty, and property?

Due Process Clause

Which type of speech is only verbal speech?

Pure Speech

Which type of speech is verbal speech plus some action?

Speech Plus

Which type of speech is non-verbal actions whose purpose is to convey some form of idea?

Symbolic Speech

Which Supreme Court case established the Clear and Present Danger Test of the 1st Amendment?

Schenck v. US (1919)

Which Supreme Court case ruled that the wearing of armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War is protected under the 1st Amendment’s Free Speech protections, specifically symbolic speech?

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)

Which clause forbids government from formally establishing a state region, official church, or formally supporting religious activities that establish one religion?

Establishment Clause

What test must a policy pass to determine if an action has violated the Establishment Clause?

Lemon Test

Which Supreme Court case ruled that prayer in public school led by a school official, even if voluntary and non-denominational, is unconstitutional?

Engle v. Vitale (1962)

Which clause challenges government policies that burden religion?

Free Exercise Clause

Which Supreme Court case ruled that Yoder does not need to send his child to school due to the Free Exercise Clause rights of the 1st Amendment?

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Which Supreme Court case ruled that the 2nd Amendment protects the individual rights to possesses a firearm unconnected with service in a militia?

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

Which Supreme Court case ruled that the 4th Amendment applies whenever a person has a reasonable expectation of privacy?

Katz v. US (1968)

Which Supreme Court case ruled that a stop is not the same thing as an arrest (seizure) and that a frisk is not the same thing as a search?

Terry v. Ohio (1968)

What states that illegally seized evidence cannot be admitted/used at trial?

Exclusionary Rule

Which Supreme Court case ruled that the Miranda Warnings must be read to all criminal suspects upon arrest?

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

What is the power of eminent domain?

Government must pay “just compensation” to a property owner when seizing their property for “public use”

Which Supreme Court case ruled that eminent domain can be used for “public use” and “public purpose?”

Kelo vs. City of New London (2004)

Which Supreme Court case incorporated the right to an attorney for capital cases down to the state and local levels of government?

Powell v. Alabama (1932)

Which Supreme Court case incorporated the right to an attorney for all felony cases down to the state and local levels of government?

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

What encompasses widely shared beliefs, values, and norms concerning the relationship of citizens to government and to one another?

Political Culture

What is a set of ideas, beliefs, and values that individuals have about how government should work and the types of policies that government should put in place to better society?

Political Ideology

Which type of person does not believe in the current system of government and thinks that any means are necessary for change?

Radical

Which type of person tends to favor more government intervention/regulation regarding social/personal issues?

Conservative

Which type of person generally happy with the status quo (incremental change over time)?

Moderate

Which type of person does not believe in the current system of government and think that any means are necessary for change?

Reactionary

What is the process by which an individual acquires their political beliefs and values?

Political Socializations

What is a group of people sharing a common characteristic(s) such as age, gender, wealth, region, etc.?

Demographic Groups

What are societal divisions that can produce conflict and disagreement among the population regarding political ideological beliefs and voting behaviors?

Cross Cutting Cleavages

What is the difference in the political attitudes and voting patterns of men and women?

Gender Gap

What are generalized views about the characteristics or roles that men and women should have?

Gender Stereotypes

What is unfair, unequal pay based on gender?

Gender Pay Gap

Which region is the most liberal/Democratic section of the country?

Northeast

Which region is the strongest conservative/Republican section of the country?

South

Which region is religiously and socially conservative but religiously and socially conservative?

Midwest

Which region is populated by former residents of other regions and a divided region politically due to diverse racial/ethnic make-up?

West

Which sub-region has a population increasing due to migration and immigration patterns and generally Republican and conservative, though certain Southwest states are becoming swing states?

Sun Belt

Which sub-region has a population decreasing due to loss of job base and a very volatile political area and can swing from election to election?

Rust Belt

Which sub-region has a large Evangelical population and is strongly Conservative and loyal Republican voters?

Bible Belt

What is the opinion of the American people about a particular issue at a particular time?

Public Opinion