AP US Government & Politics: Unit 1A Key Vocabulary and Principles

Limited government

a government's power cannot be absolute; The ideal of limited government is ensured by the interaction of these principles: i. Separation of powers ii. Checks and balances iii. Federalism iv. Republicanism

Natural rights

all people have certain rights that cannot be taken away

Popular sovereignty

all government power comes from the consent of its people

Republicanism

the democratic principle that the will of the people is reflected in government debates and decisions by their representatives

Social contract

an implicit agreement among the people in a society to give up some freedoms to maintain social order

Representative democracy

a system of government in which all eligible citizens vote on representatives to make public policy for them; can take several forms including the following models: i. Participatory democracy, ii. Pluralist democracy, iii. Elite democracy

Participatory democracy

emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society

Pluralist democracy

emphasizes group-based activism by nongovernmental interests striving for impact on political decision making

Elite democracy

emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society

Declaration of Independence

drafted by Thomas Jefferson (with help from Adams and Franklin), restates the philosophy of natural rights, and provides a foundation for popular sovereignty

U.S. Constitution

an example of a social contract and establishes a system of limited government; provides the blueprint for a unique form of democratic government in the United States

Federalist 10

focused on the superiority of a large republic in controlling the 'mischiefs of faction,' delegating authority to elected representatives and dispersing power between the states and national government

Brutus 1

adhered to popular democratic theory that emphasized the benefits of a small, decentralized republic while warning of the dangers to personal liberty from a large, centralized government

Articles of Confederation

Specific incidents and legal challenges that highlighted key weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation are represented by the: i. Lack of centralized military power to address Shays' Rebellion ii. Lack of an executive branch to enforce laws, including taxation iii. Lack of a national court system iv. Lack of power to regulate interstate commerce

Anti-Federalist

opposed the ratification of the Constitution and wanted more power reserved to state governments rather than a strong central government

Federalist

supported ratification of the Constitution and a strong central government

Democracy

a system of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or through freely elected representatives

Faction

a party or group that is often contentious or self-seeking

Shays's Rebellion

an armed uprising in western Massachusetts in opposition to high taxation and insufficient economic policies that exposed concern over the weaknesses of the national government under the Articles of Confederation

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

created a dual (bicameral) system of congressional representation with the House of Representatives based on each state's population and the Senate representing each state equally

Electoral College

created a system for electing the president by electors from each state rather than by popular vote or by congressional vote

3/5ths Compromise

provided a formula for calculating a state's enslaved population for purposes of representation in the House and for taxation

Constitutional Convention

a meeting of delegates from the several states in 1787 intended to revise the Articles of Convention and ultimately drafted the United States Constitution in establishing a stronger central government

Article V / Amendment process

entailed either a two-thirds vote in both houses or a proposal from two-thirds of the state legislatures, with final ratification determined by three-fourths of the states

Ratification

the act of consenting to the U.S. Constitution through state ratification conventions, requiring 9 of the 13 states to ratify per Article VII of the U.S. Constitution

Separation of powers

specific and separate powers delegated to Congress, the president, and the courts allow each branch to check and balance the power of the other branches, ensuring no one branch becomes too powerful; creates multiple access points for stakeholders and institutions to influence public policy

Checks and balances

allow legal actions to be taken against public officials deemed to have abused their power

Federalist 51

explains how constitutional provisions of separation of powers and checks and balances control potential abuses by majorities

Judicial Review

power of the courts to rule on the constitutionality of laws and government actions.

Formal Amendment

change or addition that becomes part of the written language of the Constitution itself, require two-thirds majority vote in Congress & ratification by three-quarters of the states

Informal Amendment

a change in the meaning, but not the wording, of the Constitution; can occur through judicial interpretation, social, cultural, and legal changes

Federalism

a form of government in which power is divided between the federal(national)government and the states

Marbury vs Madison

1803 Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review

Bicameral

A legislature consisting of two parts or houses

unicameral

One-house legislature