Vocab all chapters AP GOV

Issue

Conflict real or apparent between the interests, ideas, or beliefs of different citizens.

Politics

The activity by which an issue is agitated or settled.

Power

The ability of one person to get another to act in accordance with the 1st’s intentions.

Authority

The right to use power.

Legitimacy

Political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution.

Democracy

The rule of many.

Direct/participatory democracy

A government in which all or most citizens participate directly.

Representative democracy

A government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote.

Elite

Persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource such as money, prestige, or expertise.

Class view

View that the government is dominated by capitalists.

Power elite view

View that the government is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside government.

Bureaucratic view

View that the government is dominated by appointed officials.

Pluralist view

View that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy.

Creedal passion view

View that morally impassioned elites drive important political changes.

Political agenda

Issues that people believe require governmental action.

Cost

A burden that people believe they must bear if a policy is adopted.

Benefit

A satisfaction that people believe they will enjoy if a policy is adopted.

Majoritarian politics

A policy in which almost everybody benefits and almost everybody pays.

Interest group politics

A policy in which one small group benefits and another small group pays.

Client politics

A policy in which one small group benefits and almost everybody pays.

Pork barrel legislation

Legislation that gives tangible benefits to constituents in several districts or states in the hope of winning their votes in return.

Log rolling

A legislator supports a proposal favored by another in return for support of his or hers.

Entrepreneurial politics

A policy in which almost everybody benefits and a small group pays.

Policy entrepreneurs

Activists in or out of government who pull together a political majority on behalf of unorganized interests.

Unalienable

A human right based on the nature of god.

Articles of Confederation

A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War.

Constitutional Convention

A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution.

Shay’s Rebellion

A 1787 rebellion in which ex-revolutionary war soldiers attempted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes.

Virginia Plan

Proposal to create a strong national government. Representation by population - favored by larger states

New Jersey Plan

Proposal to create a weak national government. Protected interest of smaller states and maintained equal representation for each state in Congress.

Great Compromise

Plan to have a popularly elected House based on state population and state selected Senate with two members for each state.

Republic

A government in which elected representatives make the decisions.

Judicial Review

The power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional.

Federalism

Government authority shared by national and local governments.

Enumerated powers

Powers given to the national government alone.

Reserved powers

Powers given to the state government alone.

Concurrent powers

Powers shared by the national and state governments.

Separation of powers

Sharing of constitutional authority by multiple branches of government.

Checks and balances

Constitutional ability of multiple branches of government to limit each other’s power.

Faction

A group with distinct political interests.

Sovereignty

The ultimate political authority in the system.

Unitary system

A system of government where sovereignty is fully vested in the national government, not the states.

Confederation/confederal system

A system of government where state governments are sovereign, and the national government can do only what the states permit.

Federal system

A system of government where the national and state governments share sovereignty.

Necessary and proper clause

Section of the constitution allowing Congress to pass all laws 'necessary and proper' to its duties.

Nullification (ILLEGAL)

The doctrine that a state can declare null and void a federal law that, in the state’s view, violates the constitution.

Dual federalism

Doctrine holding that the national government is supreme in its sphere, the states are supreme in theirs.

Cooperative federalism

Idea that the federal and state governments share power in many policy areas.

Laboratories of democracy

Idea that different states can implement different policies, and the successful ones will spread.

Initiative

Process that permits voters to put legislative measures directly on the ballot.

Referendum (ILLEGAL)

Procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed by legislature.

Recall (ILLEGAL)

Procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office.

Grants in aid

Money given by the national government to the states.

Categorical grants

Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport.

Conditions of aid

Terms set by the national government that states must meet if they are to receive certain funds.

Mandates

Terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants.

Waiver

A decision by an administrative agency granting some other party permission to violate a law or rule.

Devolution

Transfer of power from the national government to state and local governments.

Civil liberties

Rights to be free of government interference.

Due process of law

Denies the government the right, without due process, to deprive the people of life, liberty, and property.

Equal protection of the laws

A standard of equal treatment that must be observed by government.

Freedom of expression

The right of people to speak, publish, and assemble.

Freedom of religion

People shall be free to recognize their religion, and government may not establish a religion.

Prior restraint (ILLEGAL)

Censorship of a publication by gov.

Selective incorporation process

SCOTUS gradually applies BOR to state gov. by ensuring that they cannot infringe on rights. (case by case application of BOR)

Clear-and-present-danger test

Law should not punish speech unless there was a clear and present danger of producing harmful actions.

Libel

Writing that falsely injures another person.

Symbolic speech

An act that conveys a political message.

Free-exercise clause

First Amendment requirement that law cannot interfere with the free exercise of religion.

Establishment clause

First Amendment ban on laws 'respecting an establishment of religion'.

Wall of separation

Court ruling that government cannot be involved with religion.

Exclusionary rule

Improperly gathered evidence may not be introduced in a criminal trial.

Search warrant

A judge’s order authorizing a search.

Probable cause

Reasonable grounds for issuing a search warrant or making an arrest.

Good faith exception

An error in gathering evidence sufficiently minor that it may be used in a trial.

Public safety exception

The police can question a non-Mirandized suspect if there is an urgent concern for public safety.

Inevitable discovery

The police can use evidence if it would have been discovered anyway without warrant.

Civil forfeiture

A procedure in which law enforcement officers take assets from people suspected of illegal activity.

Civil rights

The rights of people to be treated without unreasonable or unconstitutional differences.

Separate-but-equal doctrine

The doctrine established in Plessy v. Ferguson that African Americans could constitutionally be kept in separate but equal facilities.

De jure segregation

Racial segregation that is required by law.

De facto segregation

Racial segregation that occurs in schools as a result of patterns of residential settlement.

Suspect classification

Classifications of people based on their race or ethnicity; laws categorizing people are subject to strict scrutiny.

Strict scrutiny

The standard by which suspect classifications are judged.

Civil disobedience

Opposing a law one considers unjust by peacefully disobeying and accepting punishment.

Police powers

State power to effect laws promoting health, safety, and morals.

Equality of results

Ensuring that people achieve the same result.

Equality of opportunity

Giving people an equal chance to succeed.

Affirmative action

Laws that require organizations to take steps to increase minority representation.

Reverse discrimination

Using race/sex to give preferential treatment to individuals.

Political party

A group that seeks to elect candidates to public office.

Progressives

Republican party faction of the early 20th century comprising reformers who opposed patronage.

Critical/realignment periods

A period when a major, lasting shift occurs in the popular coalition supporting one or both parties.

Primary elections

An election held to determine the nominee from a particular party.

Closed primary

A primary election where only registered party members may vote for their party’s nominee.

Open primary

A primary election where all voters, regardless of party membership, may vote for the party’s nominee.

Super delegates

Party leaders who become delegates to the national convention without running in primaries.

Invisible primary

Process by which candidates try to attract the support of key party leaders before an election begins.

National convention

A meeting of party delegates held every four years to nominate the party’s candidate for president.

National committee

Delegates who run party affairs between national conventions.