AP Gov Unit 1 Vocab

government

the institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society (U.S.: Congress, the president, the courts, federal administrative agencies/ bureaucracy)

public goods

goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share

politics

the process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies the leaders pursue

political participation

all activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue (voting, protest, civil disobedience)

single-issue groups

groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics

policymaking system

process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time; people's interests, problems, and concerns create political issues for government policymakers; these issues shape policy, which in turn impacts people, generating more interests, problems, and concerns

linkage institutions

the political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda (elections, political parties, interest groups, media)

policy agenda

issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time

political issue

an issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it

policymaking institutions

the branches of government charged with taking actions on political issues (Congress, the presidency, the courts, bureaucracy)

public policy

a choice that government makes in response to a political issue

democracy

a system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences

majority rule

a fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory; in a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected

minority rights

a principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities and allows that they might join majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument

representation

a basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers

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

elite and class theory

a theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization

hyperpluralism

a theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened

policy gridlock

a condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy

gross domestic product

the sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation

individualism

the belief that individuals should be left on their own by the government; one of the primary reasons for the comparatively small scope of American government is the prominence of this belief in American political thought and practice

constitution

a nation's basic law; it creates political institutions, assigns or divides powers in government, and often provides certain guarantees to citizens; can be written or unwritten

Declaration of Independence

document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence

natural rights

rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property; central to John Locke's theories about government

consent of the governed

the idea that government derives its authority by sanction of the people (Locke)

limited government

the idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens (Locke)

Articles of Confederation

1st constitution of the US, adopted by Congress in 1777 and enacted in 1781; established a national legislature, the Continental Congress, but most authority rested with the sate legislatures

Shay's Rebellion

a series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings

U.S. Constitution

document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform

factions

interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth that James Madison attacked in Federalist Paper No. 10. Today's parties or interest groups are what Madison had in mind when he warned of the instability in government caused by factions

New Jersey Plan

the proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population

Virginia Plan

the proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's share of the U.S. population

Connecticut Compromise

the compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention that established 2 houses of Congress: the House of Representatives, in which representation is based on the state's share of the U.S. population, and the Senate, in which each state has 2 representatives

Writ of habeas corpus

a court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody

separation of powers

a feature of the Constitution that requires each of the three branches of government- executive, legislative, and judicial- to be relatively independent of the others so that one cannot control the others. Power is shared among these three institutions

checks and balances

feature of the Constitution that limit government's power by requiring that power be balanced among the different governmental institutions

republic

a form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws

Federalists

supporters of the U.S. Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption

Anti- Federalists

opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption

Federalist Papers

a collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail

Bill of Rights

the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, drafted in response to some of the Anti-Federalist concerns

Equal Rights Amendment

a constitutional amendment passed by Congress in 1972 stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." The amendment failed to acquire the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislatures

Marbury v. Madison

The 1803 case in which Chief Justice John Marshall and his associates first asserted the right of the Supreme Court to determine the meaning of the U.S. Constitution. The decision established the Court's power of judicial review over acts of Congress, in this case the Judiciary Act of 1789

judicial review

the power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress, and by implication the executive, are in accord with the U.S. Constitution; established by John Marshall and his associates in Marbury v. Madison

federalism

a way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the same land and people; it is a system of shared power between units of government

unitary governments

a way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government; most nationals governments today are like this

supremacy clause

Article VI of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits

Tenth Amendment

the constitutional amendment stating that "The powers not delegated to the U.S. by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

McCulloch v. Maryland

An 1819 Supreme Court decision that established the supremacy of the national government over state governments; in deciding this case, Chief Justice John Marshall and his colleagues held that Congress had certain implied powers in additon to the enumerated powers found in the Constitution

elastic clause

the final paragraph of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which authorizes Congress to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out the enumerated powers

Gibbons v. Ogden

a landmark case decided in 1824 in which the Supreme Court interpreted very broadly the clause in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, giving Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce, encompassing virtually every form of commercial activity

full faith and credit

a clause in Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the official documents and civil judgments rendered by the courts of other states

extradition

a legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed

privileges and immunities

a clause in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution according citizens of each state most of the privileges of citizens of other states

dual federalism

a system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible

cooperative federalism

a system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government; they may also share costs, administration, and even blame for programs that work poorly

fiscal federalism

the pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; it is the cornerstone of the national government's relations with state and local governments

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

project grants

federal categorical grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications

formula grants

federal categorical grants distributed according to formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations

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