AP Gov Test #1

what is government?

the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies

Hobbes beliefs?

we will compete for liberty, we will challenge others (competitiveness), government would prevent chaos

Hobbes influenced the idea of?

Limited government

Locke’s beliefs?

government cannot remove inalienable rights, citizens can overthrow, consent of the governed

Jean-Jacques Rousseau beliefs?

social contract (give up rights for security), popular sovereignty

Montesquieu beliefs?

republicanism was the best way to govern (limited gov, natural rights, consent of governed, popular sovereignty)

what is democracy?

a system of government in which the people rule either directly or through elected representatives

3 types of democracy?

participatory, pluralist, elite

what is participatory?

participation in politics and civil society and each citizen has opportunity to express their opinion

pluralist democracy?

people form groups based on shared interests to gain political power and influence

examples of pluralist?

interest groups, trade unions, lobbyists

what is elite?

emphasizes limited citizen participation in politics and civil society and run by a small number of wealthy people

examples of elite?

electoral college, selection of senators before 17th amendment

who wrote declaration of independence?

Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, John Adams, Robert R. Livingston, Roger Sherman

how is declaration of independence divided?

3 sections

what is the first section of declaration?

justify the revolution

what is the second section of declaration?

the 27 complaints against British rule

what is the third section of the declaration?

3 paragraphs explaining why the colonies are acting correctly and have tried to avoid war but are out of options

what is the purpose of the declaration?

to explain the colonists' rights to a revolution and why the must gain their independence from Britain

who are federalists?

people in favor of constitution and believed in a strong federal government

who are anti-federalists?

people who objected the constitution and believed in strong state governments

purpose of the federalist papers?

an effort by the federalists to convince people to ratify the constitution

how many essays are in the federalist papers and what name were they under?

85 under the name “Publius”

How many essays did John Jay write in Federalist Papers?

5

How many essays did James Madison write in Federalist Papers?

29

How many essays did Alexander Hamilton write in Federalist Papers?

51

Who wrote most of the Anti-Federalist Papers and how many essays?

Robert “Brutus” Yates wrote 16 essays

When did the Continental Congress approve the Articles of Confed for ratification?

Nov. 1777

Who was the last state to ratify the articles and when?

Maryland in March 1781

What is the Articles of Confed. full name?

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Friendship?

what was the government called under the Articles?

Confederation Government

Was the confederation government strong or weak?

very weak

what powers did the confederation government have?

declare war, sign treaties, appoint foreign ambassadors, and manage Native American relations

under the Articles, each state was basically its own?

country

problems with the Articles?

zero funding, 9/13 states were required to pass any laws, amendments had to be unanimous, no national tax ability, no court system to resolve disputes

Who led Shays’ Rebellion?

Daniel Shays

Why did Shays’ Rebellion occur?

Massachusetts increased their taxes and farmers and citizens ended up in heavy debt and they rebelled

Why was Shays’ Rebellion important?

The Massachusetts Government did not have enough money to send militia to stop the battle and there was no federal military. It pointed out the weaknesses of Articles and a need for change.

What locations did the Constitutional Convention take place at?

Mount Vernon, VI and Philadelphia, PN

purpose of the Constitutional Convention?

to discuss ways to reform and fix the Articles of Confederation

who wrote the constitution?

James Madison, Gouverneur Morris, Ben Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton

What was the Virginia Plan?

called for 3 separate branches of government

what was the New Jersey Plan?

called for equal vote in Congress, regardless of state population

what was the Great Compromise or the Connecticut Plan?

bicameral legislature with one house’s composition based on state population and another on equal state representation

what is the electoral college?

people should serve as a "buffer" so that if the people made a poor choice, there was a second opinion to stop that bad decision from harming the nation. elect president and VP.

what is the 3/5 compromise?

determined that three out of every five slaves would be counted when determining a state's total population for legislative representation and taxation

what is “formally” amending the constitution?

changing the written words by a 2/3 majority of the Houses

what is “informally” amending the constitution?

not changing the words, but the interpretation

what article describes the formal amendment process?

article V

what was the first state to ratify the constitution?

delaware

what did the process of ratifying the constitution cause?

the battle between federalist and anti-federalist

what big issue did anti-federalists fight for?

lack of Bill of Rights in Constitution

who was the first president under the constitution?

George Washington

who wrote fed. 10?

James Madison

what did James Madison argue for in fed. 10?

representative republic is more effective the state governments, no factions will dominate federal government

who wrote Brutus 1?

Robert Yates

what did Robert Yates argue in Brutus 1?

constitution lacks proper protection of human rights, putting power in federal government will create tyranny

why was the lack of power to tax a weakness for Articles?

no tax money, zero funding, could not support a military or services

why was the lack of power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce a weakness for Articles?

they could not regulation any trade or taxes between states and nations or protect Americans from foreign competition

why was amending the Articles a weakness for the Articles of Confederation?

they could not get any laws passed, no national taxation ability, and states would never agree to get to 9/13ths

how to propose a constitutional amendment?

proposed by congress at 2/3 vote for both houses or proposed a nation convention CALLED by Congress by 2/3 of state legislatures

how to ratify a constitutional amendment?

ratified by 3/4 of state legislatures or by conventions held in 3/4 of the states

what is popular sovereignty?

the people are the source of any and all government power, and government can exist only with the consent of the governed

what is the separation of powers?

power is split into independent and coequal branches of government

what is checks & balances?

branches of government are able to check, or restrain, the actions of one another

what is federalism?

the dividing of powers between a central government and local governments

what are individual rights?

all people are entitled to pursue their lives and goals without interference from others, including the government

what is Article I of Constitution about?

legislative branch

what is Article II of the Constitution about?

executive branch

what is Article III of the Constitution about?

judicial branch

what is Article IV of the Constitution about?

relations among the state and with the national government

what is Article V of the Constitution about?

amending the constitution

what is Article VI of the Constitution about?

national debts, supremacy of national law, and oaths of office

what is Article VII of the Constitution about?

ratifying the constitution

if the government wants to do somethings, it must?

be in the Constitution

what does the word “legislative” mean?

to write law

what does the legislative branch have the power to do?

congress has the power to design and write all new laws

how can interested people (stakeholders) influence legislative policymaking?

lobbying and contacting legislators

what does the word “executive” mean?

to execute

what does the executive branch have the power to do?

they have the power to execute, enforce, and carry out laws

how can interested people (stakeholders) influence executive policy?

agencies directly and lobbying/commenting

what does the judicial branch have the power to do?

they have the power to interpret the laws and pass judgement

how can interested people (stakeholders) influence Judicial policy?

lawsuits and influencing judicial nominees/confirmations

how can executive and judicial “check” legislative?

president can veto laws and courts can strike down unconstitutional proposed laws

how can judicial and legislative “check” executive?

congress can impeach the president and courts can strike down presidential actions that they find unconstitutional

how can legislative and executive “check” judicial?

congress controls who does or doesn’t become a judge and presidents can forgive people of crimes for which they are convicted (to pardon)

why do we use federalism?

it separates powers and assists with the idea of limited government without eliminating all government authority over certain areas

what are the 3 types of geographic division?

unitary, confederal, and federal

what is unitary?

all power is in the hands of central government

what is confederal?

putting all power in the hands of the states

what is federal?

power is shared between the states and central government

what are expressed/enumerated national powers?

the powers granted to the federal government of the United States by the United States Constitution

examples of expressed/enumerated national powers?

making currency, declaring wars, creating military branches

what are implied national powers

political powers granted to the United States government that aren't explicitly stated in the Constitution

what are concurrent or shared powers?

powers that are shared by both the federal government and state governments. This includes the power to tax, build roads, and create lower courts.

examples of concurrent powers?

taxation, passing/enforcing laws, public health

what are reserved powers or state?

powers that are not specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution aka. state powers

examples of reserved powers

marriage laws, divorce laws, regulating public schools

what is federal revenue sharing?

States need funding from the federal government to implement projects and programs for citizens, but with federal funding comes the requirement of federal regulation (ex. taxes, grants, mandates)

what are federal mandates?

requirements imposed on state, local, or tribal governments or on entities in the private sector that are not conditions of aid or tied to participation in voluntary federal programs (ex. Clean Water Act)