AP gov unit 1 test

Limited government

a government cannot be absolute and it must represent the people’s interest and will - allowed through freedom of speech, assembly, and voting

social contract

an implicit agreement among society to give Up some freedoms to maintain social order

natural rights

certain rights that cannot be taken away

three rights mentioned  as unalienable in the Dec. of independence

life, liberty, pursuit of happiness

popular sovereignty

people give power to the government. the government is legitimate through consent ( voting) of the governed

republicanism

government should be based on consent of the governed, indicidual rights, civic virtue, and the common good

elite democracy

limited participation in government decisions from specialists only to prevent unwise decisions

pluralist democracy

interest groups pitch their ideas to the government to make sure the will of the people is represented. Competition between interest groups ensures no one group dominates

participatory democracy

broad, individual participation. Not viable for a big population according to the framers.

federalist 10 argues for

pluralist democracy

articles of confederation

- Outlined the first government 

- Government granted a lot of power to the states and not the central government because of worry about centralized power (King George)

-ratified 1781

Weaknesses of the aoc

- Only one branch of federal govt (congress) 

- No president and no federal court 

- Congress had no power to raise revenue through taxes - Congress had no power to raise an army 

- Each state had 1 vote in congress regardless of size 

- Congress can’t regulate foreign/interstate commerce 

- Amendments to the articles of confederation needed a unanimous vote 

- Laws required 9/13 vote to be passed

how did shays’ rebellion highlight key weaknesses of the articles

- Revolutionary war vets were not getting paid by congress since congress couldn’t raise tax revenue 

- No national army to keep the revolution at bay 

- The federal government needed more power

The weaknesses highlighted in Shay’s Rebellion led to

the Constitutional Convention in 1787

- Argued for ratification of constitution 

- Written by James Madison 

- Addresses the dangers of factions 

- Addresses how to protect minority interest groups in a nation that’s ruled by majority 

- Says that a large republic would prevent dominating factions from taking control

federalist 10

dissent to federalist 10:

Anti-federalists believed that multiple factions can’t possibly make a union.

- Anonymous author 

- Argues against ratification of constitution 

- Critiques and questions the constitution 

- Claimed that the national government had too much power in the constitution ( necessary and proper clause & supremacy clause)

- Army could prevent liberty 

- Federal Representatives may not be truly representative of the people’s will

brutus 1

dissent to Brutus 1:

the federalist papers which tried to answer ?s

the great compromise included

the VA plan and the NJ plan and ultimately had the house of reps with the VA plan and the Senate with the NJ plan in Congress (bicameral legislature)

NJ plan

- One vote in congress per state (favors smaller states over bigger states) 

- Unicameral legislature

VA plan

- Amount of Congress representatives decided by population of state (favors bigger states over smaller states)

- Bicameral legislature

what was the three-fifths compromise

the compromise where an enslaved person would count as three-fifths of a person for both representation in the HOS and taxation

what did the north states say about the three-fifths compromise

enslaved people should NOT count because if they count for representation, they should count for taxation too - more taxes!

what did the south states say about the three-fifths compromise

wanted them to count for representation but didn’t want to give them rights

what did the abolitionists say about the three-fifths compromise

did not want them to count for representation without rights as that would encourage the slave trade

what was the electoral college compromise

a system where each state is given the same number of electors as they have representatives in Congress, and the electors put the president in office after considering the general election held in the state.

what were the two sides for the electoral college debate

one side believed all who are eligible (white men w/ property) should vote, one believed that representatives should decide based on a popular vote

what was the slave trade compromise

the slave trade would be untouched but regulated by the natl govt until abolition in 1808

what did the north think about the slave trade debate

wanted nationwide and export tariffs to support revenue for the national government

what did the south think about the slave trade debate

they wanted to continue profiting from importing African slaves and did NOT want the natl govt involved

what was the bill of rights compromise

the federalists decided to add a bill of rights to make the anti federalists happy, as they were worried about natural rights

what is the process of proposing an amendment to the constitution

proposed by a vote of ⅔ of both houses in congress - OR proposed by national convention requested by two thirds of all state legislatures

what is the process of ratifying an amendment to the constitution

Proposed to ratify by a vote of ⅔ of both houses in congress - OR proposed to ratify by national convention requested by two thirds of all state legislatures

federalist 51 talks about

how the government needs to limit man’s ambition, limited government, seperation of powers, checks and balances

seperation of powers

divide powers among three branches to counteract ambition (Congress is powerful so it is further divided into two). Important to prevent concentration of power/ corruption and also to protect individual liberties

checks and balances

each branch of government guards it’s own power and keeps the others in check (no branch has supreme power)

branches of government

judicial, executive, legislative

judicial branch

Supreme Court and federal courts across the nation, has the power to interpret constitutionality of laws

executive branch

President and bureaucracy, has power to execute/enforce laws

legislative branch

Congress (two houses, senate and house of representatives), power to propose and make laws, has to represent the people of various states

10th amendment

if a power is not explicitly given to the federal government in the constitution, it is a power reserved for the states

14th amendment

citizenship and equal civil rights for African Americans (especially those emancipated after the civil war), promised “equal protection of the law” to all citizens (except Native Americans)

when was the 14th amendment

1868, after the civil war

commerce clause

gives Congress power to regulate movement of goods, services, and people ACROSS state lines - means that when any thing is concerning multiple states, the federal government can get involved.

necessary and proper clause

gives congress implied powers and allows them to make any law if it is for the purpose of executing justice

supremacy clause

federal law overrides state law. Constitution is the supreme law of the land. States must follow the federal law even if it contradicts the state law.

expressed powers (enumerated powers)

powers directly expressed or stated in the constitution by the founders for the federal government

implied powers

powers granted to the US Govt that are not explicitly stated in the constitution

reserved powers

powers that the state have but the federal government doesn’t

where is the due process clause found

5th amendment in the bill of rights 1791 AND the 14th amendment from 1868

due process in the 5th amendment:

requires that the federal government must provide due process before depriving anyone of their life, liberty, or property

due process in the 14th amendment:

granting citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the US and ensuring equal protection under the law for all citizens, despite existing state laws; including due process

revenue sharing

the federal government collects taxes and distributes some of the money back to the states (law)

mandates

the federal government requires states to follow federal directives and gives money towards the carrying out of the mandate

categorical grant

federal money distributed to states who meet specific federal standards (specific congressional guidelines you have to follow if u want the money) and that has to be used in a certain way

block grant

large sums of money given for some larger purpose to the states with no strings attached - unlike categorical grant

concurrent powers

powers given to both federal and state governments

print money

enumerated power

establish a post office

enumerated power

provide an army and navy

enumerated power

make laws that are necessary and proper to carry out powers

enumerated power

• spend money for general welfare

enumerated power

• make copyright laws

enumerated power

• decide what units of measurement to use

enumerated power

make treaties and deal with foreign countries

enumerated power

declare war

enumerated power

make rules about trade between states and nations

enumerated power

print money

enumerated power

protect public health and safety

concurrent power

collect taxes

concurrent power

build roads

concurrent power

borrow money

concurrent power

establish courts

concurrent power

make and enforce laws

concurrent power

issue driver’s and marriage licenses

reserved powers

conduct elections

reserved power

establish local governments

reserved power

make rules about business inside a state

reserved power

use any power the Constitution doesn’t give the federal government or deny to the states

reserved power

charter banks and corporations

reserved power

run public schools

reserved power

provide police and emergency vehicles

reserved power

exclusive powers

powers given to the US government alone by the constitution

fiscal federalism

the financial relationship between different levels of government, specifically how taxing, spending, and regulatory powers are divided between federal, state, and local governments.

unfunded mandates

the federal govt sets a mandate (direction) to the states but gives no funds to help states comply

unfunded mandates reform act 1995

severely curtailed the federal government’s ability to issue unfunded mandates

the sharing of power between federal and state govts

shifts over time

unitary system

a system in which sovereignty is wholly in the hands of the national government so that subnational political units are dependent on its will

initiative

a procedure allowing voters to submit a proposed law to a popular vote by obtaining a required number of signatures

referendum

a vote in which all the people in a country or an area are asked to give their opinion about or decide an important political or social question:

faction

a group of people who seek to influence public policy in ways contrary to the public good

dual federalism

a constitutional theory that the national government and the state governments each have defined areas of authority, especially over commerce

democracy

a political system where the people are said to rule, directly or indirectly

devolution

the current effort to scale back the size and activities of the national government and to shift responsibility for a wide range of domestic programs from Washington to the states

nullification

a theory first advanced by James MAdison and Thomas Jefferson that the states had the right to "nullify" a federal law that, in the states' opinion, violated the Constitution

representative democracy

a political system in which leaders and representatives acquire political power by means of a competitive struggle for the people's vote

when was the constitutional convention

1787

when were the aoc ratified

1781

john locke

an Enlightenment philosopher who argued that people are born with "natural rights" that include "life, liberty, and property" and if rulers betray the social contract, the people have a right to replace them

grants-in-aid

federal funds provided to states and localities