AP Government Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering key terms, foundational documents, democratic models, constitutional principles, and major compromises from Unit 1.

Natural Rights (Hint: John Locke)

Fundamental rights inherent to all individuals, associated with philosopher John Locke, which governments are instituted to protect.

Limited Government

A political system in which governmental power is restricted by a constitution and established laws to protect individual liberties.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that ultimate political authority resides with the people and that government exists only with the consent of the governed.

Republicanism / Representative Democracy

A system of government where authority is delegated to elected representatives who make policies and laws on behalf of the people.

Social Contract Theory

The political theory that government power is derived from an agreement between the government and citizens defining the rights and duties of each.

Direct Democracy

A form of democracy in which citizens directly vote on policy initiatives and decisions rather than electing representatives.

Confederation

A alliance or union of sovereign states united for common purposes, with power largely retained by individual states rather than a central entity.

Factions

Groups of citizens united by shared interests or passions, whose influence and potential mischiefs are addressed in Federalist no. 10.

Centralized vs. Decentralized Government

The ongoing debate over whether political authority should be concentrated in a central national government or dispersed among local/state governments.

Ratification

The official approval process of the U.S. Constitution, which required extensive political negotiation and compromise between Federalists and Anti-Federalists.

Separation of Powers

The constitutional principle dividing governmental authority among distinct branches (legislative, executive, judicial) to prevent power concentration.

Checks and Balances

Constitutional provisions that grant each branch of government powers to limit, block, or control the actions of the other branches.

Participatory Democracy

A model of representative democracy emphasizing broad citizen participation in political decision-making and civil society.

Pluralist Democracy

A model of representative democracy where group-based activism by nongovernmental interest groups strives for impact on political policy-making.

Elite Democracy

A model of representative democracy in which a small number of people, usually wealthy and educated, influence political decision-making.

Brutus no. 1

An Anti-Federalist document adhering to popular democratic theory that emphasized a small, decentralized republic while warning of dangers to personal liberty from a large, centralized government.

Federalist no. 10

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

Federalist no. 51

An essay explaining how constitutional provisions of separation of powers and checks and balances control abuses of power by majorities.

Declaration of Independence

A foundational U.S. document reflecting democratic ideals such as natural rights, popular sovereignty, and social contract theory.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. governing document, whose weaknesses and failures in central authority inspired the creation of the Constitution.

Preamble to the Constitution

The introductory section of the U.S. Constitution that outlines the fundamental goals and purposes of the federal government.

Shay's Rebellion

An armed uprising that highlighted structural weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation and accelerated demands for a stronger federal government.

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

A Constitutional Convention agreement creating a dual (bicameral) system of congressional representation with the House based on population (VA Plan) and the Senate providing equal state representation (NJ Plan).

Virginia Plan (VA Plan)

A proposal at the Constitutional Convention for congressional representation based on each state's population.

New Jersey Plan (NJ Plan)

A proposal at the Constitutional Convention calling for equal congressional representation for each state regardless of population.

Electoral College

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

Three-Fifths Compromise

A formula established at the Constitutional Convention for calculating a state's enslaved population for purposes of representation in the House of Representatives.

Slave Trade Compromise

An agreement at the Constitutional Convention postponing until 1808 a decision on whether to ban the importation of enslaved persons.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution added to address Anti-Federalist concerns regarding individual liberties and protection from federal government overreach.

Constitutionalism

The principle that government authority is limited by a system of checks and balances and allocation of power between national and state governments based on the rule of law.

Federalism

The system reflecting the dynamic distribution and sharing of power between the national government and state governments.

Writ of habeas corpus

A court order requiring a detained individual to be brought before a judge to determine if their imprisonment is legally justified.

Ex post facto law

A law that retroactively punishes actions that were legal when they were committed.

Bills of attainder

A legislative act declaring a person or group guilty of a crime and punishing them without a trial.

Judicial review

The power of the judicial branch to declare acts of the legislative or executive branches unconstitutional.

Marbury v. Madison

The landmark Supreme Court decision that formally established the principle of judicial review in the United States.

10th amendment

The constitutional amendment reserving powers not delegated to the federal government by the Constitution, nor prohibited to the states, to the states or to the people.

Elastic clause / necessary and proper clause

A constitutional provision granting Congress implied powers to enact laws necessary and proper for executing its enumerated powers.

Supremacy clause

The constitutional provision establishing that federal law and the U.S. Constitution take precedence over state laws and state constitutions.

Commerce clause

The constitutional provision empowering Congress to regulate commerce with foreign nations and among the several states.

Full faith and credit

The constitutional requirement that states respect and honor the public acts, records, and judicial decisions of other states.

Take care clause

The constitutional clause mandating that the President take care that the laws are faithfully executed.

Extradition

The legal mechanism by which a state surrenders an individual charged or convicted of a crime back to the state where the crime occurred.

Tyranny of the majority

A potential danger of democratic rule where majority power overrides minority rights, controlled through constitutional mechanisms like separation of powers.

Divided Government

A condition in which one political party controls the executive branch and another party controls one or both houses of the legislature.

Filibuster

A procedural technique in the Senate used to delay or block a vote on a bill through prolonged debate.

Impeachment

The constitutional process by which a legislative body brings formal charges against a high government official.

Amendment Process

The constitutional procedure specified for proposing and ratifying formal alterations to the U.S. Constitution.

Plurality

An electoral outcome where a candidate or proposal receives the highest number of votes, regardless of achieving an absolute majority.

Supermajority

A voting requirement that mandates a threshold higher than a simple majority, such as two-thirds or three-fourths, for passage.