AP Government and Politics: Unit 1

Government

the institutions that make authoritative decisions for any given society

Roles of Government

provide for national defense, public goods/services, preserve order, collect taxes (economic system), and socialization

Politics

process by which a society makes its governing decisions; struggle over who gets what and how

2 main struggles of politics

scarcity and differences in values

"Who" of politics

voters, politicians, special interest groups, political parties

"What" of politics

"benefits and burdens," examples include medical care for the needy/elderly and the taxes to pay for benefits

"How" of politics

political participation; voting, protesting, supporting candidates, and lobbying

Policymaking System

reveals the way a government responds to the priorities of its people

Public Policy

every decision and non-decision that a government makes; examples include laws, budgets, court rulings

Linkage Institutions

the channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the government's policy agenda. Include elections, parties, interest groups, and the media

Policymaking Institutions

legislature, executive, courts, bureaucracy

Democracy

a political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them

Capitalism

an economic system based on private ownership of capital

Participatory Democracy (Majoritarianism)

least filtered system of government, policymaking institutions are influenced directly by citizens rather than through representatives, behaviors include voting, jury duty, protests, writing/calling representatives, local meetings, etc.

Pluralism

political power is distributed among a wide array of diverse and competing interest groups; behavior is similar to that of participatory democracy, but done through collective action

Elitism

system of government that is most filtered, policymaking institutions are influenced by the wealthy and powerful, behaviors can include calling representatives and campaign donations

Hyperpluralism

theory contending that groups are so strong that the government is weakened

Natural Rights

rights that people have under natural law. Ex: Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness

Popular Sovereignty

a belief that ultimate power resides in the people.

Social Contract

an agreement between the members of a society and government; giving up some freedom for state protection

Republicanism

idea of governing a nation where power is primarily held by the people and elected representatives, "consent of the governed" is expressed

Direct Democracy

a form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives; the framers feared this could lead to mob rule

Indirect Democracy

a system of government in which citizens elect representatives who work on their behalf; the framers preferred this so more educated people would be making decisions

Monarchy

a form of government in which power is vested in hereditary kings and queens who govern in the interests of all

Totalitarianism

a form of government in which power resides in a leader who rules according to self-interest and without regard for individual rights and liberties

Oligarchy

a form of government in which a few people have the power

American Political Culture

emphasizes the values of liberty, equality, popular consent, religious freedom, and democracy

Declaration of Independence

written in the form of a petition by Thomas Jefferson, contains 4 parts: preamble, rationale, grievances, and redress (declaration). Outlines the reasons behind the colonists decision to become independent. Based on lockian ideas of a republican form of government based on consent of the governed through a social contract

Articles of Confederation

the first constitution of the United States, focused on state sovereignty, was weak and eventually replaced

Problems with the Articles of Confederation

no ability to fund debts/policies, could not regulate interstate/international trade, could not raise a compulsory army, all states had 1 vote regardless of population or size of economy, no executive to carry out laws, no judicial branch to settle disputes between states, too difficult to pass legislation/amend the articles

Shay's Rebellion

Rebellion led by Daniel Shays of farmers in western Massachusetts, protesting mortgage foreclosures. The farmers shut down courts and seized the federal armory, creating fears of class insurrection. It highlighted the need for a strong national government just as the call for the Constitutional Convention went out

Constitutional Convention

a meeting among delegates in Philadelphia in an attempt to revise the Articles of Confederation. 55 delegates from 12 states came, Rhode Island was not present and opposed a stronger central government. Presiding officer was George Washington, others who attended included Ben Franklin, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton. Delegates decided to discard the articles and start over

Virginia Plan

Written by James Madison, favored a strong national government, 3 branches, a bicameral congress, and representation based on population

New Jersey Plan

Written by William Patterson, favored a weak national government, 3 branches, a unicameral congress, and equal representation

Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)

called for a bicameral (2 house) legislature; the senate would have equal representation regardless of size and the house of representatives would be based on state's size. Senators would be elected by state legislatures and representatives would be elected by the people. Called for one executive which would be decided by the electoral college. Congress would be able to regulate interstate and international commerce, but congress could not tax exports or affect the slave trade for 20 years

3/5 Compromise

states that slaves count as 3/5 of a person

Stamp Act Congress

a meeting of representatives of 9/13 colonies held in NYC in 1765 during which representatives drafted a document to send to the kind listing how their rights had been violated

Committees of Correspondence

organizations created by Samuel Adams to keep colonists abreast of developments with the British; served as powerful molders of public opinion against the British

First Continental Congress

delegates from 12 colonies met to authorize a group of delegates to communicate with the king on the behalf of the now united colonies; the extent of British authority over the colonists posed an important question

Olive Branch Petition

An offer of peace sent by the Second Continental Congress to King; asked the king to end all hostilities

Federal System

a system of government in which the national government and state government share power and derive all authority from the people

Ratification of the Constitution

required 9 out of 13 states; ratification was to be by state conventions rather than state legislature

Federalists

argued that the nation could not survive without a strong national government, were loose constructionists, wrote a series of essays "The Federalist" to defend the Constitution and persuade citizens to vote for ratification

Federalist Leaders

George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, Jay Adams

Anti-Federalists

argued that the national government was given too much power under the new Constitution and that states would lose power, they wanted a Bill of Rights, were strict constructionists and wrote the "Anti-Federalist Essays" to discourage ratification

Anti-Federalist Leaders

Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, James Monroe, and John Hancock

Small Republic Argument

Brutus 1, federal government should be kept small and responsive to its constituents; must directly represent the interests of their constituents

Large Republic Argument

Federalist 10 (James Madison), Larger number of citizens and territory extension will produce a greater variety of interest groups, which will cause less yielding to majority factions and election of the best officials

Loose Constructionists

individuals who wanted to keep parts of the constitution vague

Strict Constuctionists

individuals who wanted a Constitution with more detail

Individual Rights

basic liberties and rights of all citizens that are guaranteed in the Bill of Rights

Amendment Process (Article V)

amendment can be proposed by 2/3 of Congress and then by ratified by either 3/4 state legislatures or by ratifying conventions in 3/4 of states. Amendment can also be proposed by a national convention (called for by 2/3 of the states) and then ratified by 3/4 legislatures or by ratifying conventions in 3/4 of states

Informal Amendments

the process by which over time many changes have been made in the Constitution which have not involved any changes in its written words; includes passage of laws by Congress, supreme court decisions, and customs/traditions

Faction

a group with a distinct political interest

Confederation

an alliance of independence states; central government only handles matters assigned to it

Unitary System

all power is held by the central government

Federalism

a way of organizing a nation so that 2 or more levels of government have formal authority over the land and people

10th Amendment

states that the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people

Article VI : Supremacy Clause

establishes the Constitution and the laws of the federal government passed under its authority as the highest laws of the land, federal law takes precedence over state laws

Article 1 Section 8 Clause 18 : Necessary and Proper Clause

aka elastic clause; states that Congress has the power "To make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the foregoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States or any department or officer thereof

Commerce Clause

an enumerated power that states Congress has the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with the Indian tribes; Congress can regulate interstate and international commerce

Wickard v. Filburn (1942)

expanded the power of the Commerce Clause; a small farmer, Filburn, was accused of being in violation of the clause because he was growing more wheat than he could and even though he was not selling this wheat, he was affecting commerce by not buying that wheat

Heart of Atlanta (1964)

\n expanded the power of the commerce clause; owner of Heart of Atlanta Motel refused to serve African-Americans but the supreme court deemed this in violation of the commerce clause

Enumerated Powers

powers explicitly given by the Constitution; Congress is given 27 powers

Implied Powers

powers that congress has that are not stated explicitly in the constitution

Exclusive Powers

powers that can be exercised by the national government alone

Reserved Powers

powers given to the state government alone

Concurrent Powers

powers shared by the national and state governments

Article IV

involves interstate Relations

Full Faith and Credit Clause (Article IV)

requires each state to recognize the official documents and civil judgements rendered by courts of other states; examples: licenses and loans

Extradition

the return of an alleged fugitive to the state in which the crime was committed

Privileges and Immunities Clause

prevents a state from treating citizens of other states in a discriminatory manner; nonstate citizens receive most of the same privileges when in another state

9th Amendment

the enumeration in the constitution of certain rights shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people

Dual Federalism

a system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, "layer cake federalism"

Cooperative Federalism

a system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government

Devolution

the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states; a part of New Federalism

Fiscal Federalism

federal government using money (taxes/spending/grants) to influence state policy, particularly where it doesn't have direct authority to legislate

16th Amendment (1913)

income tax

Categorical Grants

federal grants for specific purposes defined by law, such as school lunch programs. Include project and formula grants

Project Grants

categorical grants awarded on the basis of competitive applications (merit based)

Formula Grants

categorical grants awarded based on a formula (not merit based) examples include Medicaid

Federal Mandates

require states to comply with federal directive, often with rewards of funds

"New Federalism"

gave back power to the states

Advantages of Federalism

checks growth of tyranny, allows unity without uniformity, encourages experimentation, provides training and creates opportunities for future national leaders, keeps government closer to the people

Disadvantages of Federalism

variation in policies creates redundancies/inefficiencies/inequalities, barriers to implementation of federal policies/programs, lack of uniformity can lead to conflict

Judicial Review

power of courts to determine whether acts of Congress and the executive are constitutional

Article 1 of the Constitution

vests all legislative powers in Congress, establishes bicameral legislature (Senate and House of Representatives), sets qualifications for holding office, terms of office, etc. Specifically lists enumerated powers of Congress and includes the Elastic Clause

Article II of the Constitution

vests the executive power in the president, sets term at four years, explains electoral college, provides mechanisms/qualifications to remove a president. Makes the president commander of chief of the armed forces, gives the president the authority to make treaties (with the consent of the Senate) and the authority to appoint judges (that must be approved), but requires the president to report to Congress

Article III of the Constitution

establishes the supreme court and defines its jurisdiction, Supreme Court has the power to settle disputes between states or states and the national government, judges receive appointments of life

Article IV of the Constitution

addresses relations among states, includes Full Faith and Credit Clause as well as the mechanisms for admitting new states to the Union

Article V of the Constitution

specifies the process for amending the Constitution

Article VI of the Constitution

contains the Supremacy Clause and states that no religious test is required for holding any office

Article 7 of the Constitution

has procedures for ratifying the new constitution: 9/13 states would have to agree and ratify its new provisions before it becomes the supreme law of the land

16th and 17th Amendments

expanded the power of the national government at the expense of the states

Redistributive Policy

a policy whereby the government collects money (usually through taxation) from one group of citizens to finance a service for another group of citizens

Brutus 1

argument against the constitution, argued that the federal government was given too much power and the interests of the people would not be properly reflected; felt the US would be too large for representatives, we needed a participatory democracy

Federalist 10

an essay composed by James Madison which argues that liberty is safest in a large republic because many interests (factions) exist. Such diversity makes tyranny by the majority more difficult since ruling coalitions will always be unstable; favored pluralism/elitism

Two Treatises of Civil Government

writings of John Locke; says that all men posses certain natural rights, derived from the fact that they reasonable creatures- emphasizes importance of consent of the governed

John Locke- Human Nature

humans are rational, guided by the pursuit of self-interest, but mindful of others' concerns. Humans are all created equal

US v Lopez

the Court ruled that Congress had exceeded its commerce clause power by prohibiting guns in a school zone; congress had passed a Gun Free School Zones Act which prohibited guns to be brought within 1000 ft of a school and when a teenager in Texas was in violation of this, the case went to the supreme court