AP Government & Politics - Unit 1 Vocabulary

Government

The rules and institutions that make up the system of policymaking

Politics

The process of influencing the actions and policies of government

Democracy

A system of government where power is held by the people

Declaration of Independence

Written by Thomas Jefferson, the document recording the proclamation of the second Continental Congress (July 4, 1776) asserting the independence of the colonies from Great Britain

Natural Rights

The right to life, liberty, and property, which government cannot take away

Social Contract

People allow their governments to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that the government’s right to rule comes from the people

Republicanism

A system in which the government’s authority comes from the people through their representatives

Limited Government

The government only has the powers the Constitution gives it

Inalienable Rights

Rights the government cannot take away, often associated with life, liberty, and the pursuit of happpiness

Liberty

Social, political, and economic freedoms

Participatory Democracy

A theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic government

Pluralist Theory

A theory of democracy that emphasizes the role of groups in the policymaking process

Elitist Theory

A theory of democracy that the elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policymaking process

Constitutional Republic

A democratic system with elected representatives in which the Constitution is the supreme law

Constitution

A document that sets out the fundamental principles of governance and establishes the institutions of government

Republic

A government ruled by representatives of the people

Articles of Confederation

A governing document that created a union of thirteen sovereign states in which the states, not the national government, were supreme

Shays’ Rebellion

A popular uprising against the government of Massachusetts

Constitutional Convention

A meeting attended by state delegates in 1787 to fix the Articles of Confederation

Writ of Habeas Corpus

The right of people detained by the government to know the charges against them

Bills of Attainder

When the legislature declares someone guilty without a trial

Ex Post Facto Laws

Laws punishing people for acts that were not crimes at the time they were committed

Virginia Plan

A plan government calling for a three-branch government with a bicameral legislature, where more populous states would have more representation in Congress

New Jersey Plan

A plan of government that provided for a unicameral legislature with equal votes for each state

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

A agreement for a plan of government that drew upon both the Virginia and New Jersey plans; it settled issues of state representation by calling for a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives apportioned proportionately and a Senate apportioned equally

Bicameral

A two-house legislature

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement reached by delegates at the Constitutional Convention that a slave would count as three-fifths of a person in calculating a state’s representation

Compromise on Importation/Commerce Compromise

Congress could restrict the slave trade until 1808 and had the power to regulate foreign and interstate commerce

Electoral College Compromise

Compromise on how the president is elected, whereby each state elects electors equal to its total number of senators and representatives in Congress, who then vote for the president

Separation of Powers

A design of government that distributes powers across institutions in order to avoid making one branch too powerful on its own

Checks and Balances

A design of government in which each branch has powers that can prevent the other branches from policy

Federalism

The sharing of power between the national government and the states

Legislative Branch

The institution responsible for making laws

Expressed/Enumerated/Exclusive/Delegated Powers

Authority specifically granted to a branch of the government in the Constitution

Necessary and Proper Clause

Language in Article I, Section 8, granting Congress the powers necessary to carry out its enumerated powers

Implied Powers

Authority of the federal government that goes beyond its expressed powers

Executive Branch

The institution responsible for carrying out laws passed by the legislative branch

Judicial Branch

The institution responsible for hearing and deciding cases through the federal courts

Supremacy Clause

Constitutional provision declaring that the Constitution and all national laws and treaties are the supreme law of the land

Amendment

The process by which changes may be made to the Constitution

Ratification

The action of signing or giving formal consent to a treaty, contract, or agreement, making it officially valid

Federalists

Supporters of the proposed Constitution, who called for a strong national government

Anti-Federalists

Those opposed to the proposed Constitution, who favored stronger state governments

Federalist Papers

A series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay and published between 1787 and 1788 that lay out the theory behind the Constitution

Federalist #51

An essay in which Madison argues that separation of powers and federalism will prevent tyranny

Federalist #10

An essay in which Madison argues that the dangers of faction can be mitigated by a large republic and republican government

Faction

A group of self-interested people who use the government to get what they want, trampling the rights of others in the process

Brutus #1

An Antifederalist paper arguing that the country was too large to be governed as a republic and the Constitution gave too much power to the national government

Bill of Rights

A list of rights and liberties that the government cannot take away

Unitary System

A system where the central government has all the power over subnational governments

Confederal System

A system where the subnational governments have most of the power

Federal System

A system where power is divided between the national and state governments

Commerce Clause

Grants Congress the authority to regulate interstate business and commercial activity

Reserved Powers

Powers not given to the national government, which are retained by the states and the people

Concurrent Powers

Powers granted to both states and the federal government in the Constitution

Full Faith and Credit Clause

Constitutional clause requiring states to recognize the public acts, records, and civil court proceedings from another state

Privileges and Immunities Clause

Constitutional clause that prevents states from discrimination against people from out of state

McCulloch v. Maryland

Supreme Court ruling (1819) confirming the supremacy of national over state government

Dual Federalism

A form of American federalism in which the states and the national government operate independently in their own areas of public policy

Selective Incorporation

The process through which the Supreme Court applies fundamental rights in the Bill of Rights to the states on a case-by-case basis

Cooperative Federalism

A form of American federalism in which the states and the national government work together to shape public policy

Grants-In-Aid

Federal money provided to states to implement public policy objectives

Fiscal Federalism

The federal government's use of grants-in-aid to influence policies in the states

Categorical Grants

Grants-in-aid provided to states with specific provisions on their use

Unfunded Mandates

Federal requirements that states must follow without being provided with funding

Block Grant

A type of grant-in-aid that gives state officials more authority in the disbursement of federal funds

Revenue Sharing

When the federal government apportions tax money to the states with no strings attached

Devolution

Returning more authority to state or local governments

United States v. Lopez

Supreme Court ruled that the federal Gun-Free School Zones Act of 1990 was unconstitutional because the U.S. Congress, in enacting the legislation, had exceeded its authority under the Commerce Clause of the Constitution