All ap gov vocab

Limited Government

the idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens

Natural Rights

rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on government, which include life, liberty, and property; came from John Locke's theories of government and was widely accepted by America's Founding Fathers

Popular Sovereignty

the concept that political power rests with the people who can create, alter, and abolish government; people express themselves through voting and free participation in government

Republicanism

a form of government in which power resides in the people and is exercised by their elected representatives

Social Contract

the belief that the people agree to set up rulers for certain purposes and thus have the right to resist or remove rulers who act against those purposes; used metaphorically to suggest that a group of self-interested and rational individuals came together and formed a contract which created society

Declaration of Independence

document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence

U.S. Constitution

document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of U.S. government and the tasks these institutions perform

Participatory Democracy

A political system in which all of most citizens participate directly by either holding office or making policy. The town meeting, in which citizens vote on major issues, is an example of participatory democracy.

Pluralist Democracy

an interpretation of democracy in which government by the people is taken to mean government by people operating through competing interest groups

Elite Democracy

Limit participation only by the wealthy and powerful in society

Federalist No. 10

a large republic will help control factions because when more representatives are elected, there will be a greater number of opinions. Therefore, it is far less likely that there will be one majority oppressing the rest of the people.

Brutus No. 1

larger republic based on the principle of consent of the governed cannot effectively preserve the liberties of the citizens in the U.S. and the states.

Shay's Rebellion

a series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

the agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 that gave each state an equal number of senators regardless of its population, but linked representation in the House of Representatives to population

Electoral College

the body of electors who formally elect the United States president and vice president

Three-fifths Compromise

Gave Slave owning states the right to count slaver as 3/5 of a person 1787.

Federalist No. 51

addresses how checks and balances can be created in government and also advocates a separation of powers within the national government.

Access Points

A point in the policy making process where ordinary citizens can influence government.

Stakeholders

A person with an interest or a concern in a political issue.

Public Policy

a choice that government makes in response to a political issue

Separation of Powers

Aspects of the Constitution that ascribe different elements of power to different branches of the government, which act independently. This keeps one branch of government from controlling the others.

Checks and Balances

Aspects of the Constitution that require each branch of the federal government to gain the consent of the other two in order to act.

Impeachment

a formal document charging a public official with misconduct in office

Exclusive Powers

Power that the national gov't solely has Ex: coining money, regulating foreign commerce, declaring war.

Concurrent Powers

are powers shared by both levels of government. (State, Nation), such as power of levy taxes

Grants

They are funds given out by one party to another. Generally government departments, Trusts, Foundations and Corporations are the funding agents that give grants.

Aid programs

bulk of assistance that the national government provides to states.

Mandates

Federal rules that states must follow, whether they receive federal grants or not

Categorical Grants

federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or "categories," of state and local spending. they come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions

Block Grants

federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services

Tenth Amendment

the constitutional amendment stating that "The powers not delegated to the U.S. by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

Fourteenth Amendment

an amendment to the Constitution of the United States adopted in 1868; extends the guarantees of the Bill of Rights to the states as well as to the federal government. Equal Protection Clause.

Commerce Clause

The clause in the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Clause of the Constitution (Article 1, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the implied powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government

Enumerated Powers

The powers expressly given to Congress in the Constitution.

Implied Powers

Powers inferred from the express powers that allow Congress to carry out its functions

McCulloch v. Maryland

which declared that Congress has implied powers necessary to implement its enumerated powers and est. supremacy of the U.S. Constitution and federal laws over state laws

United States v. Lopez

which ruled that congress may not use the commerce clause to make possession of a gun in a school zone a federal crime, introducing a new phase of federalism that recognized the importance of state sovereignty and local control.

Constituencies

A body of voters in a specified area who elect a representative to legislative body.

Coalitions

An alliance for combined action, especially a temporary alliance of political parties forming a government or of states.

Enumerated Powers

Granted to the Federal government specifically Congress listed in Article 1, section 8.

Implied Powers

Granted to the United States government that aren't explicitly stated in the Constitution .

Federal Budget

An itemized plan for the annual public spending of the states.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Congress has the power to make laws that are required to carry out all powers of the Constitution. Hamilton and the National Bank.

Debate Rules

The team supporting a motion can not switch mid debate regardless of person opinions. Speakers must be able to support statements with evidence, facts must be accurate, and the speaker can't bring up new points to rebuttal a speech.

Speaker of the House

The presiding officer of the United States Representatives.

President of the Senate

The vice president serves as the president of the Senate and presides over the Senate's daily proceedings.

Filibuster

an action to prolong a speech that obstruct process in a legislative assembly while not technically violating the required procedures.

Cloture

A procedure for ending a debate and taking a vote.

Role of Rules Committee

A committee of a legislative house that determines the rules and procedure for expediting the business of the house and has the power to control the date and extent of debate of a proposed bill and the degree to which it may be amended.

Committee of the Whole

The whole membership of a legislative house sitting as a committee and operating under informal rules.

Discharge Petitions

Allows a majority of the House of Representatives, or 218 elected officials, to force a bill onto the floor, where it will be debated and ultimately voted on.

Treaty Ratification

The international act whereby a state indicates its consent to be bound to a treaty, if the parties intended to show their consent by such an act.

Confirmation Role

The process the Senate goes through to approve nominee's seclated by the president

Discretionary Spending

Money spend on nonessentials

Mandatory Spending

Money not control by the annual budget decisions.

Entitlement Costs

Federal benefits payments to which recipients have a legal right such as Social Security.

Budget Deficit

The federal government's practice of spendng more money than it takes in as revenues

Pork Barrel Legislation

Projects that aren't essential but are sought because they give money and resources to local districts.

Logrolling

The exchange of support or favors, especially by legislators for mutual political gain by voting for each other's bill

Gridlock

Political stalemate that occurs when the government is unable to act or pass laws because rival parties control different parts of the executive branch and the legislature.

Gerrymandering

Dividing of state, country, etc. into election districts so as to give one political party a majority in many districts while concentrating the voting strength of the other party into as few districts as possible.

Redistricting

The activity or process of dividing an area or region into new districts, such as for administrative or electoral purposes.

Baker v. Carr

Federal courts could hear cases dealing with redistricting issues.

Shaw v. Reno

Redistricting by race was unconstitutional under the Equal Protection Clause.

"Lame-duck" Presients

A person who is completing a term of office and chooses not to run or is ineligible to run for reelection.

Trustee

When an elected official will ultimately rely on their own judgement when making decisions. Make their own decisions.

Delegate

A person sent or authorized to represent others, in particular an elected representative sent to a conference. Make decisions based on what their constituents want.

Politico

Is a mix of trustee and delegate. Sometimes votes the way the people want other times vote the way they want.

Vetoes

A Constitutional right to reject a decision or proposal made by a law-making body

Pocket Vetoes

An indirect veto of a legislative bill by the president or governor by retaining the bill unsigned until it is too late for it to be dealt with during the legislative session.

Foreign Policy

A government's Strategy in dealing with other nations.

Executive Agreements

An international agreement, usually regarding routine administrative matters not warranting a formal treaty, made by the executive branch of the US government without ratification by the Senate.

Executive Orders

A rule or order issued by the president to an executive branch of the government and having the force of law.

Cabinet Members

A small group of people within a government who gives advice to highest leader, such as the president .

22 Amendment

No one can be elected for more than 2 terms. No one can be president for more than 8 years.

Article 3 of the Constitution

Lays out the frame work of the judicial branch.

Federalist 78

Written by Hamilton to lay out how the judicial system should work and how it is a safeguard to make sure no one branch can take over.

Marbury v. Madison

Established the principle of judicial review, the power of the federal courts to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional.

Stare Decisis

let the decision stand

Judicial Activism

Rulings guided by the personal decisions or political interests of the individual judge. Brown v. Board of Education

Judicial Restraint

conservative legal decision that is made solely according to the law and legal precedent.

Iron Triangle

A relationship between congress and interest groups during the policy creation process.

Political Patronage

the hiring of a person to a government post on the basis of partisan loyalty.

Merit System

A process by which appointments and promotions in the civil services are based on competence rather than political favoritism.

Committee Hearing

A method by which members gather information to inform businesses.

Congressional Oversight

The review, monitoring, supervision of federal agencies, programs and policy implementation, and it provides the legislative branch with an opportunity to inspect, examine, review and check the executive branch and its agencies.

U.S. Constitution

Establishes law along with the three branches and their jurisdictions

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments of the Constitution

Individual liberties

the liberty of an individual is to do his will freely except for those restraints imposed by law to safeguard the physical, moral, political, and economic welfare of others.

Individual Rights

guarantee individuals rights to certain freedoms without interference from the government or other individuals

Civil Liberties

are your individual constitutional protections against the government, they are spelled out in the Bill of Rights

First Amendment

Freedom of Speech, Religion, Assembly, along with the right to petition the government

Establishment Clause

There is no set religion in the united states

Free Exercise Clause

You have the right to practice any religion you wish in the United States

Engel v Vitale

Unconstitutional to force religion into public school

Wisconsin v Yoder

Separation of church and state for religion groups like the Amish

Tinker v Des Moines

Symbolic speech is protected by the first amendment

Limited Speech

there are exceptions to communicating that are protected under the first amendment

Defamatory

Communicating false statements about a person that injuries there reputation