AP Government, Unit 1 Vocab

traditional democratic theory

rests upon a number of key principles that specify how governmental decisions are made in a democracy

pluralism

a theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies; bargaining and compromise - best policy emerges; both sides win

hyperpluralsim

wider variety of interest groups (too many) - many unequal power and unequal access, some are more well known than others; fragmented political system (too many points of entry into the system); no one wins

elite and class theory

small number of interest group that has influence controlled by those with power (particularly big businesses); big businesses run policies, not politicians; policies benefit corporate interest and the wealthy win

political systems model

focuses on the process steps rather than influence or power;

"black box"

input -> policy making -> output

input comes from the citizens and their opinions

policies emerges as "output" that affect 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

limited government

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

John Locke

English philosopher who advocated the idea of a "social contract" in which government powers are derived from the consent of the governed and in which the government serves the people; also said people have natural rights to life, liberty and property

Articles of Confederation

the first constitution of the United States, adopted by Congress in 1777 and enacted in 1781; established a national legislature, the Continental Congress, but most authority rested with the state legislatures

faction

interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth that James Madison attacked in Federalist Paper No. 10

writ of habeas corpus

a court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody

separation of powers

a feature of the Constitution that requires each of the three branches of government to be relatively independent of the others so that one cannot control the others; power is shared among the three institutions

checks and balances

features of the Constitution that limit government's power by requiring that power be balanced among the different governmental institutions; these institutions continually constrain one another's activities

federalists

supporters of the U.S. Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption

anti-federalists

opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoptions

Federalist Papers

a collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail

10th amendment

powers not delegated to the national government or denied to the states are reserved for the states or the people

Bill of Rights

the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, drafted in response to some of the Anti-Federalist concerns; basic liberties as freedom of religion, speech, and press and guarantee defendant's rights

federalism

a way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the same land and people; system of shared power between units of governments

unitary governments

a way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government; most nation governments today like this

enumerated powers

powers of the federal government that are specifically addressed in the Constitution; for Congress, these powers are listed in Article I, Section 8, and include the power to coin money, regulate its value, and impose taxes

implied powers

powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution; the Constitution states that Congress has the power to "make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution" the powers enumerated in Article I

full faith and credit

a clause in Article IV, Section I, of the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the official documents and civil judgments rendered by the courts of other states

extradition

a legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed

privileges and immunities

a clause in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution according citizens of each state most of the privileges of citizens of other states

dual federalism

a system of government in which bot the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies

cooperative federalism

a system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states an the national government; they may also share costs, administration, and even blame for programs that work poorly

fiscal federalism

the pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; it is the cornerstone of the national government's relations with state and local governments

categorical grants

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

project grants

federal cateogorical grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications

formula grants

federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations

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

Thomas Hobbes

English materialist and political philosopher who advocated absolute sovereignty as the only kind of government that could resolve problems; wrote "Leviathan" and believed people were naturally cruel, greedy, and selfish

Jean-Jacques Rousseau

French philosopher and writer born in Switzerland; believed that the natural goodness of man was warped by society; ideas influenced the French Revolution; believed that Human beings are naturally good, free, and can rely on their instincts; government should exist to protect common good, and be a democracy

Baron de Montesquieu

French aristocrat who wanted to limit royal absolutism; wrote The Spirit of Laws, urging that power be separated between executive, legislative, and judicial branches, each balancing out the others, thus preventing despotism and preserving freedom; greatly influenced writers of the US Constitution; greatly admired British form of government

Madison Model

the model of government devised by James Madison, in which the powers of the government are serrated into 3 branches: executive, legislative, and judicial.

Great Compromise

Compromise made by Constitutional Convention in which states would have equal representation in one house of the legislature and representation based on population in the other house

3/5th Compromise

it was a compromise "that counted three-fifths of a state's slaves in apportioning Representatives, Presidential electors, and direct taxes," saying that every 5 slaves were counted as 3 people in representation

Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

an agreement during the Constitutional Convention protecting slave holders; denied Congress the power to tax the export of goods from any State, and, for 20 years, the power to act on the slave trade

Privileges and Immunities Clause

a clause in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution according citizens of each state most of the privileges of citizens of other states

Eminent Domain

the power of the government to take private property for public use

Reserved Powers

powers that the Constitution does not give to the national government that are kept by the states

Commerce Clause

the clause in the Constitution Article I, 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

Concurrent Powers

powers that both the National Government and the States possess and exercise

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

Judicial Review

the power of the Supreme Court to declare laws and actions of local, state, or national governments unconstitutional

bicameralism

the division of a legislative assembly into two chambers, or houses

unicameralism

political system consisting of one legislative chamber

Elastic Clause

a clause in Article I, section 8 of the constitution that gives Congress the right to make laws "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers expressed in the other clauses of Article 1

Electoral College

a group selected by the states to elect the president and the vice-president, in which each state's number of electors is equal to the number of its senators and representatives in Congress

Interstate Commerce

commerce between two or more states which can be regulated by the federal government

Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Cause)

Clause of the Constitution Article I, Section 8, Clause 3 setting forth the implied powers of Congress; states that Congress has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government

Supremacy Clause

Article VI of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits.

Ex Post Facto Law

a law which makes criminal an act that was legal when in was committed, or that increases the penalty for a crime after it has been committed, or that changes the rules of evidence to make conviction easier; the state legislatures and Congress are forbidden to pass such laws by Article 1, Sections 9 and 10, of the Constitution

Bill of Attainder

A law that declares a person, without trial, to be guilty of a crime; the state legislatures and Congress are forbidden to pass such acts, Article 1, Sections 9 and 10, of the Constitution.

Civil War Amendments

also know as the 13,14,15 Amendments; the thirteenth amendment abolished slavery; the 14th guaranteed citizenship to former slavers; the 15th declared that states may not deny the vote of any citizen on the basis of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude"

Full and Faith Credit Clause

clause in the Constitution (Article IV, Section 1) requiring each state to recognize the civil judgments rendered by the courts of the other states and to accept their public records and acts as valid

Interstate Compact

formal agreement entered into with the consent of Congress, between or among States, or between a state and a foreign state

Nullification

the states'-rights doctrine that a state can refuse to recognize or to enforce a federal law passed by the United States Congress

Social Contract Theory

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

State

a politically organized body of people under a single government

Confederation

the Confederation, the union of the 13 original U.S. states under the Articles of Confederation 1781-1788; an association of sovereign member states that, by treaty, have delegated certain of their competences (or powers) to common institutions, in order to coordinate their policies in a number of areas, without constituting a new state on top of the member states

Mandate

a command from a superior court or official to a lower one, an authoritative command, formal order, authorization; a command or authorization to act in a particular way on a public issue given by the electorate to its representative

Super Majorities

requirement for a proposal to gain a specified level or type of support which exceeds a simple majority (ex: 2/5ths majority and 3/5ths majority)