AP U.S. Government & Politics – Midyear Review

This set of flashcards covers key vocabulary and definitions from the AP U.S. Government & Politics midyear review.

Direct Democracy

A system in which citizens vote directly on laws and policies.

Representative Democracy

A system in which citizens elect representatives to make laws on their behalf.

Participatory Democracy

A system that emphasizes broad citizen involvement through voting, protests, interest groups, and primaries.

Articles of Confederation

The first U.S. government, which was weak and lacked central authority.

Shays’ Rebellion

An uprising that exposed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

Great Compromise

An agreement that created a bicameral legislature with proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate.

Three-Fifths Compromise

An agreement that counted three-fifths of a state’s enslaved population for representation and taxation.

Electoral College

A compromise system for electing the president through a body of electors.

Federalism

A system of government in which power is shared between national and state governments.

Federalists

Supporters of the Constitution who advocated for separation of powers.

Anti-Federalists

Opponents who feared a strong central government and wanted a Bill of Rights.

Declaration of Independence

A document outlining natural rights and the right to revolt against unjust government.

Commerce Clause

A constitutional provision granting Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce.

Necessary and Proper Clause

A clause allowing Congress to use implied powers to carry out its enumerated powers.

Supremacy Clause

A clause establishing that federal law takes precedence over state law.

Tenth Amendment

An amendment reserving powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or people.

Federalist No. 10

An essay arguing that a large republic helps control factions.

Federalist No. 51

An essay explaining how separation of powers protects individual liberty.

Brutus No. 1

An Anti-Federalist essay warning about the dangers of a strong national government.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Established implied powers and national supremacy over states.

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Limited Congress’s power under the Commerce Clause.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established the principle of judicial review.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Established the principle of 'one person, one vote'.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Ruled that racial gerrymandering violates the Equal Protection Clause.

Bill of Rights

The first ten amendments to the Constitution protecting individual liberties.

Fourteenth Amendment

Applies Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses to the states.

Selective Incorporation

The process by which the Supreme Court applies Bill of Rights protections to the states.

Letter from Birmingham Jail

A letter by Martin Luther King Jr. justifying civil disobedience.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

Declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional.

Enumerated Powers

Powers explicitly granted to the federal government in the Constitution.

Implied Powers

Powers inferred through the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Reserved Powers

Powers reserved to the states under the Tenth Amendment.

Concurrent Powers

Powers shared by both federal and state governments.

Categorical Grants

Federal funds given to states with strict conditions on use.

Block Grants

Federal funds given to states with fewer restrictions.

Mandates

Federal rules states must follow.

Unfunded Mandates

Federal requirements without funding.

Separation of Powers

The division of government authority among three branches.

Checks and Balances

A system that allows each branch to limit the powers of the others.

Federalist No. 70

Argued for a strong executive branch.

Federalist No. 78

Explains the role of the judiciary and supports judicial review.

Gerrymandering

The manipulation of district boundaries to favor a political party.

Civil Liberties

Protections against government interference with individual freedoms.

Civil Rights

Protections against discrimination and unequal treatment.

Civil Disobedience

The nonviolent refusal to obey unjust laws.