ap gov u1

natural rights

rights that aren’t dependent on laws, customs, or beliefs, but instead are inherent to humanity; idea created by john locke

social contract

an actual or hypothetical compact, or agreement, between the ruled or between the ruled and their rulers, defining the rights and duties of each. humankind surrenders most extreme rights to self-preservation so they can enter a commonwealth to protect natural rights.

republic

a form of government in which people elect representatives to act on their behalf.

liberty

freedom from arbitrary government control & the positive enjoyment of various social, political, or economics rights and privileges

individualism

a social or cultural tradition, ideology, or personal outlook that emphasizes the individual and his or her rights, independence, and relationships with other individuals. in ethical and political theory, the view that individuals have intrinsic value. implies that the unique values, desires, and perspectives of individuals should also be valued. often manifests itself as an approach to life that emphasizes the essential right to be oneself and to seek fulfillment of one’s own needs and desires.

pluralism

as a political philosophy is the recognition and affirmation of diversity within a political body, which is seen to permit the peaceful coexistence of different interests, convictions, and lifestyles.

constitutionalism

the idea that government can and should be legally limited in its powers, and that its authority or legitimacy depends on it observing these limitations.

tyranny of the majority

a situation that can result from a system of majority rule, wherein the majority group places its own interests above the interests of a minority group without consideration for the welfare or rights of the minority.

tyranny of the minority

a system in which a particularly extreme and motivated fraction of the populace can wield outsized power in the face of a majority which is either too indifferent or too scared to oppose it.

participatory

policymaking is influenced directly by citizens; emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society

pluralist

policymaking is influenced by non-governmental groups; emphasizes group-based activism by non-governmental interests striving for impact on political decision making

elitist

policymaking is influenced by the wealthy and powerful; emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society

confederation

small republics who join together with a weak central government; preferred by antifederalists; works better on a smaller scale

federalism

existence of a larger republic at a central level with a lot more authority and sovereignty

separation of powers

take the powers that exists in a government and divide them into different "branches"; republican in nature; horizontal relationship between the branches

checks & balances

ability of the different branches to limit each other & maintain separation between them

democracy

means rule by the people; direct means the people directly vote on policies and other decisions; indirect is the people electing representatives to vote on policies; feds feared direct (tyranny of the majority) while antifeds feared indirect

(tyranny of the minority)

majority rule

a feature of democracy; whichever outcome has the majority carries and the minority loses out

popular sovereignty

a bigger idea behind democracy; the people are ultimately sovereign because it is democracy; the people guide the government

pluralism

the middle ground between direct and indirect democracy; group-based; value of liberty allows for this to happen

republicanism

idea of a government made of elected representatives; antifeds wanted a small republic with strong, sovereign state governments and a weak/limited central government; feds wanted a strong central government to prevent against factions/tyranny of the majority, but antifeds didn’t think it would work

3/5 compromise

not about the legality of slavery, but about how to count people for the sake of determining # of reps in the house

great compromise

deciding how the legislature would be set up; smaller states wanted the same # of reps for each state (senate), but larger states wanted the # of reps to be based on population (house)

elastic clause/supremacy clause

two parts of the constitution that brutus/the antifeds worried would lead to a tyranny of the minority

shay's rebellion

people who were in debt after fighting in the revolution revolted by taking over the debtor’s court processes through armed resistance; increased fears about a tyranny of the majority; showed the weaknesses of the aoc; big reason the constitutional convention formed