AP Government Unit 1: Constitutional Foundations

Vocabulary practice flashcards generated directly from AP Government Unit 1 lecture notes.

Enlightenment

A European intellectual movement that emphasized reason and questioned traditional authority, shaping foundational ideas about human nature, power, and legitimacy in American government.

Natural Rights

Rights that individuals possess simply because they are human, rather than rights granted by a government (phrased by John Locke as 'life, liberty, and property' and in the Declaration of Independence as 'life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness').

Social Contract Theory

The political view that legitimate government is based on an agreement among the people to create a government and follow its rules in exchange for the protection of their rights and public order.

Consent of the Governed

The principle that a government's political authority is only legitimate if it ultimately originates from and is sanctioned by the people.

Limited Government

A governing system in which national power is legally constrained by a constitution, protected individual rights, and established procedures.

Rule of Law

The principle that everyone, including public officials, must obey the law, and that legal rules are applied consistently through established procedures rather than personal whim.

Separation of Powers

The division of government power among separate institutions (legislative, executive, and judicial) so that no single branch can centralize authority and create tyranny.

Popular Sovereignty

The principle that the ultimate source of government authority and power lies with the people.

Republicanism

A system of government in which citizens exercise political power indirectly by electing representatives to make decisions and policy on their behalf.

Direct Democracy

A system of government in which citizens vote directly on laws and public policies rather than acting through elected representatives.

Representative Democracy

A system (also referred to as a republic) where citizens elect officials who hold the authority to make laws and policy decisions.

Participatory Democracy

A model of democracy asserting that broad, direct participation by ordinary citizens in civic and political life is essential for legitimate government.

Pluralist Democracy

A model of democracy asserting that political policy is shaped through competition, negotiation, and bargaining among organized interest groups.

Elite Democracy

A model of democracy asserting that a small group of wealthy, highly educated, or well-connected individuals holds disproportionate control over government policy and decision-making.

Articles of Confederation

The first national governing document of the U.S., which created a weak central authority lacking a court system, an independent executive, or the power to tax.

Shays' Rebellion

An uprising of indebted Massachusetts farmers that highlighted the weaknesses of the central government under the Articles of Confederation and spurred calls for a stronger national government.

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

An agreement reached at the Constitutional Convention that established a bicameral legislature, featuring a House of Representatives based on population and a Senate with equal state representation.

Three-Fifths Compromise

A constitutional agreement that counted three-fifths of the enslaved population for the purposes of federal representation in Congress and direct taxation.

Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

A constitutional arrangement granting Congress regulation over interstate and foreign trade while barring federal interference with the slave trade for a specified period.

Federalism

A structural system of governance where official power is divided between a central national government and regional state governments, each holding direct legal power over individuals.

Enumerated Powers

Powers specifically listed and delegated to the national government (specifically Congress) within Article I, Section 8 of the U.S. Constitution.

Implied Powers

Powers not explicitly listed in the Constitution but reasonably inferred through the Necessary and Proper Clause to help execute enumerated powers.

Inherent Powers

Powers naturally held by the national government due to its position as a sovereign state in international affairs.

Reserved Powers

Powers not specifically granted to the federal government nor denied to the states, which belong exclusively to the states or the people under the Tenth Amendment.

Concurrent Powers

Powers that are shared and exercised simultaneously by both the national and state governments, such as taxing and law enforcement.

Supremacy Clause

A clause in Article VI of the U.S. Constitution specifying that the Constitution and valid federal laws constitute the supreme law of the land, overriding conflicting state laws.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

A Supreme Court ruling affirming that Congress possesses implied powers under the Necessary and Proper Clause and establishing that state laws cannot tax or hinder valid federal operations.

Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)

A Supreme Court ruling that established a broad interpretation of Congress's power under the Commerce Clause to regulate economic transactions crossing state lines.

Dual Federalism

A concept of federalism (often called 'layer cake') where national and state authority operate within strictly defined and separated operational spheres.

Cooperative Federalism

A concept of federalism (often called 'marble cake') where state and national authorities interact, coordinate, and share policy administrative responsibilities.

Categorical Grants

Federal funds allocated to state or local governments that must be spent according to strict, specific federal conditions and legislative guidelines.

Block Grants

Federal funds provided to state governments for broad policy areas, granting state officials wide discretion in how to spend the resources.

Checks and Balances

A constitutional structure granting each governmental branch specific legal tools to limit, interrupt, or resist the actions of the other branches.

Judicial Review

The authority of federal courts to evaluate legislative laws or executive directives and declare them unconstitutional if they conflict with the Constitution.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

The landmark Supreme Court decision that formally established the doctrine of judicial review in the United States.