AP Government Unit 1 Vocabulary Flashcards

Enlightenment Influence: 18th-century European intellectual movement shaping the Constitution's principles.
- Natural Rights: Rights granted by a creator, not by monarchs.
- State of Nature: Concept of human freedom before government.
Popular Sovereignty and Social Contract:
- Power resides with the people; they consent to government for protection of rights; if violated, the government can be overthrown.
Republicanism: People elect representatives to create laws; separation of powers among executive, legislative, and judicial branches.
Overall Concept: Limited government preventing tyranny through checks and balances.
Key Documents:
- Declaration of Independence: Expresses natural rights and social contract; emphasizes life, liberty, pursuit of happiness (Jefferson’s adaptation of Locke).
- U.S. Constitution: Blueprint for republicanism and separation of powers.

Participatory Democracy: Emphasizes broad participation; seen at local levels and through initiatives/referenda.
Pluralist Democracy: Groups compete to influence policy; citizens engage through interest groups (e.g., NAACP, NRA).
Elite Democracy: Limited participation based on the belief that educated individuals should govern; seen in Electoral College.
Document Tensions:
- Conflict between participatory (Brutus 1) and pluralist democracy (Federalist 10) perspectives on representation.

Federalist 10 (James Madison): Advocates for a large republic to manage factions through competition; protects minority rights via diversity.
Brutus 1: Expresses fears of centralized power harming local representation; supports participatory democracy.
Major Contention: Majority rule vs. minority rights. (Historical context of minority rights focused on regional and economic aspects.)

Articles of Confederation: Weak central government; only one branch (Congress); lacked taxation power.
- Significant Events:
- Shay's Rebellion: Exposed weaknesses of Articles; led to calls for a stronger federal government.
Constitutional Convention (1787): Aimed to modify Articles, produced a new Constitution.
- Compromises:
- Great Compromise: Bicameral legislature; House by population, Senate equal representation.
- Electoral College: Compromise for presidential election process.
- Three-Fifths Compromise: Counting enslaved people for representation.
- Slave Trade Compromise: No federal interference in slave trade for 20 years.
Amendment Process: Proposal by Congress or states; requires two-thirds vote, then three-fourths state ratification.

Definition: Sharing of power between national and state governments.
Types of Powers:
- Exclusive Powers: Federal government's specific powers (e.g., treaties).
- Reserved Powers: State powers, defined by the 10th Amendment (e.g., education).
- Concurrent Powers: Shared powers (e.g., taxation).
Fiscal Federalism:
- Federal funding used to establish national standards (e.g., categorical & block grants).
- Categorical Grants: Specific federal guidelines.
- Block Grants: Broad use with fewer restrictions.
- Federal mandates compel state compliance, sometimes without funding (unfunded mandates).

Major Constitutional Provisions:
- 10th Amendment: Reserved powers to states.
- 14th Amendment: Applies Bill of Rights to states.
- Commerce Clause: Congressional regulation of interstate commerce.
- Necessary and Proper Clause: Elastic clause; Congress’s implied powers.
Key Supreme Court Cases:
- McCulloch v. Maryland (1819): Federal power reinforced, Necessary and Proper Clause justified federal bank.
- U.S. v. Lopez (1995): Limitation on federal power, affirmed state authority over local matters.
Contemporary Examples:
- Environmental Regulations: States can set stricter standards (e.g., California's carbon emissions).
- Marijuana Legalization: States legalize marijuana despite federal prohibition, showcasing state-federal relations.