ap gov bouta kick my ass chap 1

Natural Rights

Inherent and universal human rights not dependent on laws, given to people by their creator 

  • Rights to life, liberty, and property

Social Contract

Implied agreement between citizens and their gov where individuals give up natural freedoms in exchange for protection and welfare (from a structured society)

Popular Sovereignty

Source of a gov’s power is the people, power comes from the consent of the governed

Limited Government

Political system in which the powers of the gov are restricted to prevent tyranny by protecting property/individual rights

Separation of Powers

The division of the gov power across the J/E/L branches

Checks and Balances

A system in which each branch of gov has power over the others

Federalism

The dynamic distribution of power between the local, state, and national levels of government in the US

Republicanism

Representative democracy, where elected leaders represent various groups of people within a gov

Participatory Democracy

Citizens have the power to influence policy decisions, but isn’t a direct democracy

Pluralist Democracy

Recognizes group-based activism, no group dominates by multiple compete for public policy influence

Elite Democracy

Form where the well-educated/wealthy hold the power because they are more fit than uneducated civilians

Federalists

Those at the Constitutional Convention who favored a strong national gov and a system of separated powers

Anti-Federalists

Those @ CC who favored strong state govs and feared a strong national gov would be a threat to individual rights

Factions

Like-minded groups of people who try to influence the gov. The American gov is set up to avoid domination by any one of these groups.

Articles of Confederation

The first attempt at a new American gov.

It was later decided that the Articles restricted national gov too much, and they were replaced by the Constitution. No exec, no judicial, only legislative body existed and it was very state oriented (w/ veto power given to all states, nothing got done).

Shays’ Rebellion

Armed uprising of disgruntled farmers in debt which highlighted the weaknesses of the Articles of confederation in the department of raising a militia and collecting taxes

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

Congress would have two houses: A senate with two legislators per state and a House of Representatives in which each state’s representation would be based on population

Electoral College

System for electing president and vice president


Popular vote + state population influence who is in the electoral college

-> members of the electoral college then vote for who will be P and VP

3/5ths Compromise

State’s decision in CC

  • Couts each slave as 3/5s of a person in a state’s population for the purposes of determining # of House members/distribution of taxes

Slave Trade Compromise

Protected slave trade until 1808 

Bill of Rights

Protects individual liberties and limits national gov

Constitution would be ratified that the first amendments would be this 

Article V of the U.S. Constitution

Outlines the process for amending the constitution

  • Proposal, Congress with ⅔ vote or state convention ⅔ 

  • Ratification, ¾ state legislatures, or state conventions

Impeachment

A negative/checking power over the other branches that allows Congress to remove the P/VP/other officers of the US (like federal judges) for abuses of power

Exclusive Powers

Powers only given to the national gov

Concurrent Powers

Shared powers between the state and national gov

Enumerated Powers

Powers explicitly granted to Congress, the president, or the Supreme Court in the first three articles of the Constitution.

  • Ex. Congress ability to raise and support armies

  • President’s power as Commander in Chief

Implied Powers

Powers supported by the Constitution that are not expressly stated in it

Necessary and Proper Clause

Pt of Article 1, Section 8 of the Constitution

Grants Congress the power to pass all laws related to one of its expressed powers

  • The draft is an example, not explicitly stated, but is allowed because it helps them do their job of legislating things that will benefit the country

Reserved Powers

Powers not given to the national government by the constitution, or not prohibited to the states, are reserved by the states/the people

  • 10th amendment defines these

10th Amendment

Gives all powers not specifically allocated to the national gov to the state gov, any power not denied from the states is theirs

Revenue Sharing

Type of grant used in the 1970s-1980s in which fed govs provided state govs with funds to be spent on each state’s discretion - gave states more control over programs 

Block Grants

Federal aid provided to state gov to be spent within a certain policy area, but the state can decide how to spend the money within the area

Categorical Grants

Federal aid to state/local govs that is provided for a specific purpose

  • Mass transit program within the transportation budget

  • School lunch program within the education budget

Mandates

Federal laws requiring that states do certain things but don’t provide state govs with funding to implement policies

  • Gives them an order, doesn’t fund it

14th Amendment

All citizens are to be provided equal protection under laws (and protects them against discrimination and arbitrary gov action)

Due Process Clause

5th amendment/14th amendment


Person cannot be deprived of life/liberty/property without due process of law (people can’t just be thrown in jail for no reason)

Equal Protection Clause

All people are to be treated equally under law (14th amendment)

Commerce Clause

Allows congress to regulate interstate and foreign trade and business activities

Supremacy Clause 

  • article VI, Section 2 of the Constitution

The constitution/laws/treaties of the US are the “supreme Law of the Land” 

  • National laws take precedence over state laws if the two conflict

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