AP Gov Final Review Terms Flashcards
U1: Limited Government
Government had limited power over certain specifics, which is ensured by checks and balances, separation of powers, and Federalism.
U1: Natural Rights
All people have certain inalienable rights that cannot be revoked, this is guaranteed in the Declaration of Independence.
U1: Popular Sovereignty
All government power comes from the consent of the people
U1: Republicanism
Democratic principle that the will of the people is reflected in the government debates by their representatives
U1: Social Contract
An implicit agreement among the people in a society to give up some freedoms to maintain social order
U1: Participatory Democracy
Emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society
U1: Pluralist Democracy
Emphasized group-based activism by nongovernmental interests striving for impact on political decision making
U1: Elite Democracy
Emphasized limited participation in politics and civil society
U1: Separation of Powers
Divides authority in the three branches of government ; Allows legal actions to be taken against public officials deemed to have abused their power (such as impeachment where House charges official and Senate holds impeachment trial)
U1: Checks and Balances
Established in the Constitution ; Allocates power between federal and state governments
U1: Federalism
System of government where power is shared between national and state governments
U1: Exclusive Powers
Can only be exercised by the national government or only exercised by the state governments, never both
U1: Concurrent Powers
Shared between both national and state governments
U1: Mandates
Requirements by the national government of the states
U1: Revenue Sharing
National funding with almost no restrictions to the states on its use and is the least used form of funding
U1: Categorical Grant
National funding that is restricted to specific categories of expenditures, is preferred by the national government and is most common
U1: Block Grant
National funding with minimal restrictions to the states on its use and is preferred by the states
U1: Enumerated Power
Powers that are written in the Constitution
U1: Implied Power
Not specifically written in the Constitution but are inferred from the Necessary and Proper Clause
U1: Necessary and Proper/Elastic Clause
Gives Congress the power to make laws related to carrying out its enumerated powers, but Supreme Court interpretations can influence the extent of these powers
U1: Commerce Clause
Gives the national government the power to regulate interstate commerce, but Supreme Court interpretations can influence the extent of this power
U1: Amendment Process
Was established in Article V ; Entailed either a 2/3 vote in both houses or proposal from 2/3 of the state legislatures with final ratification determined by 3/4 of the states.
U1: Great Compromise
Made by a Constitutional Convention where states get equal representation in the Senate, and representation would be based on the population of the House.
U1: Supremacy Clause
Gives the national government and its laws general precedence over state laws, but Supreme Court interpretations may impact when specific actions exceed this constitutional power.
U2: Constituency
The residents of a congressional district or state ; taken from local populations to make decisions for while serving their house.
U2: Filibuster
A tactic to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill.
U2: Discretionary Spending
Approved on an annual basis for defense spending, education, and infrastructure.
U2: Mandatory Spending
Required by law for entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid.
U2: Budget Deficit
A situation where the government’s spending is more than its revenues, or earnings through sources such as taxes.
U2: Pork Barrel Legislation
Funding for a local project in a larger appropriation bill.
U2: Logrolling
Combining several pieces of legislation into one bill to secure enough votes for passage (if you vote for my bill I will vote for yours)
U2: Gerrymandering
The practice of drawing district lines to favor a group over another.
U2: Redistricting
Redrawing congressional and legislative district lines in a state to create equal size populations for each House district.
U2: Reapportionment
Reassigning representation in congressional and state legislative districts based on population changes
U2: Divided Government
When one party controls the presidency and the other party controls at least one of the chambers of Congress.
U2: Trustee Model
Model of representation where representatives feel they can vote in a way that best represents their constituents.
U2: Delegate Model
Representatives act on the wills and wishes of their constituency.
U2: Politico Model
Combination of delegate and trustee where they balance constituent wishes and their own preference.
U2: Roles of the President
Formal Powers: vetoes to check Congress (can be overridden by 2/3 vote), foreign policy (commander-in-chief and treaties), executive orders
Informal Powers: foreign policy powers (executive agreements), signing statements
U2: Veto
A formal decision (pres. power) to reject a bill passed by Congress (can be overridden with a 2/3 majority vote)
U2: Executive Order
Allow the president to manage the federal government and don’t have to be approved by Congress
U2: Executive Agreement
Formal agreement between president and leaders of foreign nations, informal power of the president
U2: Signing Statement
Informal power of the president to inform Congress and the public of the president’s interpretation of laws passed by Congress and signed by the president.
U2: Bully Pulpit
The president’s ability to use their position as the country’s leader to shape public opinion and drive the national conversation, use through media coverage
U2: Stare Decisis
Legal doctrine under which courts follow legal precedents when deciding cases with similar facts.
U2: Judicial Activism/Restraint
Activism: judicial review allows the courts to overturn current Constitutional and case precedent or invalidate legislative or executive acts.
Restraint: judicial review should be constrained to decisions that adhere to current Constitutional and case precedent.
U2: Iron Triangle
Alliances of congressional committees, bureaucratic agencies, and interest groups that are prominent in specific policy areas
U2: Congressional Oversight
Serves as a check of executive authorization to ensure they’re following the law and carrying out their responsibilities
U2: Discretionary and Rulemaking Authority
Discretionary: allows federal bureaucracy to have some level of flexibility in decision-making
Rule-making: allows the federal bureaucracy to establish regulations that provide more specific guidance on how government programs should operate
U3: Civil Liberties
Guarantees of personal freedom that government cannot restrict (such as exercising a right)
U3: Civil Rights
Protection from racial, religious, gender, or other discrimination (14th Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause)
U3: Symbolic Speech
Nonverbal action that communicates an idea or belief
U3: Protected Speech
The right to express oneself freely without fear of government censorship or repression
U3: Defamatory Speech
Language that harms the reputation of another including libel (written) or slander (spoken)
U3: Selective Incorporation
Imposed limitations on state regulation of civil liberties by extending select protections of the Bill of Rights to the states through the 14th Amendment’s due process clause
U3: Due Process
Clause of the 14th Amendment that prohibits the government from depriving people of life, liberty, and property without due process of law
U3: Equal Protection
Clause of the 14th Amendment that prohibits states from denying an individual equal protection of the laws within its jurisdiction, this is the basis for civil rights
U3: Exclusionary Rule
Stipulates that evidence illegally seized by law enforcement officers in violation of the suspect’s 14th Amendment rights (right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures) cannot be used against the suspect in criminal trial
U3: Miranda Rule
Requires the accused to be informed of some procedural protections found in the 5th and 6th Amendments prior to interrogation
U3: Establishment Clause
Clause of the First Amendment that prohibits the government from establishing any sort of official religion
U3: Free Exercise Clause
Clause of the First Amendment that prohibits the government from stopping individuals from practicing their religion
U3: Prior Restraint
Government action that prohibits speech or other expression before the speech happens ; allows government to review printed materials before publishing
U3: Rights of the Accused
Amendments 4 (unreasonable searches and seizures), 5 (right to grand jury), 6 (right to public trial and lawyer), 8 (prohibits imposition of excessive fines, bail and cruel/unusual punishment), 14 (Equal Protection and Due Process)
U4: Individualism
Each person has the ability to shape their life and destiny through the choices they make
U4: Equality of Opportunity
All people are given an equal chance to compete
U4: Free Enterprise
The market determines prices, products, and services
U4: Rule of Law
Every person, even those in power, must follow and is accountable to the same laws that govern all
U4: Political Socialization
The process by which individuals develop political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors influenced by family, school, peers, media, and social environments
U4: Political Ideology
A person’s political beliefs and standpoint, which is determined by generational effects and lifestyle effects as well as major political events and socialization
U4: Liberal
Generally favor more national government involvement to address social issues like education and public health and less responsibility to states
U4: Conservative
Generally favor less national government involvement to address social issues such as education and public health and more responsibility to the states
U4: Democrat
Tend to align with more Liberal ideologies
U4: Republican
Tend to align with more Conservative ideologies
U4: Libertarian
Generally favor little or no state or national government regulation of the marketplace beyond the protection of property rights and voluntary trade
U4: Keynesian Economics
Supports an active role of the government in regulating the marketplace using monetary and fiscal policies to stabilize the economy
U4: Supply Side Economics
Suggests the government should create a favorable business environment by cutting taxes and regulations to encourage investment on economic growth
U4: Monetary Policy
Consists of actions taken by the Federal Reserve to influence interest rates which affect broader economic conditions (max employment and price stability)
U4: Fiscal Policy
Consists of actions taken by Congress and the president to influence economic conditions and includes Keynesian and supply-side positions
U4: Generational Effect
Experiences shared by people of a common age, which affect political ideologies
U4: Life Cycle Effect
Experiences a person encounters during different life stages which affect political ideologies
U4: Opinion Poll
Measuring public opinion on various issues
U4: Tracking Poll
Following how views of a candidate change during a campaign
U4: Benchmark Poll
Creating baseline views of a candidate
U4: Exit Poll
Collecting data on why people voted the way they did
U5: Rational Choice Voting
Individuals who base their decisions on what is perceived to be in their best interest
U5: Retrospective Voting
Individuals who decide whether the party or candidate in power should be reelected based on the recent past or what they’ve done
U5: Prospective Voting
Individuals who vote based on predictions of how a party or candidate will perform in the future
U5: Party-Line Voting
Individuals who vote for a candidate based on their affiliation with the party
U5: Demographics
The study of a population based on factors such as race, age, religion, etc
U5: Critical Elections
Elections in which there is a realignment of political party support among voters
U5: Realignment
When people shift their political ideals to align with a different party
U5: Proportional System
An election system where each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote
U5: Winner-Take-All System
An election system where the candidate with the most votes wins
U5: Party Coalition
An alliance of multiple groups who come together to form a working majority to control a government
U5: Linkage Institution
Channels that allow individuals to communicate their preferences, such as political parties, interest groups, elections, and media
U5: General Election
Elections where voters elect office holders
U5: Midterm Election
Held two years after the 4 year Presidential election, which include all seats of the House and 33-34/100 seats of the Senate
U5: Open/Closed Primary
Open: allow any registered voter to participate, regardless of party affiliation (tend to have higher participation)
Closed: requires voters to be registered members of a specific party
U5: Party Caucus
Closed meetings of party members to select candidates or decide policy
U5: Primary Election
Appoints delegates to a party conference or the presidential election
U5: Incumbency Advantage
Benefits current officeholders possess over challengers
U5: Bipartisan
Agreement of two political parties that usually oppose each other’s policies ; the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 was an effort to reduce attack ads
U5: Political Action Committee
An organization that raises money privately to influence elections or legislation
U5: Super PAC
Modern PAC that can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money from corporations, unions, individuals, and associations to influence the outcome of state/federal elections
U5: Independent Expenditure
Political spending that expressly advocates for or against a specific candidate
U5: Horse Race Journalism
The focus on polling data, public perception, and candidate differences rather than policy issues
