AP Gov & Politics Unit 1 Key Terms Flashcards
Government
a formal vehicle in which policies are made and affairs of the state are conducted; a system that makes decisions for the community
Politics
the process by which decisions are made
Autocracy
power of one
Dictatorship
rule of one, no plan of transition, no one close to gaining power
Monarchy
autocracy of a family (one family in charge, distribution of power)
Oligarchy
aristocracy; power in the hands of a few; no way of removal
Democracy
system of gov’t where members of the community have power (e.g. elections); somewhat peaceful transactions
Indirect Democracy (republic)
people pick people, or representatives, to make decisions for them
Direct Democracy
community members vote on everything; majority rule
Elitist Democracy (indirect)
very few are always in power; people keep picking them (e.g. Clinton, Bush)
Participatory Democracy (indirect)
people have a voice and elect people; put their voice in policy; majority rule
Pluralist Democracy (indirect)
different factions are duking it out until one of them has more power than the others or make a compromise with each other
Federal
both national gov’t and state gov’ts are balanced/split in power
Unitary
the national gov’t dominates; the state gov’ts have no power whatsoever
Confederate
state gov’ts have more power than national gov’t
Confederation/confederacy
national gov’t weaker, states linked for limited purposes
Shays’ Rebellion
a rebellion in which an army of 1,500 disgruntled, angry farmers led by Daniel Shays marched to Springfield, Massachusetts, and forcibly restrained the state court from foreclosing mortgages on their farms
Virginia Plan
proposed framework favoring large states; called for a bicameral legislature, which would appoint executive and judicial officers; a national system in which the national gov’t derives its power from the people and not from member states
New Jersey Plan
a framework proposed by a group of small states; called for a one-house legislature w/ one vote for each state; a congress w/the ability to raise revenue and a Supreme Court appointed for life
Great Compromise
final decision to create a two-house legislature w/ the lower house elected by the people (House of Representatives), and powers divided b/w the two houses; also made national law supreme
Three-Fifths Compromise
an agreement stating that three-fifths of the total number of enslaved people in each state was to be counted for purposes of determining population representation in the US House of Representatives
Electoral College
a system through which the president is chosen by electors from each state (# of electoral votes = # of members of Congress)
Federalism
the distribution/separation of power b/w the national gov’t and state gov’ts, w/ different powers and functions exercised by both
Enumerated Powers
the powers of the national gov’t specifically granted to Congress in the Constitution (Article I, section 8)
Necessary and Proper Clause (elastic clause)
Congress has the authority to pass all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the enumerated powers specified in the Constitution
Implied Powers
powers of the national gov’t derived from the enumerated powers and the necessary and proper clauses
Inherent Powers
powers that belong to the President because they can be inferred from the Constitution
Full Faith and Credit Clause
ensures judicial decrees and contracts made in one state will be binding and enforceable in any other state (facilitates trade and other commercial relationships)
Supremacy Clause
mandates that federal law and Constitution are supreme over all other laws passed by the states or by any other subdivision of gov’t
Commerce Clause
allows Congress to regulate trade and decide if something being sold between states/over state lines is legal or illegal
Extradition
requires states to return criminals to states where they’ve been convicted or are to stand trial
Privileges and Immunities Clause
guarantees that the citizens of each state have the same rights as citizens of all other states
Expressed Powers
powers explicitly granted to Congress in order to conduct governmental duties
Bill of Attainder
a legislative act declaring a group or individual guilty of some crime & punishing them without a judicial trial
Ex Post Facto
laws that make an act punishable as a crime, even if the action was legal at the time it was committed
Writ of Habeas Corpus
requires that a person who is in custody be brought before a judge or court and that they be able to challenge the custody; used to attack an unlawful detention or illegal imprisonment
Reserved Powers
the tenth amendment: exert powers not delegated to the national gov’t or prohibited the states from using are reserved to the states or to the people
Concurrent Powers
powers shared by the national gov’t and the state gov’ts
Dillion’s Rule
state governments can do anything to cities, towns, and counties
Charter
a document, like a constitution, specifies the basic policies, procedures, and institutions that are acceptable to the state legislature
McCulloch v. Maryland (huge for national gov’t power)
Supreme Court ruling that upheld the power of the national government and denied the right of a state to tax the federal bank; validated the necessary and proper and supremacy clauses
Gibbons v. Ogden
(huge for national power)
Supreme Court ruling that upheld congressional power to regulate interstate commerce; validated the commerce clause
U.S v. Lopez (huge for state rights)
Supreme Court decision that struck down a federal law creating gun-free school zones, which limited the power of the federal power in relation to the states, while upholding the principle that states have control of local issues, such as gun possession on school grounds
Barron v. Baltimore (huge for state rights)
Supreme Court ruled that the the Constitution’s Bill of Rights restricts only the powers of the federal government and not those of the state gov’ts
Dual Federalism
the belief that having separate and equally powerful levels of government (state and national) is the best arrangement (layer-cake)
Nullification
the belief in the right of the state to declare void a federal law
Dred Scott v. Sandford
(huge for state rights)
Supreme Court decision that ruled the Missouri Compromise unconstitutional and denied citizenship rights to enslaved Black people; states have the power to determine what goes on within their territories
Cooperative Federalism
term describing the intertwined relationship b/w national, state, and local governments that began with the New Deal (marble cake)
Progressive Federalism
the modern relationship b/w the states and federal governments is both cooperative and coercive, depending on the issue area
Categorical Grants
grants that appropriate federal funds to states for a specific purpose (bribery)
Block Grants
a large grant given to a state by the federal gov’t w/ only general spending guidelines
Revenue Sharing
federal gov’t can set up a new tax and give the states a piece of the action if they do what the fed gov’t says
Waiver
you don’t need to do a particular action unless you do something first (ex. if students pay Dunkle $10 each, the students don’t have to take the test)
Executive Powers Clause
the executive power shall be vested in a President, who shall hold office for four years
Slave Trade Compromise
Congress could not prohibit the slave trade for 20 years but could levy a tax on people imported and used as slaves
Electoral College Compromise
the compromise set up an electoral college system that allowed voters to vote for electors, who would then cast their votes for presidential candidates
Social Contract Theory
the belief that governments exist based on the consent of the governed
