Graciela_Osorio _ Ap Gov_ Ch.3 Flashcards
Abraham Lincoln
16th president of the United States (1861–65), who preserved the Union during the American Civil War and brought about the emancipation of the slaves.
Andrew Johnson
17th president of the United States (1865–69), who took office upon the assassination of Pres. Abraham Lincoln during the closing months of the American Civil War (1861–65). His lenient Reconstruction policies toward the South embittered the Radical Republicans in Congress and led to his political downfall and to his impeachment, though he was acquitted.
Barack Obama
44th president of the United States (2009–17) and the first African American to hold the office. Before winning the presidency, Obama represented Illinois in the U.S. Senate (2005–08). He was the third African American to be elected to that body since the end of Reconstruction (1877). In 2009 he was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize “for his extraordinary efforts to strengthen international diplomacy and cooperation between peoples.”
Baron v. Baltimore 1833
the Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution’s Bill of Rights restricts only the powers of the federal government and not those of the state governments.
Bill of attainder
a legislative act finding a person guilty of treason or felony without a trial, A law that declares a person, without trial, to be guilty of a crime. The state legislatures and Congress are forbidden to pass such acts, Article 1, Sections 9 and 10, of the Constitution.
Block Grant
A payment that the federal government distributes to a state or local government and for which the recipient determines the specific use., Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services.
Calvin Coolidge
30th president of the United States (1923–29). Coolidge acceded to the presidency after the death in office of Warren G. Harding, just as the Harding scandals were coming to light. He restored integrity to the executive branch of the federal government while continuing the conservative pro-business policies of his predecessor.
Categorial Grants
federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or “categories,” of state and local spending. They come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions.
Civil War
War Between the States, four-year war (1861–65) between the United States and 11 Southern states that seceded from the Union and formed the Confederate States of America
Charter
a document, issued by a sovereign or state, outlining the conditions under which a corporation, colony,
city, or other corporate body is organized, and defining its rights and privileges.
Concurrent Powers
powers that are shared by both the national and state governments
- issuing licenses
- taxation
- environmental regulation
- establishing courts
- eminent domain
Confederate States of America
A republic formed in February 1861, and composed of the 11 Southern states that seceded from the United States in order to preserve slavery and states’ rights. It was dissolved in 1865 after being defeated in the American Civil War.
Confederation
A political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers that they expressly delegate to a central government.
Cooperative Federalism
also known as marble-cake federalism, is a concept of federalism in which national, state, and local governments interact cooperatively and collectively to solve common problems, rather than making policies separately but more or less equally
Counties
largest territorial unit between a city and a town
Democracy
Government by the people, both directly or indirectly, with free and frequent elections.
Dillion’s Rule
A legal principle that holds that the terms of city charters are to be interpreted narrowly. Under this rule, a municipal corporation can exercise only those powers expressly given, implied, or essential, state powers.
Dred Scott v Sandford
the Supreme Court ruled that Americans of African descent, whether free or slave, were not American citizens and could not sue in federal court. The Court also ruled that Congress lacked power to ban slavery in the U.S. territories.
Dual Federalism
A constitutional theory that the national government and the state governments each have defined areas of authority, especially over commerce.
Enumerated powers
Powers of the federal government that are specifically addressed in the Constitution
ex post facto law
is one which makes a particular act illegal, and punishes people who committed that crime before the law was passed, i.e., when the act was legal.
Extradition Clause
An accused person who flees to another state must be returned to the state in which he/she allegedly committed the crime.