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AP Government > Unit 1 > Flashcards

Unit 1 Flashcards

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1
Q

natural rights

A

the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property

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2
Q

John Locke

A

an Enlightenment philosopher who argued that people are born with “natural rights” that include “life, liberty, and property” and if rulers betray the social contract, the people have a right to replace them

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3
Q

separation of powers

A

a principle of American government whereby constitutional authority is shared by three separate branches of government—the legislative, the executive, and the judicial

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4
Q

social contract

A

the notion that society is based on an agreement between government and the governed in which people agree to give up some rights in exchange for the protection of others

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5
Q

unalienable rights

A

rights based on nature and Providence rather than on the preferences of people (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness)

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6
Q

State of Nature

A

The basis of natural rights philosophy; a state of nature is the condition of people living in a situation without man-made government, rules, or laws.

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7
Q

democracy

A

a term used to describe a political system in which the people are said to rule, directly or indirectly

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8
Q

direct (participatory) democracy

A

a government in which all, or most, of its citizens participate directly in either holding office or making policy

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9
Q

representative democracy

A

a political system in which leaders and representatives acquire political power by means of a competitive struggle for the people’s vote

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10
Q

limited government

A

guarantees that government does not hold all the power and that it does only things that people allow it to do

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11
Q

Popular Sovereignty

A

The principle that a government derives its power from the consent of the people, primarily through their elected representatives.

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12
Q

Republicanism

A

political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them.

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13
Q

Writer of Leviathan

A

Hobbes

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14
Q

Hobbes’ beliefs about government

A

social contract
rule by absolute sovereign
dictatorship

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15
Q

writer of 2 Treatises of Government

A

John Locke

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16
Q

Locke’s beliefs about government

A

people are born w/ natural rights (life, liberty, property)
govt should protect natural rights
limited govt
state of nature

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17
Q

writer of Discourse on Inequality & The Social Contract

A

Rousseau

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18
Q

Rousseau’s beliefs about government

A

popular sovereignty
social contract
direct democracy

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19
Q

writer of The Spirit of Laws

A

Montesquieu

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20
Q

Montesquieu’s beliefs about government

A

separation of powers (3 branches w/ checks & balances)
republicanism
representative democracy

21
Q

Elite democracy

A

emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society

22
Q

Pluralist democracy

A

recognizes group-based activism by non governmental interests striving for impact on political decision making

23
Q

Factions

A

group of individuals that share a common political purpose but differs in some respect to the rest of the entity

24
Q

Brutus 1

A

too much power in national government; won’t be able to survive bc it’s too big, anti-federalist

favors participatory democracy

25
Q

Federalist

A

supporters of a strong central government who advocated ratification of the Constitution

26
Q

Anti-Federalist

A

opponents of a strong central government who campaigned against ratification of the Constitution in favor of a confederation of largely independent states

27
Q

federalism

A

a political system in which ultimate authority is shared between a central government and state or regional governments

28
Q

Federalist #10

A

Madison argued that political factions are undesirable but inevitable and believed that the excesses of factionalism could be limited by the system of republican representation created by the Constitution

29
Q

Forms of representative democracies

A

participatory
elite
pluralist

30
Q

Articles of Confederation

A

a constitution drafted by the newly independent states in 1777 and ratified in 1781 that created a weak national government that could not levy taxes or regulate commerce

31
Q

Shay’s Rebellion

A

a rebellion in 1787 led by Daniel Shays and other ex-Revolutionary War soldiers and officers to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes: showed the weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation and helped lead to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.

32
Q

Confederation

A

a political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers that they expressly delegate to a central government

33
Q

Constitutional Convention

A

a meeting of delegates in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation, which produced a totally new constitution still in use today

34
Q

Virginia Plan

A

called for a bicameral legislature in which representation is based on each state’s population

35
Q

New Jersey Plan

A

called for a unicameral legislature in which representation is equal regardless of a state’s population

36
Q

Three- fifths compromise

A

each state was to count 3/5 of all enslaved people for taxation and representation purposes

37
Q

Connecticut Compromise

A

compromise at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that reconciled the interests of small and large states by allowing the former to predominate in the Senate and the latter in the House

38
Q

Necessary and proper (elastic) clause

A

authorizes Congress to pass all laws “necessary and proper” to carry out the enumerated powers

39
Q

AOC state govt powers

A

power of taxation
create a state court system
enforce laws passed by congress
all powers not delegated to the nat govt

40
Q

AOC national govt powers

A

declare war
make treaties with other nations
petition money from the states (but no power to collect)
direct the operations of land and naval forces (don’t have the power to draft an army)

41
Q

AOC weaknesses

A

no chief executive
Congress had no power to tax citizens
Congress can’t draft an army
no national court system
any changes made to the articles must be approved by all 13 states
no national currency

42
Q

7 principles of the Constitution

A

popular sovereignty
separation of powers
checks & balances
limited government
federalism
judicial review
republicanism

43
Q

popular sovereignty in govt

A

15th, 19th, and 26th amendments

44
Q

misuse of popular sovereignty

A

Dred Scott decision

45
Q

checks and balances misuses

A

senate refused to hold a hearing for Prez Obama’s supreme court nominee

Chinese exclusion act

46
Q

limited govt examples in govt

A

presidents can be impeached

47
Q

limited govt misuse

A

Jan 6 insurrection
sedition act of 1918

48
Q

judicial review

A

constitutional doctrine that gives the court system the power to annual legislative or executive acts which the judges declare to be unconstitutional

AP Government (2 decks)

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