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AP Gov Trimester 1
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Limited government | A government kept under control by law, checks and balances, and separation of powers |
| Natural rights | Locke’s idea that all people are born free and equal and have the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness |
| Popular sovereignty | A government in which the people serve as the ultimate ruling authority |
| Republic | A style of government in which citizens elect leaders to represent them in government |
| Social contract | Hobbes’ idea that citizens must give up some of their rights to an absolute sovereign that would in turn look out for the good of society |
| Representative democracy | A government in which the people entrust elected officials to represent their concerns |
| Participatory democracy | A democracy in which citizens vote directly for laws rather than electing leaders to represent their interests |
| Pluralist democracy | A democracy in which people form interest groups that look for access points at the local, state, and federal levels to persuade policymakers |
| Elite democracy | A democracy in which well educated representatives are elected to make decisions and act as trustees for the people that elect them |
| US Constitution | The document that outlines our current structure of government, along with the rights and protections of the people |
| Federalist 10 | The document James Madison wrote to convince the Anti-Federalists to ratify the Constitution that focused on how the new government would be more resistant against factions |
| Brutus 1 | The document written by an anonymous Anti-Federalist named Brutus discussing the dangers of a small republic rather than a direct democracy |
| Articles of Confederation | The original document outlining America’s first form of government |
| Anti-federalist | The political group that opposed the ratification of the Constitution |
| Federalist | The political group that supported the ratification of the Constitution |
| Democracy | A system of government in which the people vote on laws |
| Faction | A group that opposes the government’s rulings, often violently |
| Shay's Rebellion | A violent uprising of farmers in Massachusetts that the federal government was unable to defend against due to their lack of funds |
| Great Compromise | The legislative branch would be a bicameral legislature in which the number of Representatives would be chosen based on population and the number of Senators would be equal among the states |
| Electoral college | The people elect leaders to represent them in Congress, and those leaders formally vote for the president and vice president |
| 3/5 Compromise | The compromise that stated that only ⅗ of enslaved people could be counted towards a state’s population when determining the number of Representatives that state has in Congress |
| Constitutional Convention | Delegates from each state met to discuss how to solve the problems of the government under the Articles of Confederation |
| Ratification | The action of signing or giving formal consent to a treaty, contract, or agreement, making it officially valid |
| Separation of powers | The division of government into separate branches, each with their own unique powers |
| Checks and balances | The separation of power in government in order to avoid one branch from becoming too powerful |
| Impeachment | The process of bringing charges against a government official for wrongdoing |
| Concurrent powers | Powers shared by the state and federal governments |
| Categorical grants | Grants given by the federal government with specific conditions on how that money may be spent |
| Block grants | Grants given by the federal government with loosely defined purpose |
| Mandates | Orders from the federal government that all state and local governments must abide by |
| Federalism | A system of government where power is divided between the federal government and the states |
| 10th Amendment | Establishes that powers not delegated to the federal government are reserved to the states |
| 14th Amendment | Grants citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the US, including former slaves |
| Commerce clause | Gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines |
| Necessary and proper clause | Gives Congress power to make “all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution” other federal powers |
| Elastic clause | Another term for the necessary and proper clause |
| Enumerated powers | The powers specifically listed in the US Constitution that are granted to the national government |
| Implied powers | Powers that are inferred from the specific powers listed in the US Constitution |
| Policymaking | The process by which political problems are communicated by the voters and acted upon by government policymakers |
| McCulloch v Maryland | The Supreme Court case in which the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government had the right to establish a national bank, according to the necessary and proper clause |
| US v Lopez | The Supreme Court case in which the Supreme Court ruled that Congress had exceeded its constitutional authority under the Commerce Clause when it passed a law prohibiting gun possession in local school zones |
| Devolution | The transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states |
| 15th Amendment | Banned states from denying someone the right to vote "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude" |
| 17th Amendment | Allowed voters to vote directly for senators |
| 19th Amendment | Granted women’s suffrage |
| 24th Amendment | Prevented states from imposing a poll tax on federal elections |
| 26th Amendment | Established a national voting age |
| Rational choice theory | When you vote for the candidate you believe will benefit you the most |
| Retrospective voting | When you vote based on how the candidate has performed in the past |
| Prospective voting | When you vote based on how you expect a candidate to perform |
| Party line voting | A vote in which a substantial majority of members of a political party vote the same way |
| Political efficacy | The citizens' trust in their ability to change the government and belief that they can understand and influence political affairs |
| Midterm elections | Elections held midway through presidential terms for Congress members and other sub-national office holders |
| General election | The electoral process to choose the members of an elected body |
| Linkage institutions | A structure within a society that connects the people to the government or centralized authority |
| Interest groups | An organization of people with shared policy goals entering the policy process at several points to try to achieve those goals |
| Electorate | All citizens eligible to vote |
| Party platform | A party’s formal set of principles, goals, and strategies supported by the party |
| Candidate centered campaign | Political campaign in which the candidate holds more initiative than the party they represent |
| Coalition | A combination of interest groups who work together to achieve a shared political goal |
| Critical election | An electoral "earthquake" where new issues emerge, new coalitions replace old ones, and the majority party is often displaced by the minority party |
| Realignments | The shifting of voter preference from one party to another |
| Third party | A political party besides the Republican or Democratic parties |
| Proportional government | An election system in which each party running receives the proportion of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of the vote |
| Winner-take-all system | A system in which the candidate with the most district votes in a state gets all of the delegate votes from that state |
| Lobbying | When a professional advocate of an organization communicates with politicians in an attempt to influence policy |
| “Free rider” problem | When those who do not contribute to a group still benefit from their actions |
| Single issue group | An interest group with a specific focus |
| Interest Group | An organization of people with a common interest that seeks to influence policy |
| Incumbency advantage | Incumbent candidates hold an advantage over other candidates by already having a network of donors, having access to their party’s resources, and by already being seen as an authority figure by the public |
| Open primary | A primary election in which any registered voter can vote, regardless of party affiliation |
| Closed primary | A primary election in which you must be registered with the party in order to vote |
| Caucus | A private meeting run by a political party |
| Party convention | A meeting of a political party to decide on who will represent them in the next election |
| Electoral College | A committee of 538 electors that meets to decide who will be the next president |
| Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 | Passed by Congress in order to eliminate soft money donations to national parties and to ensure that electioneering communications immediately before election day are financed with regulated money and properly disclosed to the public |
| Citizens United v FEC | SCOTUS case that upheld most of the BCRA, but ruled that independent expenditures are free speech protected by the 1st Amendment therefore cannot be limited by federal law, which led to the creation of superPACs |
| Protected speech | The collective rights guaranteed in the First Amendment to the US Constitution, including speech, religion, press, assembly, and petitions |
| Political Action Committees | A committee organized for the purpose of raising and spending money to elect and defeat candidates |
| Investigative journalism | In depth reporting to uncover scandals, especially within business or the government |
| “Horse race” journalism | Political journalism that primarily focuses on on polling data instead of candidate policy |
Created by:
TessaMeyers
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