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APGOV
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Enlightenment | a European intellectual movement of the 17th and 18th centuries in which ideas concerning God, reason, nature, and humanity were synthesized into a worldview that gained wide assent in the West and that instigated revolutionary developments in art, etc. |
| Natural Rights | The idea that people are born with certain rights given to them by the creator/god and cannot be taken away by the government |
| State of Nature | the condition of human beings before or without political association. |
| Popular Sovereignty | A government based on the consent of the people |
| Social Contract | The people give some of their power to the government to keep their rights ensured |
| Republicanism | people elect leaders to represent them and create laws in the public interest |
| Separation of Powers | Separation of powers is the fundamental way our government balances power so that one part of the government doesn't overpower another |
| Limited Government | The limiting of the governments power so that way its balanced |
| Participatory Democracy | Emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil society |
| Elite Democracy | Emphasizes limited participation by a few, well-educated and informed statespeople who are qualified to direct the nation through law making on behalf of the people |
| Pluralist Democracy | Describes group-based activism by nongovernmental interests which works to impact political decision making |
| Federalist 10 | Written by James Madison, this Federalist 10 defended the form of republican government proposed by the Constitution. Critics of the Constitution argued that the proposed federal government was too large and would be unresponsive to the people. |
| Federalist | A person who believes in the constitution |
| Anti-Federalist | A person who is against the constitution |
| Brutus 1 | an anti-federalist paper written by an anonymous author known as Brutus, arguing against the ratification of the U.S. Constitution. |
| Necessary Clause and Proper Clause | grants Congress the power to enact laws that are "necessary and proper" for carrying out its enumerated powers and other powers vested in the federal government |
| Supremacy Clause | addresses the legal status of the laws that other parts of the Constitution empower Congress to make, as well as the legal status of treaties and the Constitution itself. |
| Articles of Confederation | The first form of the constitution that resulted in fail because States had too much power leaving the central government with very little power. |
| Constitutional Convention | Is the gathering of delegates from different states to decide on ultimately drafting or amending the constitution |
| U.S Constitution | The second and the only document that has remained successful to list all the rights of the people and the foundation for the federal government |
| Stakeholder | Anyone with a vested interest in the outcome of policymaking |
| Federalism | The division of power between the national government and the state governments |
| Exclusive Powers | Powers delegated by the constitution to the federal government alone |
| Reserved Powers | Powers kept by the states |
| Concurrent Powers | The sharing of power between the state and national governments |
| Fiscal Federalism | Fiscal federalism is an economic framework for understanding the relationship among federal, state, and local governments that focuses on the division of spending and taxing powers among the state and national government |
| Devolution | the transfer or delegation of power to a lower level, especially by central government to local or regional administration |
| Supremacy clause | Arguing that the “Laws” to which the Supremacy Clause refers are those passed pursuant to Congress’s lawmaking power under Article I, Section 7, such as federal statutes; treaties; and the Constitution |
| 14th Amendment | grants citizenship to all people born or naturalized in the United States and ensures equal protection under the law for all citizens |
| USA Patriot Act | An act that stops future terrorist attacks but soon became a complaint because it affected the 4th amendment rights |
| No Child Left Behind Act | It stipulated that in order for schools to receive federal funds then the school must meet a certain criteria |
| McCullouch vs. Maryland | A court case that aimed at building a 2nd federal bank |
| United States vs. Lopez | A case in which the Court found the 1990 Gun-Free School Zones Act unconstitutional for overstepping the congressional boundaries of the Commerce Clause. |
| Federalist 51 | James Madison explains and defends the checks and balances system in the Constitution |
| Article of Confederation VI | Stated that no state could send or receive embassies or enter into treaties without the consent of Congress |
| The Great Compromise | Created a bicameral legislature (House and Senate) with proportional representation in the House and equal representation in the Senate. |
| The Three Fifths Compromise | Decided that 3/5 of the enslaved population would be counted for both representation and tax purposes |
| Constitution Article V | Outlines the process for amending the Constitution, requiring a two-thirds vote in both houses of Congress or by two-thirds of state legislatures for proposal |
| The Bill of Rights | Are the first 10 Amendments. Addresses the concerns of the Anti-Federalist |
| Supremacy Clause | The clause in Article VI of the Constitution declares that federal laws are the Supreme Law of the Land, which over rides conflicting State laws. |
| Original Jurisdiction | The Supreme Court can hear the case first. |
| Appellate Jurisdiction | The Supreme Court can hear a case after it was heard by a lower court |
| Block Grants | These grants come with fewer restrictions and more flexibility. States love these types of grants. |
| Unfunded Mandates | Federal requirements imposed on a State government that comes with no funds (money) |
| The Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (1995) | This ACT limited the federal governments ability to impose mandates without providing funds |
| Revenue Sharing | Involves national funding with minimal restrictions. It's the least used form of funding. |
| Constitution Article VI | Contains the Supremacy Clause, stating that Federal law is the supreme law of the land |
| Commerce Clause | Constitution Article 1 Section 8, gives Congress the power to regulate commerce with foreign nations, among states and with Indian tribes |
| Dissenting Opinion | A written opinion in a legal case by one or more judges who disagree with the majority opinion |
| Bicameral | A system of government in which the legislature comprises two houses. House and Senate |
| Legislative branch | Congress, aka the law making branch, is divided in to two houses the House of Representatives and the Senate |
| Enumerated Powers | List of powers given to Congress which enables them pass legislation |
| Implied powers | Its able to be understood even though its not explicitly said |
| President Pro Tempore | a high-ranking senator of the majority party who presides over the US Senate in the absence of the vice president. |
| Senate Majority Leader | the chief representative of their party in the Senate and is considered the most powerful member of the chamber. |
| Committee | A group of a people appointed for a specific function, typically consisting of members of a larger group. |
| House Rules Committee | a committee of the United States House of Representatives. It is responsible for the rules under which bills will be presented to the House of Representatives, unlike other committees, which often deal with a specific area of policy. |
| Committee of the Whole | a meeting of a legislative or deliberative assembly using procedural rules that are based on those of a committee, except that in this case the committee includes all members of the assembly. |
| Discharge Petition | petitions that are used to try to get around obstructionism by the majority party, as a last resort to get a floor vote on an Act/bill. |
| Filibuster | A speech designed to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill, resolution, amendment, or other debatable question. |
| Cloture | a process for ending a debate, it requires 60 votes from the legislative branch |
| Unanimous Consent | a formal process where all board members approve a decision without the need for a formal debate and vote within the meeting. |
| Riders | a provision attached to a bill that is often unrelated to the bill's main topic. |
| Pork Barrel Spending | Refers to the allocation of federal funds for local projects that benefits the legislators district, often included in larger appropriation bills |
| Logrolling | Refers to the practice of legislators exchanging votes to support each others bills and achieve mutual legislative goals |
| Deficit | the amount by which something, especially a sum of money, is too small. |
| Ideological Division | the differences in belief systems, values, and ideas between groups of people, often manifested in political contexts. These divisions can lead to disagreements and potentially fostering polarization. |
| Political Polarization | is the divergence of political attitudes away from the center, towards ideological extremes. House and Rep have two different ideologies which are Conservative relating to the Republicans and Liberal relating to Democrats |
| Divided Government | a situation where the executive branch (the White House) and the legislative branch (Congress) are controlled by different political parties. |
| Lame Duck | refers to an elected official in the final period of their term, especially after a successor has been elected but before the successor takes office. |
| Baker V Carr | A court case that started because of the population increase in Tennessee's urban areas and weren't represented equally unlike rural areas |
| Gerrymandering | Process of redistricting to gain advantage for a political party, but more importantly for or against RACIAL GROUP |
| Shaw V Reno | A court case that asked the question whether it was justiciable or not for redistricting/gerrymandering, also questioned racial gerrymandering |
| Reapportionment | the process of redistributing seats in the House of Representatives among the states after each census. |
| Census | Done every ten years to see how far a population has grown in one's state |
| Redistricting | is the revision or replacement of existing electoral districts, resulting in new districts with different geographical boundaries. |
| Speaker of the House | The person responsible for overseeing the House business, including recognizing speakers and making committee assignments |
| Discharge Petition | Used in the House to bring a bill out of committee for a floor vote if a majority of house members sign the petition. |
| Conference Committee | This committee is convened to resolve discrepancies between House and Senate versions of a bill, ensuring a unified final version is passed in both chambers |
| Pork-Barrel legislation | Refers to the allocation of federal funds for local projects that benefits the legislators district, often included in larger appropriation bills |
| Partisanship | Refers to a strong allegiance to a political party, which can influence opinions, policies, and actions in government and politics. |
| Formal Powers | Powers explicitly given to the executive branch in Article 2 of the constitution |
| Executive Order | A directive from the president that has the force of a federal law, but is not actually a law |
| Executive agreement | Agreement between president and another head of state |
| Signing statement | An additional statement the president can offer when signing a bill into law that informs the nation how he or she interprets the law and thus he or she intends to execute it |
| Pocket Veto | A type of veto when the President doesn't sign a bill within 10 days and Congress has adjourned, preventing the bill from becoming law. |
| Presidential Appointment | The President of the United States selects and officially names individuals to various positions within the federal government, including those that require Senate confirmation. |
| Senate Confirmation | The process where the Senate votes to approve or disapprove a presidential nomination for a federal position. Its also a key part in checks and balances |
| Commander in Chief | The president's title for the military |
| Federalist 70 | Authored by Alexander Hamilton, argues for a strong, single executive in the U.S. government. Hamilton believed that a unified executive, possessing energy and decisiveness, was essential for effective governance. |
| Judicial Review | Grants the supreme court the power to test the constitutionality of laws. |
| Federalist 78 | A document that argued on Hamilton's behalf about the lifetime appointments insulated the judges from Political pressure and they should focus on constitutional interpretation of laws. |
| Marbury V. Madison | The court case that established the precedent of judicial review for the supreme court. |
| Engel v. Vitale | case that ruled mandatory prayer in public schools is unconstitutional, even if the prayer is nondenominational and students can opt out. This case argued of the establishment clause |
| Establishment Clause | prohibits the government from establishing a religion or endorsing or favoring one religion over another. |
| Wisconsin v. Yoder | a 1972 Supreme Court case where the Court ruled that Wisconsin's compulsory school attendance law violated the First Amendment's Free Exercise Clause for the Old Order Amish. |
| Free Exercise Clause | protects individuals' right to practice their religion without government interference. |
| First Amendment | freedom speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition |
| Tinker v. Des Moines | A court case that argued about how freedom of speech was viewed when protesting. |
| Writ of Mandamus | A court order compelling an official to perform a duty they are legally required to do. |
| Judicial activism | __________ __________ refers to courts that actively interpret and apply the law in ways that can create new policies, considering the broader impact on society |
| Judicial Restraint | _________ __________ emphasizes sticking to precedents and interpreting the Constitution as it is written. |
| Pendleton Civil Service Act | This Act established a merit-based system for hiring and promoting federal employees. |
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