AP Gov Ch. 1-3 Unit Terms – Flashcards

the institutions and processes through which public policies are made for a society

goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share

The process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue. Politics produces authoritative decisions about public issues.

All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. Voting is the most common method, but other means include protest and civil disobedience.

Groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics.

The process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time. People's interests, problems, and concerns create political issues for government policymakers. These issues shape policy, which in turn impacts people, generating more interests, problems and concerns.

The political channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. In the US, these include elections, political parties, interest groups and the media.

The issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given point in time.

An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it.

The branches of government charged with taking action on political issues. The US Constitution established three of these: the Congress, the presidency, and the courts. Today, the power of the bureaucracy is so great that most political scientists consider it a fourth.

A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. This is a course of action taken with regard to some problem.

A system of electing policymakers and of organizing governments so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences.

A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In a democracy, choosing among alternatives requires that the majority's desire be respected.

A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities and allows that they might join majorities through persuasion and reasoned argument.

A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and many followers.

A theory of government and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own preferred policies.

A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization.

A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened. It is an extreme, exaggerated, or perverted form of pluralism.

A condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy. The result is that nothing may get done.

The sum total of the value of all the goods and services produced in a nation.

The belief that individuals should be left on their own by the government. One of the primary reasons for the comparatively small scope of American government is the prominence of this belief in American political thought and practice.

A nation's basic law. It creates political institutions, assigns or divides powers in government, and often provides certain guarantees to citizens. They can be written or unwritten.

The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence.

Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property. This concept was central to English philosopher John Locke's theories about government, and was widely accepted among America's founding fathers.

The idea that government derives its authority by sanction of the people.

The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on government to protect the natural rights of citizens.

The first constitution of the US, adopted by Congress in 1777 and enacted in 1781. This established a national legislature, the Continental Congress, but most authority rested with the state legislatures.

A series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Daniel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings.

The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forth the institutional structure of US government and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation.

Interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth that James Madison attacked in Federalist Paper No. 10. Today's parties or interest groups are what Madison had in mind when he warned of the instability caused by these.

The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equal representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population.

The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's share of the US population.

The compromise reached at the Constitutional Convention that established two houses of Congress: the House of Representatives , in which representation is based on a state's share of the US population, and the Senate, in which each state has two representatives.

A court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody.

A feature of the Constitution that requires each of the three branches of government (executive, legislative, and judicial) to be relatively independent of the others so that one cannot control the others. Power is shared among these three institutions.

Features of the Constitution that limit government's power by requiring that power be balanced among the different governmental institutions. These institutions continually constrain one another's activities.

A form of government in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws.

Supporters of the US Constitution at the time the states were contemplating its adoption.

Opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption.

A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail.

The first 10 amendments to the US Constitution, drafted in response to some of the Anti-Federalist concerns. These amendments define such basic liberties as freedom of religion, speech, and press and guarantee defendants' rights.

A constitutional amendment passed by Congress in 1972 stating that "equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex." The amendment failed to acquire the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislatures.

The 1803 case in which Chief Justice John Marshall and his associates first asserted the right of the Supreme Court to determine the meaning of the US Constitution. The decision established the Court's power of judicial review over acts of Congress, in this case the Judiciary Act of 1789.

The power of the courts to determine whether acts of Congress, and by implication the executive, are in accord with the US Constitution. This was established by John Marshall and his associates in Marbury v. Madison.

A way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the same land and people. It is a system of shared power between units of government.

A way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government. Most governments today are this.

The workings of the federal system - the entire set of interactions among national, state, and local governments.

Article VI of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits.

The constitutional amendment stating that "The powers not delegated to the US by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."

An 1819 Supreme Court decision that established the supremacy of the national government over state governments. In deciding this case, Chief Justice John Marshall and his colleagues held that Congress had certain implied powers in addition to the enumerated powers found in the Constitution.

Powers of the federal government that are specifically addressed in the Constitution; for Congress, these powers are listed in Article I, Section 8, and include the power to coin money, regulate its value, and impose taxes.

Powers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution. The Constitution states that Congress has the power to "make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution" the powers enumerated in Article I.

The final paragraph of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which authorizes Congress to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out the enumerated powers.

A landmark case decided in 1824 in which the Supreme Court interpreted very broadly the clause in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution giving Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce, encompassing virtually every form of commercial activity.

A clause in Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the official documents and civil judgments rendered by the courts of other states.

A legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.

A clause in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution according citizens of each state most of the privileges of citizens of other states.

A system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies.

A system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government. They may also share costs, administration, and even blame for programs that work poorly.

The pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; it is the cornerstone of the national government's relations with state and local governments.

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.

Federal categorical grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications.

Federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations.

Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services.