AP Government Unit 2 Chapter 3 Vocabulary
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confederation or confederal system
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A political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers that may expressly delegate to a central government. the United States was a confederation from 1776 to 1787 under the Articles of Confederation.
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devolution
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The current effor to scale back the size and activities of the national government and to shift responsibility for a wide range of domestic programs from Washington to the states. In recent years these areas have included welfare, health care, and job training.
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dual federalism
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A constitutional theory that the national government and the state governments each have defined areas of authority, especially over commerce.
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federal republic
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A system in which sovereignty is wholly in the hands of that national government.
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grants-in-aid
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Federal funds provided to states and localities. These are typically provided for airports, highways, education, and major welfare services.
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initiative
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A procedure allowing voters to submit a proposed law to a popular vote by obtaining a required number of signitures.
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Intergovernmental lobby
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Lobby formed in 1990s made up of mayors, governors, superintendents of schools, state directors of public health, country highway commissioners, local police chiefs, and others who had come to count on federal funds. Different groups (states, countries, cities) opened up Washington to take care of their interests. They try to get more federal funding with fewer strings attached.
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interstate commerce
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Commerce which Congress could regulate. Stemmed from doctrine of dual federalism.
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intrastate commerce
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Commerce which only the states could regulate. Stemmed from doctrine of dual federalism.
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land grant colleges
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Grants made by the national government to the states in order to finance education. State universities all over the country were built with the procedes from the sale of these land grants.
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James Madison
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Founding father and supporter of the Federalism in the United States.
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McCulloch v. Maryland
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1819 case where courts found that congress has the power to manage money: to lay and collect taxes, issue a currency, and borrow funds and congress therefore has the right to set up a national bank. Also the courts found that the States do not have the right to tax federal instruments. Because of this Marylands taxation on the National bank were deemed unconstitutional. This case further confirmed that the national govenment retains complete supremecy over the states.
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mandates
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Rules imposed by the federal government on the states as conditions for obtaining federal grants or requirements that the the states pay the costs of certain nationally defined programs.
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Medicaid
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Government grant-in-aid program which financed the majority of medical and long-term care services for low-income and disabled adults and children.
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Mobel Cities
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national interests
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Governmental concerns considered to be primarily the responsibility of the central government.
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necessary-and-proper clause
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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. Sometimes called the \"elastic clause\" because of teh flexibility that it provides to Congress.
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nullificiation
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A theory first advanced by James Madison and Thomas Jefferson that the states had the right to \"nullify\" (that is, declare null and void) a federal law that, in the states' opinion, violated the Constitution. the theory was revived by John C. Calhoun of South Carolina in opposition to federal efforts to restrict slavery. the North's victory in the Civil War determined once and for all that the federal Union is indissoluble and that states cannot declare acts of Congress unconstitutional, a view later confirmed by the Supreme Court.
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police powers
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The power of a state to promote, health, safety, and morals.
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recall
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A procedure, in effect in over twenty states, whereby the voters can vote to remove an elected official from office.
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referendum
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The practice of submitting a law to a popular vote at election time. The law may be proposed by a voter's initiative or by the legislature.
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revenue sharing
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A law providing for the distrivution of a fixed amount or share of federal tax revenues to the states for spending on almost any government purpose. Distribution was intended to send more money to poorer, heavily taxed states and less to richer, lightly taxed ones. The program was ended in 1986.
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second-order devolution
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The flow of power and responsibility from states to local governments
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sovereignty
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Supreme or ultimate political authority; a government that is this is one that is legally and politically independent of any other government.
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states' rights
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Tenth Amendment
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Amendment which stated that the powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
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third-order devolution
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The use of nongovernmental organizations to implement public policy. One step further from second-order devolution.
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unitary system
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A system in which sovereignty is wholly in the hands of the national government so that subnational political units are dependent on its will.
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