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AP GOV stack
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Articles of Confederation | The first constitution of the United States that created a weak national government. Its weaknesses were highlighted in Shay's Rebellion. |
| Baker v. Carr | Tennessee districts didn't reflect the current population, causing residents in rural areas' votes to count more than people in urban areas. The Supreme Court ruled they could make decisions on the fairness of districts under the equal protection clause. |
| Block Grants | Grants given to the states for a broad use. |
| Brutus 1 (Anti-Federalists, 1787) | Argues that too much power is given to the central government and that a large republic does not represent the people. |
| Categorical Grants | Grants that are given to the states for a specific reason. |
| Checks and balances | Having systems incorporated into the government that prevent it from abusing its power and becoming too powerful. |
| Cloture | Used to end a filibuster. You need 3/5ths of the Senate's votes to have successful cloture. |
| Commerce Clause | The national government can regulate interstate commerce. |
| Committee of the Whole | Simplifies the rules of debate and opens the conversation. |
| Compromise on the importation of slaves | No new slaves can be imported into America after 1808. |
| Conference Committee | A committee formed with members from both the Senate and the House to iron out differences in similar legislation. |
| Congress (Legislative Branch) | Is a bicameral legislature (composed of the Senate and the House of Representatives). Its powers are outlined in Article 1 of the Constitution. |
| Cooperative Federalism | The levels of government work together to get different goals done (1933- 1962). |
| Delegate model | When representative votes based on what his constituents want, even when other representatives don't agree with what the constituents want. |
| Discharge Petition | Filed to get a bill out of the committee and take it straight to the floor. |
| Discretionary spending | Programs in which Congress and the President have to renew spending for it every year. |
| Dual Federalism | The federal and state government are independent of each other and have separate duties (1789-1932). |
| Elite Democracy | A small group of people makes decisions for everybody; these people are usually wealthy and well-educated. |
| Enumerated powers | The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution. |
| Executive Branch | The President rules through formal and informal powers. |
| Extradition | If you commit a crime and flee to a different state, the state you fled to must bring you back to the state you committed the crime in. |
| Federalism | Having shared powers between the national, state, and local governments. |
| Federalist #10 (James Madison, 1787) | Argues that a large republic is the best way to fight inevitable factions. The Constitution helps protect the minority party. |
| Federalist #51 (James Madison, 1788) | Argues that separation of powers within the national government is the best way to prevent the concentration of power in the hands of one person or a single group. |
| Federalist #70 (Alexander Hamilton, 1788) | Argues that having a singular executive power (the President) is in the best interest of the people. He will be held accountable and can make quick decisions. |
| Federalist #78 (Alexander Hamilton, 1788) | Argues that Judges should be appointed like officers of the Union. They should keep their jobs through good behavior and focus on the law. Stresses the importance of the independence of the judiciary. |
| Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists | The Federalists supported the ratification of the Constitution, whereas the Anti-Federalists opposed it, as they believed it gave the national government too much power. |
| Filibuster | Where a member holds the Senate floor to prevent a bill from going to vote. |
| Full Faith and Credit Clause | States must trust documents that come from other states. |
| Gerrymandering | Redistricting strategically to ensure one party gets more representation in that district, a process that can lead to a majority to have representation in Congress. |
| Grants-in-aid | Money given to the states by the federal government that doesn't have to be paid back. |
| Implied Powers | Powers not expressed in the Constitution but are understood as powers given to the federal government. |
| Inherent powers | Powers of the President. |
| Joint Committee | A committee with people from both the Senate and the House, that is created for a specific reason. |
| Limited Government | The government cannot do anything it wants because it is restricted by the Constitution. |
| Logrolling | When Congressmen agree to support each other's bills. |
| Mandates | When the federal government requires governments to do something. |
| Mandatory spending | Programs in which the government has already made a commitment to pay. |
| McCulloch v. Maryland | Maryland tried to tax the Second Bank of the United States in an attempt to close it. It was argued that under the necessary and proper clause, the government could create a bank and under the supremacy clause state tax cannot interfere with federal. |
| Natural Rights | The rights given to every person. These rights can not be taken away by the government. If these rights are violated, then the people have the right to revolt. |
| Necessary and Proper Clause | The national government can stretch its enumerated powers in order to perform its job. |
| New Federalism (includes fiscal federalism) | Instead of having centralized federalism where the power is mostly in the federal government, devolution is occurring, and there has been a movement to return some of the power back to the states (1963- Present) |
| Participatory Democracy | Citizens have the power to decide on a policy, but the politicians that are elected by the people implement the people's decisions. |
| Pluralist Democracy | Nobody dominates policymaking, but instead, different groups of people compete for influence in the government. |
| Politico model | Members of Congress act as delegates or trustees depending on the issue |
| Popular Sovereignty | The idea that the people should have the main voice in the government, and the government should be held accountable to the people. The power is in the people. |
| Pork barrel Legislation | When Congressmen negotiate for legislation that helps their specific district but not the whole country. |
| Privileges and Immunities Clause | States can't discriminate against people based on what state they are from. |
| Reapportionment | The delegation of representatives to different districts based on population. This determines which states get more representation. |
| Redistricting | The redrawing of district lines for representation. |
| Republicanism | A representative form of government that is limited. |
| Reserved powers | Powers reserved for the states. (10th amendment) |
| Rules Committee | Decides how a proposed bill will be voted on and debated. |
| Select Committee | Created for a specific purpose and will eventually end. |
| Separation of Powers | Having authority and jurisdiction divided up in the government. |
| Shaw v. Reno | North Carolina residents were mad about a majority-minority district and the case reached the Supreme Court where the government ruled that race can't be the predominant factor in redistricting because that violates the 14th amendment. |
| Shay's Rebellion | A violent revolt of farmers led by Daniel Shay. Due to the government's weakness and lack of control, they didn't have enough power to successfully control this revolt. |
| Social Contract | A contract between the government and the governed. With this contract, the governed understands that they must give up some of their natural rights in exchange for protection from the government, alongside other benefits. |
| Standing Committee | Committees that are always in operation. |
| The Constitution | Establishes the American government. Key principles include natural rights, republicanism, social contract, and consent of the governed. |
| The Declaration of Independence | Signed in 1776 by US revolutionaries; it declared the United States as a free state from Britain and stated their grievances. Includes big ideas of consent of the governed, popular sovereignty, and natural rights. |
| The Electoral College | Body that determines how the President and Vice President gets elected. Electors from each state vote for the President and Vice President and the number of electors each state gets is determined by the number of representatives they have in Congress. |
| The Great (Connecticut) Compromise | This merged Virginia and New Jersey plan, creating a bicameral legislature. In one house, the number of representatives each state gets is based on their population. In the other house, the number of representatives for each state is the same. |
| The House of Representatives | State representation is determined by a census (conducted every 10 years). The representatives are up for reelection every 2 years. |
| The Senate | Hold office for 6 years, which means that 1/3 of the Senate is up for reelection at a time. Each state has 2 senators. |
| Three-Fifths Compromise | Each slave was counted as 3/5ths of a person when it came to determining representation in Congress. |
| Trustee model | When representative votes based on what they think is right, even if it is different from what their constituents want. |
| United States v. Lopez | Congress passed the Gun-Free School Zones Act. Lopez was found with a gun in a school zone and argued that Congress never had the authority to pass the act. But the U.S. argued that the elastic and commerce clauses allowed them to. Ruled in favor of Lopez |
Created by:
laurencam18
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