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AP Gov Exam Terms
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| democracy | a system of government where power is held by the people |
| natural rights | life, liberty, and property which the government can't take away |
| social contract | government is made for the people and the people are able to overthrow the government if it doesn't protect their rights |
| popular sovereignty | the power belongs to the people |
| republicanism | the people elect representatives to represent them in the government |
| participatory democracy | emphasizes a broad participation in politics and civil society; citizens can influence policy, but don't make them EX: voting and Bill of Rights |
| pluralist democracy | group based activism by non-governmental interests striving for impact on political decision making; no one group dominates other groups but all compete to influence policy (pluralist theory) EX: interest groups and trade unions |
| elite democracy | emphasizes limited citizen participation in politics and civil society; a small number of people, usually those who are wealthy, influence political decision (elite theory) EX: electoral college |
| political institutions | the structure of government including branches |
| constitutional republic | democratic system with elected representative where the Constitution is the supreme law |
| inalienable rights | rights the government can't take away |
| liberty | social, political, and economic freedoms |
| republic | a government ruled by representatives of the people |
| unicameral | one house legislative |
| Shay's Rebellion | uprising against the MA government |
| constitutional convention | a meeting attended by state delegates (1787) to fix the Articles of Confederation |
| writ of habeas corpus | the fight of people detained by the government to know the charges against them |
| bills of attainder | when the legislature declares someone guilty without a trial |
| ex post facto laws | laws punishing people for acts that weren't crimes at the time they were committed |
| virginia plan | 3 branches, bi-cameral legislature (based on population), favored by large states |
| new jersey plan | 3 branches and able to tax, unicameral legislature (each state 1 vote), small states favored |
| the great compromise | bi-cameral legislature, house of reps (based on population; directly elected), senate (equal representation; 2 per state) |
| 3/5 compromise | slaves counted as 3/5ths of a person for population (in favor of southern states) |
| separation of powers | form of government that distributes power to each branch so one won't be more powerful than the others |
| checks and balances | each branch has a check on the other to ensure one branch doesn't over power the other |
| federalism | the sharing of power between the national and state government |
| legislative branch | makes the laws |
| expressed (enumerated) powers | powers granted to the government through the Constitution |
| necessary and proper (elastic) clause | gives power to interpret the Constitution in any way they want |
| implied powers | powers not specifically granted to the government but Congress can make laws to carry out its enumerated powers |
| executive branch | enforces the laws |
| judicial branch | interprets the laws |
| supremacy clause | the Constitution and laws of the U.S. are the supreme law of the land |
| amendment | process to make a change to the Constitution |
| federalist papers | 85 essays written by Madison, Jay, and Hamilton in favor of the Constitution |
| faction | group of people with similar ideas that want to have dominating influence within the government |
| federalism | a system that divides power between the national and state governments |
| unitary system | a system where the central government has all of the power over subnational governments |
| confederal system | a system where the subnational governments have the most power |
| federal system | a system where power is divided between national and state governments |
| enumerated (expressed powers) | powers granted to the national government through the constitution |
| exclusive powers | powers only the national government can have |
| implied powers | powers not granted specifically to the national government but are considered necessary |
| commerce clause | grants congress the authority to regulate interstate business and commercial activity |
| necessary and proper clause | grants the federal government the authority to pass laws required to carry out its enumerated powers |
| reserved powers | powers that are retained by the states and the people |
| concurrent powers | powers granted to both state and federal governments |
| full faith and credit clause | constitutional clause requiring states to recognize the public acts, records, and civil court proceedings than another state |
| extradition | requires a state official to retain a criminal to another state where the crime was committed |
| privileges and immunities clause | prevents states from discriminating against people from out of state |
| dual federalism | states and national government run independently in their own areas of public policy |
| selective incorporation | the process where the supreme court applies fundamental rights in the bill of rights |
| cooperative federalism | states and national government work together to shape public policy |
| grant-in-aid | federal money provided to states to implement public policy objectives |
| fiscal federalism | the governments use of grant-in-aid to influence policies in the states |
| categorical grants | grant-in-aid provided to states with specific provisions on their use |
| unfunded mandate | federal requirements that states must follow without being provided with funding |
| revenue sharing | when the federal government apportions tax money to the states with no strings attached |
| devolution | returning more authority to state or local governments |
| house of representatives | the lower house of Congress directly elected by the people; 435 members; elections every 2 years; at least 25 years old; population |
| senate | the upper house in Congress; before appointed by state legislatures, now appointed by the people; 6 year terms; at leas 30 years old; 2 senators per state |
| pork barrel spending | Legislation that directs specific funds to projects within districts or states |
| logrolling | Trading of votes on legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation |
| earmarks | The allocation of money to specific projects in states or congressional districts |
| oversight | Efforts by Congress to ensure that executive branch agencies, bureaucracies, and cabinet departments, as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with congressional goals |
| constituencies | A body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator |
| apportionment | the process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data |
| redistricting | States’ redrawing of boundaries of electoral districts following each census |
| gerrymandering | The intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest or group of voters |
| partisan gerrymandering | Drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party |
| majority-minority districts | A district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electoral district |
| malapportionment | the uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts |
| incumbency | Being already in office as opposed to running for the first time |
| incumbency advantage | institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election |
| speaker of the house | the leader of the House of Representatives, chosen by an election of its members |
| political action committee (PAC) | an organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns |
| house majority leader | a person who is second in command of the House of Representatives |
| whip | A member of Congress, chosen by his or her party members, whose job it is to ensure party unity and discipline |
| minority leader | the head of the party with the second-most number of seats in Congress, chosen by the party’s members |
| senate majority leader | the person with the most power in the Senate and is the head of the party with the most seats |
| committee chair | leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda |
| discharge peitition | a motion filed by a member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote |
| house rules committee | a powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the House floor, how long the debate will last, and whether amendments will be allowed on the floor |
| committee of the who | Consists of all members of the House and meets in the House chamber but is governed by different rules, making it easier to consider complex and controversial legislation |
| hold | A delay placed on legislation by a senator who objects to a bill |
| unanimous consent agreement | An agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill |
| filibuster | a tactic through which an individual senator may use the right of unlimited debate to delay a motion or postpone action on a piece of legislation |
| cloture | a procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided 60 senators agree |
| veto | The power of a president to reject a bill passed by Congress, sending it back to the originating branch with objections |
| office of management and budget (OMB) | the executive branch office that assists the president in setting national spending priorities |
| entitlement program | a program that provides benefits for those who qualify under the law, regardless of income |
| mandatory spending | spending required by existing laws that is “locked in” the budget |
| discretionary spending | spending for programs and policies at the discretion of Congress and the president |
| budget surplus | the amount of money remaining when the government takes in more than it spends |
| budget deficit | the shortfall when the government makes less money than it spends |
| national debt | the total amount of money owed by the federal government |
| delegate role | the idea that the main duty of a member of Congress is to carry out constituents’ wishes |
| trustee role | the idea that members of Congress should act as trustees, making decisions based on their own knowledge and judgment |
| politico role | representation where members of Congress balance their choices with the interests of constituents when making decisions |
| bipartisanship | agreement between the parties to work together in Congress to pass legislation |
| gridlock | a slowdown or halt in Congress’s ability to legislate or overcome divisions, especially those based on partisanship |
| divided government | control of the presidency and one or both of the houses of Congress split between the two major political parties |
| lame duck period | period at the end of a presidential term when Congress may block presidential nominees and initiatives |
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