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AP Govt(Definitions)
Definitions out of Government in America textbook
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Goods, such as clean air and clean water, that everyone must share | Public Goods |
| The process by which we select our governmental leaders and what policies these leaders pursue-produces authoritative decisions about public issues. | Politics |
| The institutions and processes throuhg which public policies are made for a society. | Government |
| All the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. Voting is the most common but not the only means of this in a democracy. Other means include protest and civil disobedience. | Political Participation |
| Groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics. These features distinguish them from traditional interest groups. | Single-Issue Groups |
| The process by which policy comes into being and evolves over time. People's interests, problems, and cncerns create political issues for government policymakers. These issues shape policy, which in turn impacts people, generating more interests. | Policymaking System |
| The policital channels through which people's concerns become political issues on the policy agenda. In the US they include elections, political parties, interest groups, and the media | Linkage Institutions |
| An issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it. | Political Issue |
| Congress, the presidency, and the courts, and the power of the bureaucracy is so great that most people consider it, along with the others, _________ | Policymaking Institutions |
| A choice that government makes in response to a political issue. A policy is a course of action taken with regard to some problem. | Public Policy |
| The effects a policy has on people and problems. They are analyzed to see how well a policy has met its goal and at what cost. | Policy Impacts |
| A system of selecting policymakers and of organizing government so that policy represents and responds to the public's preferences. | Democracy |
| A fundamental principle of traditional democratic theory. In choosing among alternatives , the will of over half of the voters should be followed. | Majority Rule |
| A principle of traditional democratic theory that guarantees rights to those who do not belong to majorities and allows that they might join majorities throuhg persuasion and reasoned argument. | Minority Rights |
| A basic principle of traditional democratic theory that describes the relationship between the few leaders and the many followers. | Representation |
| A theory of govt and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for its own perferred policies. | Pluralist Theory |
| A theory of govt and politics contending that societies are divided along class tines and that an upperclass elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization. | Elite and Class Theory |
| A theory of govt and politics contending that groups are so strong that govt is weakened. | Hyperpluralism |
| A conditions that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy. The result is that nothing may get done. | Policy Gridlock |
| An overall set of value widely shared within a society. | Political Culture |
| The sum total of the value of all that goods and services produced in a nation. | Gross Domestic Product |
| A nation's basic law. It creates political institutions, assigns or divides powers in government, and often provides certain guarantees to citizens. | Constitution |
| The document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence. | Declaration of Independence. |
| Rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on govts, which include life, liberty, and property. | Natural Rights |
| The idea that govt derives its authority by sanction of the people. | Consent of the governed |
| The idea that certain restrictions should be placed on govt. to protect the natural rights of citizens. | Limited Government |
| The first constitution of the US adopted by Congress in 1777 and enacted in 1781. Established a national legislature, the Continental Congress, but most authority rested with the state legislatures. | Articles of Confederation |
| A series of attackes on courhouses by a small band of farmers led by Revolutionary War Captain Dnaiel Shays to block foreclosure proceedings. | Shay's Rebellion |
| The document written in 1787 and ratified in 1788 that sets forht the institutional structure of US govt and the tasks these institutions perform. It replaced the Articles of Confederation. | US Constitution |
| Interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of perperty of wealther 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 instrability in govt caused by ___. | Factions |
| The proposal at the Constitutional Convention that called for equalk representation of each state in Congress regardless of the state's population. | New Jersey Plan |
| 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. | Virginia Plan |
| The compromise reached at the Constitutional Conventon that established two houses of Congress, the House of Representatives (population based) and the Senate (each state gets 2 representatives). | Conneticut Compromise |
| A court order requiring jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody. | Writ of Habeas Corpus |
| A feature of the Constitution that requires each of the three branches of govt-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. | Separation of Powers |
| Features of the Constitution that limit govt's power by requiring that power be balanced among the different governmental institutions. | Checks and Balances |
| A form of govt in which the people select representatives to govern them and make laws. | Republic |
| Supporters of the US Constitution at the time that states were contemplating its adoption. | Federalists |
| Opponents of the American Constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption. | Anti-Federalists |
| A collection of 85 articles written by Alexander Hamiliton, Job Jay, and James Madison under the name "Publius" to defend the Constitution in detail. | Federalist Papers |
| The first 10 Amendments of the US Constitution drafted in response to some of the Anti-Federalist concerns. Deifne freedom of religion, speech, and press. | Bill of Rights |
| A constitutional amendment passed by Congres in 1972 stating equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the US or by any state on the accound of sex. The amendment failed to acquire the necessary support from 3/4 of the states | Equal Rights Amendment |
| The power of the courts to determine whether acts fo Congress and by implication the executive are in accord with the US Constitution. Established by Judge Marshall and his associates in Marbury vs. Madison. | Judicial Review |
| A way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of govt. have formal authority over the same land and people. It is a system of shared power between units of govt. | Federalism |
| A way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central govt. | Unitary Governments |
| The workings of the federal system-the entire set of interactions among national, state, and local govt. | intergovernmental Relations |
| Article VI of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws when the national govt is acting within its constitutional limits. | Supremacy Clause |
| Powers of the federal govt that are specitivall addessed in the Constitution forCongress these powers are listed in Article I, Section 8, and include the power to coin mony, regulate its value, and impose taxes. | Enumerated Powers |
| Powers of the federalgovt that go beyong those enumerated in the Constitution. The Constitution states that Congress has the power to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution. | Implied Powers |
| Tyhe final paragraph of Article 1, Section 8 which authorizes Congress to pass all laws necessary and proper to carry out the enumerated powers. | Elastic Clause |
| A clause in Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution requiring each state to recongnize the official documents and civil judgments rendered by the courts of other states. | Full Faith nd Credit |
| A legal process whereby an alleged ciniminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state o officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed. | Extradition |
| A clause in Article IV, Section 2 of the Constitution according citizens of each state most of the privileges of citizens of other states. | Privileges and Immunities |
| A system of govt in which both the states and the national govt remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies. | Dual Federalism |
| A system of govt in whixh 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. | Cooperative Federalism |
| Transferring responsibility for policies from the federal govt to state and local govt. | Devolution |
| The pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system, it is the cornerstone of the national govt's relations with state and local govt. | Fiscal Federalism |
| Federal grants that can be used onyl for specific purposes, or categories, of state and local spending. They come with strings attached. | Categorical Grants |
| Federal categorical grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications. | Project Grants |
| Federal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations. | Formula Grants |
| Federal Grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services. | Block Grants |
| Part of the 14th Amendment guaranteeing that persons cannot be deprived of life, liberty, or property by the US or state govt without due process of the law. | Due Process Clause |
| The legal constitutional protections against govt. They are defined by the courts, police, and legislatures. | Civil Liberties |
| The legal concept under which the Supreme Court has nationalized tha Bill of Rights by making most of its provisions applicable to the states through the 14th Amendment. | Incorporation Doctrine |
| Part of teh 1st Amendment stating that Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion. | Establishment Clause |
| A first amendment provision that prohibits govt from interfering with teh practice of religion. | Free Exercise Clause |
| A govt preventing material from being published. This is a common method of limiting the press in some nations, but it is usually unconstitutional in the US. | Prior Restraint |
| The publication of false or malicious statements that damge someone's reputation. | Libel |
| Nonverbal communication, such as burning a flag or wearing an armband. | Symbolic Speech |
| Communication in the form of adversitising, it can be resticted more than other types of speech but has been receiving increased protection from the SCOTUS. | Commercial Speech |
| The sitution occurring when the polic have reason to believe that a person should be arrested. In making the arrest, police are allowed legally to search for and seize incriminating evidence. | Probable Clause |
| Ovtaining evidence in a haphazard or random manner, a practice prohibitied by the 4th amendment. | Unreasonable Search and Seizure |
| A written authorization from a court specifying the area to be searched and what the police are searching for. | Search Warrant |
| The rule that evidence, no matter how incriminatning, cannot be introduced into a trial if it was not constitutionally obtained. | Exclusionary Rule |
| The situation occurring when an individual accused of a crime is compelled to be a witness again himself or herself in court. | Self-Incrimination |
| A bargain struck between the defendant's lawyer and the prosecutor to the effect that the defendant will plead guilt to a lesser crime in exchange for the state's promise not to prosecute the defendant for a more serious crime. | Plea Bargaining |
| Although the SCOTUS has ruled that mandatory death sentences for certion offenses are unconstitutional, it has not held that the death penalty itself constitutes as this. | Cruel and Unusual Punishment |
| The right to a private personal life free from the intrusion of the govt. | Right to Privacy |
| Policies designed to protect people against arbitrary or discriminatory treatment by govt officials or individuals. | Civil Rights |
| Part of the 14th Amendment emphasizing that the laws must provide equivalent protection to all people. | Equal Protection of the Laws |
| The law that made racial discrimination against any group of hotels, motels, and restuerants illegal and forbade many forms of job discrimination | Civil Rights Act of 1964 |
| The legal right to vote | Suffrage |
| Small taxes levied on the right to vote that often fell due at a time of year when poor blacks sharecroppers has the least crash on hand. This method was used by most Southern states to exclude blacks from voting. | Poll Taxes |
| One of the means used to discourage black voting that permitted political parties in the heavily democratic south to exclue blacks from prmiary elections, thus depriving them of voice in the real contests. | White Primary |
| A law designed to help end formal and informal barriers to black suffrage. | Voting Rights Act of 1965 |
| The issue rasied when women who hold traditionally remale jobs are paid less than men for working at jobs requiring comparable skill. | Comparable Worth |
| A law passed in 1990that requires employers and public facilities to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities and prohibits discrmination of these groups | American with Disabilities Act of 1990 |
| A policy designed to give speicla attentionto or compensatory treatment for members of some previously disadvantaged group | Affirmative Action |
| Another way of referring to state and local govt. Throuhgh a process fo regorm, modernization, and changing intergovernmental relations since the 1960s. | Subnational Governments |
| The power pssessed by 42 state governors to veto only certain parts of a bill while allowing the rest of it to pass into law. | Line-Item Veto |
| Often the second-highest executive official in state govt who is elected with the governor as a ticket in some states and is elected separately in others. | Lieutenant Governor |
| Method for selecting state judges in which governors appoint persons based on the recommendations of a committee. | Merit Plan |
| Government controlled directly by citizens. | Direct Democracy |
| A process permitted in some states whereby voters may place proposed chanegs to state law on the ballot if sufficien signatures are obtains on petitions calling for such a vote. | Initiative |
| A state-level method of direct legislation that gives voters a chance to approve or disapprove liegislation or a constitutional amendment proposed by the state legislature. | Referendum |
| A procedure that allows voters to call a special election for a specific official in an attempt to throw him or her out of office before the end of the term. | Recall |
| The idea that local govts have only those powers that are explicitly given them by the states. This means local govt has very little discretion over what policies they pursue or hwo they pursue them. | Dillon's Rule |
| An organizational statement and grant of authority from the state to a local govt, much like a state or national constitution. States sometimes allow municipalities to write their own and to change them without permission of the state legislature. | Local Charter |
| The practice by which municipalities are permitted by the state to write their own charters and change them without permission of the state legislature, within limits. | Home Rule |
| A special form of directo democracy under which all voting-age adults in a community gather once a year to make public policy. | Town Meeting |
| An official appointed by the city council who is responsible for implementing and administering the council's actions. | City Manager |
| Councils in many areas of the country where officials from various localities meet ot discuss mutual problems and plan action. | Council of Governments |
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