AP GOV NOTES

the process of deciding who gets benefits in a society and who does not

• changed by advances in technology and world events

  • advances in technology → new opportunities and challenges

citizen’s belief that they have the ability to achieve something desirable and that the government listens to people like them

• at an all time low in America

efficacy in action: advocating for your interests and beliefs (alongside others in similar situations) can lead to favorable outcomes

individual and collective actions designed to identify and address issues of public concern

citizens actions that are intended to solve public problems through political means

the institution that creates and implements policy and laws that guide the conduction of the nation and its citizens

• protect territory and citizens and provide national defense

• preserve order and stability

• to establish and maintain a legal system

• to provide services

• to raise and spend money

• to socialize new gereations

a quality conferred on government by citizens who believe that its exercise of power is right and proper

government in which a member of a royal family, usually a king or queen, has absolute authority over a territory and its government

government in which an elite few hold power

government in which supreme power of government lives in the hands of its citizens

system of government in which the government essentially controls every aspect of peoples lives

system of government in which the government holds strong powers but is checked by some forces

government that is structured by law, and which the power of the government is limited

government that is restricted in what it can do so that the rights of people are protected

institutions (like courts and Congress) still exist and are resilient to extreme people

on the spectrum, the left is continuing to move left and the right is continuing to move right

why are American politics becoming more polarized?

• voting system: voters choose someone extreme

• media: feeds in assumptions and reinforces stereotypes

an agreement between people and their leaders in which the people agree to give up some liberties so that their other liberties are protected

the assertion that standards that govern human behavior are derived from the nature of humans themselves and can be applied universally

the theory that government is created by the people and depends on the people for the authority to rule

the idea that individuals possess free will, and every individual is equally endowed with the god-given right of self-determination and the ability to consent to be governed

a structure of government in which citizens discuss and decide policy through majority rule

sometimes called a representative democracy, a system in which citizens elect representatives who decide policies on behalf of their constituents

the peoples collective beliefs and attitudes about government and political processes

the most essential quality of American democracy; it is both the freedom from governmental interference in citizen’s lives and the freedom to pursue happiness

an economic system in which the means of producing wealth are privately owned and operated to produce profits

the idea that in a democracy, the governments power derives from the consent of the people

the idea that in a democracy, only policies with 50% plus one vote are enacted and only candidates that win 50% plus one vote are elected

an integrated system of ideas or beliefs about political values in general and the role of government in particular

an ideology that advocates change in the social, political, and economic realms to better protect the well being of individuals and to produce equality within society

• modern liberalism often expects the government to play a more active role to ensure equality

an ideology that emphasizes preserving traditions and relying on community and family as mechanisms of continuity in society

• generally mare faith-based and private foundations to support people in need

a faction within the democratic party who emphasize the need for greater societal reform that results in a greater economic and social equality

an ideology that advocates economic equality, theoretically achieved by having the government or workers own the means of production

an ideology whose advocates believe that government should take a “hands off” approach in most matters

the characteristics of the American people in terms of race, sex, educational attainment and other characteristics

a government that derives its authority from the people and in which citizens select government officials to represent them in the processes by which laws are made; a representative democracy

legislature compromising two parts, called chambers

a union of independent states in which each state retains it sovereignty, that is, its ultimate power to govern, and agrees to work collaboratively on matters the states expressly agree to delegate a central governing body

a system of government in which ultimate governing authority is divided between two levels of government, a central government and regional governments, with each level having ultimate authority over different policy matters

a clause in Article VI of the Constitution and the treaties and laws created by the national government in compliance with the Constitution are the supreme law of the land

the Constitutions delegation of authority for the primary governing functions among three branches of governments so that no one group of government officials controls all of the governing function

a system in which each branch of government can monitor and limit the functions of the other

the new governmental structure proposed by the Virginia delegation to the Constitution Convention which consisted of a bicameral legislature, and executive elected by the legislature, and a separate national judiciary, state representation in Congress would be proportional based on state population; the people would elect members to the lower house and members of the lower house would elect members of the upper house

the proposal presented in response to the Virginia plan by the less populous states at the Constitutional Convention, which called for a unicameral national legislative in which all states would have an equal voice, an executive office comprised of several people elected bu Congress, and a Supreme Court whose members would be appointed by the executive office

the compromise between the Virginia and New Jersey plan that created a bicameral legislature with one chamber’s representation based on population and the other chamber having two members for each state

the presidents rejection of a bill, which is sent back to Congress with the president objection noted

the Senates authority to approve or reject the presidents top appointments and negotiated treaties

the 1803 Supreme Court case the established to power of judicial review, which allows to the court to strike down laws passed by the other branches that it views to be in conflict with the Constitution

individuals who supported the new Constitution as presented by the Constitutional Convention in 1787

individuals who opposed ratification of the Constitution because they were deeply suspicious of the powers it gave to the national government and of the impact those powers would have on states individual authority and freedom

the first ten amendments to the constitution, which were ratifies in 1791, constituting an enumeration of the individual liberties with which the government was forbidden to interfere

a government structure with two levels of government in which each level has sovereignty over different policy matters and geographic areas; a system of government with dual sovereignty

a governmental system in which two central government is the sovereign government and it creates other, regional governments to which it delegates some governing powers and responsibility, however, the central government retains ultimate authority (sovereignty)

a government structure in which several independent sovereign states agree to cooperate on specified policy matters by creating a central governing body; each sovereign state remains ultimate authority over other governmental matters within its borders, so the central governing body is not a sovereign government

basic governing functions that are exercised by the national and state governments independently, and at the same time, including the power to make policy, raise revenue, implement policies, and establish courts

the powers of the national government that are listed in the Constitution

the powers of the national government that are not enumerated in the Constitution but that Congress claims are necessary and proper for the national government to fulfill its enumerated powers in accordance with the necessary and proper clause of the Constitution

a clause in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution that gives Congress the power to do whatever it deems necessary and constitutional to meet its enumerated obligations; the basis of implied powers

a clause in Article VI, by which the US Constitutions ultimate authority is established; the clause states that all laws made by governments within the United States must comply with the Constitution

the matters referred to in the 10th Amendment over which states retain sovereignty

the states reserved powers to protect the health, safety, lives, and properties or residents in a state

the state-to-state relationships created by the Constitution

• in Article IV

agreements between states the Congress has the authority to review and reject

the Constitutions requirement that a state extend to other states citizens the privileges and immunities it provides for its citizens

the constitutional clause that requires states to comply with and uphold the public acts, records, and judicial decisions of other states

the 1819 case that established that the necessary and proper clause justifies broad understanding of enumerated powers

Article I clause that delegates to Congress the power to regulate interstate and international commerce interaction

case in which the US Supreme Court ruled the national Gun-Free School Zones Act unconstitutional and affirmed that state governments have the right to establish gun-free school zones

state courts use of their state constitutions to determine citizens rights, particularly when state constitutions guarantee greater protections than the US Constitution does

the initial model of national and state relations in which the national government takes care of its enumerated powers while the state governments independently take care of their reserved powers

intergovernmental relations in which the national government supports state governments efforts to address the domestic matters reserved to them

intergovernmental relations in which the national government imposes its policy preferences on state and local government

the process whereby the national government returns policy responsibilities to state or local governments

the phenomenon of preference for state or national government action (hence preference for dual federalism, cooperative federalism, or centralized federalism) depending on policy substance and partisan makeup of government at the other levels

the relationship between the national government and state and local governments whereby the national government provides grant money to state and local governments

a grant-in-aid for narrowly defied purpose, whose dollar value is based on a formula

clauses in legislation, including legislation that establishes grants-in-aid programs that direct state and local governments to comply with national rules, standards, and other legislative directives

a grant requirement that obligates the government receiving the grant to spend some of its own money to match a specified percentage of the grant money provided (ex: Medicaid)

a grant-in-aid for a narrowly defined purpose for which governments compete with each other by proposing specific projects

a grant-in-aid for a broadly defined policy area, whose funding amount is typically based on formula

the constitutionally based principle that allows a national law to supersede state or local laws

a legal theory that state governments have the authority to invalidate national actions they deem unconstitutional

a model of representation in which a member of the House or the Senate follows his or her own conscience when deciding issue positions

a model of representation in which legislatures, as representatives of their constituents, should vote in keeping with the constituents views, even if those views contradict the legislators personal views

a hybrid model of representation in which legislatures vote in keeping with constituents views on important or high-profile matters but rely on the trustee model for more mundane matters

legislators appropriations of funds for special projects located within their congressional districts

a designation within a spending bill that provides for specific expenditure

personal work by a member of Congress on behalf of a constituent or group of constituents, typically aimed at getting the government to do something the constituent wants done

a role in which an elected or appointed leader acts as an advocate for citizens by listening to and investigating complaints against a government agency

the process by which the legislative branch “checks” the executive branch to ensure that the laws Congress has passed are being administered in keeping with legislators intent

reallocation of seats in the House of Representatives to each state based on changes in state populations since the last census

the redrawing of congressional district boundaries within each state, based on reapportionment from the Census

a wooden box that sits on a desk at the front of the House of Representatives, into which House members place bills they want to introduce

the practice, abolished in the 104th Congress, by which a bill could be referred to two different committees for consideration

the primary committee considering a bill

a permanent committee in Congress, with a defined legislative jurisdiction

ex: House Appropriates Committee

a congressional committee created to consider specific policy issues or address a specific concern

ex: U.S. House Select Committee on the Climate Crisis

a bicameral committee composed of members of both chambers of Congress

a subordinate committee in Congress that typically handles specific areas of standing committees jurisdiction

one of the most important committees in the House, which decides the length of debate and the scope of amendments that will be allowed on a bill

an agreement by every Senator to the terms of debate on a given pice of legislation