AP Government Cumulative Vocab

The process of influencing the actions and policies of the government

The rules and institutions that make up the system of policy making

Power is held by the people

Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness

People give their government the ability to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society

The ideas of liberty, equality, and Rights shape the shared set of beliefs, customs, tradition, and values that define the relationship of Americans to their government

Emphasized participatory rights and a focus on the common good. The authority of the government comes from the people

The idea that the government’s right to rule comes from the people

Rights that are self evident and cannot be taken away

Social, political, and economic freedoms

A theory that widespread political participation is essential for democratic government

independent associations outside of the government's control

Power is distributed among many competing groups, no single groups can grow too powerful. Emphasizes the role of groups in the policy making process

Elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policy making process

The structure of government, including executive, judicial, and legislative. Limits the power of national government to protect citizens’ fundamental rights

Ad democratic system with elected representatives in which the constitution is the supreme law

A document that sets out the fundamental principles of the governance and establishes the institutions of government

A government ruled by representatives of the people

A governing document that created a union of thirteen sovereign states in which the states, not the national government, were supreme.

Established a weak national government with few structures to make member states work together

Happened under the Articles of Confederation. An uprising against the government of Massachusetts. They focused on the courts and closed them down. Congress could not raise an army to control the rebellion. Boston wealthy lended money to the state to operate a militia.

A meeting attended by state delegates in 1787 to fix the Articles of Confederation. Very bad representation of who was actually making up each state (all men, well educated, slave owners).

Delegates opted for absolute secrecy. The two biggest issues were the representation of states in the national government and the powers of the national government

Article I, Section 9

The rights of the people detained by the government to know the charges against them

Article I, Section 9

When the legislature declares someone guilty without a trial

Article I, Section 9

Laws punishing people for acts that were not crimes at the time they were committed

A plan of government calling for a three-branch government with a bicameral legislature, where most populous states would have more representation in Congress

Provided for a unicameral legislature with equal votes for each states

A committee at the constitutional convention that worked out the compromise on representation

An agreement for a plan of government that drew upon both the Virginia and the New Jersey Plans

Settled issues of state representation by calling for a bicameral legislature with a house of representatives apportioned proportionally and a senate apportioned equally

A two house legislature

Addressed the issue of how enslaved individuals would be counted for representation and taxation purposes.

Each enslaved person would count as 3/5 of a person.

Aimed to balance the interest of southern states with large enslaved populations and northern states where slavery was less prevalent

Congress could not restrict the slave trade until 1808

A design of government that distributed powers across institutions in order to avoid making one branch too powerful on its own

Each branch has powers that can prevent the other branches from making a policy

The sharing of power between the national government and the states

The institution responsible for making laws. Meant to be more responsive to the people

Authority specifically granted to a branch of government in the constitution

Granted Congress the powers necessary to carry out its enumerated powers

The institution responsible for carrying out laws passed by the legislative branch. Citizens do not vote directly for the president, an electoral college consisting of electors awards to states based on their representation in Congress

Institution responsible for hearing and deciding cases through the federal courts

The Constitution, along with federal laws and treaties, is the supreme law of the land

Supporters of the proposed Constitution, who called for a strong national government. Tended to be more wealthy merchants and southern plantation owners

Those who opposed the Constitution and who favored strong state governments. More people in rural areas, more farmers and shopkeepers.

A series of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison published between 1787 and 1788 that lay out the theory behind the constitution

A group of self-interested people who use the government to get what they want, trampling rights of others in the process

A system where the central government has all of the power over sub national governments

A system where the sub national governments have most of the power

A system where the power is divided between the national and state governments

Powers only the national government may exercise.

Coin money, declare war, raise and support a military, makes treaties, provide of naturalization of American Citizens, and regulate interstate and foreign commerce

Powers not granted specifically to the national government but considered necessary to carry out the enumerated powers

Grants Congress the power to regulate commerce among the states, with foreign nations, and with Native American tribes

The powers not delegated to the federal government by the constitution, nor prohibited to it by the states, are reserved to the states or the people.

Underscores the principle of Federalism.

Powers not given to the national government, which are retained by the states and the people

Powers granted to both states and the federal government

Constitutional Clause requiring states to recognize the public acts, records, and civil court proceedings from another state

The requirement that officials in one state return a defendant to another state where the crime was committed

Constitutional Clause that prevents states from discrimination against people from out of state

outlawed slavery

people born n the US are citizens

prohibits states from denying persons due process or equal protection under law

States may not deny persons equal protection under the laws

States may not deny persons due process under the law

Gave African American males the right to vote

Where the states and the nation operate independently in their own areas of public policy.

Neither government can intrude within the jurisdiction or authorize any interference

The process through which the Supreme Court applies fundamental rights in the Bill of Rights to the States on a case by case basis

Where the states and the national government work together to shape public policy

Federal money provided to states ti implement public policy objectives

The federal governments use of grants in Aid to influence policies in the states

Grants in Aid provided to states with specific provisions on their use.

An important source of national power

Federal requirement that states must follow without being provided with funding

A type of grant in Aid that gives state officials more authority in the disbursement of federal funds

when the federal government apportions tax money to the states with no strings attached

Returning more authority to state of local governments

Legislation that directs funds to projects within districts or states

Trading of votes in legislation by members of Congress to get their earmarks passed into legislation

The allocation of money to specific projects and states or congressional districts

Efforts by Congress to ensure that executive agencies, bureaus, and cabinet departments as well as their officials, are acting legally and in accordance with Congressional goals

A body of voters in a given area who elect a representative or senator

The process of determining the number of representatives for each state using census data

Redrawing district boundaries of electoral districts following each census

The intentional use of redistricting to benefit a specific interest group of voters

Drawing of district boundaries into strange shapes to benefit a political party.

Aims to increase the representation of one political party at the expense of another

A district in which voters of a minority ethnicity constitute an electoral majority within that electrical district

The uneven distribution of the population among legislative districts.

Unconstitutional because it violates the equal protection clause

Being already in office as opposed to running for the first time

Institutional advantages held by those already in office who are trying to fend off challengers in an election

The leader of the House of Reps. chosen by an election of its members

An organization that raises money for candidates and campaigns

The person who is the second in command of the House of Reps.

A member of Congress, chosen by their party members,whose job is to ensure party unity and discipline.

Collects information about how party members are going to vote

The head of the party with the second highest number of seats in congress, chosen by the party’s members

The person who has the most power in the Senate and is the head of the part with the most seats

Leader of a congressional committee who has authority over the committee’s agenda

A motion filed by member of Congress to move a bill out of committee and onto the floor of the House for a vote

A powerful committee that determines when a bill will be subject to debate and vote on the house floor, how long the debates will last, and whether the amendments will be allowed on the floor

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

A delay placed in legislation by senator who objects to a bill

An agreement in the Senate that sets the terms for consideration of a bill

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

A procedure through which senators can end debate on a bill and proceed to action, provided 60 senators agreed to it

The power of a president to reject a bill passed by Congress, sending it back to the originating branch with objections

The executive branch office that assists the president in setting National spending priorities