AP GOV vocab/semester exam terms

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Limited Government

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133 Terms

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Limited Government

a government’s power cannot be absolute; The ideal of limited government is ensured by the interaction of these principles

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Natural Rights

all people have certain rights that cannot be taken away

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Popular Sovereignty

all government power comes from the consent of the governed

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Social Contract

an implicit agreement among the in a society to give up some freedom to maintain social order.

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Representative Democracy

a system of government in which all eligible citizens to vote on representatives to make public policy for them.

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Participatory Democracy

emphasizes broad participation in politics and civil soceity.

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Pluralist Democracy

emphasizes group-based activism by nongovernmental interests striving for impact on political decision making.

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Elite Democracy

emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil liberty.

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Anti-Federalists

opposed the ratification of The Constitution and wanted more power to go to the state governments.

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Federalists

Supported the ratification of The Constitution and wanted more power to go to the federal government.

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Democracy

A system of government in which power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly.

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12

Faction

a party or group that is often contentious or self-seeking

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13

Shays’s Rebellion

an armed uprising in opposition to high taxation and insufficient economic policies that exposed concern over the weakness of the federal government under the Articles Of Confederation.

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14

Great Compromise

created a dual system of congressional representation with the House of Representatives based on each state’s population and the senate representing each state equally.

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3/5th compromise

provided a formula for a state to calculate their enslaved population for purposes of representation in the house and for taxation.

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Ratifacation

the act of consenting to the U.S. Constitution through state ratification conventions. requiring 9/13 states pass the amendment.

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Separation of Powers

specific and separate powers delegated to congress, the president, and the courts allow each branch to check and balance the power of the others.

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Checks and Balances

allow legal actions to be taken against public officials deemed to have abused their power

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Federalism

the system of government in the United States in which power is shared between the national and state governments

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Enumerated Powers

Written in the constitution

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Implied Powers

not specifically written in the Constitution but are inferred from the Necessary and Proper Clause

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Reserved Powers

 those not delegated or enumerated to the national government but are reserved to the states, as stated in the Tenth Amendment

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Concurrent Powers

shared between both levels of government such as the power to collect taxes, the power to make and enforce laws and the power to build roads

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Revenue Sharing

national funding with almost no restrictions to the states on its use and is the least used form of funding

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Categorical Grants

national funding that is restricted to specific categories of expenditures, is preferred by the national government, and is the most commonly used form of funding

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Block Grants

national funding with minimal restrictions to the states on its use and is preferred by the states

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Mandates

 requirements by the national government of the states

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Tenth Amendment

the last of the Bill of Rights to define the balance of power between the federal government and the states ; establishes reserved powers of the states

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Commerce Clause

 gives the national government the power to regulate interstate commerce, but Supreme Court interpretations can influence the extent of this power

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Elastic Clause

gives Congress the power to make laws related to carrying out its enumerated powers, but Supreme Court interpretations can influence the extent of these powers.

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Supremacy Clause

gives the national government and its laws general precedence over states’ laws, but Supreme Court interpretations may affect when specific actions exceed this constitutional power

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Formal Power

power delegated to a branch of government explicitly listed in the U.S. Constitution

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Informal Power

 powers not listed in the U.S. Constitution but implied or granted

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34

Bicameral

two-house legislature

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Senate

designed to represent states equally ; has 100 members and debate is less formal than the House ; One-third of the Senate is elected every two years, creating a continuous legislative body ; bills are typically brought to the floor by unanimous consent, but a Senator may request a hold on a bill to prevent it from getting to the floor for a vote. During debate, a Senator can use the filibuster or make a motion for cloture

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House

designed to represent the people ; Debate in the House, which has 435 members, is more formal than in the Senate ; all House members are elected every two years ; All revenue bills must originate in the House. Rules for debate in the House on a bill are established by the Rules Committee. The House can form a Committee of the Whole in order to expedite debate on bills. An individual representative in the House can file a discharge petition to have a bill brought to the floor for debate, but it is rarely done

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Federal Budget

generated by Congress to address both mandatory and discretionary spending

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Oversight

Congressional authority to ensure legislation is implemented as intended, including i. review, monitoring, and supervision of bureaucratic agencies ii. Investigation and committee hearings of bureaucratic activity iii. Power of the purse ; serves as a check of executive authorization

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Speaker of The House

elected by a majority of House members and presides over the legislative work in the House

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Bill

a draft or proposed law in Congress

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Committee

conduct hearings and debate and mark up bills with revisions and additions ; leadership in committees is determined by the majority political party ; a majority of bills do not pass committees to floor debate and vote

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Committee Hearing

a method of both houses by which committee members gather and analyze information, evidence, and testimony in deliberation over a bill prior to full chamber debate and vote

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Mark Up

additions and/or revisions of a bill done in congressional committee

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Rules Committee

establishes rules for debate on a bill in the House

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Committee of the Whole

a committee formed in the House to expedite debate on bills

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Discharge Petition

a filing by a House member to have a bill brough to the floor for debate, but rarely done

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Unanimous Consent

a typical Senate procedure to bring bills to the floor for debate and vote

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Hold

a filing by a Senator to prevent a bill from getting to the floor for a vote

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Filibuster

a tactic to prolong debate and delay or prevent a vote on a bill

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Cloture

a procedure to end a debate

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51

Conference Committee

meets when a bill passed by both chambers on the same topic has variation in its wording and attempt to reconcile those differences

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Mandatory Spending

required by law for entitlement programs such as Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid

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Entitlements

any government-provided or government-managed benefit or service to which some or all individuals are entitled

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Social Security

a social insurance program funded by a payroll tax on current employers and employees to be redistributed to qualifying individuals for retirement, disability, or survivor benefits

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Medicare

a federal government-subsidized healthcare program for qualified elderly Americans

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Medicaid

a federal government-subsidized healthcare program for qualified low-income households

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Discretionary Spending

approved on an annual basis for defense spending, education, and infrastructure ; as entitlement costs grow, discretionary spending opportunities will decrease unless tax revenues increase, or the budget deficit increases

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Infrastructure

a set of facilities, structures, and utilities developed, owned, operated, and maintained by the federal, state, and/or municipal government ; includes highways, roads, railroads, bridges, ports, airports, public transportation, water and sewage systems, electrical grids, and broadband systems

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59

Pork Barrel

funding for a local project in a larger appropriation bill

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60

Logrolling

vote trading between legislators

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61

Partisan Voting

when members of Congress vote based on their political party affiliation

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Polarization

when political attitudes move toward ideological extremes

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Gridlock

a situation in which no congressional action on legislation can be taken due to a lack of consensus

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Reapportionment

redistribution of congressional seats to the several states based on the U.S. Census held every 10 years

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Redistricting

redrawing of congressional districts by state legislatures based on congressional reapportionment

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Gerrymandering

redrawing of congressional districts with the intent to create undue advantage for a political party

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Divided Government

when one party controls the presidency and the other party controls at least one of the chambers of Congress

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Trustee Representative

A representative who will vote on issues based on their own knowledge and judgment

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Delegate Representative

A representative who sees themselves as an agent of those who elected them and will vote on issues based on the interests of their constituents

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Politico Representative

uses a combination of trustee and delegate role conceptions

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Policy Agenda

a list of subjects or issues to which government officials will agree to consider as part of public policy making

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Majority-Minority Districting

drawing an electoral district in which the majority of constituents are racial or ethnic minorities

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Power of The Purse

the ability of Congress to check the bureaucracy by appropriating or withholding funds

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Senate Confirmation

an important check on appointment powers but there can be a potential for conflict based on who is chosen by the president for appointments, including: i. Cabinet members ii. Ambassadors iii. Some positions within the Executive Office of the President iv. Supreme Court Justices, Court of Appeals judges, and District Court judges, but the president’s longest lasting influence lies in life-tenured judicial appointments

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75

Impeachment

the House formally charges an official with abuse of power or misconduct

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Removal

if the official is convicted in a Senate impeachment trial

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Precedent

the Supreme Court’s power to determine the constitutionality of a congressional law, executive action, or state law or state court decision

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Stare Decisis

 the legal doctrine under which courts follow legal precedents when deciding cases with similar facts “to make more certain

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Jurisdiction

legal authority delegated to the federal courts to rule on cases and controversies

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Original Jurisdiction

the power of a court to hear a case for the first time

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Appellate Jurisdiction

the power of a court to hear a case that has already been heard and decided by a lower court

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Judicial Activism

asserts that judicial review allows the courts to overturn current Constitutional and case precedent or invalidate legislative or executive acts

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Judicial Restraint

asserts that judicial review should be constrained to decisions that adhere to current Constitutional and case precedent

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Rule of 4

takes 4 justices to agree to take an appeal

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Writ of Certorari

to make more certain”; the court will grant this writ when they agree to hear a case

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86

Core Values

 include individualism, equal opportunity, free enterprise, and rule of law

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Individualism

each person has the ability to shape their life and destiny through the choices they make

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Equal Oppurtunity

each person has the ability to shape their life and destiny through the choices they make

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Free Enterprise

the market determines prices, products, and services

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Rule of Law

 every person, even those in power, must follow and is accountable to the same laws that govern all

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Political Socialization

the process by which individuals develop political beliefs, values, opinions, and behaviors ; family, schools, peers, media, and social environments (including civic and religious organizations) contribute to the development of an individual’s political attitudes and values

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United States Political Culture

 its democratic ideals, principles, and core values

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Globalization

process of interaction and integration among people, companies, and governments worldwide ; U.S. political culture has both influenced and been influenced by the values of other countries

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Political Ideology

 a set of political ideas and beliefs on how society should function in achieving and prioritizing goals and methods ; influenced by generational effects and life cycle effects, political events, political socialization

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Generational Effects

experiences shared by people of a common age

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Life Cycle Effects

experiences a person encounters during different life stages

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Scientific Poll

a human research survey of public opinion using statistical information to randomly select representative respondents and obtain timely results through unbiased questioning

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Opinion Poll

 measuring public opinion on various issues

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Benchmark Poll

 creating baseline views of a candidate

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Tracking Poll

following how views of a candidate change during a campaign

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