AP Government and Politics Key Terms/ Concepts
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14 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 Articles of Confederation | this document, the nations first constitution, was adopted by the second continental congress in 1781during the revolution. the document was limited because states held most of the power, and congress lacked the power to tax, regulate trade, or control coinage |
| Anti-Federalist | Opposed to a strong central government; saw undemocratic tendencies in the Constitution and insisted on the inclusion of the Bill of Rights. Included Thomas Jefferson, James Monroe, and Patrick Henry. |
| Amending Process (informal/formal) | ... |
| Authoritarian/ totalitarian regime | Characterized by or favoring absolute obedience to authority, as against individual freedom/Totalitarianism (or totalitarian rule) is a political system where the state, usually under the control of a single political person, faction, or class, recognizes no limits to its authority and strives to regulate every aspect of public and private life wherever feasible |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments of the U.S. Constitution, containing a list of individual rights and liberties, such as freedom of speech, religion, and the press. |
| Constant of the governed | To make and administer the public policy and affairs of; exercise sovereign authority in. |
| Direct democracy | A form of government in which citizens rule directly and not through representatives |
| Elite theory | A theory of government and politics contending that societies are divided along class lines and that an upper-class elite will rule, regardless of the formal niceties of governmental organization. |
| Electoral college | group of persons chosen in each state and the district of columbia every four years who make a formal selection of the president and vice president |
| European Enlightenment | The Age of Enlightenment (or simply the Enlightenment) is the era in Western philosophy and intellectual, scientific, and cultural life. People began to believe that everyone had a natural right to life, liberty and property |
| Federalists Papers #10 | A series of eighty-five essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay in the late 1780s to persuade the voters of New York to adopt the Constitution. The essays are considered a classic defense of the American system of government, as well as a classic practical application of political principles. |
| Federalists | Supporters of the Constitution that were led by Alexander Hamilton and John Adams. They firmly believed the national government should be strong. They didn't want the Bill of Rights because they felt citizens' rights were already well protected by the Constitution. |
| Great Compromise (Connecticut) | Adopted at the Philadelphia Convention, this plan provided for the equal representation of the states in senate and House of Representation. |
| John Locke | English empiricist philosopher who believed that all knowledge is derived from sensory experience (1632-1704) |
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