Unit 1 AP American Government
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Created by:
LelaniD on January 9, 2012
Subjects:
AP american government, Lelan Dao, drhs
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56 terms
Terms | Definitions |
|---|---|
 authority | the right to use power |
| bureaucratic view | view that the government is dominated by appointed officials |
| democracy | the rule of the many |
| direct (participatory) democracy | a government in which all or most citizens participate directly |
| elite | persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource, like money or power |
| legitimacy | Political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution. |
| Marxist view | view that the government is dominated by capitalists |
| power elite view | view that the government is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside of government |
| pluralist view | the belief that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy |
| power | the ability of one person to cause another person to act in accordance with the first person's intentions |
| power elite | A political theory espoused by C. Wright Mills which holds that an elite of corporate leaders, top military officers, and key political leaders make most political decisions. |
| representative democracy | a government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote |
| amendment | a new provision in the Constitution that has been ratified by the states |
| Antifederalists | Those who favor a weaker national government |
| Articles of Confederation | a weak constitution that governed America during and immediately after the Revolutionary War |
| bill of attainder | a law that declares a person, without a trial, to be guilty of a crime |
| Bill of Rights | The first ten amendments to the Constitution |
| checks and balances | The power of the legislature, executive, and judicial branches of government to block some acts by the other two branches. |
| coalition | an alliance of factions |
| concurrent powers | Powers shared by the national and state governments |
| Constitutional Convention | meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new Constitution |
| enumerated powers | powers given to the national government alone |
| ex post facto law | a law that makes an act criminal although the act was legal when it was committed |
| faction | A group with a distinct political interest |
| federalism | Government authority shared by national and state governments |
| Federalists | those who favor a stronger national government |
| Great Compromise | plan to have a popularly elected House based on state population and a state-selected senate, with two members for each state |
| Habeas Corpus | an order to produce an arrested person before a judge |
| inalienable | A human right based on nature or God |
| line-item veto | an executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature |
| New Jersey Plan | proposal to create a weak national government |
| republic | A government in which elected representatives make the decisions |
| reserved powers | powers given to the state government alone |
| separation of powers | constitutional authority is shared by three different branches of government |
| Shay's Rebellion | A 1787 rebellion in which ex-Revolutionary War soldiers attempted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes |
| unalienable | a human right based on nature or God |
| Virginia Plan | proposal to create a strong national government |
| block grants | Money from the national government that states can spend within broad guidelines determined by Washington |
| conditions of aid | Terms set by the national government that states must meet if they are to receive certain federal funds. |
| devolution | The effort to transfer responsibility for many public programs and services from the federal government to the states |
| dual federalism | A constitutional theory that the national government and the state governments each have defined areas of authority, especially over commerce |
| grants-in-aid | Money given by the national government to the states. |
| initiative | process that permits voters to put legislative measures directly on the ballot |
| mandates | terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants |
| necessary and proper clause | Section of the Constitution allowing Congress to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to its duties, and which has permitted Congress to exercise powers not specifically given to it (enumerated) by the Constitution. |
| nullification | The doctrine that a state can declare null and void a federal law that, in the state's opinion, violates the Constitution. |
| police power | the authority of each state to act to protect and promote the public health, safety, morals and general welfare of its people |
| recall | Procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office |
| referendum | procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed by the legislature |
| civic competence | A belief that one can affect government policies |
| civic duty | a belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs |
| class consciousness | A belief that you are a member of an economic group whose interests are opposed to people in other such groups |
| orthodox religion | A belief that morality and religion ought to be of decisive importance |
| political culture | a coherent way of thinking about how politics and government ought to be carried out |
| political efficacy | a belief that you can take part in politics (internal efficacy) or that the government will respond to the citizenry (external efficacy) |
| progressive religion | a belief that personal freedom and solving social problems is more important than religion |
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