AP Government Unit One Note Cards

Question 1

Natural Rights

Answer 1

Right people get for being humans and are not given them by the government.
Example: Right to freedom and security

Question 2

Social Contract

Answer 2

Is the contact between people and the government. The citizens give up some of their freedom to the government. The government gives people protection through things like security through police

Question 3

Republicanism/Republic

A.K.A. Representative democracy

Answer 3

Its when people vote for representatives to represent them in the federal government. Example: The senate and house of representatives are voted for by the people.

Question 4

Limited government

Answer 4

Limited government is where the powers of the government are limited, some what like the powers of the federal government were limited during the articles of confederation.

Question 5

Popular Sovereignty

Answer 5

A state’s government power are abtained through consent of the governed, meaning the state’s power from from the people they are governing.

Question 6

Checks & Balances

Answer 6

Systematic ways in which the governemnt is divided.The US’s checks and balances are the Legislature, Judicuary and Excutive.
Checks and balances are put in place to prevent one branch of the government from gaining too much power.

Question 7

Separation of Powers

Answer 7

Dividing the federal government into groups, this lead to the creation of checks and balances.

Question 8

Participatory Democracy

Answer 8

A democracy where people make decesion and their voted representatives implement them. Example: Town hall meeting

Question 9

Pluralist Democracy

Answer 9

A democracy where interest groups compete for power but with not one group dominating.

Question 10

Interest Group

Answer 10

Intrest groups are groups of people with the same goal/ interests and their goal is to influence the policy/laws.
Examples: Teacher’s Union, Democracts, Republicans.

Question 11

Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists

Answer 11

Fedralists are the supporters of the federal government having more power while federalists did not want the federal government to have to much power.

• Fedralist-supported the constitution
• Anti Fedralists like the Articles of Confederation which was when states had more power.

Question 12

Articles of Confederation

Answer 12

First form of government used by th united states. In the articles of confederation the federal government had limited power whereas the state governments had a lot of power.

Question 13

Shay’s Rebellion

Answer 13

Number of attacks on court houses to stop judges from foreclosing on firms lead by Daniel Shay.

Question 14

Federalist Papers

Answer 14

A series of papers written by fedralists to help people better understand the need for the constitution and why it should be passed.

Question 15

Great Compromise (A.K.A. Connecticut Compromise)

Answer 15

For represnattion of the states:
New jersey suggested, equal representation no matter what.
Viginia suggested, representation depending on proportional population.
The great compromise was two create two houses and use both suggestions one used for the senate and the house of represenataives.

Question 16

3/5 Compromise

Answer 16

The compromise was that slaves counted as 3/5th of a vote when counting the population to determine how many house representatives each states got.

Question 17

Electoral College

Answer 17

A group of people established by the united states constitution to vote for the president.

Question 18

Supremacy Clause

Answer 18

Article Five of the constitution that makes the constitution national law, and treaties supreme over state laws as long as the federal government is within its limits.

Question 19

Commerce Clause

Answer 19

The clausesates power listed in the United States Constitution. The clause states that the United States Congress shall have power to regulate Commerce with foreign Nations, and among the several States.

Question 20

Necessary & Proper

Clause (A.K.A. Elastic Clause)

Answer 20

Gives the government to create laws to help them exercise their powers. The government can create federal banks anywhere in the country under their right to tax and this is allowed because this bank is necessary for them to be able to carry ou their power.

Question 21

Bill of Rights

Answer 21

Is he first ten amendments of the US constitution, which lists basic human rights.
Example: Freedom of speech and religion

Question 22

Federalism

Answer 22

When a government is orgainzed in a way that two or more levels of the government are governing over the same people.
Example: The state and federal government are ruling over the same US citiizens.

Question 23

Enumerated Powers

Answer 23

Powers of the federal government that are specifically listed in the constitution.
Example: Article one section 8, congress has the power to regulate money and impose taxes.

Question 24

Implied Powers

Answer 24

Federal government powers that go beyond the ones listed under the constitution.( necessary and proper clause)
Example: The constitution does not specifically say that the government has the power to build federal banks but under the necessary and proper clause interms of the governments power to regulate money and impose taxes. Building a federal government is within their powers.

Question 25

Concurrent Powers

Answer 25

Are powers shared by both the state government and the federal government. Example: Both the federal and state government have the power to tax people, which is why there are state and federal taxes.

Question 26

Reserved Powers found in 10th Amendment

Answer 26

Any powers in the constitution not given to the federal government in the constitution goes to the states.

Question 27

McCulloch v. | Maryland

Answer 27

Maryland tried to tax a federal bank but when taken to court the supreme court ruled in the favour of the bank snce the federal government was with in its powers under the necessary and proper clause.

Question 28

US v. Lopez

Answer 28

Lopez brought a loaded gun to school and the federal government tried to charge him of a federal crimes instead of state crimes under the commerce clause. The supreme court ruled against the federal government because this was able the commerce clause.

Question 29

Incentives

Answer 29

Something that motivates people to do something | Example: I stay up at night to do my homework hopping to get a good grade.

Question 30

Aid programs

Answer 30

Federal programs put in place to provide states with needed funds.

Question 31

Mandates

Answer 31

The authority granted by a constituency to act as its representative.

Question 32

Categorical grants

Answer 32

The main source of federal aid to state governments.(given for specific use) Note: They come with rule and regulations( have strings attached to them)

Question 33

Block grants

Answer 33

Grants Awarded autmatically to states to support programs.( Unlike catergorial grunts, these don't have as much strings attached to them)

Question 34

Constituent

Answer 34

Person who is represented by a particular government offical. Example: US citizens are constituents of President Trump.

Question 35

Discretion

Answer 35

Power of officials to act according to the dictates of their own judgment and conscience.

Question 36

Faction

Answer 36

Faction is a group of people who share a common value, goal or intrests. Example: Political parties.

Question 37

Direct Democracy

Answer 37

Is where the citizens decide policies directly and not through representatives.

Question 38

Federalist 10

Answer 38

Esay by James Madison to addres the dangers of factions in the new government that was then being formed.

Question 39

Brutus 1

Answer 39

Paper written by and Anti- Fedralist to show the people the flaws of the new constitution before it was passed.

Question 40

Federalist 51

Answer 40

Federalist 51 was written to address the need for checks and balances with in the government.