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AP Government > Unit 1 > Flashcards

Unit 1 Flashcards

1
Q

natural rights

A

the idea that all humans are born with rights, which include the right to life, liberty, and property

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2
Q

John Locke

A

an Enlightenment philosopher who argued that people are born with “natural rights” that include “life, liberty, and property” and if rulers betray the social contract, the people have a right to replace them

Limited govt

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3
Q

separation of powers

A

a principle of American government whereby constitutional authority is shared by three separate branches of government—the legislative, the executive, and the judicial

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4
Q

social contract

A

the notion that society is based on an agreement between government and the governed in which people agree to give up some rights in exchange for the protection of others

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5
Q

unalienable rights

A

rights based on nature and Providence rather than on the preferences of people (life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness)

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6
Q

State of Nature

A

The basis of natural rights philosophy; a state of nature is the condition of people living in a situation without man-made government, rules, or laws.

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7
Q

democracy

A

a term used to describe a political system in which the people are said to rule, directly or indirectly

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8
Q

direct (participatory) democracy

A

a government in which all, or most, of its citizens participate directly in either holding office or making policy

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9
Q

representative democracy

A

a political system in which leaders and representatives acquire political power by means of a competitive struggle for the people’s vote

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10
Q

limited government

A

guarantees that government does not hold all the power and that it does only things that people allow it to do

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11
Q

Popular Sovereignty

A

The principle that a government derives its power from the consent of the people, primarily through their elected representatives.

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12
Q

Republicanism

A

political system in which the supreme power lies in a body of citizens who can elect people to represent them.

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13
Q

Writer of Leviathan

A

Hobbes

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14
Q

Hobbes’ beliefs about government

A

social contract
rule by absolute sovereign
dictatorship

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15
Q

writer of 2 Treatises of Government

A

John Locke

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16
Q

Locke’s beliefs about government

A

people are born w/ natural rights (life, liberty, property)
govt should protect natural rights
limited govt
state of nature

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17
Q

writer of Discourse on Inequality & The Social Contract

A

Rousseau

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18
Q

Rousseau’s beliefs about government

A

popular sovereignty
social contract
direct democracy

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19
Q

writer of The Spirit of Laws

A

Montesquieu

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20
Q

Montesquieu’s beliefs about government

A

separation of powers (3 branches w/ checks & balances)
republicanism
representative democracy

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21
Q

Elite democracy

A

emphasizes limited participation in politics and civil society

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22
Q

Pluralist democracy

A

recognizes group-based activism by non governmental interests striving for impact on political decision making

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23
Q

Factions

A

group of individuals that share a common political purpose but differs in some respect to the rest of the entity

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24
Q

Brutus 1

A

too much power in national government; won’t be able to survive bc it’s too big, anti-federalist

favors participatory democracy

25
Federalist
supporters of a strong central government who advocated ratification of the Constitution
26
Anti-Federalist
opponents of a strong central government who campaigned against ratification of the Constitution in favor of a confederation of largely independent states
27
federalism
a political system in which ultimate authority is shared between a central government and state or regional governments
28
Federalist #10
Madison argued that political factions are undesirable but inevitable and believed that the excesses of factionalism could be limited by the system of republican representation created by the Constitution
29
Forms of representative democracies
participatory elite pluralist
30
Articles of Confederation
a constitution drafted by the newly independent states in 1777 and ratified in 1781 that created a weak national government that could not levy taxes or regulate commerce
31
Shay’s Rebellion
a rebellion in 1787 led by Daniel Shays and other ex-Revolutionary War soldiers and officers to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes: showed the weakness of the national government under the Articles of Confederation and helped lead to the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
32
Confederation
a political system in which states or regional governments retain ultimate authority except for those powers that they expressly delegate to a central government
33
Constitutional Convention
a meeting of delegates in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation, which produced a totally new constitution still in use today
34
Virginia Plan
called for a bicameral legislature in which representation is based on each state's population
35
New Jersey Plan
called for a unicameral legislature in which representation is equal regardless of a state's population
36
Three- fifths compromise
each state was to count 3/5 of all enslaved people for taxation and representation purposes
37
Connecticut Compromise
compromise at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 that reconciled the interests of small and large states by allowing the former to predominate in the Senate and the latter in the House
38
Necessary and proper (elastic) clause
authorizes Congress to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out the enumerated powers
39
AOC state govt powers
power of taxation create a state court system enforce laws passed by congress all powers not delegated to the nat govt
40
AOC national govt powers
declare war make treaties with other nations petition money from the states (but no power to collect) direct the operations of land and naval forces (don't have the power to draft an army)
41
AOC weaknesses
no chief executive Congress had no power to tax citizens Congress can't draft an army no national court system any changes made to the articles must be approved by all 13 states no national currency
42
7 principles of the Constitution
popular sovereignty separation of powers checks & balances limited government federalism judicial review republicanism
43
popular sovereignty in govt
15th, 19th, and 26th amendments
44
misuse of popular sovereignty
Dred Scott decision
45
checks and balances misuses
senate refused to hold a hearing for Prez Obama's supreme court nominee Chinese exclusion act
46
limited govt examples in govt
presidents can be impeached
47
limited govt misuse
Jan 6 insurrection sedition act of 1918
48
judicial review
constitutional doctrine that gives the court system the power to annual legislative or executive acts which the judges declare to be unconstitutional
49
enumerated
the powers that exclusively belong to the national government
50
concurrent
powers that are shared by the federal and state governments
51
implied powers
power in the govt that aren't explicitly in the Constitution that they can use in order to implement their enumerated powers
52
reserved powers
powers specific to the states
53
federal mandate
requirement the federal govt imposes as a condition for receiving federal funds
54
categorical grants
federal aid given to states with rules in place
55
block grant
grant that is less regulated than categorical grants
56
revenue sharing
both federal/state have to provide money to state budgets
57
devolution revolution
the effort to slow the growth of the federal government by returning many functions to the states
58
dual federalism
each level of govt is dominant within its own sphere and are kept separate
59
cooperative federalism
all levels of govt are involved in a variety of issues and programs

AP Government (6 decks)

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