13814099356 | political socialization | the process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions (lifelong) | 0 | |
13814106017 | Slander | the action or crime of making a false spoken statement damaging to a person's reputation. | 1 | |
13814107040 | Libel | A written defamation of a person's character, reputation, business, or property rights. | 2 | |
13814109209 | Amendment 21 (1933) | Repealed prohibition and the 18th Amendment Only amendment to be proposed by 2/3 of the states. | 3 | |
13814115465 | precedent | an earlier event or action that is regarded as an example or guide to be considered in subsequent similar circumstances. | 4 | |
13814120335 | Keynesian economics | Economic theory based on the principles of John Maynard Keynes stating that government spending should increase during business slumps and be curbed during booms. | 5 | |
13814122033 | enumerated powers | The powers explicitly given to Congress in the Constitution. | 6 | |
13814123686 | concurrent powers | Powers held jointly by the national and state governments. | 7 | |
13814125483 | pork barrel | the use of government funds for projects designed to please voters or legislators and win votes. | 8 | |
13814127383 | Casework | Activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals; cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get people what they think they have a right to get | 9 | |
13814130095 | Retrospective Model | a decision-making model that focuses on how decision makers attempt to rationalize their choices after they are made | 10 | |
13814131691 | Formal Powers of the President | Veto power, command armed forces, pardoning power, appointment powers, make treaties, convene Congress | 11 | |
13814133070 | Informal Powers of the President | The power to go public, power of persuasion, make executive agreements, issue executive orders, issue signing statements, create & use bureaucracy, personality and leadership, and make legislative proposals. | 12 | |
13814134352 | trustee model | a model of representation in which a member of the House or Senate follows his or her own conscience when deciding issue positions | 13 | |
13814137876 | Elastic Clause | Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which allows Congress to make all laws that are "necessary and proper" to carry out the powers of the Constitution. | 14 | |
13814139803 | Necessary and Proper Clause | Clause of the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 3) setting forth the implied powers of Congress. It states that Congress, in addition to its express powers, has the right to make all laws necessary and proper to carry out all powers the Constitution vests in the national government | 15 | |
13814141007 | Supremacy Clause | Article VI of the Constitution, which makes the Constitution, national laws, and treaties supreme over state laws when the national government is acting within its constitutional limits. | 16 | |
13814142473 | Free Exercise Clause | A First Amendment provision that prohibits government from interfering with the practice of religion. | 17 | |
13814144129 | Establishment Clause | Clause in the First Amendment that says the government may not establish an official religion. | 18 | |
13814147064 | mandatory spending | Federal spending required by law that continues without the need for annual approvals by Congress. | 19 | |
13814149203 | discretionary spending | Federal spending on programs that are controlled through the regular budget process | 20 | |
13814151847 | 14th Amendment | Declares that all persons born in the U.S. are citizens and are guaranteed equal protection of the laws | 21 | |
13814153860 | Amending the Constitution | Needs approval of two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of the states | 22 | |
13814155126 | Americans with Disabilities Act | Passed by Congress in 1991, this act banned discrimination against the disabled in employment and mandated easy access to all public and commercial buildings. | 23 | |
13814156941 | amicus curiae brief | Literally, a "friend of the court" brief, filed by an individual or organization to present arguments in addition to those presented by the immediate parties to a case. | 24 | |
13814157651 | Articles of Confederation | A weak constitution that governed America during/after the Revolutionary War. | 25 | |
13814159854 | Constitution | A document which spells out the principles by which a government runs and the fundamental laws that govern a society | 26 | |
13814160999 | Best budget predictor | the budget for last year plus or minus a small increment representing the rate of growth or shrinkage of revenues | 27 | |
13814162518 | block grants | Federal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services | 28 | |
13814163615 | Brown v. Board of Education | 1954 - The Supreme Court overruled Plessy v. Ferguson, declared that racially segregated facilities are inherently unequal and ordered all public schools desegregated. | 29 | |
13814165547 | Bureaucratic advantage over president | bureaucrats usually have continuity of service in the executive branch that the president lacks | 30 | |
13814166654 | Candidate Centered Campaigns | Election campaigns and other political processes in which candidates, not political parties, have most of the initiative and influence. | 31 | |
13814168003 | categorical grants-in-aid | Funds given by Congress to states and localities and that are earmarked by law for specific categories, such as education or crime prevention | 32 | |
13814169797 | categorical grants | Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport | 33 | |
13814171812 | Changes in presidential election processes (since 1960) | Popular vote does not equal electoral vote | 34 | |
13814182797 | Checks and Balances | A system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power | 35 | |
13814184461 | Civil Rights Act of 1964 | outlawed discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin | 36 | |
13814186632 | Civil Rights Act of 1950 | first civil rights legislation- equal rights in public places | 37 | |
13814188552 | Clear and Present Danger | Interpretation of the First Amendment that holds that the government cannot interfere with speech unless the speech presents a clear and present danger that it will lead to evil or illegal acts. | 38 | |
13814189914 | closed rule | A procedural rule in the House of Representatives that prohibits any amendments to bills or provides that only members of the committee reporting the bill may offer amendments. | 39 | |
13814191208 | Cloture Motion | Can end a filibuster - bring a bill to a vote | 40 | |
13814194706 | Commerce Clause | The clause in the Constitution (Article I, Section 8, Clause 1) that gives Congress the power to regulate all business activities that cross state lines or affect more than one state or other nations. | 41 | |
13814198008 | committee chairs | The most important influencers of the congressional agenda. They play dominant roles in scheduling hearings, hiring staff, appointing subcommittees, and managing committee bills when they are brought before the full house. | 42 | |
13814199692 | conference committee | Committee appointed by the presiding officers of each chamber to adjust differences on a particular bill passed by each in different form. | 43 | |
13819636149 | Conneticut Compromise | Bicameral Congress; House is based on state population, Senate with equal representation | 44 | |
13819640550 | Virginia Plan | "Large state" proposal for the new constitution, calling for proportional representation in both houses of a bicameral Congress. The plan favored larger states and thus prompted smaller states to come back with their own plan for apportioning representation. | 45 | |
13819642961 | New Jersey Plan | A constitutional proposal that would have given each state one vote in a new congress | 46 | |
13819647674 | 3/5 Compromise | the decision at the Constitutional convention to count slaves as 3/5 of a person for the purpose of deciding the population and determining how many seats each state would have in Congress | 47 | |
13819655174 | enumerated powers | Powers given to the national government alone (listed in Constitutions) | 48 | |
13819675098 | delegated powers | Powers specifically given to the federal government by the US Constitution, for example, the authority to print money. | 49 | |
13819677873 | concurrent powers | Powers held jointly by the national and state governments. | 50 | |
13819683682 | reserved powers | Powers given to the state government alone | 51 | |
13819695222 | executive privilege | The power to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security. | 52 | |
13819700329 | Affirmative Action | A policy designed to redress past discrimination against women and minority groups through measures to improve their economic and educational opportunities | 53 | |
13819707406 | selective incorporation | The process by which provisions of the Bill of Rights are brought within the scope of the Fourteenth Amendment and so applied to state and local governments. | 54 | |
13819717235 | Recession | A slowdown in a nation's economy | 55 | |
13819725343 | discount rate | The interest rate on the loans that the Fed makes to banks | 56 | |
13819733110 | reserve requirement | the percentage of deposits that banking institutions must hold in reserve | 57 | |
13819733111 | free enterprise | Economic system in which individuals and businesses are allowed to compete for profit with a minimum of government interference | 58 | |
13819736825 | equality of opportunity | giving people an equal chance to succeed | 59 | |
13819741209 | Congressional Incumbency Advantage | Congressmen have an advantage as incumbents because the people are already familiar with them and so are more likely to vote for them | 60 | |
13819784776 | Congressional Oversight | Power used by Congress to gather information useful for the formation of legislation, review the operations and budgets of executive departments and independent regulatory agencies, conduct investigations through committee hearings, and bring to the public's attention the need for public policy | 61 | |
13819789656 | Congressional Powers | Article 2 Section 8 of constitution gives the legislature or congress 27 expressed powers. A few are: Declare War Raise and fund army Regulate trade and commerce Levy taxes Borrow Money Investigate activities Impeach President Make laws for execution of expressed powers Many implied powers as well | 62 | |
13819800483 | standing committee | A permanent committee established in a legislature, usually focusing on a policy area | 63 | |
13819813227 | Constituent Services | Services a congressperson provides for his/her constituents (ex., helping with government claims like social security & veterans benefits) | 64 | |
13819816993 | Cooperative Federalism | A system of government in which powers and policy assignments are shared between states and the national government. They may also share costs, administration, and even blame for programs that work poorly. | 65 | |
13819825422 | Core Values | the primary or dominant values that are accepted throughout the organization | 66 | |
13819832794 | political culture | an overall set of values widely shared within a society | 67 | |
13819836711 | corporate lobbyists | Corporations often hire consulting firms to do their lobbying. Since a business' first priority is running its business, it often doesn't have the internal expertise or connections needed to find the right government official and fully examine all the issues and concerns that need to be addressed. | 68 | |
13819841413 | critical election | An election when significant groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty. | 69 | |
13819846826 | Delegates | representatives | 70 | |
13819854629 | Devolution | the transfer of powers and responsibilities from the federal government to the states | 71 | |
13819863901 | convention system | open meeting of political parties to select candidate, takes over caucus system | 72 | |
13819869568 | district courts | the lowest federal courts; federal trials can be held only here | 73 | |
13819874025 | appellate court | A court having jurisdiction to review cases and issues that were originally tried in lower courts. | 74 | |
13819878577 | divided government | one party controls the White House and another party controls one or both houses of Congress | 75 | |
13819886062 | Gerrymandering | Process of redrawing legislative boundaries for the purpose of benefiting the party in power. | 76 | |
13819886063 | Griswold v. Connecticut | Established that there is an implied right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution | 77 | |
13819892203 | Gitlow v. New York | established selective incorporation of the Bill of rights; states cannot deny freedom of speech; protected through the 14th amendment | 78 | |
13819892246 | Roe v. Wade | (1973) legalized abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy | 79 | |
13819895497 | NYT v. Sullivan | Libel and slander are not protected, and you need to prove malicious intent. | 80 | |
13819899179 | Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) | 1966 law that allows citizens to obtain copies of most public records | 81 | |
13819902782 | Group voting tendencies | Certain racial, economical, and gender groups are more likely to vote for a certain political party. In general, Jewish, Women, and Non-white people are more likely to vote Democrat while Wealthy men are more likely to vote Republican. | 82 | |
13819908917 | horse race journalism | news coverage that focuses on who is ahead rather than on the issues | 83 | |
13819916589 | Impeachment Process | Constitutional process for removing executive officers & judges for "treason, high crimes & misdemeanors" (whatever Congress thinks is impeachable). Two stages: (1) House decides to impeach (accuse) target (simple majority); (2) Senate holds trial to convict (2/3 majority). Andy Johnson and Bill Clinton were impeached but not convicted. Nixon resigned as Articles of Impeachment were being drafted! | 84 | |
13819922747 | imprisonment without trial | Against Civil rights, being held without being charges (Due Process) | 85 | |
13819926869 | incorportation doctrine | The legal concept under which the Supreme Court has nationalized the Bill of Rights by making most of its provisions applicable to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment. | 86 | |
13819930384 | Incumbency reelection rate | Incumbency reelection rate is generally much higher than rookie politicians. Allows politicians to say they have made progress. | 87 | |
13819936651 | independent regulatory commission | A government agency or commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress. | 88 | |
13819943823 | Independent Regulatory Agencies | Federal regulatory agencies that are independent, thus not fully under the power of the president. Ex. Federal Trade Commission, Securities and Exchange Commission. | 89 | |
13819953838 | independent regulatory commission | A government agency or commission with regulatory power whose independence is protected by Congress. | 90 | |
13819956958 | Bias | A particular preference or point of view that is personal, rather than scientific. | 91 | |
13819956959 | interest group | An organization of people sharing a common interest or goal that seeks to influence the making of public policy | 92 | |
13819968394 | political party | A group of individuals with broad common interests who organize to nominate candidates for office, win elections, conduct government, and determine public policy | 93 | |
13819968395 | Iron Triangle | A close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group | 94 | |
13819972742 | judicial activism | An interpretation of the U.S. constitution holding that the spirit of the times and the needs of the nation can legitimately influence judicial decisions (particularly decisions of the Supreme Court) | 95 | |
13819977165 | judicial activism | An interpretation of the U.S. constitution holding that the spirit of the times and the needs of the nation can legitimately influence judicial decisions (particularly decisions of the Supreme Court) | 96 | |
13819977167 | judicial restraint | A judicial philosophy in which judges play minimal policymaking roles, leaving that duty strictly to the legislatures | 97 | |
13819979912 | Judicial Review | Allows the court to determine the constitutionality of laws | 98 | |
13819983914 | Marbury v. Madison | This case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review | 99 |
AP Exam Review Words Flashcards
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