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AP Government Chapter 3 Flashcards

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4813898721federalismA way of organizing a nation so that two or more levels of government have formal authority over the same land and people. It is a system of shared power between units of government.0
4813907047unitary governmentsA way of organizing a nation so that all power resides in the central government. Most national governments today are unitary governments.1
4813919175confederation*weak national government; all power in components2
4813923077intergovernmental relationsThe workings of the federal system - the entire set of interactions among national, state, and local governments.3
4814068952supremacy clauseArticle 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.4
4814077120Tenth AmendmentThe constitutional amendment stating that "The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people."5
4814154863McCulloch v. MarylandA 1819 Supreme Court decision that established the supremacy of the national government over state governments. In deciding this case, Chief Justice John Marshall and his colleagues held that Congress had certain implied powers in addition to the enumerated powers found in the Constitution.6
4814158018enumerated powersPowers of the federal government that are specifically addressed in the Constitution; for Congress, these powers are listed in Article I, Section 8, and include the power to coin money, regulate its value, and impose taxes.7
4814163305implied powersPowers of the federal government that go beyond those enumerated in the Constitution. The Constitution states that Congress has the power to "make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution" the powers enumerated in Article I.8
4814168043elastic clauseThe final paragraph of Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution, which authorizes Congress to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to carry out those enumerated powers.9
4814181100Gibbons v. OgdenA landmark case decided in 1824 in which the Supreme Court interpreted very broadly the clause in Article I, Section 8, of the Constitution giving Congress the power to regulate interstate commerce, encompassing virtually every form of commercial activity.10
4814338077full faith and credit clauseA clause in Article IV, Section 1, of the Constitution requiring each state to recognize the official documents and civil judgements rendered by the courts of other states.11
4814341654extraditionA legal process whereby an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of one state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed.12
4814347118privileges and immunitiesA clause in Article IV, Section 2, of the Constitution according citizens of each state most of the privileges of citizens of other states.13
4814362500dual federalismA system of government in which both the states and the national government remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies.14
4814366634cooperative federalismA 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.15
4814547086fiscal federalismThe pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in the federal system; it is the cornerstone of the national government's relations with state and local governments.16
4814595892categorical grantsFederal grants that can be used only for specific purposes, or "categories," of state and local spending. They come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions.17
4814658634project grantsFederal categorical grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of applications.18
4814662012formula grantsFederal categorical grants distributed according to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations.19
4814685883block grantsFederal grants given more or less automatically to states or communities to support broad programs in areas such as community development and social services.20
4815001381four reasons federal government has gained power relative to statesimplied powers, commerce power, the Civil War, struggle for racial equality21
4815011527three states' obligations to each otherfull faith and credit, extradition, privileges and immunities22
4815015426three factors of cooperative federalismshared costs, federal guidelines, shared administration23
4815019104four advantages of democracymore opportunities to participate in politics, increased access to government, losing elections is more acceptable, diversity of opinion24
4815023313three disadvantages of democracystates differ in resources devoted to services (ex. education), local interests are able to thwart national majority support, large number of governments is hard to control25
4815030761eight powers granted to national governmentcoin money, conduct foreign relations, regulate commerce, provide an army and a navy, declare war, establish courts, establish post offices, make necessary and proper laws26
4815039704seven powers granted to both national and state governmentstax, borrow money, establish courts, make and enforce laws, charter banks and corporations, spend money for the general welfare, take private property for public purposes with just compensation27
4815045503six powers granted to state governmentsestablish local governments, regulate commerce within a state, conduct elections, ratify amendments, take measures for public health, safety, and morals, 10th Amendment28
4815054030three powers denied to national governmenttax articles exported from one state to another, violate Bill of Rights, change state boundaries29
4815057250three powers denied to national and state governmentsgrant titles of nobility, permit slavery, deny citizens right to vote because of race, color, servitude, or gender30
4815064257five powers denied to state governmentstax imports or exports, coin money, enter into treaties, impair obligations or contracts, abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens or deny due process and equal protection of the law31

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