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AP Gov't Final Exam Review Flashcards

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176651773Articles of Confederationpre-government to the Constitution; included 2-7 representatives from each state, one vote per state, no executive, and no power to tax or trade by Congress0
176651774Virginia Planidea from the Constitutional Convention; created the idea of three branches of government, a bicameral Congress with both houses based on population/wealth, one executive, and a tribunal of judges1
176651775New Jersey Planidea from the Constitutional Convention; unicameral Congress with the states represented equally, group of executives2
176651776Great Compromisecombined the Virginia and New Jersey plans to create a bicameral Congress--one house equally represented and one based on population3
176651777Electoral Collegeconsists of the popularly elected representatives (electors) who formally elect the President and Vice President of the United States; disadvantages include no direct election, winner of the popular vote may not win the presidency4
176651778Powers of Congressinclude the powers to make laws, tax, trade, declare war, impeach, borrow money, coin money, make treaties, approve presidential appointments5
176651779Powers of the Presidentinclude the powers to veto, sign a bill into law, make executive orders and agreements, receive ambassadors, deploy troops6
176651780Powers of the Supreme Courtinclude the power to declare a law unconstitutional (judicial review)7
176651781Checks and balancesA system that allows each branch of government to limit the powers of the other branches in order to prevent abuse of power8
176651782federalisma system in which power is divided between the national and state governments9
176651783impeachmenta formal accusation of misconduct in office against a public official; House has the sole power10
176651784concurrent powerspowers used by both the national and state governments; includes the powers to tax and make laws11
176651785expressed powerspowers that are explicitly stated in the Constitution; includes the powers to coin money, declare war, levy taxes, etc.12
176651786implied powerscomes from the "necessary and proper clause" in the Constitution--says the government has the right to use those powers necessary to carry out the expressed powers13
176651787Presidential qualifications35 years old, natural born citizen, must live in the US for 14 years14
176651788Senate Qualifications30 years old, citizen for 9 years, must live in the state you represent15
176651789House Qualifications25 years old, citizen for 7 years, must live in the state you represent16
176651790filibusterA tactic for delaying or obstructing legislation by making long speeches17
176651791interest groupsprivate organizations whose members share certain views and work to shape public policy18
176651792lobbyingattempting to influence and pressure policy makers19
176651793propagandaInformation given (usually by the media) to show something or someone in a biased way20
176651794cabinetgroup of officials who head government departments and advise the President21
176651795presidential successioneventually defined in the 25th amendment; list of people includes VP, Speaker of the House, President Pro Temp, Secretary of State, etc.22
176651796political participationAll the activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue; usually done through voting or polls23
176651797political partiesgroups of people who organize to help elect government officials and influence government policies24
176651798Northwest OrdinanceEnacted in 1787, it is considered one of the most significant achievements of the Articles of Confederation. It established a system for setting up governments in the western territories so they could eventually join the Union on an equal footing with the original 13 states25
176651799Gerrymanderingthe drawing of legislative district boundaries to benefit a party, group, or incumbent26
176651800Civil Rights Act of 1964the law that made racial discrimination against any group in hotels, motels, and restaurants illegal and forbade many forms of job discrimination and illegal segregation in schools27
176651801Political socializationthe process by which people gain their political attitudes and opinions28
176651802Congressional committeesSeparate committees in Congress for each political party to help members who are running for reelection or would-be members running for an open seat or challenging a candidate from the opposition party.29
17665180317thamendment that allowed Senators to be directly elected by the people30
17665180419thamendment that gave women the right to vote31
17665180525thamendment concerning presidential succession, VP succession and presidential disability32
1766518061stamendment giving you the freedom of speech, press, religion, assembly and petition33
1766518072ndamendment that gives the right to bear arms34
1766518084thamendment that allows no illegal searches or seizures35
1766518095thamendment that gives you the right to due process, no double jeopardy, and no self-incrimination36
1766518106thamendment that gives the right to a speedy and public trial37
1766518117thamendment that gives you the right to a trial by jury38
1766518128thamendment that allows no cruel or unusual punishment39
17665181326thamendment that gives 18 yrs. old and up the right to vote40
176651814Supreme Courtthe highest court in the United States of America41
176651815Dual Court systemtwo seperate court systems: national/federal and the state judiciary42
176651816judicial activismPhilosophy proposing that judges should interpret the Constitution to reflect current conditions and values.43
176651817writ of certiorariOrder by the Supreme Court directing a lower court to send up the records of a case for review44
17665181813thamendment banning slavery in the US45
17665181914thamendment making all citizens equal; if you are born in the US you are a natural born citizen; right to privacy46
17665182015thamendment allowing all men the right to vote, no matter race or ethnicity47
17665182122ndamendment denying a president the ability to run for more than 2 terms of office, or 10 years48
17665182227thamendment laying out the possibility for congressional pay raises49
176651823iron trianglea close relationship between an agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group50
176651824parliamentary monarchyA government with a king or queen whose power is limited by the power of a parliament51
176651825pardonthe act of excusing a mistake or offense52
176651826slanderwords falsely spoken that damage the reputation of another53
176651827libelfalse and defamatory printed (or written) statement54
176651828symbolic speechnonverbal communication, such as burning a flag or wearing an armband. The Supreme Court has accorded some speech protection under the first amendment.55
176651829Watergatea political scandal involving abuse of power and bribery and obstruction of justice56
176651830Brown v. Board of Educationcourt found that segregation was a violation of the Equal Protection clause "separate but equal" has no place57
176651831Roe v. Wade(1973) legalized abortion on the basis of a woman's right to privacy58
176651832marbury v. madisonThis case establishes the Supreme Court's power of Judicial Review59
176651833griswold v. connecticutEstablished that there is an implied right to privacy in the U.S. Constitution60
176651834dred scott v. sanfordSupreme Court case that decided US Congress did not have the power to prohibit slavery in federal territories and slaves, as private property, could not be taken away without due process - basically slaves would remain slaves in non-slave states and slaves could not sue because they were not citizens61

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