AP US gov vocab
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| 366264911 | Anti federalists | opponents of the American constitution at the time when the states were contemplating its adoption. Argued that the constitution was a class based document, that it would erode fundamental liberties, and that it would weaken the power of the states | |
| 366264912 | Articles of confederation | first constitution of the US, adopted by congress in 1777 and enacted in 1781. Established a national legislature, continental congress, but most authority in the state legislatures | |
| 366264913 | Bill of rights | first 10 amendments to the US constitution drafted in response to anti federalist concerns. Define basic liberties like freedom of religion, speech, press, offer protections against arbitrary searches by the police and being held without a lawyer | |
| 366264914 | 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 | |
| 366264915 | Categorical grants | federal grants that can be used only for specific purposes or categories of state and local spending. Come with strings attached, such as nondiscrimination provisions | |
| 366264916 | Checks and balances | part of madisonian model designed to limit gov power by requiring that power be balanced among different gov institutions. Continually check on another's activities, power v power | |
| 366264917 | Coercive freedom | choosing political freedom without being forced by another party to behave in an involuntary manner | |
| 366264918 | Commerce clause | clause in artivle 1 section 8 that empowers congress to regulate interstate commerce with foreign countries and forms the constitutional basis for much federal regulation | |
| 366264919 | Concurrent powers | authority of congress and the state legislatures to make laws on the same subject matter while working independently of one another | |
| 366264920 | Confederacy | an alliance between people, parties, states, etc | |
| 366264921 | Connecticut compromise | compromise reached at constitutional convention that establishes two houses of congress, the house of reps represented by population, and the senate where each state gets two reps | |
| 366264922 | Consent of the governed | according to john locke, the required basis for gov. declaration reflects his views that gov derives authority from consent of the governed | |
| 366264923 | conservative | according to john locke, the required basis for gov. declaration reflects his views that gov derives authority from consent of the governed | |
| 366264924 | constitution | nations basic laws, creates political institutions, assigns or divides power of gov and provides certain guarantees to citizens | |
| 366264925 | cooperative federalism | system of gov when powers and policy assignments are shared between states and national gov. share costs, administration, and blame for programs that work poorly | |
| 366264926 | culture war | political conflict based on sets of conflicting cultural backgrounds | |
| 366264927 | declaration of independence | document approved by reps of American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances vs british monarch and declared independence | |
| 366264928 | democracy | system of selecting policy makers and of organizing gov so policy represents and responds to peoples preferences | |
| 366264929 | devolution | to transfer (as of rights, powers, property, or responsibility) to another | |
| 366264930 | doctrine of interposition | the right of states to proclaim an act of congress unconstitutional, but its never been acknowledged by the courts | |
| 366264931 | dual federalism | system of gov when both state and national gov remain supreme within their own spheres, each responsible for some policies | |
| 366264932 | elastic clause | final paragraph in article 1 section 8 of constitution, authorizing congress to pass all laws necessary and proper to carry out enumerated powers | |
| 366264933 | elite/class theory | final paragraph in article 1 section 8 of constitution, authorizing congress to pass all laws necessary and proper to carry out enumerated powers | |
| 366264934 | enumerated powers | powers of federal gov that are specifically addressed in the constitution, for congress, those powers are listed in article 1 section 8 and include power to coin money, regulate its value, and impose taxes | |
| 366264935 | extradition | legal process where by an alleged criminal offender is surrendered by the officials of 1 state to officials of the state in which the crime is alleged to have been committed | |
| 366264936 | factions | interest groups arising from the unequal distribution of property or wealth that Madison attacked in the fed 10. Today these groups are what he warned about for instability in gov | |
| 366264937 | federal preemptions | the invalidation of US state law when it conflicts with federal law | |
| 366264938 | federalism | way of organizing a nation so two levels of gov have formal authority over some land/people. Shared power between units of gov | |
| 366264939 | federalist papers | 85 articles by Hamilton, jay, and Madison under the name of publius to defend constitution in characterizing the framers intents | |
| 366264940 | federalists | supporters of US constitution when states were contemplating its adoption | |
| 366264941 | fiscal federalism | pattern of spending, taxing, and providing grants in federal systems. Cornerstone of national govs relations with state and local govs | |
| 366264942 | formula grants | federal categorical grants distributed accordingly to a formula specified in legislation or in administrative regulations | |
| 366264943 | full faith and credit clause | clause in article 4 section 1 requiting each state to revognize official documents and civil judgments rendered by courts of other states | |
| 366264944 | general revenue sharing | unrestricted funds (which can be used for any purpose) provided by the federal gov until 1987 | |
| 366264945 | gibbson v ogden | case in 1824 when supreme court interpreted very broadly that the clause in article 1 section 8 that gives congress power to regulate interstate commerce, encompassing virtually every form of commercial activity. Commerce clause has been the constitutional basis for much of congress's regulation of the economy | |
| 366264946 | government | institutions and processes through which public policies are made for society | |
| 366264947 | great compromise | mix of the new jersy plan and Virginia plan to have two houses in the legislature, one on equal representation and one on population | |
| 366264948 | gross domestic product | sum of total of the value of all goods and services produced in a nation | |
| 366264949 | hyperpluralism | theory contending that small groups are so strong that gov is weakened. Extreme, exaggerated, perverted form of pluralism | |
| 366264950 | ideology | coherent set of beliefs about public policy and its purpose. Gives meaning to political events, personalities, and policies | |
| 366264951 | implied powers | powers of the federal gov that go beyond those enumerated in the constitution. States that congress has the power to make all laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution the powers enumerated in article 1. Many federal policies are justified on the basis of implied powers | |
| 366264952 | individualism | belief that individuals should be left on their own by the gov. primary reason for the comparatively small scope of American gov is the prominence of this belief in American political thought/practice | |
| 366264953 | inherent power | an authority possessed without its being derived from another. It's a right/ability/faculty of doing a thing without receiving that right/ability/faculty from another | |
| 366264954 | judicial review | power of courts to determine whether acts of congress and by implication, the executive, is in accord with the constitution. Established by marshal in Marbury v Madison | |
| 366264955 | liberal | political ideology whose advocates prefer a gov active in dealing with human needs, support individual rights/liberties, and give higher priority to social needs v military needs | |
| 366264956 | limited gov | certain things are out of bounds for gov because of natural rights of citizens. Central in locke's philosophy, contrasts with prevailing view of divine rights monarchs | |
| 366264957 | linkage institution | channels or access points through which issues and peoples policy preferences get on the govs policy agenda. In US, elections, political parties, interest groups,, and the mass media are main linkage institutions | |
| 366264958 | marbury v madison | 1803 case when chief justice marshall and associates asserted right of supreme court to determine the meaning of the constitution, decision established courts power of judicial review over acts of congress | |
| 366264959 | Mcculloch v maryland | 1819 case decision that establishes supremacy of the national gov over state govs. Chief justice marshall and associates held that congress had implied powers and enumerated powers in constitution | |
| 366264960 | natural rights | rights inherent in humans, not dependent on govs, which include life, liberty, and property. Important to lockes theory on gov, widely accepted by founding fathers, seen in jefferson's wording of the declaration | |
| 366264961 | necessary and proper clause | congress has power to make laws necessary and proper for carrying into execution the foregoing powers | |
| 366264962 | new jersey plan | proposal that calls for equal representation of each state in congress regardless the population | |
| 366264963 | parliamentary system | govs like GB that select a political leader from membership in the parliament | |
| 366264964 | picket fence federalism | policy makers within a specific policy area work as a team across the levels of gov (national, state, local) | |
| 366264965 | pluralist theory | theory of gov and politics emphasizing that politics is mainly a competition among groups, each one pressing for their own preferred policies | |
| 366264966 | policy agenda | issues that attract the serious attention of public officials and other people actually involved in politics at any given time | |
| 366264967 | policy gridlock | condition that occurs when no coalition is strong enough to form a majority and establish policy. Result is nothing many get done | |
| 366264968 | politics | process in which we select our gov leaders and what policies they pursue, politics produce authoritative decisions about public issues | |
| 366264969 | positive externalities | group making a decision and doesn't receive the full benefit of the decisions, its less than the benefit of society | |
| 366264970 | privileges and immunities | clause in article 4 section 2 according citizens of each state most of the privileges of those of another | |
| 366264971 | public goods | goods such as clean air and water that everyone must share | |
| 366264972 | project grants | federal grants given for specific purposes and awarded on the basis of the merits of application, type of the categorical grant available to states and localities | |
| 366264973 | public policy | choice that gov makes in response to a political issue. Policy is a course of action taken with regard to a problem | |
| 366264974 | redistributive tax policy | taxes aimed at redistributing the wealth | |
| 366264975 | republic | form of gov that derives power directly or indirectly form the people. Those chosen to govern are accountable to those who they govern, in contrast to a direct democracy, in which people themselves make laws, in a republic the people select reps who make laws | |
| 366264976 | reserved powers | political power that a constitution reserves exclusively to the jurisdiction of a particular political authority | |
| 366264977 | separation of powers | part of madisonian model that requires each of the three branches to be relatively independent so one cant control the others. Power is shared among these three branches | |
| 366264978 | shays rebellion | series of attacks on courthouses by a small band of farmers led by rev war captain shays to block foreclosure proceedings | |
| 366264979 | supremacy clause | article 6, makes constitution, national laws and treaties supreme over state laws when the national gov is acting within conditional limits | |
| 366264980 | 10th amendment | constitutional amendment stating the powers not delegated to the US by constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states or people | |
| 366264981 | 3/5 compromise | compromise that allows slaves to count in population as 3/5 of a person to raise amount of reps in the house | |
| 366264982 | unfunded mandates | when federal gov requires state/local action but doesn't provide the funds to pay for it | |
| 366264983 | unitary gov | way of organizing a nation so that all powers reside in the central gov. most national govs today are this | |
| 366264984 | virginia plan | proposal calling for representation of each state in congress in proportion to the states share of the US population | |
| 366264985 | writ of habeus corpus | court ordering jailers to explain to a judge why they are holding a prisoner in custody | |
| 366264986 | beats | specific locations for which news frequently mandates, such as congress or the white house. Most top reporters work a particular beat, thereby becoming specialists in what goes on at that location | |
| 366264987 | broadcast media | tv/radio (compared with print media) | |
| 366264988 | census | valuable tool for understanding demographic changes. Constitution requires that the gov conduct and actual enumeration of the population every 10 years | |
| 366264989 | chains | newspapers published by massive media conglomerates that account for almost ¾ of the daily circulation, often control broadcast media too | |
| 366264990 | civil disobedience | form of political participation that reflects a conscious decision to break a law believed to be immoral and to suffer consequences | |
| 366264991 | demography | the science of population change | |
| 366264992 | equal time provisions | rule that specifies that radio and tv stations must provide equal opportunities to any opposing candidates to be aired | |
| 366264993 | exit polls | public opinion surveys used by major media pollsters to predict electoral winners with speed and precision | |
| 366264994 | fairness doctrine | required holders of broadcast licenses to present controversial issues of public importance and do so in the commissions view, honest, equitable, and balanced (removed in 1987) | |
| 366264995 | FCC | regulates nonfederal gov use of the radio/tv/telecommunications | |
| 366264996 | filtering | restricting info from reaching the public | |
| 366264997 | gender gap | regular pattern by which women are more likely to support democrats, significantly less conservative v men, more likely to support spending on social services and to oppose higher levels of military spending | |
| 366264998 | hard news | intense, quickly reported on news like politics, war, economics, and crime | |
| 366264999 | high tech politics | politics when the behavior of citizens and policy makers and the political agenda itself are increasingly shaped by technology | |
| 366265000 | horse race | journalism that focuses on perception of a candidate instead of their policy | |
| 366265001 | ideological polarization | public opinion dividing and going to extremes, extreme factions of a political party gaining dominance in a party | |
| 366265002 | investigative journalism | use of in depth reporting to unearth scandals, scams, and schemes wich at times puts reporters in adversarial relationships with political leaders | |
| 366265003 | latent opinion | present or potential opinion in public but not evident or active | |
| 366265004 | mainstream media | media spread via larger distribution channels (newspaper, broadcasting media) | |
| 366265005 | mass media | tv/radio/newspaper/magazines/other means of popular communication. Key to high tech politics | |
| 366265006 | media event | events staged purposely for the media that nonetheless look spontaneous. In keeping with politics as theater, media events can be staged by individuals, groups, and gov officials, especially the prez | |
| 366265007 | minority majority | emergence of non-Caucasian majority, compared with a whine, generally Anglo Saxon majority. Predicted that by 2060, Hispanics, Africans and Asian Americans together will outnumber whites | |
| 366265008 | narrowcasting | opposed to the traditional broadcasting the appeal to a narrow, particular audience by channels like espn and mtv which focus on a narrow particular interests | |
| 366265009 | off the record | info that's valuable so sources ensure confidentiality of it before disclosing it. Some journalists don't accept this type of info because it might affect the truth of the report | |
| 366265010 | on background | thrust of the briefing may be reported but the direct quotes may not be used | |
| 366265011 | policy agenda | issues that attract serious attention of public officials and people actually involved in politics | |
| 366265012 | policy entreprenuers | people who invest their political capital in an issue. Could be in or out of gov, in elected or appointed positions, in interest groups or research organizations | |
| 366265013 | political culture | overall set of values widely shared in society | |
| 366265014 | political ideology | coherent set of beliefs about politics, public policy and public purpose. Helps give meaning to political events, personalities, and policies | |
| 366265015 | political participation | all activities used by citizens to influence the selection of political leaders or the policies they pursue. Most common participation in a democracy is voting (protests, civil disobedience, etc) | |
| 366265016 | political socialization | the process through which an individual acquires his or her particular political orientations, feeling, knowledge, and evaluations regarding his or her political world | |
| 366265017 | press conference | meetings of public officials with reporters | |
| 366265018 | priming | theory in which the activation of one thought may trigger related thoughts. Media images stimulate related thoughts in the minds of audiences | |
| 366265019 | print media | newspapers and magazines compared to broadcasting | |
| 366265020 | public opinion | distribution of populations beliefs about politics and policy issues | |
| 366265021 | random sample | technique employed by sophisticated survey researchers, operates on principle that everyone should have and equal probability of being selected for a sample | |
| 366265022 | random digit dialing | technique used by pollsters to place phone calls randomly to both listed and unlisted numbers when conducting a survey | |
| 366265023 | rapportionment | process of reallocating seats in the house of reps every 10 years on the basis of the results of the census | |
| 366265024 | sampling error | level of confidence in the findings of a public opinion poll, the more interviewed, the more confident on can be of the results | |
| 366265025 | shield laws | reporters privilege, legislation designed to provide a news reporter with the rights to refuse to testify as to info and or sources of info obtained during the news gathering or dissemination process | |
| 366265026 | soft news | news that isn't very dramatic, entertainment, art, lifestyle... | |
| 366265027 | sound bites | short video clips of 15 seconds typically all that's shown from a politicians speech or activities on tv | |
| 366265028 | slant | changed info or stories to please advisors and get public support | |
| 366265029 | talking heads | shots of peoples faces talking directly to camera, visually unappealing, major commercial networks don't show these very much | |
| 366265030 | trial balloons | international news leak for the purpose of assessing the political action | |
| 366265031 | wire service | organization of journalists established to supply news reports to news organizations | |
| 366265032 | affirmative action | policy designed to give special attention to or conpensatiory treatment for members of some previously disadvantaged group | |
| 366265033 | Americans with disabilities act of 1990 | requires employers and public facilities to make reasonable accommodations for people with disabilities and prohibits discrimination against these individuals in employment | |
| 366265034 | civil liberties | legal constitutional protections vs gov. although layed out in bill of rights, courts/police/legislature define their meaning | |
| 366265035 | civil rights | policies designed to protect people vs arbitrary or discriminatory treatment by gov officials and individuals | |
| 366265036 | civil rights act of 1964 | racial discrimination vs any group in hotels/motels/restaurants is illegal and forbade forms of job discrimination | |
| 366265037 | civil war amendments | 13, 14, 15 abolish slavery, citizenship of previous slaves was allowed, voting rights for black men | |
| 366265038 | clear and present danger test | deals with freedom of speech, determines if statements are protected | |
| 366265039 | commercial speech | communication by advertising can be restricted more than any other type of speech but has been receiving increased protection from supreme court | |
| 366265040 | comparative worth | issue raised when women are paid less than men for working jobs requiring comparable skill | |
| 366265041 | de facto | by the law. Real concepts enforced by the law | |
| 366265042 | de jure | by custom. Not legally stated but is concerned with law | |
| 366265043 | direct incitement test | advocacy of illegal action protected by 1st amendment unless imminent lawless action is intended and likely to occur | |
| 366265044 | disenfranchisement | the act of withdrawing certification or terminating a franchise | |
| 366265045 | double jeopardy | legally forbid you from being tried again on same charges | |
| 366265046 | due process clause | amendment guaranteeing that people cant be deprived of life/liberty/property by US/state gov without due process of law | |
| 366265047 | 8th amendment | forbids cruel/unusual punishment, but doesn't define what this is. This bill of rights provision applies to states | |
| 366265048 | equal protection of law | emphasizing that laws must provide equal protection to all people "equal protection of life, liberty, and property" to all state citizens | |
| 366265049 | equal rights amendment | passed in 1972, stating that equality of rights under law shall not be denied or abridged by the US or by any state on account of sex. Despite substantial public support and an extended deadline, it failed to acquire necessary support from ¾ of state legislatures | |
| 366265050 | establishment clause | 1st amendment stating that congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion | |
| 366265051 | exclusionary rule | evidence, no matter how incriminating, cant be introduced into a trial if it wasn't constitutionally obtained. Prohibits use of evidence obtained through unreasonable search/seizure | |
| 366265052 | 15th amendment | extends suffrage to black men | |
| 366265053 | 5th amendment | protects rights of a person accused of crimes including protection vs double jeopardy, self incrimination, and punishment without due process of law | |
| 366265054 | fighting words | words indicating willingness to fight, insult vs race or ethnicity | |
| 366265055 | 14th amendment | after civil war, no state shall make or enforce laws that abridge the privilages and immunities of citizens of the US nor shall any state deprive any person of life/liberty/property without due process of law, nor deny anyone in its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws | |
| 366265056 | 4th amendment | search and seizure | |
| 366265057 | free exercise clause | 1st amendment provision that prohibits gov from interfering with practice of religion | |
| 366265058 | gag order | legal order from court to prohibit attorneys/parties from discussing case to media | |
| 366265059 | grandfather clause | method used in south to deny Africans from voting. In order to exempt illiterate whites from taking a literacy test before voting, clause exempted people whose grandfathers were eligible to vote in 1860, disenfranchising grandchildren of slaves. Unconstitutional in 1915 | |
| 366265060 | hate speech | communication which disparages a person based on characteristics like race/orientation | |
| 366265061 | incorporation doctrine | 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 14th amendment | |
| 366265062 | jim crow laws | ways states enforced anti blacks and segregation in south | |
| 366265063 | lemon test | in establishment clause disputes 1)must have a secular legislative purpose 2)primary effect cant advance/inhibit religion 3)cant foster excessive gov entanglement with religion | |
| 366265064 | libel | publication of false info/malicious statements that damage someone's reputation | |
| 366265065 | miller test | obscenity test 1)appeals to prurient interest 2)patently offensive 3)lacks serious educational value | |
| 366265066 | miranda rights | make you aware of rights (remain silent) to avoid self incrimination | |
| 366265067 | missouri compromise | allowed Missouri to enter union as a slave state and maine as a free state | |
| 366265068 | 19th amendment | guarantees women the right to vote 1920 | |
| 366265069 | plea bargain | bargain struck between defendants lawyers and prosecutor to the effect that the defendant will plead guilty in a lesser crime in exchange for the state promise not to prosecute the defendant for a more serious crime | |
| 366265070 | poll tax | small taxes, levied on right to vote that often fell due at a time of year when poor African american sharecroppers had the least cash on hand. Method used in south to exclude blacks from voting. Unconstitutional in 1964 | |
| 367373826 | prior restraint | govs preventing material from being published. common method of limiting press in some nations, but is unconstitutional in US by 1st amendment and near v mn | |
| 367373827 | probable cause | situation occuring when police have reason to believe that a person should be arrested. in making the arrest, police are allowed legally to search and seize incriminating evidence | |
| 367373828 | selective incorporation | makes the first 10 amendments of the constitution applicable to the states | |
| 367373829 | self incrimination | individual accused of a rcrime is compelled to be a witness vs themself in court. 5th amendment forbids | |
| 367373830 | separate but equal | helped segregation. as long as facilities are equal, its ok to segragate them | |
| 367373831 | 6th amendment | protects people accused of crime. includes right to counsel, confront witnesses. and speedy public trial | |
| 367373832 | slander | harmful statement/false communication to injure a persons reputation | |
| 367373833 | strict scrutiny test | must be justified by a compelling gov interest, narrowly tailored to achieve that goal, be the least restrictive means for achieving it | |
| 367373834 | substantive due process doctrine | courts enforce limits on legislative and executive powers and authority | |
| 367373835 | symbolic speech | nonverbal communication, with some protection (flag burning/armband) | |
| 367373836 | 13th amendment | after civil war, forbid slavery and involuntary servitude | |
| 367373837 | 24th amendment | 1964 poll taxes void | |
| 367373838 | voting rights act of 1965 | helped end formal and informal barriers to african american suffrage. federal registrars were sent to the southern states that had histories of discrimination and many blacks registered and black elected officials increased dramatically | |
| 367373839 | white primary | discouraged blacks to vote, permitted political parties in the democratic south to exclude blacks form primary elections, depriving them of a vote in the real contests. supreme court declared it unconstitutional in 1944 |
