Based on chapters 1-3 of the twelfth edition of American Government (AP Edition) written by James Wilson and published in 2011
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| 483609154 | power | The ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person's intentions. | |
| 483609155 | authority | The right to use power. | |
| 483609156 | legitimacy | Political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution. | |
| 483609157 | democracy | The rule of many. | |
| 483609158 | direct or representative democracy | A government in which all or most citizens participate directly. | |
| 483609159 | representative democracy | A government in which leaders make decisions by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote. | |
| 483609160 | elite | Persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource like money or power. | |
| 483609161 | class view | View that the government is dominated by capitalists. | |
| 483609162 | power elite view | View that the government is dominated by a few top leaders, most of whom are outside the government. | |
| 483609163 | bureaucratic view | View that the government is dominated by appointed officials. | |
| 483609164 | pluralist view | The belief that competition among all affected interests shapes public policy. | |
| 483609165 | unalienable | A human right based on nature or God. | |
| 483609166 | Articles of Confederation | A weak constitution that governed America during the Revolutionary War. | |
| 483609167 | Constitutional Convention | A meeting in Philadelphia in 1787 that produced a new constitution. | |
| 483609168 | Shay's Rebellion | A 1787 rebellion in which ex-Revolutionary War soldiers attempted to prevent foreclosures of farms as a result of high interest rates and taxes. | |
| 483609169 | Virginia Plan | Proposal to create a strong national government. | |
| 483609170 | New Jersey Plan | Proposal to create a weak national government. | |
| 483609171 | Great Compromise | Plan to have a popularly elected House based on state population and a state selected Senate, with two members for each state. | |
| 483609172 | republic | A government in which elected representatives make their decisions. | |
| 483609173 | judicial review | The power of the courts to declare laws unconstitutional. | |
| 483609174 | federalism | Government authority shared by national and local governments. | |
| 483609175 | enumerated powers | Powers given to the national government alone. | |
| 483609176 | reserved powers | Powers given to the state government alone. | |
| 483609177 | concurrent powers | Powers shared by the national and state governments. | |
| 483609178 | checks and balances | Authority shared by three branches of government. | |
| 483609179 | separation of powers | Constitutional authority is shared by three different branches in the government. | |
| 483609180 | faction | A group with a distinct political interest. | |
| 483609181 | Federalists | Those who favor a stronger national government. | |
| 483609182 | Antifederalists | Those who favor a weaker national government. | |
| 483609183 | coalition | An alliance of factions. | |
| 483609184 | Bill of Rights | First ten amendments to the constitution. | |
| 483609185 | habeas corpus | An order to produce an arrested person before a judge. | |
| 483609186 | bill of attainder | A law that declares a person without a trial, to be guilty of a crime. | |
| 483609187 | ex post facto law | A law that makes an act criminal although the act was legal when it was committed. | |
| 483609188 | amendment | A new provision in the Constitution that has been ratified by the states. | |
| 483609189 | line-item veto | An executive's ability to block a particular provision in a bill passed by the legislature. | |
| 483609190 | federalism | Government authority shared by national and local governments. | |
| 483609191 | "necessary and proper" clause | Section of the Constitution allowing Congress to pass all laws "necessary and proper" to its duties, and which has permitted Congress to exercise powers not specifically given to it by the Constitution. | |
| 483609192 | nullification | The doctrine that a state can declare null and void a federal law that, in the state's opinion, violates the Constitution. | |
| 483609193 | dual federalism | Doctrine holding that the national government is supreme in its sphere, the states are supreme in theirs, and the two spheres should be kept separate. | |
| 483609194 | police power | State power to enact laws promoting health, safety, and morals. | |
| 483609195 | initative | Process that permits voters to put legislative measures directly on the ballot. | |
| 483609196 | referendum | Procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed by the legislature. | |
| 483609197 | recall | Procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office. | |
| 483609198 | grants-in-aid | Money given by the national government to the states. | |
| 483609199 | categorical grants | Federal grants for specific purposes, such as building an airport. | |
| 483609200 | conditions of aid | Terms set by the national government that states must meet if they are to receive certain federal funds. | |
| 483609201 | mandates | Terms set by the national government that states must meet whether or not they accept federal grants. | |
| 483609202 | waiver | A decision by an administrative agency granting some other part permission to violate a law or rule that would otherwise apply to it. |
