AP Goverment Flashcards

11948093112	Traditional Democratic Theory	Government depends upon the consent of the governed	0
11948093113	Pluralist Theory	interest groups compete in the political arena with each promoting its own policy preferences through organized efforts-everyone gets a piece of the pie-a marketplace of ideas, compromise happens-positive view	1
11948093114	Elite Theory	A small group of people identified by wealth/ pol. power, who rule in their self-interest	2
11948093115	Bureaucratic Theory	The hierarchical structure and standarized procedures of govt allow bureaucrats to hold the real power over public policy; proposed by Max Weber	3
11948093116	Hyperpluralism	Democracy seen as a system of many groups pulling govt in many directinos at the same time, causing gridlock ineffectiveness	4
11948093117	Social Contract	A voluntary agreement between the government and the governed	5
11948093118	Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise)	Legislative branch-2 houses-one based on population, one based on equal representation	6
11948093119	Virginia Plan	Madison's plan for a bicameral legislature, whith the executive and judiciary chosen by the legislatureh	7
11948093120	Three-Fifths Compromise	Agreement that each slave counted as three-fifths of a person in determining representation in the House for representation and taxation purposes (negated by the 13th amendment)	8
11948093121	Commerce/Slave Trade Compromise	Resolved differences between northern and southern states; Congress could not tax exports nor ban the slave trade for 20 yrs.	9
11948093122	Federalists	Federalists Supported a strong central govt & expanded legislative powers	10
11948093123	Federalist Papers	Written by Hamilton, Jay, & Madison to support ratification of the U.S. Constituiton	11
11948093124	Anti-Federalists	Opposed the adoption of the U.S. Constitution b/c it gave too much power to the national govt at the expense of the state govts and it lacked a bill of rights	12
11948093125	Popular Soverignty	people are the source of all govermental power	13
11948093126	Judicial Review	Authority given the courts to review constitutionality of acts by the executive/state/legislature; est. in Marbury v. Madison	14
11948093127	Marbury v. Madison	Establishment of judicial review. (1803). Article 3.	15
11948093128	Delegated Powers	Powers specifically granted to the national govt by the Constitution	16
11948093129	Implied Powers	Not expressed, but may be considerered through the use of the Necessary and Proper (elastic) Clause	17
11948093130	Elastic Clause (Necessary/Proper)	The necessary & proper clause/Art. I, Sec. 8, Clause 18/imlied powers clause- that allows Congress to pass laws to carry out its powers	18
11948093131	Inherent Powers	Powers that exist for the national govt b/c the govt is sovereign	19
11948093132	Concurrent Powers	Powers shared by the federal and state govts (tax, to define crimes and punishments)	20
11948093133	Reserved Powers	Powers belonging specifically to the states and the people because they were not delegated to teh national government nor denied to the states	21
11948093134	Full Faith/Credit Clause	States are required to recognize the laws & legal documents of other states-Article 4 for Federalism	22
11948093135	Privileges/Immunities Clause	States are prohibited from unreasonably discriminating against residents of other states (article 4)	23
11948093136	Extradition	States may return fugitives to a state from which they fled to avoid criminal prosecution at the request of the state's gov	24
11948093137	Interstate Compacts	Agreements btwn states to work together on common issues	25
11948093138	Supremacy Clause	National law supersedes all other laws passed by states (Art VI)	26
11948093139	McCulloch v. Maryland	Supreme Court decision upholding the supremacy of the national government over the states/implied powers clause also strenthened-national bank established because this supported power to tax. 1819	27
11948093140	Dual Federalism	Dual federalism Fed. &state govts each have defined responsibilities w/n their own sphere of influence; "layer cake" federalism	28
11948093141	Cooperative Federalism	Cooperation among federal, state, & local govts; "marble cake" federalism	29
11948093142	Devolution	An effort to shirft responsibility of domestic programs to the states in order to decrease the size &activites of the fed. govt; some states have attempted to shift responsibilities further to local govts	30
11948093143	Fiscal Federalism	National govt's use of fiscal policy to influence states through the granting/withholding of appropriations	31
11948093144	Fiscal Policy	The policies of taxation &spending that comprise the nation's economic policy	32
11948093145	Grants-in-Aid	Programs, money, & resources provided by the fed. govt to state &local govts to be used for specific projects &programs	33
11948093146	Categorical Grants	Federal grants for specific purposes define by law	34
11948093147	Block Grants	Money given to states for general programs within a broad category	35
11948093148	Revenue Sharing	Giving money back to the state and local government with no strings attached	36
11948093149	Mandates/Unfunded Mandates	Requirements imposed by the national govt on state &local govts to comply w/ fed. rules & regulation	37
11948093150	Political Socialization	proccess by how people acquire their political orientation	38
11948093151	Opinion Leaders	coherent set of values and beliefs about the purpose and scope of government held by groups and individuals	39
11948093152	Public Opinion	what the public thinks about a particular issue or set of issues at any point in time	40
11948093153	Straw Polls	unscientific surveys used to gauge public opinion on a variety of issues and policies	41
11948093154	Sampling	Using a represenative cross-seciton of the general population chosen at random in the polling process	42
11948093155	Political Ideology	A consistent set of beliefs about politics and public policy taht sets the framework for evaluation government and public policy	43
11948093156	Radical	Ideological view that favors rapid fundamental change in teh existing social, economic, or political order	44
11948093157	Liberal	A person whose views favor more govt involvement in business, social welfare, minority rights, &increased govt spending	45
11948093158	Moderate	Person whose views are between conservative and liberal and may include some of both ideologies	46
11948093159	Conservative	A person whose pol. views favor more local, limited govt, less govt regulations, conformity to social norms &values; rough on criminals	47
11948093160	Reactionary	Ideological view that favors a return to a previous state of affairs	48
11948093161	Two-Party System	Several political parties exist, but only two major political parties compete for power and dominate elections	49
11948093162	Single-Member Districts	Only one representative is chosen from each district	50
11948093163	New Deal Coalition	Alliance of southern conservatives, religious, and ethnic minorities who supported the Democratic Party for 40 years	51
11948093164	Divided Government	One party controls the executive, &the other party controls on /both houses of Congress	52
11948093165	Gridlock	When opposing parties &interests often block each other's proposals, creating a pol. stalemate/inaction btwn the executive &legislative branches of govt	53
11948093166	Dealignment	When a significant # of voters choose to no longer support a particular pol. party	54
11948093167	Realignment	A shift of voting patterns to form new coalition of party support	55
11948093168	Soft Money	Money distributed from a national political party organization that wasn't regulated by law; restricted by the Bipartisan Campaign Finance Reform Act of 2002	56
11948093169	Straight Ticket	Voting for candidates all of the same party on the same ballot-creates the coattail effect	57
11948093170	Reactionary	Ideological view that favors a return to a previous state of affairs	58
11948093171	Electorate	People qualified to vote	59
11948093172	Direct Primary	Election within the party to choose their favorite candidate for a particular office	60
11948093173	Recall	Special election initiated by petition to allow citizens to remove an official from office before his or her term expires	61
11948093174	Referendum	Procedure whereby the state submits legislation to its voters for approval, allowing citizens to vote directly on issues	62
11948093175	Initative	Allows voters to petition to propose legislation &then submit it for a vote by qualified voters	63
11948093176	Political Efficacy	Belief that a person can influence politics and public policymaking-vote makes a difference	64
11948093177	Motor Voter Law	register to vote when you update your license (1993)	65
11948093178	Closed Primary	Only registered party members may vote in the primary (independents, greens, etc...not allowed)	66
11948093179	Blanket Primary	egistered voters may vote for candidates from either party on the same primary ballot	67
11948093180	Coattail Effect	Weaker/lesser-known candidates from (bottom of the ticket) the president's party profit from the president's popularity-people vote straight ticket because they like the top of the ticket.	68
11948093181	Caucus	Locally held meeting in a state to select delegates who, in turn, will nominate candidates to political offices	69
11948093182	Presidential Preference Primary	Voters select delegates to the presidential nominating convention	70
11948093183	Electoral College	Number each state gets is based on the number of representatives and the number of senators that state has. Need 270 to win election	71
11948093184	Maintaining Elections	Traditional majorty power maintains power based on voters' party loyalty	72
11948093185	Deviating Elections	Minority party is able to win the support of majority party members, independents, &new voters	73
11948093186	Realigning Elections	An election during periods of expanded suffrage and change in the economy and society that proves to be a turning point, redefining the agenda of politics and the alignment of voters within parties.	74
11948093187	Dealigning Elections	Party loyality becomes less important to voters, &they vote for the other party candidate/independent	75
11948093188	Interest Groups	AP Government Vocabulary flashcards \| Quizlet	76
11948093189	Political Action Committees	an independent organization established by interest groups, political candidates, and people who hold office. PACs serve to raise and contribute money to the political campaigns of individuals whose platforms agree with the aims of the PAC.	77
11948093190	Lobbying	Attempting to influence policymakers though a variety of methods	78
11948093191	Grassroots	Avg voter at the local level	79
11948093192	Mass Media	All forms of communication that reach a large portion of the public	80
11948093193	Gatekeepers	Media executives, news editors, &prominent reporters who decide what news to present &how it will be presented	81
11948093194	Media Events	A speech or photo opporutnity staged to give a politician's view on an issue	82
11948093195	Apportionment	Distribution of representatives among the states based on the population of each state	83
11948093196	Reapportionment	Redistribution of the congressional seats among the states after the census determines changes in population distribution	84
11948093197	Congressional Districting	State legislatures draw congressional districts for Congressional elections	85
11948093198	Gerrymandering	Drawing of congressional districts to favor one pol. party/group over another	86
11948093199	Incumbency Effect	Tendency of those alrady holding office to win reelection due to advgs b/c they already hold the office	87
11948093200	Constituents	A Voter	88
11948093201	Speaker of the house	Leading officer in the House of Representatives, chosen by the majority party	89
11948093202	Majority Leader	The elected leader of the party with the most seat in the House of Representatives/Senate	90
11948093203	President pro tempore	Serves as president of the Senate in the absence of the VP; chosen by the majority party	91
11948093204	Floor Leaders	Direct party strategy &decisions in the House of Representatives & Senate	92
11948093205	Seniority System	System in which the chairmanship of a committee is given to the member with the longest continuous service	93
11948093206	Standing Committee	Permanent committees in the House/Senate-every representative and every senator is appointed to 2 or 3.	94
11948093207	Select Committee	Committee selected for a specific purpose-investigation-hearing	95
11948093208	Joint Committee	Committee made up of members of both house of Congress-housekeeping issues decided	96
11948093209	Conference Committee	A temporary committee to work out a compromise version of a bill that has passed the House of Representatives & Senate in diff. forms	97
11948093210	Franking Privledge	Privilege that allows members of Congress to mail letters &other materials to constituents postage-free	98
11948093211	Oversight	Congress monitors policies of the executive branch (money, hearings, investigations)-checks and balances	99
11948093212	Rules Committee	Determines the rules of debate for bills in the House of Representatives - also known as the calendar committee	100
11948093213	Filibuster	A lengthy speech designed to delay or kill the vote on a bill; used only in the Senate	101
11948093214	Cloture	Prevents filibustering (16 signatures) and ends debate in the Senate, by a 3/5s vote of the Senate	102
11948093215	Pork Barrel Legislation	Legislation giving benefits to constituents through sometimes unnecessary of unwise projects within a state or district, to enhance a member's chance of reelection	103
11948093216	Logrolling	The exchange of pol. favors for support of a bill	104
11948093217	Riders	An addition of amendment added to a bill that often has no relation to the bill but that may not pass on its own merits (senate only)	105
11948093218	Legislative Veto	To reject the actions of the president/executive agency by a vote of one/both house of Congress w/o the consent of the president; ruled unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in Immigration & Naturalization Service v. Chadha	106
11948093219	Executive Orders	The president directs an agency to carry out policies/existing laws (informal power)	107
11948093220	Executive Agreements	Agreement w/ another head of state not requiring approval from the Senate	108
11948093221	Pardons	A convicted person is exempt from the penalties of a crime	109
11948093222	Impoundment	Refusal of the president to spend money Congress has appropriated	110
11948093223	War Power Act	Limits the ability of the president to commit troops to combat-48 hours to tell Congress when and why the troops were sent, they have 60-90 to bring them home if they disagree	111
11948093224	Bureaucracy	A systematic way of organizing a complex & large administrative structure w/ responsibility for carrying out day-to-day tasks of the organization, departments, & agencies of the govt	112
11948093225	Hatch Act	Prohibits govt employees from engaging in political activities while on duty/running for office/seeking political funding while off duty; if in sensitive positions, may not be involved w/ political activities on/off duty	113
11948093226	Cabinet	Govt depts headed by presidential appointees to help establish public policy & operate a specific policy are of govt activity	114
11948093227	Iron Triangles	Alliance- agencies, interest groups, &congressional committees/subcommittees (also known as sub-governments)	115
11948093228	Issue Networks	Individuals in WA--located w/n interest groups, congressional staff, think tanks, universities, & the media--who regularly discuss &advocate public policies	116
11948093229	Original Jurisdiction	Court hears and decides a case for the first time	117
11948093230	Appellate Jurisdiction	On appeal from lower courts-Supreme Court is mostly an appellate court	118
11948093231	Concurrent Jurisdiction	The authority to hear cases is shared by federal &state courts	119
11948093232	Constitutional Courts	Federal courts created by Congress under Article III of the Constitution, including the district courts, courts of appeals, &specialized courts such as the U.S. Court of International Trade	120
11948093233	District Courts	Lowest level of fed. courts, where fed. cases begin &trials are held (bank robbery, environmental violations, tax evasion)	121
11948093234	Court of Appeals	Federal courts that review decisions of federal district courts, regulatory commissions, &other fed. courts	122
11948093235	Senatorial Courtesy	The practice of allowing senators form teh president's party who represent the state where a judicial district is located, to apporve or diapprove potential nominees for the lower federal courts ONLY	123
11948093236	Rule of Four	Requirement that a case can only be heard by the Supreme Court if four justices vote to hear the case	124
11948093237	Brief Orders	The returning of a case to a lower court b/c a smiliar case was recently decided	125
11948093238	Writ of Certiorari	Order by the Supreme Court directing a lower court to send up the records of a case for review	126
11948093239	Brief	Legal document submitted to the court setting forth the facts of a case and supporting a particular position	127
11948093240	Amicus Curiae Briefs	Friend of the court; interest groups may be invited to file legal briefs supporting/rejection arguments of the case	128
11948093241	Concurring Opinion	Justice/justices who agree w/ the majority's opinion but not with the reason behind the decision	129
11948093242	Dissenting Opinion	Justice/justices who disagree with the majority opinion	130
11948093243	Executive Privledge	The right of the president to withhold info from Congress/ refuse to testify; limited by U.S. v. Nixon	131
11948093244	Judicial Activism	The Court should play an active role in determining national policies	132
11948093245	Judicial Restraint	Holds that the Court should avoid taking the initiative on social & pol. questions, operation strictly w/n the limits of the Constitution	133
11948093246	Strict Constructionist	Narrow interpretation of the Constitution	134
11948093247	Loose Constructionist	broad interpretation of the Constitution	135
11948093248	Civil Liberties	Constitutional freedoms guaranteed to all citizens	136
11948093249	Civil Rights	Positive acts of govt designed to prevent discrimination & provide equality before the law	137
11948093250	Writ of Habeas Corpus	right to be told what you are being held for and shown evidence against you-used in death penalty case appeals.	138
11948093251	Bills of Attainder	Prohibits a person being found guilty of a crime w/o a trial	139
11948093252	Ex Posto Facto Laws	Laws applied to acts committed before passage of the laws are unconstitutional	140
11948093253	Incorporation	Application of portions of the Bill of Rights to the states under Amend. XIV	141
11948093254	Symbolic Speech	Using actions and symbols rather than words to convey an idea	142
11948093255	Establishment Clause	Prohibits the establishment of a national religion-1st amendment	143
11948093256	Free Exercise Clause	Congress may not make laws restricting/ prohibiting a person's relgious practices-1st amendment	144
11948093257	Lemon Test	Lemon v. Kurtzman to measure the constitutionality of state laws in regard to establishment clause (3 pronged test)	145
11948093258	Speech Plus	Verbal and symbolic speech used together	146
11948093259	Prior Restraint	Censorship of information before it is published or broadcast (unconstitutional in most cases)	147
11948093260	Substantive Due Process	the law itself is fair or unfair-not the procedures-but the law	148
11948093261	Procedural Due Process	Method of government action, or how th elaw is carried out according to the established rules and procedures	149
11948093262	Eminent Domain	Allows the govt to take property for public use but also requires the govt to provide just compensation for that property	150
11948093263	Exclusionary Rule	Rule that evidence acquired as a result of an illegal act by police cannot be used agains the person form whom it was seized	151
11948093264	Miranda v. Arizona	Right to be told what you are being held for.	152
11948093265	Plessy v. Ferguson	The Supreme Court case that upheld separate-but-equal segregation in 1896	153
11948093266	Brown v. Board of Ed	Overturned Plessy v. Ferguson: ended legal segregation, said school regulation is unconstitutional	154
11948093267	Equal Protection Clause	Constitutional guarantee that everyone be treated equally-14th amendment	155
11948093268	Affirmative Action	LBJ's executive order-designed to correct the effects of past discrimination; requirement by law that positive steps be taken to increase the number of minorities in business, schools, colleges, and labor	156
11948093269	Incrementalism	Small changes in policy over long periods of time; usually in reference to budget-making--that th ebest indicator of this year's budget is last year's budget plus a small increase	157
11948093270	Political Agenda	Issues that merit action, as determined by the public or those in power	158
11948093271	Policy Fomulation	The crafting of a policy to resolve public problems	159
11948093272	Discretionary Spending	Spending set by the govt through appropriations bills, including operation expenses & salaries of govt employees (defense, environment, education, space exploration)	160
11948093273	National Debt	Amount of money owed by the government	161
11948093274	Federal Budget	Amount of money the federal govt expects to receive &authorizes govt to spend for a fiscal (12 mo.) year	162
11948093275	Social Welfare Programs	Government programs to enhance quality of life	163
11948093276	Entitlement Programs	Madatory payments made by the federal government to people meeting eligibility requirements, such as Social Security, vets, welfare, medicare	164
11948093277	Fiscal Year	A 12-month pd, October through Septmeber, for planning the federal budget	165
11948093278	Mandatory Spending	Required govt spending by permanent laws	166
11948093279	Appropriations	Distribution of representatives among the states based on the population of each state	167
11948093280	Constitutional Law	Laws relating to the interpretation of the Constitution	168
11948093281	Entitlement Programs		169
11948093282	Fiscal Year		170