AP Government Flashcards

14180318482	Conservative	Status Quo, less Gov.	0
14180318483	Moderate	Mid-Ground	1
14180318484	Liberal	Peaceful gradual change, reject violent revolution	2
14180318485	Radical	Far Left, Resorts to extreme methods to bring about change.	3
14180318486	Political Spectrum	Tool used to visually compare different political positions by placing them on one or more axis.	4
14180318487	Right	Less Gov intervention, Traditional Values	5
14180318488	Left	More Gov Intervention, support change	6
14180318489	Parliamentary Government	Executive are members of the legislative branch	7
14180318490	Presidential Governemt	Separates Power between executive/legislative	8
14180318491	Reactionary	Far right, Extreme methods	9
14180318492	Representative Democracy	People represented through elected officials.	10
14180318493	The State	Body of people living in a defined territory, having power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority.	11
14180318494	Monarchy	Power in the hands of royalty	12
14180318495	Dictatorship	Ruled by a single leader not elected.	13
14180318496	Military Dictatorship	Army is in control	14
14180318497	Theocracy	Religious based Government	15
14180318498	Public Policies	All things a government decides to do.	16
14180318499	Conferred Power	Power which is agreed upon.	17
14180318500	Four aspects of the State	1. Population: must have people 2. Territory: recognized boundaries 3. Sovereignty: Having supreme and absolute authority in it's own territory 4. Government- Different forms	18
14180318501	Evolutionary theory	Developed out of early familiy	19
14180318502	Divine Right Theory	State created by God and those of royal birth have a divine right to rule.	20
14180318503	Force Theory	A group claimed control and forced all other to submit.	21
14180318504	Social or Political Contract theory	Peoples moral and/or political obligations are dependent on an agreement among them to form the society in which they live. *Law and political order are not natural, they are human creations.	22
14180318505	Confederate	An alliance of independent states	23
14180318506	Federal	Power is divided between a central gov't and several local gov't.	24
14180318507	State of Nature	Survival of the Fittest	25
14180318508	Unitary	All power belongs to one level of gov't	26
14180318509	Government	An organization of people set up to protect the community and make rules. -Protects community -Makes laws -Keeps order	27
14180318510	Politics	Activities relate to governance of a country or area	28
14180318511	Democracy	Gov elected by the people. Determine either directly or through elected Reps.	29
14180318512	Direct Democracy	People vote Directly on every issue	30
14180318513	Democrats	Generally liberal because they support gov reg. of the economy.	31
14180318514	Republicans	Generally Conservatives because they advocate a reduction in gov.	32
14180318515	Current issues (Left)	Left: Pro Gun control, Pro Choice, No Censorship, Prisons should Rehabilitate, Pro-privacy, Equal funding for Education.	33
14180318516	Current issues (Right)	Right: Anti-gun Control, Pro-life, Anti Flag burning, Prisons should punish, Prayer in schools, School vouchers.	34
14180318517	Taxation (Left)	Acceptable, Gov have $ to fund programs benefiting society, % taxes preferred over flat rate, rich= more tax	35
14180318518	Taxation (Right)	Taxes infringe on personal freedoms Taxes= bad for free market Taxes= Penalization those who are successful Taxes= Punish Profit Prefers flat tax	36
14180318519	Business Regulation (Left)	Yes on gov. Reg Market no reliable to provide safe work conditions Gov. reg= protect workers+ consumers= Everyone= chance to succeed	37
14180318520	Business Regulations (Right)	Business need free from gov. and supply and demand will guide Gov policies that affect products are bad Trickle down economics is the way to stimulate economy	38
14180318521	Political Rights (Left)	Extend Civil Rights to minority groups, students, prisoners, homosexuals, and poor. Protect individual rights: Free speech, pro-choice, anti-capital punishment, and privacy.	39
14180318522	Political Rights (Right)	Cent gov= diminish Issues dealt best on state and local level No change in family values ( usually christian centered) O.K to censor obscure ideas that shake Status Quo.	40
14180318523	Distribution of wealth (Left)	Disparity between rich and poor no good, taxes= distribute wealth. Gov more involved in ed, Health care, Child C., and Elderly. Pub Project= Stimulate economy	41
14180318524	Distribution of wealth (Right)	Business= right to make profit People are rich or poor b/c of choices they make Prosperous people should no be penalized.	42
14180318525	Economy (Left)	Minimum wage standards Public projects= more jobs Gov provide basic living standards of living to all citizens	43
14180318526	Economy (Right)	Economy works best in free market (Laissez- Faire) Forces of the market= trusted to meet needs of business, consumer, and workers. Gov. programs should not compete with private industry.	44
14180318527	Foreign Affairs (Left)	Spread Democracy + Protect human rights in the world Strong Support of UN.	45
14180318528	Foreign Affairs (Right)	Gov role= pro us business and econ. intervention in other countries. Fix us before we fix others Support tariffs (tax on imports)	46
14180318529	SCOPE OF THE GOVERNMENT (Left)	The government should serve as the equalizers in society and establish a basic standard of living, a minimum wage is an acceptable tool of government intervention. The left accepts government control and regulation of business and an active government that protects political rights.	47
14180318530	SCOPE OF THE GOVERNMENT (Right)	Government should be downsized. Large governments, both federal and state, have the power to control business interests and therefore potentially infringe on the freedoms of individuals. Government programs tend to provide unnecessary services that go beyond the scope of the constitution.	48
14180318531	Two- Party System	A system where two major political parties dominate politics within a government	49
14180318532	Third party	Any political party that is not one of the two major parties in a two-party system	50
14180318533	Plank	Each issue included in a political party's platform. Gives the candidates a clear political position with which they can campaign. They give voters a sense of what the candidates believe in, the issues they think are important, and how - if elected - they will address them.	51
14180318534	Becoming President	Step 1: Formation of a Presidential Exploratory Committee Step 2: Announcement of intention to run for president based on findings of the exploratory committee Step 3: Fundraising and gathering of support and endorsements from the general public as well as other politicians, special interest groups, corporations, etc. Step 4: Campaigning early, especially in states where primaries are important (Iowa, New Hampshire, candidates home state, etc.) Step 5: Continuing to campaign to beat out all other opponents from within your own party Step 6: Attending your party's National Convention and securing the nomination of the party Step 7: Campaigning nationwide against your opponents from other parties Step 8: Winning election and securing enough electoral college votes to be named the next president	52
14180318535	Three main concepts of Government brought by English Colonists	The need for an ordered social system, or government. The idea of limited government, that is, that government should not be all-powerful. The concept of representative government—a government that serves the will of the people.	53
14180318536	Royal Colonies	Ruled directly by the English monarchy.	54
14180318537	Proprietary colonies.	Land given to the colonist by the Monarchy	55
14180318538	Charter Colonists	Self-governed, and their charters were granted to the colonists.	56
14180318539	Confederation	A joining of several groups for a common purpose	57
14180318540	The Albany Plan	In 1754, Benjamin Franklin proposed the Albany Plan, an annual congress of delegates (representatives) from each of the 13 colonies would be formed.	58
14180318541	Stamp Act Congress	In 1765, a group of colonies sent delegates to the Stamp Act Congress in New York. These delegates prepared the Declaration of Rights and Grievances against British policies and sent it to the king.	59
14180318542	First Continental Congress	The colonists sent a Declaration of Rights to King George III. The delegates urged each of the colonies to refuse all trade with England until British tax and trade regulations were repealed, or recalled.	60
14180318543	Second Continental Congress	In 1775, each of the 13 colonies sent representatives to this gathering in Philadelphia. The Second Continental Congress served as the first government of the United States from 1776 to 1781.	61
14180318544	Declaration of Independence	July 4, 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence. Between 1776 and 1777, most of the States adopted constitutions instead of charters.	62
14180318545	Common Features of State Constitutions	Popular Sovereignty Limited Government Civil Rights and Liberties Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances	63
14180318546	Popular Sovereignty	The principle of popular sovereignty was the basis for every new State constitution. That principle says that government can exist and function only with the consent of the governed. The people hold power and the people are sovereign.	64
14180318547	Limited Government	The concept of limited government was a major feature of each State constitution. The powers delegated to government were granted reluctantly and hedged with many restrictions.	65
14180318548	Civil Rights and Liberties	In every State it was made clear that the sovereign people held certain rights that the government must respect at all times. Seven of the new constitutions contained a bill of rights, setting out the "unalienable rights" held by the people.	66
14180318549	Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances	The powers granted to the new State governments were purposely divided among three branches: executive, legislative, and judicial. Each branch was given powers with which to check (restrain the actions of) the other branches of the government.	67
14180318550	Articles of Confederation (AC)	Approved November 15, 1777 Est. "a firm league of friendship" between the states Needed the ratification of the 13 states March 1, 1781 Second Continental Congress declared the Articles effective	68
14180318551	Structure of Constitution	3 parts; the preamble, the articles(7), and the amendments	69
14180318552	The Preamble	intro, explains purpose of Constitution and purpose of govt	70
14180318553	Article I	establishes legislative branch	71
14180318554	Article II	creates an executive branch to carry out laws created by Congress	72
14180318555	Article III	creates judicial branch	73
14180318556	Article IV	explains the relationship of the states to one another and to the national govt	74
14180318557	Article V	spells out the ways the Constitution can be amended	75
14180318558	Article VI	contains the supremacy clause, establishing that federal law shall be the supreme law of the land	76
14180318559	Article VII	addresses ratification and says that 9 states are needed to ratify the Constitution	77
14180318560	Connecticut Compromise	Two houses Senate - equal representation House - proportional representation based on population Combination of Virginia and New Jersey plans	78
14180318561	6 Major Principles of Constitution	1. Popular sovereignty- rule by people 2. Federalism- power is divided between national and state govts 3. Separation of powers- limits the central govt by dividing power among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches 4. checks and balances- each branch of govt exercises some control over the others	79
14180318562	Electoral College	a compromise, combining features of both congressional selection and direct popular election	80
14180318563	Electors	individuals selected in each state to officially cast that state's electoral votes; Wisconsin selects 10 electors	81
14180318564	Popular Vote	the popular vote winner may not win the electoral college; for example: small-state bias caused by each state getting at least three electoral votes regardless of its size	82
14180318565	The Virginia Plan	-Three Separate branches of government: Legislature, Executive, and Judicial -Bicameral legislature (2 parts) -Based on population or the amount of money given to support the central government -Members of House of Reps = based on population -Senate = chosen by House from a list from the State Legislature -Congress would be given powers it had under the Articles of Confederation -Any State law that conflicted with National Law would be vetoed -"National Executive" and "National Judiciary" -Council of Revision -Veto acts passed by Congress (but can be overridden by Congress) -State officers should take an Oath to the Union -Admission process for new States	83
14180318566	New Jersey Plan	-Unicameral (one body) Congress of the Confederation -Each state equally represented -Give them limited and closely monitored powers -Tax and regulate trade -Federal Executive -More than one person -Chosen by Congress/could be removed with a majority vote -Federal Judiciary -Single "supreme Tribunal" -Selected by the Executive Branch	84
14180318567	Three-Fifths Compromise	All "free persons" will be counted; 3/5 of all other persons Southerners could count slaves but had to pay taxes on them	85
14180318568	judicial review	power of courts to say that laws and actions of govt are invalid bc they conflict w the constitution's principles	86
14180318569	The Commerce and Slave Trade Compromises	Congress has the power to regulate foreign and interstate trade -Scared southerners because of slave trade -States cannot enact import/export taxes only federal government can -Could not act on the slave trade for 20 years	87
14180318570	AC (Power of congress)	Make war and peace Send and receive ambassadors Make treaties Borrow money Set up a money system Est. post offices Build a navy Raise an army by asking the states for troops Fix uniform standards of weights and measures Settle disputes among the states	88
14180318571	James Madison	James Madison was the co-author of the Articles of Confederation. Kept detailed records of the convention Conventions Floor leader Contributed more to the constitution than any other	89
14180318572	Constitutional Convention	Mid-February of 1787 meeting of all thirteen States, which eventually became the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.	90
14180318573	AC (States Obligations)	Pledge to obey the Articles and Acts of the Congress Provide the funds and troops requested by the congress Treat citizens of other states fairly and equally Give full faith and credit to public acts, records, and judicial proceedings Submit disputes to congress for settlement Allow open travel and trade b/w and among states Primarily responsible for protecting life and property Accountable for promoting the general welfare of the people.	91
14180318574	Weaknesses of the Articles	-One vote for each state, regardless of size. -Congress powerless to lay and collect taxes, and regulate foreign and interstate commerce. -No executive to enforce acts of congress. -No national court system. Amendment only with consent of all states. -Amendment only with consent of all State. -A 9/13 majority required to pass laws. -Articles only a "firm league of friendship"	92
14180318575	Lobbying	efforts by individuals or groups to influence governmental decision makers Types of lobbying; -full-time employee -temporary employee -often former legislatives	93
14180318576	Inside lobbying	appeals directly to lawmakers and their staff -through meetings -by providing research and info -by testifying at committee hearings	94
14180318577	Outside lobbying	attempt to influence decision makers indirectly, by influencing the public -try to build public support -increase conflict about an issue -lobby other groups and try to form alliances tactics: direct contact, direct mail, and media advertisements	95
14180318578	Electioneering	-efforts to help candidates financially -efforts to help candidates gain voter support	96
14180318579	Litigation	testifying to influence public policy	97
14180318580	Types of Interest Groups	-economic interests -environmental interests -equality interests -consumer and other public interest lobbies	98
14180318581	Economic Interests	trade associations; - organized commercial groups, farm organizations - corporations; form own interest groups, hire lobbyists - labor unions, professional associations	99
14180318582	Environmental Interests	- sprang up since 1970 - profound policy impact bc of numbers, not money	100
14180318583	PAC	Political Action Committees; raise and spend money to influence electoral outcomes	101
14180318584	Equality Interests	14th Amendment guarantees equality Minorities and Equality - social welfare policies Women	102
14180318585	Consumer and Other Public Interest Lobbies	Represent broad classes of people or the public as a whole -consumer, voters, reformers, etc Public Interest Groups -policies that are in the public's interest Think tanks -conduct research -advocate a strong ideological viewpoint	103
14180318586	How do interest groups shape public policy?	lobbying, electioneering, litigation, going public	104
14180318587	Law making process	http://integrationsolutions.westlaw.com/gov/leghist/images/cap.gif	105
14180318588	Presidential Roles	Chief of State - the ceremonial head of the government of the United States Chief Executive - given this title by the Constitution Chief Administrator - carry out the laws, head of the federal bureaucracy Chief Diplomat - main architect of America's foreign policy Commander in Chief - head of the nation's armed forces Chief Legislator - can push for laws to be passed Chief of Party - Leader of their political party	106
14180318589	Presidential Qualifications	Must be a natural born citizen Be at least 35 years old Have lived in the U.S. for at least 14 years	107
14180318590	Who takes over if pres. cannot	Vice President Speaker of the House President pro tempore Secretary of State	108
14180318591	22nd Amendment	set 2 term limit on	109
14180318592	Presidential pay	$400,000 a year and $50,000 expense account	110
14180318593	Presidential Benefits	Live in the White House (132 Rooms) Yacht, Automobiles, Air Force One Lifetime pension of $143,800 a year Camp David - Resort in Maryland	111
14180318594	Presidential power	Power to appoint cabinet members, diplomats and ambassadors, judges Power to make treaties - formal agreement between two or more sovereign state Executive Agreement - pacts between the President and the heads of foreign states Recognition - President can acknowledge the legal existence of a country and its government	112
14180318595	Presidential Legislative power	Recommend Legislation Veto Bills Can call for a special session of Congress	113
14180318596	Presidential Judicial power	Reprieve - postponement of the execution of a sentence Pardon - legal forgiveness of a crime (only involving a federal offense) Commutation - reduce the length of a sentence or a fine Amnesty - a general pardon offered to a group of violators 1977 - Pardon to Vietnam War draft evaders	114
14180318597	Main jobs of House and Senate	Make Laws Declare War Represent their Constituents	115
14180318598	House Membership	435 members (each state's delegation is determined by its population)	116
14180318599	Senate Membership	100 members (two per state)	117
14180318600	House Qualifications	25 years old U.S Citizens for 7 years Resident of State they're representing	118
14180318601	Senate Qualifications	30 years old U.S citizens for 9 years Resident of State they're representing	119
14180318602	Terms limit for House	2 years entire house elected every two years	120
14180318603	Terms limit for Senate	1/3 of Senate 2 years	121
14180318604	"Leader" of House	Speaker of the House	122
14180318605	"Leader" of Senate	Vice President	123
14180318606	How House is elected	Directly voted by voter per district	124
14180318607	How Senate is elected	Directly by the voters of a state	125
14180318608	Reapportionment	Applies only to HOUSE redistribution of seats every 10 years states gain or lose seats based on their population growing or shrinking	126
14180318609	Thomas Paine	Author of book "Common Sense"	127
14180318610	Gerrymandering	an attempt by politicians to create unbalanced districts for their party's political gain	128
14180318611	Special Powers of House	Brings impeachment charges May choose the President if there is no majority in the electoral system Must start all revenue bills	129
14180318612	Special Powers of Senate	Acts as jury in impeachment trials (2/3 vote needed) May choose the Vice President if there is no majority in the electoral system Must ratify treaties with foreign nations by 2/3 vote Must approves Presidential appointments (majority needed)	130
14180318613	What makes an interest group successful?	access, info, leadership skills, numerical strength, group unity, money	131
14180318614	CBO	- strengthen Congress' role in the budgeting process	132
14180318615	Pluralist Theory	- groups link ppl and govt - competition between interest groups is a central part of American democracy - different groups have strengths in different areas	133
14180318616	Types of Committees	Standing committees - handle bills in different policy areas Select - may be temporary and permanent and usually have focused responsibility Joint Committees - draw their membership from both the Senate and the House Conference Committees - are formed when Senate and the house pass different versions of the same bill	134
14180318617	Elite Theory	- reject the pluralists' assertion that competing groups balance power - believe unequal distribution of power in society ensures that interests of some groups will dominate others	135
14180318618	Hyperpluralist Theory	- argue that pluralism in the US is out of control -results in govt that is very subservient to interest groups and tries to appease them all	136
14180318619	4 Models of Representations	delegate model - assumes that a representative's job is to convey the will of the majority of their constituents to the legislature trustee model - should take the majority view into account but use his or best judgment when voting or acting on behalf of constituents politico model -middle path between trustees and delegate model conscience model - should generally follow what the follow what the public says unless it goes against their deepest values	137
14180318620	Agenda setting	bringing issues to the public's attention and placing them on the national agenda	138
14180318621	GAO	Government Accountability Office - broad authority to oversee the operations and finances of executive agencies	139
14180318622	GPOthec	Government Printing Office - distributes over 200,000 govt publications in U.S. govt bookstores throughout the nation	140
14180318623	Types of gerrymandering	Partisan gerrymandering - drawing a district to favor one political party over others Incumbent gerrymandering - a state legislature is so closely divided that neither political party has an advantage Racial gerrymandering - drawing a district to favor one racial group over others Affirmative racial gerrymandering - creation of predominately African American and minority districts whenever possible	141
14180318624	Free rider problem	barrier to collective action bc ppl can reap the benefits of group efforts without participating	142
14180318625	Single-issue groups	groups that have a narrow interest, tend to dislike compromise, and often draw membership from people new to politics	143
14180318626	CRS	Congressional Research Service - works for the U.S. Congress and provides nonpartisan an policy and research analysis to committees and members of both houses	144
14180318627	Edmund Burke	contrasts with the idea of representatives as delegated who feel obligated to vote according to the views of the "folks back home" regardless of their own personal viewpoint	145
14180318628	Caucus	a group of members of Congress sharing some interest or characteristic	146
14180318629	House Rules Committee	the committee in the House of Representatives that reviews most bills coming from a House committee before they go to the full House	147
14180318630	Companion legislation	similar or identical legislation which is introduced in Senate and House	148
14180318631	Omnibus legislation	large bills that often cover several topics and may contain extraneous, or pork-barrel projects	149
14180318632	Who runs for congress?	People involved: Law Business Public service	150
14180318633	legislative oversight	congress' monitoring of the bureaucracy and its administration of policy, performed mainly through hearings	151
14180318634	power of the purse	congressional exclusive power to authorize expenditures by all avenues of the federal govt	152
14180318635	advice and consent	advice and consent and confirmation of presidential appointments and treaties	153
14180318636	Seniority system	governs most committee assignments and movement into committee leadership positions	154
14180318637	Pork barrel	federal projects, grants, and contracts available to state and local govts, businesses, colleges, and other institutions	155
14180318638	congressional casework	activities of members of Congress that help constituents as individuals, particularly by cutting through bureaucratic red tape to get ppl what they think they have a right to get	156
14180318639	partisan polarization	a vote in which a majority of democratic legislators oppose a majority of republican legislators	157
14180318640	incumbent advantages	advertising - gather info through technological sources-thus having the incumbents' personal interests credit claiming - enhancing their standing w constituents through service to individuals and the district weak opponents -no name recognition campaign spending - the candidate who spends the most money tends to win misinformed voters	158
14180318641	federalist	a person who advocates or supports a system of government in which several states unite under a central authority	159
14180318642	anti-federalist	somebody who opposed the U.S. Constitution when it was being drawn up	160
14180318643	filibuster	any member can speak for as long as he or she wants on any given use	161
14180318644	Amendment 1 freedoms	Freedom of Religion, freedom of speech, Freedom of expression, Freedom of the Press, and Freedom of Assembly.	162
14180318645	bill of rights	the first ten amendments to the US Constitution	163