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AP government key phrases
the top subjects asked about on the AP U.S. government test
124
Political Studies
12th Grade
04/24/2010

Additional Political Studies Flashcards

 


 

Cards

Term

Federalist Papers

Definition

  • authors: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay
  • written in favor of the  ratification of the Constitution
  • # 10: warns of "factions" and says the solution is a republican form of government
  • #51: talks about checks and balances

Term

Political Socialization

Definition

  • the developmental processes by which children and adolescents acquire political cognition, attitudes and behaviors
  • factors include: family, religion, school, etc.

Term

Electoral College

Definition

  • written about in the Constitution
  • representatives that vote for the president and vice president
  • criticisms: the candidate can win the popular vote but not win the electoral vote or vice versa
  • criticisms: candidates focus on big states because of the winner-take-all system

Term

Writ of Certiorari

Definition

  • an order by the court (when petitioned) directing a lower court to send up the records of a case for review
  • Rule of Four: 4 of the 9 justices must agree to hear the case

Term

Brief Orders

Definition

  • when the Supreme Court accepts a case and returns it to the lower court for reconsideration because of a related case that was recently decided

Term

Certificate

Definition

  • what a lower court needs to ask the Supreme Court about a rule of law or procedures in specific cases

Term

Presidential Veto

Definition

 

  • president sends bill back to Congress within 10 days stating objection
  • Congress reconsiders, can override veto if there is a 2/3 majority vote in both houses and bill becomes law
  • if president never signs, becomes law after 10 days

 

Term

Amendment #19

Definition

  • gave women the right to vote

Term

Amendment # 20

Definition

  • president and vice president start their terms on January 20
  • Congress start their terms on January 3

Term

Amendment #10

Definition

  • all other rights not specified in Constitution is given to the states

Term

Amendment # 16

Definition

  • Congress has power to impose individual federal income tax

Term

Amendment #14

Definition

  • defined citizenship
  • Due Process Clause: gives rights to the states

Term

Amendment #5

Definition

  • no double jeopardy (can't be tried for the same crime twice with no new evidence
  • you don't have to testify against yourself

Term

Amendment # 17

Definition

  • USA senators are to be elected directly by the people (used to be by the state legislatures)

Term

Amendment #18

Definition

  • alcohol is prohibited

Term

Amendment #2

Definition

 

  • gave the right to bear arms

 

Term

Amendment #24

Definition

 

  • the payment of tax is not a requirement to vote

 

Term

Amendment #13

Definition

  • abolished slavery

Term

Amendment #6

Definition

  • the right to a speedy trial

Term

Amendment #25

Definition

  • outlines the procedure for presidential succession in case of presidential disability

Term

Amendment #26

Definition

  • changed voting age to 18 or older

Term

Amendment #27

Definition

  • Congress cannot pass immediate salary increases for itself

Term

Amendment #21

Definition

  • repealed the 18th amendment (alcohol is now legal)

Term

Amendment #3

Definition

  • in peacetime, soldiers cannot be put up in a private home without the owner's agreement

Term

Amendment #9

Definition

  • a right cannot be taken away from a person simply because the Constitution does not mention it

Term

Amendment #11

Definition

  • federal courts can't hear cases lodged against a state by a citizen of another state

Term

Amendment #7

Definition

  • when one person sues another for more than $20, the accused has the right to jury trial

Term

Amendment #15

Definition

  • the right to vote cannot be denied by race

Term

Amendment #1

Definition

  • freedom of religion
  • freedom of speech
  • freedom of the press
  • freedom of assembly and petition

Term

Amendment #12

Definition

  • choices for president and vice president must be designated as such

Term

Amendment #22

Definition

  • president can only serve 2 terms

Term

Amendment #8

Definition

  • no cruel and unusual punishments

Term

Amendment #23

Definition

  • Washington, D.C. can vote for president and vice president

Term

Amendment #4

Definition

  • no search and seizure without a warrant

Term

Virginia Plan

Definition

  • bicameral legislature
  • each house has representation according to population

Term

New Jersey Plan

Definition

  • unicameral legislature
  • representation equal regardless of population

Term

The Great Compromise

Definition

  • also known as the Connecticut Compromise
  • bicameral legislature
  • one house would have equal representation (the senate)
  • one house would have representation according to population (house of representatives)

Term

Devolution

Definition

  • the granting of powers from the federal government to the state government

Term

House Committees

Definition

  • has 23 congressional committees
  • 20 of which are standing committees
  • 3 are special committees

Term

major differences of the House of Representatives from the Senate

Definition

  • representation is proportional to population
  • 435 members serving 2-year terms
  • policy specialists
  • Rules Committee powerful
  • debate usually limited
  • leaders very powerful

Term

major differences of the Senate from the House of Representatives

Definition

  • representation equal regardless of population
  • 100 members serving 6-year terms
  • policy generalists
  • Rules Committee weak
  • unlimited debate unless cloture or unanimous consent

Term

Constituent

Definition

  • a person who elects a representative

Term

line item veto

Definition

  • the president can choose parts of bill to veto, and parts to pass
  • given power in Line Item Veto Act of 1996 but it was later declared unconstitutional

Term

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002

Definition

  • also called the McCain-Feingold Law
  • amended the Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971
  • increased the role of soft money

Term

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

Definition

  • created a "league of friendship"
  • Congress could not tax
  • Congress could not regulate interstate commerce
  • no executive branch
  • the states had power to coin money
  • each state had one vote, regardless of population
  • 9/13 states required to pass legislation
  • unanimous consent to amend the Articles of Confederation

Term

Motor Voter Law

Definition

  • let people register to vote when they applied for or renewed their licenses
  • an attempt to increase voter turnout

Term

affirmative action

Definition

  • policies that try to promote equal opportunity or increase ethnic diversity by taking race, gender, etc. into consideration
  • Supreme Court has ruled that strict forms are unconstitutional

Term

2000 Presidential Election

Definition

 

  • Al Gore got the popular vote
  • George Bush got electoral vote so he won

 

Term

Powers of Congress

Definition

 

  • to tax
  • to borrow money
  • to regulate interstate and foreign commerce
  • to coin money
  • to fix the standard of weights and measures
  • to establish a post office
  • to declare war
  • to raise and support an army and navy and make rules for them
  •  to provide for a militia
  • to "make all laws which shall be necessary and proper"

 

Term

Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

Definition

 

  • created the Congressional Budget Office
  • the president does not have the power to not spend the money Congress has appropriated

 

Term

Balanced Budget

Definition

 

  • when the spending equals the income

 

Term

Block Grant

Definition

  • general grant to the states from the federal government that can be used in a variety of ways in a broad category
  • there's more freedom than with a categorical grant

Term

Congressional Budget Office (CBO)

Definition

  • federal agency in the legislative branch
  • provides economic data to Congress

Term

Consumer Price Index

Definition

  • the average price of consumer goods and services purchased by households

Term

Continuing Resolution

Definition

  • government agencies can spend money according to budget from the year before if their budget hasn't been appropriated by Congress by the end of the fiscal year

Term

Culture of Poverty

Definition

  • social theory explaining the cycle of poverty
  • poor stay poor because they are adapted to it

Term

Deficit Spending

Definition

  • they money that is spent that exceeds the income

Term

Discount Rates

Definition

  • the interest rate a central bank charges depository institutions that borrow from it

Term

Distributive Policy

Definition

  • extending goods and services to members of an organization and distributing the costs amongst them

Term

Entitlements

Definition

  • guarantee of access to benefits because of rights or by agreement through law

Term

Federal Reserve System

Definition

  • the central banking system of the United States

Term

Flat Tax

Definition

 

  • a tax system with a constant tax rate

 

Term

Fiscal Policy

Definition

  • the use of government spending and revenue collection to influence the economy

Term

Gross Domestic Product

Definition

  • a basic measure of a country's overall economic performance

Term

Income Distribution

Definition

  • how a nation's total economy is distributed amongst its population

Term

Laissez-Faire

Definition

  • allowing industry to be free of government restriction

Term

Mandatory Spending

Definition

  • spending on certain programs that is required by law

Term

Norris-La Guardia Act (1932)

Definition

  • made yellow dog contracts: a worker agreed as a condition of employment that he would not join a labor union

Term

Office of Management and Budget (OMB)

Definition

  • cabinet level office
  • assists the president in overseeing the federal budget 

Term

Poverty Line

Definition

  • the minimum level of income deemed necessary to achieve and adequate standard of living in a given country

Term

Progressive Tax

Definition

  • the tax rate increases as the taxable amount increases

Term

Regressive Tax

Definition

  • the tax rate decreases as the taxable amount increases

Term

Natural Law

Definition

  • God's or nature's law that defines right from wrong and is higher than human law

Term

Initiative

Definition

  • procedure whereby a certain number of voter may, by petition, propose a law or constitutional amendment and have it submitted to the voters

Term

Referendum

Definition

  • procedure for submitting to popular vote measures passed by the legislature or proposed amendment to a state constitution

Term

Recall

Definition

  • procedure for submitting to popular vote the removal of officials from office before the end of their term

Term

Judicial Review

Definition

  • the power of a court to refuse to enforce a law or a government regulation because they believe it is unconstitutional

Term

Writ of Mandamus

Definition

  • court order directing an official to perform an official duty

Term

Executive Order

Definition

  • directive issued by a president or governor that has the force of law

Term

Executive Privilege

Definition

  • the power to keep executive communications confidential, especially if they relate to national security

Term

Impoundment

Definition

  • presidential refusal to allow an agency to spend funds that Congress authorized and appropriated

Term

Party Machine

Definition

  • a disciplined organization with a boss or small group in charge
  • the supporters receive rewards for their efforts
  • sometimes have a political boss, and follow the merit system
  • typically are organized on a permanent basis

Term

The Department of Treasury

Definition
  • executive department
  • first secretary was Alexander Hamilton
  • pretty much in charge of anything financial
Term

Amicus Curiae Brief

Definition

  • "friend of the court"
  • someone who is not party to the case offers information

Term

Exclusionary Rule

Definition

  • when evidence collected under violation of rights is sometimes used for a criminal prosecution

Term

Wall of Seperation

Definition

  • proposed by Thomas Jefferson
  • there must be a wall of separation between church and state

Term

Civil rights Act of 1964

Definition

  • made racial discrimination in public place illegal
  • required employers to provide equal employment opportunity

Term

Front-loading

Definition

  • scheduling elections earlier so the states might can influence the outcome

Term

Franking Privilege

Definition

  • allows members of the House of Representative and the Senate to mail things with their signature instead of a stamp

Term

Federalist #51

Definition

  • majority rule and minority rights

Term

War Power Resolution

Definition

  • requires president to notify Congress of within 48 hours of sending out troops
  • after 60 day, troops must come home unless authorized by Congress

Term

Iron Triangle

Definition

  • policy-making relationship between a congressional committee, the bureaucracy (executive), and interest groups

Term

Prior Restraint

Definition

  • government actions that prevent communications from reaching the public
  • censorship

Term

Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974

Definition

 

  • placed legal limits on the campaign contributions
  • created the Federal Election Commission (an independent regulatory agency that regulates the campaign finance legislation)

 

Term

Government Corporations

Definition

  • independent establishments created by Congress to address concerns that go beyond the scope of ordinary legislation
  • responsible for keeping the government and economy running smoothly
  • NASA, CIA, Social Security Agency, AMTRAK, US Postal Service

Term

Deregulation

Definition

  • the removal or simplification of government rules and regulations that constrain the operation of market forces
  • moving toward a more free market

Term

Chief Initiator of Foreign Policy

Definition

  • president is the chief initiator
  • secretary of state carries it out
  • Senate ratifies treaties and president signs them

Term

Policy Agenda

Definition

  • a list of subjects or problems to which people inside and outside the government are paying serious attention to at any given time

Term

Divided Government

Definition

  • when one party controls the presidency and a different party controls one or both houses of Congress

Term

Electoral College

Definition

  • the body that formally selects the president
  • each state is allotted electoral votes equal to the number of its representatives and senators in Congress
  • the candidate for the presidency who receives a majority of these votes wins
  • if no candidate obtains a majority, the House of Representatives chooses from the top three in electoral votes

Term

Executive Agencies

Definition

  • federal agencies that are part of the executive branch but outside the structure of the cabinet departments
  • their heads typically serve at the pleasure of the president and can be removed at the president's discretion

Term

Executive Privilege

Definition

  • a claim by the president that consultations with advisers are confidential and need not be disclosed to the courts or Congress
  • it is valid when sensitive military or diplomatic matters are involved

Term

Impoundment

Definition

  • the refusal of the president to spend money appropriated by Congress

Term

Rescissions

Definition

  • presidential recommendations to cut parts of appropriations bills

Term

Unified Government

Definition

  • a government in which the same party controls the presidency and both houses of Congress

Term

Appropriation

Definition

  • money formally set aside for a specific use
  • issued by the House Appropriations Committee

Term

Bureaucracy

Definition

  • a large organization composed of appointed officers in which authority is divided among several managers

Term

Freedom of Information Act

Definition

  • a law passed in 1966
  • gave citizens the right to inspect all government records except those containing military, intelligence, or trade secrets

Term

Pendleton Act

Definition

  • a law which began the process of transferring federal jobs from patronage to the merit system

Term

Whistleblower Protection Act

Definition

 

  • created an Office of Special Counsel to investigate complaints from bureaucrats claiming they were punished after reporting to Congress about waste, fraud, or abuse in their agencies

 

Term

Remedy

Definition

  • a judicial order setting forth what must be done to correct a situation a judge believes to be wrong

Term

Senatorial Courtesy

Definition

  • the tradition by which the Senate will not confirm a district court judge if the senator who is from that state and of the president party objects

Term

Stare Decisis

Definition

  • an informal rule of judicial decision making in which judges try to follow precedent in deciding cases.

Term

Client Politics

Definition

  • policies from which some identifiable, though often small, group will benefit, but for which a large part of society will pay the cost

Term

Logrolling

Definition

  • "I'll vote for your bill if you vote for mine"

Term

Political Agenda

Definition

  • the issues about which public policy will be made

Term

Gramm-Rudman Act

Definition

  • proposed cutting the budget until there was no longer a deficit
  • tried to balance the budget

Term

Keynesianism

Definition

 

  • liberal economic theory developed by John Maynard Keynes
  • when demand is too low, the government should pump money into the economy through spending on programs
  • when demand is too great, the government should take money out of the economy by increasing taxes or cutting spending

 

Term

Hatch Act

Definition

  • limits political activities of civil service employees

Term

Civil Rights Act of 1964

Definition

  • no discrimination in public places on basis of race, color, national origin, or religion
  • no discrimination in hiring

Term

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Definition

  • suspended literacy test

Term

War Powers Act

Definition

  • president could send troops overseas only if:
  • he notified Congress within 48 hours
  • he withdrew troops within 60 days, unless authorized by Congress
  • he consulted with Congress if troops were to engage in combat

Term

USA Patriot Act

Definition

  • strengthens the federal government's power to conduct surveillance, perform searches, and detain individuals in order to combat terrorism

Term

McCain-Feingold Bill

Definition

  • raised hard money limits to $2,000
  • banned soft money contributions to national political parties

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