AP Gov PDF Review

• Shays' Rebellion – Farmer rebellion in Massachusetts 1786-1787 protesting mortgage foreclosures and terrible economy. Rebellion represented how weak the central government was, and terrified many Americans
• Dual Federalism, aka "Layer Cake" Federalism (1789-1932)


  Belief that the state and national governments are supreme within their own sphere of influence
• Cooperative Federalism, aka "Marble Cake" Federalism


  Sharing powers between state and federal governments
• Inherent powers


  Powers dealing with foreign policy not in constitution, but given to federal government. Ex. regulating immigration, acquiring territory, and ending labor strikes
• Federal Powers


  • Regulate interstate commerce
  • Coin/print money
  • Provide army
  • Declare war
  • Establish federal courts
  • Set foreign policy
  • Make all laws "necessary
• Federal and state powers (concurrent)


  • Levy taxes
  • Spend for general welfare
  • Enact and enforce laws
• State Powers (reserved)


  • Regulate intrastate commerce
  • Establish local governments
  • Establish public schools
  • Administer elections
  • Establish licensing requirements
• Writ of habeas corpus


  Court order demanding that a warden or other public officer produce an individual at court to show a valid reason the individual has been detained
• Bills of attainder


  A legislative act that targets a specific person or group of people, declares them guilty of a crime, often without a trial, and imposes punishment
• Ex post facto laws


  "After the fact", laws that make an act illegal after it was performed
• Take care clause


  President must enforce all laws passed by congress
• How to amend constitution

  1. ⅔ of congress propose amendments ¾ of states ratify it

  2. State convention called by ⅔ of states propose amendments ¾ of states ratify (only been used once, 21st amendment)
• Libertarianism


  Belief in very small government and extreme focus on individual and business rights, no regulation of industry
• Political Efficacy


  Belief that you can participate in politics, or that government will respond (my vote counts)
• Civic Duty


  Belief that one has an obligation to participate in civic and political affairs
• Primary elections


  • Open primaries - people from either party can vote (must choose to vote for either democrats or republicans)
  • Closed primaries - people can only vote if they are a registered member of the party
• Referendum


  People vote on whether or not to accept a law passed by state legislature, or a proposed amendment to the state constitution
• Recall


  Voters remove elected officials
• States have electoral votes equal to number of senators + number of representatives
• The Media


  Referred to as the 4th estate (branch) of government because of its huge impact
• Federal Election Campaign Act


  • Set limits on individual contributions to candidates
  • Limited how much money is spent by candidates (later ruled unconstitutional in Buckley v. Valeo)
  • Individuals must disclose contributions
  • Set up option to use public financing of presidential funds
• Candidates could spend infinite amounts of hard money
• Interest groups and individuals got around FECA by donating to parties (soft money)
• McCain-Feingold Act


  • Limited soft money
  • Still allowed PACs and interest groups to spend infinite amounts of money on issue advocacy
• Currently, groups are free to spend infinite amounts of money on issue advocacy, as long as they do not say the name of a specific candidate
• House Rules Committee


  Determines whether bills have closed rule (no amendments, time limit on debate) or open rule (open to relevant, germane amendments, no time limit)
• 3 main roles of bureaucracy


  • Implementation (ex. Homeland security enforces airport security laws)
  • Administration (postal service delivering mail, social security administration sends out social security checks)
  • Regulation (epa sets out standards for clean air and water)
• Presidential oversight


  • The president controls the agencies' budget access
  • President appoints heads to departments and can issue executive orders
• Congressional oversight


  • Congress can create/abolish agencies
  • Senate confirms all presidential appointees to the bureaucracy
  • Congress must authorize agencies to spend money
  • Congress must also appropriate (fund) all government agencies and programs
  • Congress may use committee clearance - the ability of a committee to review and approve decisions of agencies
  • Congress may hold committee hearings to hold agencies responsible
  • Congress may also launch investigations of the bureaucracy
  • Congress can punish agencies by cutting their funding
• Stare decisis


  A rule or law contained in a judicial decision is viewed as binding on judges whenever the same question is raised "let the decision stand"
• Writ of certiorari


  Orders a lower court to deliver its record in a case so that the higher court may review it
• Litmus test


  An examination of the political ideology of a nominated judge so the president can decide to appoint them or not
• Senatorial courtesy


  A tacit agreement among senators not to vote for any presidential nominee who is opposed by the senators from the nominee's home state
• In forma pauperis


  A cheaper means for poor people to have their cases heard in federal court for free
• Sovereign immunity


  Rule that citizens cannot sue the government without the government's consent
• Amicus Curiae


  Brief submitted by a third party "friend of the court" (typically an interest group) to give outside opinion
• Due Process Clause


  Denies government the right to deny people of life, liberty, or property without due process of law (trial)
• Tools federal reserve uses to keep economy stable


  • Requires banks to keep certain amounts of money reserved, to slow growth the fed raises reserve requirements and to increase growth the fed decreases the reserve requirement
  • Interest rate the fed charges on banks when they borrow money
  • Government bonds
• Progressive Taxation


  A tax system that forces people with higher incomes to pay a larger fraction of their income than do people with lower incomes
• Regressive Taxation


  A tax system in which people with lower incomes pay a higher fraction of their incomes than do people with higher incomes