AP GOV

• Direct Democracy


  Citizens meet and vote directly on government decisions
• Representative Democracy (Republic)


  Citizens choose officials who make decisions on government policy
• Magna Carta (1215)


  The first ever attempt to limit the power of the British King, guaranteed all people certain rights
• Enlightenment Philosophers


  • Locke
  • Rousseau
• Social Contract Theory


  Principle that people enter into a social contract with the government and allow to be ruled
• Consent of the Governed


  Principle that there are no supreme rulers, all rulers depend on the approval of the people, when governments fail to protect rights the people have the right to change the government
• Natural Rights


  Principle that all people are born with certain rights: life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness
• Declaration of Independence


  Thomas Jefferson's document built on principles of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" consent of the governed, and social contract theory. It also justified American revolution against England
• Common Good


  Belief in doing what's best for the nation overall
• Popular Sovereignty


  Belief that the ultimate authority rests with the people
• Majority Rule


  Belief that government is run based on the will of the majority
• Articles of Confederation


  • Weak association of states (states very independent)
  • No central executive power
  • No federal power to tax citizens directly
  • Federal government could raise an army, (but not pay for it), print money, declare war, and run the post office
  • 9 out of 13 states were required to vote to pass a law
  • With no strong central government supervision, states could get away with taxing and printing money, and making foreign treaties
• 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
• All delegates at the Constitutional Convention supported Representative Democracy (Republic) - democracy where people elect representatives who pass laws
• Delegates at the Constitutional Convention supported three branches - executive, legislative, and judicial
• Serious debate at the Constitutional Convention

  • Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
  • North vs. South
  • Big States vs. Small States
• 3/5 Compromise


  Counted slaves as 3/5 of a person to give the south more representatives
• Connecticut Compromise (Bicameralism)


  Established two equal bodies (House of Representatives and Senate) one based on population, one giving all states equal representation. This was a compromise between big states (Virginia Plan) and small states (New Jersey Plan) over the format of the Congress
• Federalists


  Supported the Constitution because it gave power to a strong central government
• Anti-Federalists


  Opposed the constitution because they thought the national government would become tyrannical and take power away from the states
• Federalist Papers


  Articles written by Madison, Hamilton, and Jay arguing for the constitution
• Federalist Paper #10


  Written by Madison, discusses importance of factions, factions are inevitable, but factions are best handled by a large republic
• Federalist Paper #51


  Written by Madison, discusses importance of checks and balances and the separation of powers in the constitution
• Weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation


  • Congress could not tax, it relied on contributions from states
  • Congress couldn't regulate interstate trade
  • No chief executive to enforce the law
  • No national judiciary to handle state fights
  • Each state was given only one vote
• How the Constitution Fixed these Problems


  • National government had power to tax directly
  • Interstate Commerce Clause gives Congress interstate regulatory power
  • Article II creates president who enforces the law
  • Article III creates Supreme Court
  • Bicameral legislature represents states both by population, and equality
• Articles of the US Constitution


  • Article I - Legislative Branch
  • Article II - Executive Branch
  • Article III - Judicial Branch
  • Article IV - Interstate relations
  • Article V - Amendment process
• Separation of Powers


  Each of the three branches has its own power and independence
• Separation of Powers


  • Legislative Branch - Passes laws
  • Executive Branch - Executes laws
  • Judicial Branch - Interprets laws (this power comes from Supreme Court Case Marbury vs. Madison - set dogma of judicial review, where the Supreme Court may rule an act of the President or Congress unconstitutional)
• Checks and Balances


  Each branch has some power over the others, but retains independence
• Articles of the US Constitution


  • Article I - Legislative Branch
  • Article II - Executive Branch
  • Article III - Judicial Branch
  • Article IV - Interstate relations
  • Article V - Amendment process
• Separation of Powers


  1. Legislative Branch - Passes laws

  2. Executive Branch - Executes laws

  3. Judicial Branch - Interprets laws
• The power of the Judicial Branch to interpret laws comes from the Supreme Court case Marbury vs. Madison, which set the dogma of judicial review
• Checks and Balances


  • Legislative - Approves budget, Passes laws, Can override veto, Can impeach president/judges, Approves appointments and treaties
  • Executive - Proposes laws, Can veto laws, Can call special sessions of congress, Can appeal to public, Appoints officials and judges, Can pardon convicted felons
  • Judicial - Interprets laws, Can declare executive acts and legislative laws unconstitutional
• Federalism


  Separation between powers of the Federal, State, and Local governments
• Confederacy


  System of government in which the central government is very weak, and most of the true power lies in individual states
• Unitary System


  System of government in which the central government is extremely powerful, and individual states have few powers
• Dual Federalism (1789-1932)


  Belief that the state and national governments are supreme within their own sphere of influence
• Cooperative Federalism


  Sharing powers between state and federal governments
• Fiscal Federalism


  Government's patterns of spending, taxing, and providing grants to influence state and local governments
• Types of Fiscal Federalism


  • Grants-in-aid
  • Categorical grants
  • Block grants
  • Revenue sharing
  • Mandates