AP GOVERNMENT VOCABULARY AND CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS
CHP 1- Study of American Government
1. Democratic centralism- The true interest of the masses are served by those in
power, without a vote given to determine power.
2. Direct (participatory) democracy- government rule by the masses.
3. Representative democracy- power is in the hands of elected officials, chosen by
the masses.
4. Marxist theory- power is in the hands of those that control the means of
production.
5. Bureaucratic theory- power belongs to the bureaucrats who run the day to day
operations of government.
6. Pluralist theory- Power is so widely scattered that no person or group retains
power at all times.
7. Theocracy- Government by religious leaders
8. Popular consent- the idea that a just government must derive its power from the
people.
CHP 2.- The Constitution
1. Federalism- power is divided between state governments and the federal
government.
2. Judicial review- The power of the Supreme Court to determine the
constitutionality of a law.
3. Republic- A system that allows for representation in government.
4. Separation of powers- power is separated among the three branches of
government
5. Federalist- proponents of the Constitution
6. Antifederalists- opponents of the Constitution.
7. Writ of habeas corpus- Government must show evidence for dentition of a citizen.
8. Bill of attainder- to declare a person guilty without a trial. Not allowed
9. Ex post facto law- A law that applies to acts that have previously occurred. Not
allowed
10. Line item veto- Allows the executive to veto portions of a bill. Unconstitutional.
11. Bicameral- A legislature with two houses.
CHP.3- Federalism
1. Devolution- The process of giving more power to the states.
2. Block Grants- Federal money given to states for use in various state run programs
3. Dual federalism- federal and state powers separate and well defined.
4. New or cooperative federalism- Power shared between states and fed with shared
responsibilities
5. Referendum- Allows the voters to accept or reject a piece of legislation.
6. Recall- Allows voters to remove an elected official from office.
7. Grants-in-aid- Federal funds to states.
8. Categorical grant- money for specific purpose
9. Revenue sharing- federal money to states for any purpose
10. Conditions of aid- federal rules put on acceptance of money by states.
11. Mandate- another term for condition of aid
12. Sovereignty- a government that is legally and politically independent
13. Unitary system- power is almost exclusively in the hands of a national
government
14. Confederation- Most power rests in the hands of the state governments, with a
weakened national government
15. Federal system- Power is shred by the national government and the state
governments
16. Necessary and proper clause- Article I sec 8 – Set forth the that government has
the power make any laws necessary to carry out its duties
CHP 5- Public Opinion
1. Gender gap- The difference in political views between men and women.
2. Liberal- promotes a more active federal government
3. Conservative- promotes a less active federal government
4. Political ideology- A coherent and consistent set of political beliefs.
5. Libertarian- Social liberal and economic conservative
6. Populist- social conservative and economic liberal
7. John Q Public- a term to represent the “common man”
8. Silent majority- A phrase used to describe people who have a respect for
government, willing to accept the norm.
CHP 6- Political participation
1. Motor-voter law- States allow people to register to vote when they get a drivers
license.
2. Literacy tax- Blacks had to prove literacy in order to vote
3. Poll tax- a tax designed to deny the vote to blacks
4. Grandfather clause- a clause that allowed whites who were illiterate to vote
5. Australian ballot- a government printed ballot
6. Voting age population- People who are eligible to register and vote
7. Registered voters- People who are eligible to vote and have actually registered to
do so
8. Political socialization- the process by which we develop our political beliefs.
CHP 7- Political Parties
1. Political party- a group that seeks to elect candidates of their choice
2. Political machine- a party with strong leadership that controls activity of the
membership.
3. Ideological party- A party that puts values above election results (Green party)
4. Sponsored party- a party that is strongly influenced or financed by an organization
(unions and local democrats)
5. Personal following party- A party that functions as a tool for the promotion of a
specific individual
6. Two-party system- Elections are dominated by just two parties
7. Plurality system- allows the candidate to win with the most votes, not requiring a
majority
8. Caucus- A meeting of party members to select a candidate
9. National convention- A meeting of delegates to nominate a presidential candidate
and approve a platform of ideas
CHP 8- Elections and campaigns
1. Incumbent- The person in office
2. Coattails- The power of a popular president to positively affect the election
probabilities for members of his party.
3. Political Action Committee (PAC)- A committee set up to represent a corporation,
interest group, labor union or elected official.
4. Position issue- An issue that allows candidates to have rival views (abortion)
5. Valence issue- an issue on which candidates agree regarding the hopeful outcome
but disagree on the method to that outcome (economy)
6. Soft Money- Campaign money that is not reported to the federal government
7. Hard money- Campaign money that must be reported to the federal government
8. Bundling- A tactic of organizations whereby they collect contributions from
individuals and bundle them as one large contribution
9. Prospective voting- Forward looking voting. Voters vote based on what they think
a candidate might do
10. Retrospective voting- Voting based on a candidates past record.
11. Realigning or critical election- an election that causes a lasting change in the
popular support for a party.
12. Spilt ticket- voting for members of multiple parties in a given election
13. Straight ticket- Voting across the board for members of a given party.
14. Single member district- An electoral district where voters select one
representative
15. Proportional representation- A system in which each party receives the proportion
of legislative seats corresponding to its proportion of votes received.
CHP 9- Interest groups
1. Interest group- a group that seeks to influence policy and/or elections.
2. Solidary incentives- the sense of belonging that comes with membership (PTSA)
3. Material incentives- groups offer material rewards for membership(AAA)
4. Purposive incentive- People join for a cause (NAACP)
5. Public interest lobby- a group that benefits primarily non-members (League of
Women Voters)
6. Lobby- an attempt to influence lawmakers
7. Lobbyist- a person hired to represent a group to the government
8. Political cue- a signal telling a politician what values are at stake with any given
issue
9. Faction- term used by James Madison to describe to what are now interest groups
and political parties
CHP 10- The Media
1. Sound bite- A short clip of an elected official
2. Gatekeeper- The medias role in determining what will be news.
3. Scorekeeper- the Medias role in determining winners and losers.
4. Watchdog- he job of monitoring the government and its officials.
5. Equal time- if a TV station sells time to one candidate they must offer the same to
an opponent.
6. Right-to-reply rule- If a person is attacked on the air that person can respond.
7. Political editorializing rule- If a station endorses a candidate, opponents can
respond.
8. Adversarial press- a press corp that is suspicious and/or hostile
9. Selective exposure- the process by which individuals screen out messages that do
not conform to their own biases
10. Selective perception- the process by which individual s perceive what they want
to in any given media message and disregard the rest
CHP 11- Congress
1. Bicameral legislature- a representative body with two houses
2. Filibuster- A Senate procedure that allows a senator to use techniques to tie up
legislation.
3. Cloture- a 3/5 Senate vote that ends a filibuster
4. Marginal district- a Congressional district won with less than 55% of the vote.
5. Safe district- A Congressional district won with 55% or more of the vote.
6. Malapportionment- Districts of unequal size with regard to population.
7. Gerrymander- Creating an unlikely district to create a majority for a particular
party.
8. Majority-minority district- Congressional districts drawn to encourage the
election of a minority candidate.
9. Descriptive representation- Representatives who are demographically similar to
the constituency
10. Substantive representation- representatives who are similar to the constituency
with regard to the issues.
11. Sophomore surge- the surge in voter support that typically occurs after a
representative is first elected.
12. Representational view- To vote as a representative of the constituency. (Do as
they wish)
13. Organizational view- To vote along with your party (Do as the party wishes)
14. Attitudinal view- To vote according to your views. (Do as you see fit)
15. Majority leader- The Senate leader of the majority party.
16. Minority leader- The Senate leader of the minority party.
17. Whip- A Senator who aids party leadership.
18. Caucus- An association of members who form a coalition ( Congressional Black
Caucus)
19. Standing committees- Permanent bodies in Congress ( House Ways and Means)
20. Select Committee- temporary committee charged with a specific objective(House
select Committee on Homeland Security)
21. Conference committee- A joint committee designed to fix differences in
legislation in the two houses.
22. Simple resolution- typically passed to establish rules in that chamber
23. Concurrent resolution- passed in both houses to deal with rules.
24. Joint resolution- passed in both houses, signed by the President and with the force
of law (Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces
Against Iraq.)
25. Closed rule- Sets a limit on debate and restricts amendments in the House
26. Open rule- Allows for amendments from the floor.
27. Restrictive rule- allows some amendments but not others.
28. Discharge petition- a rule that allows a bill to reach the floor even when it is tied
up in committee
29. Double-tracking- Shelving a filibustered bill to allow for other business.
30. Pork-barrel legislation- Amendments to bills that benefit certain members and
their constituency
31. Franking privilege- Free postage for Congress in mailings to constituents.
CHP 12- The Presidency
1. Divided government- a President of one party with a Congressional majority
constituted of the opposing party
2. Unified government- The President and Congress are controlled by the same
party.
3. Electoral College- the process by which presents are elected, with each state
receiving votes base on Representation in Congress.
4. Pyramidal structure- An organizational structure that limits contact with the
President
5. Circular structure- an organizational structure that allows for liberal access to the
President
6. Cabinet- The heads of the executive departments and advisors to the President
(Sec of State, Sec of the Interior)
7. Pocket veto- If the president does not sign a bill within ten days and Congress
recesses the bill is vetoed.
8. Veto message- A message sent to Congress explaining the veto
9. Legislative veto- Congressional action to stop executive branch reorganization
(Unconstitutional)
10. Trustee approach- Do what the public good requires
11. Delegate approach- Do what the public wants.
12. Impeach- To accuse of a crime (House of representatives function)
CHP 13- The Bureaucracy
1. Bureaucracy- A large complex organization composed of appointed officials.
2. Laissez-faire- A freely competitive market
3. Discretionary authority- The ability to choose a course of action that is not
specific within the law.
4. Competitive service- Appointment following the passage of a test
5. Name-request job- A job filled by a person who has already been
identified.(buddy system)
6. Iron triangle- The relationship between a bureaucratic agency, an interest group
and a Congressional committee
7. Issue Network- A more complex network that also includes scholars and the
media, along with the iron triangle participants
8. Authorization legislation- Legislation that stipulates spending limits on a given
program
9. Appropriation- the amount of money that is actually given to implement a
program
10. Committee clearance – the right of Congressional committees to pass on agency
decisions
11. Red Tape- Complex rules and procedures designed to meet specific needs and
specifications
CHP 14- the Judiciary
1. Judicial review- The power of the Supreme Court to determine the
constitutionality of a law. (Yeah, I know you had this one already)
2. Strict constructionists- A belief that judges should hold to a strict, literal
interpretation of the Constitution
3. Activist approach- Judges should discover the underlying goals of the
Constitution.
4. District court- An original jurisdiction federal court (24 in all)
5. Court of Appeals- an appellate court
6. Original jurisdiction- the first court to hear a case
7. Appellate jurisdiction- A court that hears appeals of cases
8. Senatorial courtesy- The preference of a senator in the selection of a judicial
candidate
9. Litmus test- A test of a judicial candidates ideology
10. Writ of certiorari- Four Supreme Court justices must agree to hear a case to get it
on the docket
11. Fee shifting- allows the plaintiff to collect from the defendant if the defendant
loses.
12. Sovereign immunity- You can not sue the government without its consent.
13. Class-action suit- A case brought to court on behalf of a large number of people
14. Brief- A document that sets forth the facts of the case
15. Amicus curiae- A third party document supplied to the court to support a position
in a given case
16. Per curiam opinion- an unsigned opinion
17. Opinion of the court- the majority court view
18. Concurring opinion- a view that agrees with eth decision but differs as to the
reasoning.
19. Dissenting opinion- the minority opinion
20. Stare decisis- “Let the decision stand” Precedent
CHP 15- Public policy
1. Political agenda- What will be debated and legislated
2. Majoritarian politics- benefits all, paid for by all
3. Client politics- benefits concentrated, costs distributed
4. Entrepreneurial politics- benefits distributed, costs concentrated
5. Policy entrepreneurs- People who work to find ways of pulling together a
legislative majority on behalf of an interest group
6. Interest group politics- benefits concentrated, costs concentrated
7. Pork-barrel projects- amendments to bills that benefit politicians and their
constituents
8. Logrolling- Trading votes on pork barrel bills
CHP 16- Economic Policy
1. Monetarism- Government role is to maintain a steady flow of money.
2. Keynesianism- Economic key is to create demand. Pump money into a slow
economy by spending more, taxing less
3. Supply side theory- Cut taxes to increase incentive to work, thus increasing
supply
4. Reaganomics- A combination of supply side, monetarism and tax cuts.
5. Laffer curve- As taxes go down, government revenues go up!
6. Entitlements- Programs that can not be cut because people are entitled to the
money.
7. Fiscal Policy- using taxes and expenditures to control the economy
8. Monetary policy- Controlling the economy by controlling the money supply
(interest rates)
9.
CHP 17 Social Welfare
1. Means test- a standard that must be met to receive governmental aid
2. Earned Income Tax Credit- A cash grant to the poor
3. Service strategy- Programs that train and educate
4. Income strategy- programs that provide cash assistance
5. Temporary Assistance to Needy families (TANF)- formerly AFDC, this is welfare
as we know it, aid to poor families.
6. Social Security- Monthly payments to retired Americans who have contributed to
the system
7. Medicare- Medical assistance to people covered by Social Security
8. Medicaid- Medical assistance to the poor
CHP 18 Civil Liberties
1. Prior restraint- Freedom from censorship, before the fact
2. Clear and present danger- O. W. Holmes ruling on speech.
3. Due process clause- Bill of Rights guarantees to accused
4. Libel- A written statement that is slanderous
5. Slander- Spoken words that defame someone
6. Symbolic speech- speech that is non-verbal
7. Free-exercise clause- Freedom to practice religion
8. Establishment clause- freedom to establish a religion
9. Wall-of-separation- Supreme Court view of separation of state and church
10. Exclusionary clause- Evidence gathered outside of Constitutional safeguards can
not be admitted.
11. Good-faith exception- Evidence accidentally gathered illegally, but in good faith,
can be used.
CHP 19 Civil Rights
1. Civil Rights- the rights of citizens, such a voting
2. Suspect classifications- Classifying people according to race, ethnicity when it is
not appropriate
3. De jure segregation- Segregation by law ( statutory, such as literacy test)
4. De facto segregation- Segregation by fact (preferred living patterns)
5. Strict scrutiny- some distinctions between people are inherently suspect, thus
strict judicial scrutiny
6. Reverse discrimination- Aid to a minority that consequently disadvantages a
person not of that minority
7. Equality of opportunity- Equal opportunity to succeed
8. Equality of condition- Creating the same situation for all citizens
AMENDMENTS
I.
II.
III.
IV.
V.
VI.
VII.
VIII.
IX.
X.
XI.
XII.
XIII.
XIV.
XV.
XVI.
Freedom of religion, speech, press and assembly
Right to bear arms
Prohibits quartering of troops in private homes
Unreasonable searches and seizures
Due process- double jeopardy, indictment from Grand Jury, due process
Trial rights- speedy trial, impartial jury, confront witnesses
Common-law suits
Cruel and unusual punishment
Unremunerated rights of individual are protected
Reserves powers of states- Rights not listed are state powers
Limited – citizens can not sue states they do not live in
Revised Electoral College- Pres and VP run as a ticket
Prohibited slavery
Due process clause applied to states- equal protection
Voting rights not denied by race
Income tax
XVII.
XVIII.
XIX.
XX.
Popular election of senators
Prohibited sale of liquor
Right to vote for women
Presidential terms (begins 1/20) and emergency succession ( VP becomes
President if President dies before taking office)
XXI. Repealed prohibition
XXII. Two term limit for president
XXIII. District of Columbia voting rights
XXIV. Prohibited poll taxes
XXV. Presidential succession
XXVI. Voting age to 18
XXXII Congressional pay raises do not take effect until after an election