AP US Government and Politics flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Great Compromise

Constitutional agreement creating a bicameral Congress with House seats apportioned by population and Senate seats equal per state, resolving the large-versus-small state dispute.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Constitutional provision counting enslaved persons as three-fifths of a person for House apportionment and direct taxation, increasing Southern representation without granting citizenship.

Federalist No. 10

Madison's essay arguing a large republic controls faction better than a small one because many competing interests make durable majority coalitions difficult to form.

Brutus No. 1

Anti-Federalist essay warning that a large central government, the necessary-and-proper clause, and the supremacy clause threaten state sovereignty and individual liberty.

Necessary and Proper Clause

Article I clause allowing Congress to make laws needed to carry out its enumerated powers; basis for implied powers and expansive federal authority.

Cooperative Federalism

Model in which national and state governments share functions and funding, often through categorical and block grants, blurring lines of responsibility.

Amendment Process

Two-thirds of each chamber proposes an amendment; three-fourths of state legislatures or conventions ratify, making change difficult and favoring broad consensus.

Cloture

Senate procedure requiring 60 votes to end debate and limit a filibuster, making most legislation need a supermajority to pass.

House Rules Committee

House committee that sets terms of floor debate, including time limits and amendment rules, giving it significant agenda-setting power over legislation.

Pocket Veto

President's refusal to sign a bill during the final 10 days of a congressional session, which kills the bill without a possible override.

Executive Order

Presidential directive carrying force of law that manages federal agencies and operations but can be reversed by statute, courts, or a later order.

Judicial Review

Power of courts to declare legislative or executive acts unconstitutional, established in Marbury v. Madison and central to checks and balances.

War Powers Resolution

1973 law requiring the president to notify Congress within 48 hours of armed conflict and withdraw troops within 60 days without authorization.

Congressional Oversight

Use of hearings, investigations, GAO audits, appropriations, and confirmation powers to monitor and constrain executive agencies and officials.

Senatorial Courtesy

Informal practice giving home-state senators influence over lower federal court nominations, often through blue slips, before Senate confirmation.

Selective Incorporation

Application of most Bill of Rights protections to states through the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause, decided case by case.

Lemon Test

Three-part Establishment Clause standard requiring secular purpose, neutral primary effect, and no excessive entanglement between government and religion.

Clear and Present Danger

Schenck standard allowing government to restrict speech that creates an imminent threat; later narrowed by Brandenburg's imminent lawless action test.

Miranda Warnings

Required advisement of rights before custodial interrogation, including silence and counsel rights, established by Miranda v. Arizona.

Exclusionary Rule

Rule barring use of evidence obtained through unconstitutional searches or seizures in criminal trials, applied to states in Mapp v. Ohio.

Strict Scrutiny

Highest judicial review standard for suspect classifications and fundamental rights; law must serve compelling interest and be narrowly tailored.

Title VII

Civil Rights Act of 1964 provision prohibiting employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, or national origin.

Political Socialization

Process by which individuals acquire political beliefs and values, primarily through family, schools, peers, media, and religion.

Sampling Error

Statistical uncertainty in poll results, roughly ±3 percent for a random sample of about 1,000 at 95 percent confidence.

Realignment

Durable shift in party coalitions and voter loyalties, such as the New Deal coalition forming in the 1930s.

Dealignment

Weakening of party identification and loyalty over time, increasing split-ticket voting and independent identification.

Libertarianism

Ideology favoring limited government in both economic and social spheres, emphasizing individual liberty and free markets over regulation.

Push Poll

Survey presenting biased or false information disguised as opinion research, designed to influence rather than measure voter attitudes.

Rational Choice Voting

Model predicting voters support candidates whose policies best serve their self-interest, weighing benefits against information and voting costs.

Electoral College

Body of 538 electors, equal to House seats plus two senators per state, requiring 270 votes to elect a president.

Super PAC

Independent expenditure committee allowed unlimited fundraising and spending under Citizens United, barred from coordinating directly with candidates.

Agenda Setting

Media function of determining which issues the public considers important by emphasizing certain stories over others.