AP Government - Unit 1 Test with 100% correct answers verified for accuracy

basic functions of government national defense, preserve order, establish and maintain a legal system, provide services, socialize new generations government the institution through which a society makes and enforces its public policies politics the effort to control or influence the conduct and policies of government public policy the course of action the government takes in response to an issue or problem political system the system of government in a nation political issue an issue that arises when people disagree about a problem and how to fix it policy agenda a set of issues thought by the public or those in power to merit action by the government Robert Dahl author of "Who Governs?" and created the idea of a "criteria of democracy" the state A body of people, living in a defined territory, organized politically and with the power to make and enforce law without the consent of any higher authority. sovereignty supreme or ultimate political power; a sovereign government is one that is legally and politically independent of any other government divine right belief that a ruler's authority comes directly from God democracy a term used to describe a political system in which the people are said to rule, directly or indirectly republic a form of democracy in which power is vested in representatives selected by means of popular competitive elections democratic centralism a government is said to be democratic if it's decisions will serve the "true interests" of the people wether or not the people affect the decision-making or select the decision-makers power the ability of one person to get another person to act in accordance with the first person's intentions authority the right to use power legitimacy political authority conferred by law, public opinion, or constitution majoritarian theory the politics of policy-making in which almost everybody benefits from a policy and almost everybody pays for it elitist theory an identifiable group of persons who possess a disproportionate share of some valued resource such as money or political power pluralist theory a theory that competition among affected interests shapes public policy hyperpluralist theory A theory of government and politics contending that groups are so strong that government is weakened. Hyperpluralism is an extreme form of pluralism (results in gridlock) Greek government ideas democarcy and responsibilities of citizenship Roman government ideas rule or law, republic, and representation British government ideas limited government Causes of American Revolution taxation without representation, violation of natural rights unicameral one house bicameral two houses Magna Carta a legal document written by English lords in 1215 that stated certain rights and limited the power of the King English Bill of Rights protected the rights of English citizens and became the basis for the American Bill of Rights. social contract theory The belief that people are free and equal by natural right, and that this in turn requires that all people give their consent to be governed (John Locke) state of nature hypothetical condition assumed to exist in the absence of government where human beings live in "complete" freedom and general equality. natural (unalienable) rights rights inherent in human beings, not dependent on governments, which include life, liberty, and property limited government a government whose powers are defined and limited by a constitution consent of the governed the idea that government derives its authority by sanction of the people Declaration of Independence the document approved by representatives of the American colonies in 1776 that stated their grievances against the British monarch and declared their independence Articles of Confederation the nations first constitution; was limited because states held most of the power, and congress lacked the power to tax and regulate trade "critical period" 1780s, time when the United States was in jeopardy of falling apart Shays' Rebellion uprising led by Daniel Shays in an effort to prevent courts from foreclosing on the farms of those who could not pay the taxes; caused many to criticize the Articles of Confederation and admit the weak central government was not working John Locke believed all people have a right to life, liberty, and property Thomas Hobbes saw absolute sovereignty as the only kind of government that could resolve problems caused by the selfishness of human beings Jean Jacques Rousseau believed people in their natural state were basically good but that they were corrupted by the evils of society; the idea of a "social contract" Constitutional Convention meeting of state delegates in 1787 in Philadelphia called to revise the Articles of Confederation. It instead designed a new plan of government, the US Constitution. Virginia Plan called for representation of each state in Congress in proportion to that state's population New Jersey Plan proposed a single-chamber congress in which each state had one vote Connecticut (aka Great) Compromise provided for a two-house congress. Each state would be given equal representation in the Senate and the House of Representatives would based on population Three-fifths Compromise agreement that enslaved persons would count as three-fifths of other persons in determining representation in Congress Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise Congress could not tax exports nor ban the slave trade for 20 years popular sovereignty the idea that political authority belongs to the people constitutionalism / rule of law basic principle that government and those who govern must obey the law separation of powers a principle of American government whereby constitutional authority is shared by three separate branches of government checks and balances the power of the legislature, executive, and judicial branches of government to block some acts by the other two branches federalism a political system in which ultimate authority is shared between a central government and state or regional governments judicial review the power of the courts to declare acts of legislature and of the executive to be unconstitutional and hence null and void Marbury v. Madison established judicial review Charles Beard argued that the Founders were largely motivated by the economic advantage of their class in writing the Constitution Federalists supporters of the ratification of the Constitution and a strong central government Anti-federalists opposed the ratification of the Constitution because it gave more power to the federal government and less to the states, and because it did not ensure individual rights