AP US Government and Politics – Vocabulary Terms

Chapter 1 – US Government• Power• Authority• Legitimacy• Democracy• Direct or Participatory Democracy• Representative Democracy• Elite• Marxists• Bureaucrats• Pluralist• Government *• Politics *

Chapter 2 - Constitution• Unalienable• Articles of Confederation• Constitutional Convention• Shay’s Rebellion• Great Compromise• Republic• Judicial Review• Checks and Balances• Federalism• Separation of Powers• Faction• Federalists• Anti-federalists• Federalist Papers• Coalition• Writ of Habeas Corpus• Bill of Attainder• Ex Post Facto Law• Bill of Rights• Amendments• Line-Item Veto• Charles de Montesquieu *• Clinton v. New York *• Connecticut Compromise *• Constitutional Convention *• Eminent Domain *• Jean-Jacques Rousseau *• John Locke *• Limited Government *• New Jersey Plan *• Northwest Ordinance *• Ratifying Convention *• Thomas Hobbes *• Three-Fifths Compromise *• Virginia Plan *

Chapter 3 - Federalism• Devolution• Block Grants• Federalism• Sovereignty• Unitary System• Confederation• Federal System• Federal Regime• “Necessary and Proper” Clause• Nullification

• Dual Federalism• City• Municipal Corporation• Special-Act Charter• General-Act Charter• Dillon’s Rule• Home-Rule Charter• Ordinances• Counties• Special-District Governments• School Districts• Police Power• Initiative• Referendum• Recall• Grants-In-Aid• Categorical Grants• Revenue Sharing• Conditions of Aid• Mandates• Second-Order Devolution• Third-Order Devolution• Aid to Families with Dependent Children*• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990*• Commerce Clause *• Concurrent Powers *• Cooperative Federalism *• Crossover Sanction *• Eleventh Amendment *• Enumerated Powers *• Extradition *• Full Faith and Credit Clause *• Gibbons v. Ogden *• McCulloch v. Maryland *• Ninth Amendment *• Privileges & Immunities Clause *• Reserved Powers *• Supremacy Clause *• Tenth Amendment *

Chapter 4 – Political Culture• Political Culture• Political Subculture• Political Ideology• Civic Duty• Civic Competence• Work Ethic• Class Consciousness• Orthodox• Progressive• Political Efficacy• Internal Efficacy• External Efficacy• Political Socialization *

Chapter 5 – Public Opinion• John Q, Public• Middle America• Silent Majority• Social Status• Religious Tradition• Gender Gap• Poll• Random Sample

• Liberal• Conservative• Political Ideology• Sampling Error• Libertarians• Populists• Political Elite• Norm• Bread-and-Butter Issues *• Exit Polls *• Issue-Attention Cycle *• Moderate Ideology *• Public Opinion Stability *• Saliency *

Chapter 6 – Political Participation• Voting-Age Population• Registered Voters• Motor-Voter Law• Literacy Test• Poll Tax• Grandfather Clause• White Primary• Australian Ballot• Activists• Census *• Motor Voter Act *• Nineteenth Amendment *• Voter Turnout *

Chapter 7 – Political Parties• Political Party• Mugwumps or Progressives• Critical or Realigning Periods• Split Ticket• Straight Ticket• Office-Bloc Ballot• Party-Column Ballot• National Convention• National Committee• Congressional Campaign Committee• National Chairman• Superdelegates• Political Machine• Ideological Party• Solitary Incentives• Sponsored Party• Personal Following• Two-Party System• Plurality System• Caucus• Bolter or Splinter Parties *• Dealignment *• Doctrinal Parties *• Green Party *• Hatch Act *• Party Among the Electorate *• Party in Government *• Party Organization *• Party Realignment *• Platform *• Plurality *• Single-Issue Parties *• Winner-Take-All System *

Chapter 8 – Elections & Campaigns• Incumbent• Coattails• Political Action Committee (PAC)• Malapportionment• Gerrymandering• Sophomore Surge• Position Issue• Valence issue• General Election• Primary Election• Closed Primary• Open Primary• Blanket Primary• Runoff Primary• Presidential Primary• Independent Expenditure• Soft Money• Prospective Voting• Retrospective Voting• “First-In-The-Nation” *• 527 Groups *• Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA) of 2002 *• Brokered Conventions *• Bush v. Gore *• Federal Election Campaign Acts *• Federal Election Commission *• Federal Matching Funds *• Front-Loading *• McGovern-Fraser Commission *• Midterm Elections *• National Conventions *• Packing Districts *• Post-convention Bump *• Reapportionment *• Shaw v. Reno *• Citizens United v. Federal Elections Commission *• Swing State *• Super Tuesday *

Chapter 9 – Interest Groups• Lobby• Lobbying *• Lobbyist• Interest Groups• Incentive• Solitary Incentive• Material Incentives• Purposive Incentive• Ideological Interest Groups• Public-Interest Lobby• Social Movement• Political Cue• Ratings• Common Cause *• Direct Lobbying *• Economic Groups *• Equal Rights Amendment *• Federal Regulation of Lobbying Act of 1946 *• Grassroots Campaigning *• Influence Peddling *• Issue Public *• Labor Unions *

• Nonprofit Organizations *• Astroturfing *• United States Chamber of Commerce *• American Legislative Exchange Council *• Special Interest Group (SIG)*

Chapter 10 – The Media• Muckraker• Sound Bite • Equal Time Rule• Right-of-Reply Rule• Political Editorializing Rule• Fairness Doctrine• Market (Television)• Trial Balloon• Loaded Language • Selective Attention• Routine Stories• Feature Stories• Insider Stories• Adversarial Press• Background Story (News)• Federal Communications Commission *• Freedom of Information Act of 1974 *• Mass Media *• Factoid *• Spin *• Propaganda *• Media Bias *• New York Times v. Sullivan *• Shield Law *• Watchdog Journalism *• Yellow Journalism *• Mainstream Media *• Alternative Media *• Censorship *• Institutional Memory *• Doublespeak *• Memory Hole *• Cognitive Dissonance *• Gatekeeping *• Scorekeeping *• Whistleblowing *• Disinformation *• Flak *• Politico-Media Complex *

Chapter 11 - Congress• Bicameral Legislature• Filibuster• Marginal Districts• Safe Districts• Conservative Coalition• Majority Leader• Minority Leader• Whip• Party Polarization• Caucus (Congressional)• Standing Committees• Select Committees• Joint Committees• Conference Committee• Public Bill• Private Bill

• Simple Resolution• Concurrent Resolution• Joint Resolution• Multiple Referral• Sequential Referral• Discharge Petition• Closed Rule• Open Rule• Restrictive Rule• Rider• Christmas Tree Bill• Quorum• Quorum Call• Cloture Rule• Double-Tracking• Voice Vote• Division Vote• Teller Vote• Roll-Call Vote• Pork-Barrel Legislation• Franking Privilege• Age Discrimination Act of 1960*• Appropriations Committees *• Authorization Committee *• Congressional Budget Office *• Congressional District *• Congressional Redistricting *• Discharge Petition *• House Rules Committee *• House Ways and Means Committee *• Killer Amendments *• Override *• Pigeonholing *• President Pro Tempore *• Senate *• Senate Judiciary Committee *• Senatorial Courtesy *• Seventeenth Amendment *• Speaker of the House *• Subcommittee* • Term Limits *• Minority-Majority District *

Chapter 12 – The Presidency• Divided Government• Unified Government• Representative Democracy• Direct Democracy• Pyramid Structure• Circular Structure• Ad Hoc Structure• Perks• Cabinet• Veto Message• Line-Item Veto• Trustee Approach• Delegate Model• Legislative Veto• Impeachment• Lame Duck• Budget Reform Act of 1974 *• Chief of Staff *• Clean Air Act of 1970 *

• Commander in Chief *• Council of Economic Advisers *• Domestic Policy Council *• Electoral College *• Executive Agreement *• Impoundment *• Jawboning *• National Security Council *• Office of Management and Budget *• Power Veto *• Twelfth Amendment *• Twenty-Second Amendment *• Veto *• War Powers Act *

Chapter 13 – The Bureaucracy• Bureaucracy• Spoils System• Laissez-Faire• Discretionary Authority• Competitive Service• Name-Request Job• Iron Triangle• Issue or Alliance Network• Authorization Legislation• Appropriation• Trust Funds• Annual Authorization• Committee Clearance• Legislative Veto• Red Tape• Civil Service System *• Executive Branch Departments *• Incrementalism *• Legislative Oversight *• Pendleton Act of 1883 *• Senior Executive Service *• Social Security *• Spoils System *

Chapter 14 – The Judiciary• Judicial Review• Strict-Constructionist Approach• Activist Approach• Constitutional Court• District Courts• Courts of Appeals• Legislative Courts• Litmus Test• Federal-Question Cases• Diversity Cases• Civil Law• Criminal Law• Writ of Certiorari• In Forma Pauperis• Fee Shifting• Plaintiff• Standing• Sovereign Immunity• Class-Action Suit• Brief• Amicus Curiae• Per Curiam Opinion• Opinion of the Court

• Concurring Opinion• Dissenting Opinion• Stare Decisis• Political Question• Remedy• Adversarial System*• Appellate Jurisdiction*• Bail Reform Act of 1984 *• Civil Law *• Collegial Court *• Criminal Court *• Eight Amendment *• Equal Justice under the Law *• Equity *• Gideon v. Wainwright *• Hung Jury *• John Marshall *• Judicial Activists *• Judicial Restraint *• Marbury v. Madison *• Mistrial *• Objective Good Faith Exception *• Oral Arguments *• Original Jurisdiction *• Petit Jury *• Plea Bargain *• Presumption of Innocence *• Settlement *• Seventh Amendment *• Solicitor General *• Supreme Court *• Unanimous Opinion *

Ch.15 – Policy Making (+ Ch.16 & 17)• Political Agenda• Costs• Benefit• Majoritarian Politics• Interest Group Politics• Client Politics• Pork-Barrel Projects• Logrolling• Entrepreneurial Politics• Policy Entrepreneurs• Boycott• Process Regulation• Entitlements• Sequester• Means Test• Insurance Program• Assistance Program• Earned Income Tax Credit• Income Strategy• Service Strategy• Budget Enforcement Act of 1990*• Agenda Setting*• Air Quality Act *• Deregulation *• Discretionary Spending *• Domestic Policy *• Endangered Species Act *• Mandatory Spending *• Policy Fragmentation *

• Policy Implementation *• Public Assistance Programs *• Think Tank or Policy Institute *

Chapter 18 – Civil Liberties• McCarthyism• Freedom of Expression• Freedom of Religion• Prior Restraint• Clear-and-Present-Danger Test• Due-Process Clause• Libel• Symbolic Speech• Free-Exercise Clause• Establishment Clause• Wall-of-Separation Principle• Exclusionary Rule• Search Warrant• Probable Cause• Good-Faith Exception• Bethel School District v. Fraser *• Boy Scouts of America v. Dale *• Buckley v. Valeo *• Burden of Proof *• Civil Liberties *• Commentaries on the Laws of England *• Cox v. New Hampshire *• Cruel and Unusual Punishment *• Double Jeopardy *• Epperson v. Arkansas *• Escobedo v. Illinois *• Espionage Act of 1917 *• Fifth Amendment *• First Amendment *• Free Exercise Clause *• Grand Jury *• Griswold v. Connecticut *• Inevitable Discovery Rule *• Lemon Test *• Lemon v. Kurtzman *• Mapp v. Ohio *• Miranda v. Arizona *• Patriot Act of 2001 *• Preferred Position Doctrine *• Preponderance of Evidence *• Reasonable Suspicion *• Schenck v. United States *• Sixth Amendment *• Substantive Due Process *• Tinker v. Des Moines *• Unreasonable Search & Seizure *• Reasonable Suspicion *

Chapter 19 - Civil Rights• Civil Rights• Suspect Classifications• Jim Crow• Separate-But-Equal Doctrine• De Jure Segregation• De Facto Segregation• Nonviolent Civil Disobedience• Strict Scrutiny• Affirmative Action• Reverse Discrimination

• Equality of Opportunity• Compensatory Action• Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka *• Chief Justice Earl Warren *• Civil Rights Act of 1875 *• Civil Rights Act of 1964 *• Civil Rights of 1991 *• De Jure Segregation *• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission *• Equal Pay Act of 1963 *• Equal Protection Clause *• Family and Medical Leave Act of 1993 *• Fourteenth Amendment *• Fourth Amendment *• Planned Parenthood v. Casey *• Plessy v. Ferguson *• Roe v. Wade *• Selective Incorporation *• Warren Court *