👩🏾⚖️AP US Government
Key Terms
1545 essential vocabulary terms and definitions to know for your AP US Government exam
Most-studied AP US Government key terms
The AP US Government terms students look up most, with a definition for each.
- Declaration Of Independence
- McCulloch v Maryland
- Elite Democracies
- United States v Lopez
- Critical Elections and Regional Alignments
- Limited Government
- Federalist No. 51
- Republicanism
- Incumbency Advantage
- Articles of Confederation
- Baker v. Carr
- Politico Model
- Necessary and Proper Clause
- Categorical Grants
- Electoral College
- Popular Sovereignty
- Factions
- Block Grants
- Candidate-Centered Campaigns
- Commerce Clause
- Reserved Powers
- Pluralist Democracy
- Enumerated Powers
- Natural Rights
- Constitution
- Supremacy Clause
- Marbury v Madison
- Implied Powers
- Social Contract Theory
- Checks and Balances
- Rational-choice voting
- Shay's Rebellion
- Shaw v. Reno
- Separation of Powers
- New Jersey Plan
- Trustee Model
- Great (Connecticut) Compromise
- Fiscal Federalism
- Scientific Polling
- Pork Barrel Legislation
- Brutus No. 1
- Voltaire's Ideologies
- Dual-Federalism
- Federalist 70
- Linkage Institution
- Policy Agenda
- Three-Fifths Compromise
- Individualism
- Judicial Review
- Party-line Voting
- Federalist No. 78
- Federalist No. 10
- Full faith and credit clause
- Straight-ticket voting
- Bully Pulpit
- Cooperative-Federalism
- Select Committees
- Executive Orders
- Anti-Federalists
- Elite Democracy
- Social Contract
- Free Enterprise
- Impeachment Process
- Pluralism
- Political Efficacy
- Unfunded Mandate
- Speaker of the House
- Delegated Powers
- Rule of Law
- Constitutional Convention
- Federalists
- Equality of Opportunity
- House Rules Committee
- Delegate Model of Representation
- Gerrymandering
- Conservative
- Political Polarization
- Political Ideology
- Majority Rule and Minority Rights
- Presidential Democracy
- Grant-in-Aid
- Conference Committee
- whip
- Inherent Powers
- Power of the Purse
- Advising and consenting
- Representative Democracy
- Fourteenth Amendment
- Representative Republic
- Compromise on the Importation of Slaves
- Gridlock
- One Person, One Vote
- Party Realignment
- Redistricting
- Divided Government
- Partisanship
- Issue Networks
- Privileges and Immunities Clause
- Motor Voter Act
- Iron Triangles
- Hyper Pluralism
- Earmarks
- Letter from Birmingham Jail
- Monetary Policy
- John Locke
- Voting Rights Act of 1965
- Generational Effects
- Senate Majority Leader
- Party-line voting model
- Keynesian Economics
- Lifecycle Effects
- Standing Committee
- bicameral
- Delegate Model
- Primary Election
- Colonial Assemblies
- Gibbons v Ogden
- Pluralist Theory
- Pocket Veto
- Amicus Curiae Briefs
- Citizens United v Federal Election Commission
- Lame-Duck President
- Committee Chairperson
- Unitary System
- Thomas Hobbes
- Oversight
- Political Issue
- Constituents
- Tenth Amendment
- Liberal
- House Ways and Means Committee
- Joint Committee
- Ex Post Facto Laws
- Closed Primary Elections
- Mayflower Compact
- Great Compromise
- Stare decisis
- Framers
- structural barriers
- tracking polls
- Article V
- Margin of Error
- Cloture Rules
- Public Policy
- Political Action Committees (PACs)
- U.S. Political Culture
- Fiscal Policy
- Judicial Activism
- Congressional Oversight
- mandatory spending
- Congressional Appropriations
- entitlements
- Independent Regulatory Commissions
- Partisan Voting
- Signing Statements
- Executive Branch
- natural law
- Participatory Democracy
- Caucuses
- Elite Theory
- revenue sharing
- Executive Privilege
- Judicial Restraint
- War Powers Act
- absentee ballot
- President Pro Tempore
- Single-Member District
- Agenda Setting
- James Madison
- Federal Budget
- Constitutional Amendment
Key Terms by Unit
1.1 Ideals of Democracy
1.2 Types of Democracy
1.3 Government Power and Individual Rights
1.4 Challenges of the Articles of Confederation
1.5 Ratification of the U.S. Constitution
1.6 Principles of American Government
1.7 Relationship Between the States and National Government
1.8 Constitutional Interpretations of Federalism
1.9 Federalism in Action
2.1 Congress: The Senate and the House of Representatives
2.2 Structures, Powers, and Functions of Congress
2.3 Congressional Behavior
2.4 Roles and Powers of the President
2.5 Checks on the Presidency
2.6 Expansion of Presidential Power
2.7 Presidential Communication
2.8 The Judicial Branch
2.9 The Role of the Judicial Branch
2.10 The Court in Action
2.11 Checks on the Judicial Branch
2.12 The Bureaucracy
2.13 Discretionary and Rulemaking Authority
2.14 Holding the Bureaucracy Accountable
2.15 Policy and the Branches of Government
3.1 The Bill of Rights
3.2 First Amendment: Freedom of Religion
3.3 First Amendment: Freedom of Speech
3.4 First Amendment: Freedom of the Press
3.5 Second Amendment: Right to Bear Arms
3.6 Amendments: Balancing Individual Freedom with Public Order and Safety
3.7 Selective Incorporation
3.8 Amendments: Due Process and the Rights of the Accused
3.9 Amendments: Due Process and the Right to Privacy
3.10 Social Movements and Equal Protection
3.11 Government Responses to Social Movements
3.12 Balancing Minority and Majority Rights
3.13 Affirmative Action
4.1 American Attitudes about Government and Politics
4.2 Political Socialization
4.3 Changes in Ideology
4.4 Influence of Political Events on Ideology
4.5 Measuring Public Opinion
4.6 Evaluating Public Opinion Data
4.7 Ideologies of Political Parties
4.8 Ideology and Policymaking
4.9 Ideology and Economic Policy
4.10 Ideology and Social Policy
5.1 Voting Rights and Models of Voting Behavior
5.2 Voter Turnout
5.3 Political Parties
5.4 How and Why Political Parties Change and Adapt
5.5 Third-Party Politics
5.6 Interest Groups Influencing Policymaking
5.7 Groups Influencing Policy Outcomes
5.8 Electing a President
5.9 Congressional Elections
5.10 Modern Campaigns
5.11 Campaign Finance
5.12 The Media
5.13 Changing Media
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