You're probably staring at a massive list of terms like "cloture," "logrolling," and "stare decisis" thinking that nobody actually talks like this. Honestly? You're right. Nobody does, except for the people who run the country and the students trying to pass the AP exam. But here is the thing about AP Gov Unit 2 vocabulary: it isn't just a list of dry definitions. These words are actually the rules of a very high-stakes game. If you don't know the rules, the news makes zero sense. Why can one random Senator from Alabama block a military promotion? Why does the Supreme Court suddenly change its mind on things that seemed like settled law for fifty years?
It's all in the vocab.
We are talking about the "Interactions Among Branches of Government." That is the official College Board title. Basically, it’s a three-way tug-of-war between Congress, the President, and the Courts. And because the Founders were obsessed with making sure nobody had too much power, they made the system intentionally slow and annoying.
The Legislative Branch: Where Vocabulary Goes to Die
Congress is where most of the "alphabet soup" of government happens. You’ve got the House and the Senate, and they don't work the same way at all.
Take filibuster. It’s a classic. In the Senate, a member can basically talk a bill to death. But they don't even have to stand there and read the phone book anymore. It’s more of a procedural threat now. To stop it, you need cloture. That requires 60 votes. In a country that’s split 50/50, getting 60 people to agree on what color the sky is can feel impossible. This is why so many people get frustrated with "gridlock."
Then there is logrolling. This sounds like a weird lumberjack sport, but it’s just "you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours." If I’m a Representative from Iowa and I want a corn subsidy, and you’re from Florida and want money for Everglades restoration, we trade votes. It’s how things actually get done in a building full of people who mostly dislike each other.
The Power of the Purse and Pork
Ever heard of pork barrel legislation? It’s not about barbecue. It’s when a congressperson tacks on a specific project for their home district—like a new bridge or a research grant—onto a much bigger, "must-pass" bill. Critics call it wasteful. Supporters call it "bringing home the bacon." It’s a primary way incumbents (people already in office) stay in office.
Speaking of staying in office, we have to talk about gerrymandering. This is the art of drawing district lines to favor one party. It’s named after Elbridge Gerry, who drew a district so weird it looked like a salamander. If you can choose your voters before they choose you, you’re basically safe forever. This leads to safe seats and, some argue, more radical politicians because they only fear a primary challenge from their own side, not the general election.
Then you have the House Rules Committee. They are the "traffic cop" of the House. They decide how long a bill can be debated and if anyone can add amendments. If the Rules Committee hates your bill, it’s dead. Period.
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The Presidency: More Than Just Photo Ops
When you move to the Executive Branch, the vocabulary shifts from "rules of debate" to "how do I get around Congress?"
The President has formal powers, like the veto or being Commander in Chief. Those are in the Constitution. But the juicy stuff—the stuff that actually defines modern politics—is the informal powers.
Take the Bully Pulpit. Teddy Roosevelt coined this. It’s the idea that because the President is the most famous person in the country, they can use the media to pressure Congress. If the President goes on TV and tells everyone to call their Senator, that’s the bully pulpit in action.
Executive Orders vs. Signing Statements
An executive order is a directive that has the force of law but doesn't need Congress. Sounds great, right? Well, the downside is the next President can delete it with a single pen stroke on their first day. It’s temporary power.
Signing statements are even sneakier. The President signs a bill but adds a little note saying, "I’m signing this, but I think section three is unconstitutional, so I’m just going to ignore that part." It’s a way of shaping how law is actually carried out.
Then there’s the bureaucracy. People call it the "Fourth Branch." Terms like iron triangles are huge here. It’s a three-way relationship between a bureaucratic agency, a congressional committee, and an interest group. They all help each other, and it makes it really hard for outsiders (like voters) to change how things work. It’s the "Deep State" that people talk about, but without the conspiracy theories—it’s just how the plumbing of government functions.
The Judiciary: The Least Dangerous Branch?
Alexander Hamilton called the courts the "least dangerous branch" because they don't have "the sword or the purse." They can't tax you and they don't have an army. All they have is judicial review.
This came from Marbury v. Madison (1803). It’s the power to declare a law unconstitutional. This is where stare decisis comes in. It’s Latin for "let the decision stand." It means courts usually follow precedent. If the court decided something in 1970, they should probably stick to it today.
But sometimes they don't.
That brings us to judicial activism vs. judicial restraint.
- Judicial Activism: The idea that the Court should play a role in shaping social policy (think Brown v. Board of Education).
- Judicial Restraint: The idea that judges should be "umpires" who only strike down laws if they clearly violate the Constitution, leaving the policy-making to elected officials.
Why the Vocabulary Matters for Your Score
If you just memorize that "cloture = 60 votes," you might get a multiple-choice question right. But the AP Gov exam loves to ask you how these things interact.
For example, a typical Free Response Question (FRQ) might ask how divided government (when one party owns the White House and the other owns Congress) affects judicial appointments.
Here is the reality: When government is divided, the President’s power to appoint judges gets hit by a brick wall. The Senate uses its power of advice and consent to stall or block nominees. This is where "hold" and "senatorial courtesy" come into play. It’s all connected.
Real World Example: The Budget
The power of the purse is Congress's biggest flex. They control the money. If the President wants a wall or a green energy initiative, they have to ask Congress for the cash. This leads to entitlement spending (money that must be paid, like Social Security) eating up most of the budget, leaving very little discretionary spending for new ideas.
When you see a "government shutdown" in the news, you’re watching a fight over appropriations. That’s just Unit 2 vocabulary in real-time.
How to Actually Remember This Stuff
Don't use flashcards that just have the word and a dictionary definition. It won't stick. Instead, try to categorize them by "Who is using this to mess with whom?"
- Congress vs. President: Oversight, power of the purse, advice and consent, impeachment.
- President vs. Congress: Executive orders, veto, bully pulpit, signing statements.
- Courts vs. Everyone: Judicial review, life tenure (which insulates them from politics).
Delegate vs. Trustee Models
This is another big one for Unit 2. How should a representative vote?
- Delegate: They do exactly what their voters want, even if they think it's dumb.
- Trustee: They use their own judgment because the voters "trust" them to know better.
- Politico: They flip-flop between the two depending on how controversial the issue is.
Most politicians are politicos. They act like delegates on high-profile issues and trustees on boring stuff no one is watching.
Actionable Steps for Mastering Unit 2
- Watch a 5-minute clip of C-SPAN: Try to spot one of these terms in the wild. You'll likely hear a "motion to reconsider" or a "point of order."
- Map the "Iron Triangle": Pick a topic like "defense spending." The triangle would be the Department of Defense (Agency), the House Armed Services Committee (Congress), and Boeing or Lockheed Martin (Interest Group).
- Focus on Federalist No. 70 and 78: These are the required documents for this unit. 70 is about why we need a "single, energetic" President. 78 is about why judges need life terms.
- Differentiate between 'Mandatory' and 'Discretionary': This is the heart of every budget debate. Mandatory is stuff we've already promised (Social Security/Medicare). Discretionary is the stuff Congress gets to argue over every year (Military, Education, Parks).
Understanding these terms isn't about being a walking dictionary. It's about seeing the "matrix" of how power moves through Washington. When you hear a news anchor say the President is "issuing a memo," you'll know they are likely dodging a hostile Congress using an informal power. That is the difference between just passing the test and actually knowing how your country works.