AP Gov Quick Pick

Declaration of Independence

Claimed that people possess natural rights and can overthrow a government that fails to protect them.

Articles of Confederation

Created a weak national government that could not raise revenue because it lacked the power to tax,

making it ineƯective.

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Established “one person, one vote” by allowing federal courts to review unequal legislative districts under the

Equal Protection Clause.

Federalist 10

Argues that a large republic best controls factions by preventing any single group from dominating.

Federalist 51

Explains that separation of powers and checks and balances keep any one branch from becoming too

powerful.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review, giving courts the power to declare laws unconstitutional.

Federalist 70

Defends the need for a single, energetic executive who can act decisively and be held accountable.

Federalist 78

Argues for judicial independence and supports judicial review because the courts must interpret the

Constitution as fundamental law.

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Ruled that racial gerrymandering violates the Equal Protection Clause and cannot be the predominant factor in

drawing districts.

Brutus 1

Warns that a strong national government will overpower the states and threaten individual liberty in a large

republic.

Articles I, II, III

Create the legislative, executive, and judicial branches and outline their structures, powers, and limits.

Article V

Explains the constitutional amendment process, allowing for formal change over time.

10th Amendment

Reserves all powers not delegated to the federal government to the states or the people.

22nd Amendment

Limits the president to two elected terms to prevent excessive executive power.

US vs. Lopez

Congress may not use the commerce clause to make possession of a gun in a school zone a federal crime. Provisions of the U.S. Constitution's Bill of Rights are continually being interpreted to balance the power of government and the civil liberties of individuals.

Wisconsin vs. Yoder

Compelling Amish students to attend school past the eighth grade violates the free exercise clause.

Tinker v. Des Moines

Public school students have the right to wear black armbands in school to protest the Vietnam War.

Engel vs. Vitale

School sponsorship of religious activities violates the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.

Schenk vs. US

Charged under the Espionage Act for mailing printed circulars critical of the military draft. The Court ruled that freedom of speech and freedom of the press under the First Amendment could be limited only if the words in the circumstances created "a clear and present danger."

McColloh v. Maryland

a landmark Supreme Court case about whether Congress had the power to create a national bank and if states could tax it, ultimately affirming federal supremacy and implied powers. The Court ruled that Congress could create the Second Bank of the U.S. under the Necessary and Proper Clause, and that Maryland's tax was unconstitutional because states couldn't tax federal institutions, establishing that "the power to tax involves the power to destroy".