APUSH Civics Exam

The Declaration of Independence

1776 in Philadelphia

Written by Thomas Jefferson, Ben Franklin, and John Adams

Formally declared grievances against King George of England & separated the US from Britain moving forward

The Articles of Confederation

America's first government

Failed because it did not give the national government enough power

demonstrated through shay's rebellion

thrown out at the constitutional convention

the constitution

constitutional convention: 1787 in philadelphia

ratified by the last state in 1788

main writer was james madison

what did the anti-federalists want to add to the constitution

a bill of rights to protect individual freedoms

compromises of the constitution

between large & small states, slave-holding & non-slave holding states, etc.

EX: 3/5th compromise addresses the issue of representation for enslaved persons

what type of government did the constitution establish

a government based on federalism, which means that the power & authority over a territory is shared by the state & national government

established 3 seperate branches of government

legislative branch (article 1)

house of representatives & senate

bills must go through both teh house and the senate to become a law; they then get sent to the President to sign

how can the president be impeached

can be impeached by the legislative & judicial branches (a trial where the chief justice of the Supreme Court is the judge and the Senate is the jury - EX: of separation of powers)

house of representatives

representation of the state is based on state population

serve a 2-year term

pennsylvania currently has 17 representatives in the house

senate

representation of the state is all equal (each state gets 2)

serve a 6-year term

executive branch (article 2)

george washington was unanimously elected the 1st president of the US in 1789

roles: commander & chief of the military, chief diplomat

president serves a 4-year term

when the president receives a bill that is passed by congress, they can:

sign the bill into law

veto it and send it back to congress

ignore it (congress is in session = becomes law, congress is not in session = vetoed)

judicial branch (article 3)

creates supreme court - currently 9 members on the court

final authority in any case involving questions about the constitution ('judicial review')

supreme court justices have lifetime appointments, meaning they don't have any term limits

analyzes & interprets the laws that the legislative branch makes & can heck the power of the legislative branch by declaring a congressional law unconstitutional

why is the US considered a indirect democracy?

the people vote for their representatives who then go and participate in the government

direct vs indirect democracy

direct = people have the power & everyone votes on all issues

indirect = the source of power is the people who elect officials and vote on their behalf

popular sovereignty

the government receives its power from the people

limited government

the government only has authority people give it

constitutionalism

a government is limited or restricted by a constitution

separation of powers

the executive, legislative, and judicial powers are divided between three independent and coequal branches of government

presidential power

basic power is distributed and separated between three distinct and independent branches

checks & balances

each branch is subject to a number of constitutional restraints or checks by the other branches

EX: how a bill become a law

judicial review

the power of a court to determine the constitutionality of government actions

EX: the supreme court (US)

federalism

division of power between a national government & state governments

diffuses power between the levels of government

where is power located

federal - government power divides between the national government & several regional governments

article 4

the states - creates rules for states to get along with other states, guarantees to states, admitting states to the union

article 5

making amendments - how to add amendments to the constitution

article 6

supreme law of the land - the constitution is the highest law of the land

article 7

ratification - the constitution became effective when 9/13 states approved it

amendment 1

freedom of religion, speech, press, assembly, petition

doesn't protect against anything that is a 'clear and present danger'

amendment 2

right to bear arms

amendment 3

protection from quartering of troops

amendment 4

search and seizure

amendment 5

due process, doubly jeapardy, self-incrimination

amendment 6

jury trial, right to counsel

amendment 7

common law suits

amendment 8

protection from excess bail or fines, cruel and unusual punishment

amendment 9

rights not named retained by people

amendment 10

powers reserved to states

miranda vs arizona

police are required to inform you of your right to remain silent and have a lawyer with you while you are being detained and questioned by the police

who determines what the bill of rights mean

the supreme court makes rulings on the meaning (as per judicial review)

the supreme court balances the rights of the individual with the needs of society

two clauses of the freedom of religion

establishment clause - government cannot promote religion

free exercise clause - person can choose whatever religion to practice

the brady act

requires that background checks be conducted on individuals before a firearm may be purchased from a federally licensed dealer, manufacturer, or importer

elections

you must be 18 to vote in the united states

what is a political party

a political party is a group with similar beliefs who attempt to gain influence and public control

watchdog

the party out of power oversees the party in power to ensure their actions are legal and legitimate

governing

parties provide a more predictable system to help the government function

EX: gun laws will be passed by republicans, social programs will be approved by democrats

seal of approval

screens potential candidates and encourages good behavior of current officeholders

informer-stimulator function

educate and encourage voters to participate in the political process

nominating function

select candidates and work for their election

why is there a 2 party system in the US?

historical bias - US always had a 2-party system

bipartisanship laws - democrats & republicans create laws that make it difficult for minor parties to win

republican party

most closely associated with protecting individual rights regarding the second amendment, higher defense spending, lower taxes, and smaller government

democratic party

most closely associated with urgent concern for climate change & supporting universal healthcare

Voting trends

African American women - democratic candidates (liberal)

California & Massachusetts (Democratic safestates)

rural areas mostly vote for republican candidates (conservative)

Texas & alabama (republican safe states)

electoral college

president is elected by the electoral college, not the popular vote

a candidate must win 270 of the electoral college votes to win the presidency

current president & vice president of the US is Donald Trump and JD Vance

gerrymandering

redrawing districts along partisan lines & create congressional districts to benefit your political party

drawing congressional districts

each state will be assigned a number of districts based on the census that is taken every 10 years started in 1790

reapportionment act

established 435 as the permanent number of congressional districts

general redistricting rules

required to be single-member districts (only one officeholder from district)

equal population

contiguous

compact

cannot draw lines based on race or ethnicity

cannot break up communities

ideological parties

based on a particular set of social, economic, and political beliefs

single issue parties

focused on a single public issue

economic protest parties

created in periods of poor economic times and anger focused against monetary system

splinter parties

have split away from one of the major parties, normally around a strong personality

spoiler role

can pull enough votes away from one of the major parties to affect the outcome of an election

critic/innovator role

brings attention to a controversial issue or idea ignored by major parties