AP U.S. Government: Required Foundational Documents, Court Cases, and Amendments

Flashcards for reviewing key documents, court cases, and amendments in AP U.S. Government.

Declaration of Independence

Declared Independence from Britain, identified Natural Rights (Life, Liberty, Pursuit of Happiness), influenced by John Locke.

Articles of Confederation

Confederal Government; Weak-Congress not given many powers; Unicameral Legislature; No Executive / No Judicial; No power to raise an army.

U.S. Constitution

Outlines the structure of the government with three branches, relationships between states, and amendment process.

Federalist No. 10

Factions are inevitable, large republic is the best form of government to address factions, pluralism leads to the best ideas being enacted.

Brutus 1

Constitution gives too much power to the central government; Necessary and Proper Clause is a blank check to Congress; Supremacy Clause makes state governments obsolete.

Federalist No. 51

Power is divided between three branches and national/state government; Checks and Balances - Gov. must be powerful enough to control the people, but also control itself.

Federalist No. 70

Argues for a single, 'energetic' executive (president); President must be single person; Debate and disagreement are good for Congress, poison for the president.

Federalist No. 78

'The least dangerous branch' - Independent and inherently weaker than the other 2 branches, Judiciary must be independent; The power of judicial review

Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Justice delayed is justice denied; 'Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere'; All people should be treated the same under the law (14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause).

Article I of the Constitution

The Congress consisting of the House of Representatives and the Senate: qualifications, powers, duties, terms of office, regulations, rules, privileges, relationships to states

Article II of the Constitution

The Presidency: term, qualifications, duties, powers

Article III of the Constitution

The creation of the judicial system and the Supreme Court: qualifications, jurisdictions, powers.

Article VI of the Constitution

Declares the Constitution the Supreme Law of the land (supremacy clause)

Bill of Rights

First 10 amendments to the constitution, including: Freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition; The right to own and bear arms; Protection of citizens against illegal search and seizure of private property; Freedom from self-incrimination, double jeopardy, right to due process

13th Amendment

Abolishes the practice of slavery

14th Amendment

Defines citizenship and limits states from violating the equal protection of all citizens. Source for selective incorporation.

15th Amendment

Prohibits limiting the right to vote based on race

19th Amendment

Gives women the right to vote

Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Established judicial review as constitutional, affirming checks and balances and separation of powers.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Affirmed the supremacy of the federal government and the US Constitution over the states and state laws (Supremacy Clause).

United States v. Lopez (1995)

Congress may not use the commerce clause to make possession of a gun in a school zone a federal crime.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)

School sponsorship of religious activities violates the establishment clause in the 1st amendment

Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)

Forcing Amish students to attend school past 8th grade violates the free exercise clause of the 1st amendment

Tinker v. Des Moines School District (1969)

Public school students retain 1st amendment freedom of speech/expression while on campus, as long as it doesn't 'disrupt the learning environment'

New York Times v. United States (1971)

Ensures freedom of press clause of the 1st amendment by limiting prior restraint except in most extreme cases of national security

Schenk v. US (1919)

Speech that represents a 'clear and present danger' is not protected speech under the freedom of speech clause in the 1st amendment

Gitlow v. New York (1925)

The first case that used the selective incorporation doctrine, using the due process clause of the 14th amendment to extend the Bill of Rights protections to states

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)

Used the 6th amendment to decide that those who cannot afford an attorney will be provided with one, incorporated to the states via the due process clause of the 14th amendment.

Roe v. Wade (1973)

Used the 4th amendments right to privacy to rule that states could not prevent women from having abortions, incorporated to the states via the due process clause of the 14th amendment.

McDonald v. Chicago (2010)

The 2nd amendment prevents states from limiting gun ownership for self-protection, incorporated to the states via the due process clause of the 14th amendment.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)

School segregation violates the equal protection clause of the 14th amendment - overturned Plessy v. Ferguson's separate but equal doctrine

Baker v. Carr (1961)

Used the equal protection clause in the 14th amendment to apply to redistricting - established 'one person one vote' doctrine

Shaw v. Reno (1993)

Used equal protection clause in the 14th amendment to prohibit states from racial gerrymandering

Citizen United v. Federal Election Commission (2010)

Political spending by corporations and organizations is protected speech under the 1st amendment and cannot be limited by government