AP Gov Final

What happened in Marbury v. Madison (1803)?

Marbury sued for a judicial appointment denied by Jefferson’s administration.

What did the Court rule in Marbury v. Madison?

The Court established judicial review and struck down part of the Judiciary Act.

What constitutional principle came from Marbury v. Madison?

Supremacy of the Constitution; judicial review.

What were the facts of McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)?

Maryland tried to tax the national bank; the bank refused.

What did the Court rule in McCulloch v. Maryland?

Congress can create a national bank; states cannot tax the federal government.

What constitutional principle came from McCulloch v. Maryland?

Necessary & Proper Clause; Supremacy Clause.

What happened in Schenck v. U.S. (1919)?

Schenck distributed anti‑draft leaflets during WWI.

What did the Court rule in Schenck v. U.S. (1919)?

Speech can be limited if it creates a “clear and present danger.”

What constitutional principle applies in Schenck v. U.S. (1919)?

First Amendment limits during wartime.

What were the facts of Brown v. Board (1954)?

Black students were denied entry to white public schools.

What did the Court rule in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?

School segregation is unconstitutional; overturned Plessy v. Ferguson.

What principle applies in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)?

14th Amendment Equal Protection.

What happened in Baker v. Carr (1962)?

Tennessee had unequal voting districts.

What did the Court rule in Baker v. Carr (1962)?

Redistricting is required; “one person, one vote.”

What principle applies in Baker v. Carr (1962)?

14th Amendment Equal Protection.

What were the facts of Engel v. Vitale (1962)?

NY public schools had voluntary prayer.

What did the Court rule in Engel v. Vitale (1962)?

School‑sponsored prayer is unconstitutional.

What principle applies in Engel v. Vitale (1962)?

First Amendment Establishment Clause.

What happened in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)?

Gideon was denied a lawyer in a felony case.

What did the Court rule in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)?

States must provide attorneys to poor defendants.

What principle applies in Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)?

6th Amendment right to counsel; incorporation.

What were the facts of Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)?

Students wore black armbands to protest the Vietnam War.

What did the Court rule in Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)?

Symbolic student speech is protected if not disruptive.

What principle applies in Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)?

First Amendment Free Speech.

What happened in NY Times v. U.S. (1971)?

Nixon tried to block publication of the Pentagon Papers.

What did the Court rule in NY Times v. U.S. (1971)?

Prior restraint is unconstitutional unless direct harm is proven.

What principle applies in NY Times v. U.S. (1971)?

First Amendment Freedom of Press.

What were the facts of Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)?

Amish parents challenged compulsory schooling past 8th grade.

What did the Court rule in Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)?

Religious freedom outweighed the state’s interest in schooling.

What principle applies in Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972)?

First Amendment Free Exercise Clause.

What were the facts of Shaw v. Reno (1993)?

NC created a majority‑minority district (racial gerrymander).

What did the Court rule in Shaw v. Reno (1993)?

Racial gerrymandering violates Equal Protection.

What principle applies in Shaw v. Reno (1993)?

14th Amendment Equal Protection.

What happened in U.S. v. Lopez (1995)?

A student was arrested under the federal Gun‑Free School Zones Act.

What did the Court rule in U.S. v. Lopez (1995)?

Congress exceeded its Commerce Clause power.

What principle applies in U.S. v. Lopez (1995)?

Limits on the Commerce Clause.

What were the facts of McDonald v. Chicago (2010)?

Chicago’s handgun ban was challenged.

What did the Court rule in McDonald v. Chicago (2010)?

Applied the 2nd Amendment to the states.

What principle applies in McDonald v. Chicago (2010)?

2nd Amendment; 14th Amendment incorporation.

What happened in Citizens United v. FEC (2010)?

A law restricted corporate election spending.

What did the Court rule in United v. FEC (2010)?

Corporations have free speech rights in political spending.

What principle applies in United v. FEC (2010)?

First Amendment Free Speech (independent expenditures).

Federalist (No.) 10

Argued that the establishment of a representative democracy is effective against partisanship and factionalism + Shows why founding fathers rejected direct democracy and factionalism (party politics).

Brutus (No.) 1

Argued that a free republic cannot govern over a country as large as the United States + States that the government officers would control the people and abuse their power.

(The) Declaration of Independence

States the principles on which the American government is based + Gave reasoning behind a separation from Britain + Establishes that all people are created equal

(The) Articles of Confederation

First written Constitution of the US

(The) Constitution

Supreme law of the US + Contains seven articles & twenty

Bill of Rights

Series of amendments to the Constitution that guarantees individual freedoms and due process.

Federalist (No.) 51

Addresses means by which appropriate checks and balances can be created in government + Advocates a separation of powers within the national government

Letter from a Birmingham Jail (Martin Luther King Jr.)

Defends the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism. + States that people have a moral responsibility to break unjust laws + Message: take direct action rather than waiting potentially forever for justice to come through the courts.

Federalist (No.) 70

Argues the purpose of having a single executive (president) in government + States that an executive brings the government both the energy of one person & the safety of an accountability to the people

Federalist (No.) 78

Discusses the power of judicial review + Argues that the federal courts have the duty to determine whether acts of Congress are constitutional + Justifies the structure/function of the Judicial Branch

politics

the process of influencing the actions and policies of government.

government

the rules and institutions that make up the system of policymaking.

democracy

a system of government where power is held by the people, including free and fair elections and civil rights and liberties.

natural rights

the right to life, liberty, and property, which government cannot take away.

social contract

an agreement between the people and the government where the people give up some freedoms and allow their government to rule over them to ensure an orderly and functioning society.

popular sovereignty

the idea that the government’s right to rule comes from the consent of the people.

limited government

a system in which the authority of the government is not absolute.

republican government

a system in which the people elect representatives to carry out their wishes.

inalienable rights

rights the government cannot take away.

liberty

social, political, and economic freedoms.

participatory democracy

a theory that widespread participation in politics and civil society is essential for democratic government.

civil society groups

independent associations outside the government’s control.

pluralist theory

a theory of democracy that emphasizes the role of nongovernmental group

elite theory

a theory of democracy that participation in politics and civil society is limited because the elites have a disproportionate amount of influence in the policymaking process.

political institutions

the structure of government, including the executive branch, the legislature, and the judiciary.

constitution

a document that sets out the fundamental principles of governance and establishes the institutions of government.

republic

a government in which the people elect representatives to carry out their wishes

Articles of Confederation and Perpetual Union

a governing document that created a union of thirteen sovereign states in which the states, not the union, were supreme.

unicameral

having a one

Shays’s Rebellion

an uprising by debtors against the government of Massachusetts.

Constitutional Convention

a meeting attended by state delegates in 1787 to fix the Articles of Confederation.

writ of habeas corpus

the right of people detained by the government to know the charges against them.

bills of attainder

legislative acts that declare people guilty and impose punishment on those people without a trial.

ex post facto laws

laws punishing people for acts that were not crimes at the time they were committed.

bicameral

having a two

Grand Committee

a committee at the Constitutional Convention that worked out the compromise on representation.

Great (Connecticut) Compromise

the agreement to create a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives apportioned proportionately and a Senate apportioned equally.

Compromise on Importation

an agreement that Congress could not restrict the slave trade until 1808.

separation of powers

a design of government that distributes powers across institutions in order to avoid making one branch too powerful on its own.

checks and balances

a design of government in which each branch has powers that can prevent the other branches from making policy.

federalism

the sharing of power between the national government and the states.

legislative branch

the institution responsible for making laws.

expressed or enumerated powers

authority specifically granted to a branch of the government in the Constitution.

necessary and proper or elastic clause

language in Article I, Section 8 granting Congress the powers necessary to carry out its enumerated powers.

implied powers

authority of the federal government that goes beyond its expressed powers.

executive branch

the institution responsible for carrying out laws passed by the legislative branch.

judicial branch

the institution responsible for hearing and deciding cases through the federal courts.

supremacy clause

constitutional provision declaring that the Constitution and all federal laws and treaties are the supreme law of the land.

amendment

a formal change made to the Constitution.

Federalists

supporters of the proposed Constitution, who called for a strong national government.

Antifederalists

those opposed to the proposed Constitution, who favored stronger state governments.

Federalist Papers

a series of eighty

faction

a group of self

due process clause

the clause in the Fourteenth Amendment that restricts state governments from denying persons their life, liberty, or property without legal safeguards.

equal protection clause

the clause of the Fourteenth Amendment that requires states to treat all persons alike with regard to the application of the laws.

unitary system

a system where the central government has all of the power over subnational governments.

confederal system

a system where the subnational governments have most of the power.

federal system

a system where power is divided between the national and state governments.