AP Gov Exam Need to Know

Declaration of Independence

establishes foundational principles

Articles of Confederation

weak, favored state power, couldn’t raise taxes or military, downed by Shay’s Rebellion

Constitution

rebuilt from the AoC failure, establishes base for whole government

Federalist Paper 10

factions balance each other out naturally

Federalist Paper 51

the greed of the branches will balance out, checks and balances

Federalist Paper 70

energy in the executive is necessary

Brutus Paper 1

against the constitution and everything it holds dear, main reason for getting the Bill of Rights passed

Letter From A Birmingham Jail

outlines MLK Jr.s reasoning and main goal, injustice anywhere is injustice everywhere, civil disobedience

Article 1

legislative branch

Article 2

executive branch

Article 3

judicial branch

Article 4

relationships between the states

Article 5

amendment process

Article 6

supremacy clause

Article 7

ratification

1st Amendment

freedom of speech, religion, assembly, and right to petition

2nd Amendment

right to bear arms

3rd Amendment

quartering of soldiers

4th Amendment

search and seizure

5th Amendment

self-incrimination

6th Amendment

rights of the accused in criminal trials

7th Amendment

rights of the accused in civil trials

8th Amendment

cruel and unusual punishment

9th Amendment

unenumerated rights reserved to the people

10th Amendment

unenumerated rights reserved to the states

11th Amendment

individuals can’t sue states

12th Amendment

pres and vice pres on same ticket

13th Amendment

prohibits slavery except as punishment for a crime

14th Amendment

guarantees equal citizenship, due process clause

15th Amendment

can’t deny the right to vote based on race

16th Amendment

income tax

17th Amendment

direct election of senators

18th Amendment

prohibition

19th Amendment

can’t deny the right to vote based on sex

20th Amendment

lame duck amendment, pres enters office Jan 20th

21st Amendment

repeals prohibition

22nd Amendment

pres only gets two terms

23rd Amendment

DC can vote in presidential elections

24th Amendment

prohibits poll tax

25th Amendment

presidential succession

26th Amendment

can’t deny the right to vote based on age, above 18

27th Amendment

congressional pay

Marbury v. Madison

establishes judicial review

McCulloch v. Maryland

maryland tried to tax the federal bank, necessary and proper clause, established legislative power

Schenck v. US

Schenck was handing out anti-draft pamphlets, establishes that freedom of speech can be restricted in times of war

Brown v. Board of Education

black schools were inherently unequal to white ones, overturned Plessy v. Ferguson precedent of separate but equal

Engel v. Vitale

establishment clause, school prayer is unconstitutional

Baker v. Carr

allowed federal courts to hear gerrymandering cases, “one person, one vote”

Shaw v. Reno

racial gerrymandering is unconstitutional

Gideon v. Wainwright

right to legal counsel, part of Miranda rights

Tinker v. Des Moines

students wearing armbands protesting Vietnam, freedom of symbolic speech, freedom of expression clause

NYT Co. v. US

prior restraint, government can only restrict publication of gov documents if it presents a clear danger to individuals (can restrict if it reveals the location of an undercover agent, but can’t if it exposes a corrupt budgeting policy)

Wisconsin v. Yoder

Amish kids were learning stuff against their religion after age 14, free exercise clause

Griswold v. Connecticut

protects the freedom of married couples to seek contraceptives

US v. Lopez

1990 Gun Free School Zones Act, exceeds congressional power, interstate commerce clause

McDonald v. Chicago

a Chicago gun ban, due process clause, selectively incorporates 2nd amendment to the states

Citizens United v. FEC

Citizens United, a PAC, made a movie that presented Hillary Clinton badly, “corporations are people too” and have freedom of speech under the 1st amendment

5 Foundational Values

individualism, popular sovereignty, equal opportunity, limited government, free enterprise

participatory democracy

lots of individuals participate in democracy

pluralist democracy

groups (parties, PACs, interest groups) have influence over the government

elite democracy

individuals have influence over the government and constituencies

selective incorporation

the process through which the Supreme Court applies provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states through the due process clause (if a state passes a law restricting free speech, right to bear arms, free expression, etc. it would be deemed unconstitutional)

bureaucracy parts

departments (really big stuff), agencies (smaller stuff), regulatory agencies (makes rules for private businesses)

judicial checks on other branches

judicial review

legislative checks on other branches

impeachment, override veto, advise and consent, oversight, impeach judges, shape and size of courts, amendments (law-making is sort of, but is not an official check because it’s Congress’s job)

executive checks on other branches

veto, executive order, signing statements, appointments, pardons (enforcement is sort, but is not an official check because it’s the pres’s job)

checks on the bureaucracy

appointments, executive orders, signing statement, oversight, advise and consent, laws/budgeting, judicial review

Federalist Paper 78

the powers and lifelong terms for the judicial branch aren’t too powerful