AP Gov Unit 1 Review Sheet

1st Amendment

Protects freedom of religion, speech, the press, peaceful assembly, and the right to petition the government

2nd Amendment

Protects the right of the people to keep and bear arms

3rd Amendment

Restricts the government from forcing homeowners to quarter (house) soldiers during peacetime without consent

4th Amendment

Protects people against unreasonable searches and seizures and requires warrants to be backed by probable cause

5th Amendment

Guarantees rights in criminal cases, including grand jury indictments, protection against double jeopardy and self-incrimination, due process of law, and fair compensation for property taken by eminent domain

6th Amendment

Guarantees the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury, the right to confront witnesses, and the right to legal counsel in criminal cases

7th Amendment

Guarantees the right to a jury trial in federal civil court cases involving property or money

8th Amendment

Prohibits excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishments

9th Amendment

Clarifies that the listing of specific rights in the Constitution does not mean people do not retain other unwritten personal rights

10th Amendment

States that any powers not explicitly granted to the federal government by the Constitution are reserved for the states or the people

14th Amendment

Whatever a state a person is born in, is considered a citizen of that stare and is given equal protection from the deprivation of their natural rights

15th Amendment

Every citizen in the US is guaranteed full suffrage regardless of their skin color, race, or servitude

17th Amendment

Citizens of each state shall elect two senators for a term of six years. States shall fill any vacancies and each senator is given 1 vote

19th Amendment

Suffrage shall never be prohibited on the account of male or female

22nd Amendment

Citizens are limited to a maximum of two terms as President

24th Amendment

Prohibited taxes being put on polls, allowing citizens to vote for free

26th Amendment

Citizens over the age of 18 are given the right to vote

Expressed powers (enumerated/executive)

powers specifically granted to the federal government by the Constitution, explicitly listed in Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution, ensuring a clear delineation of the government's roles and responsibilities in governance.

Examples of expressed powers

Declare war, coin money, regulate interstate commerce, establish post offices

Implied powers

powers not explicitly stated in the Constitution but assumed to be necessary to fulfill the government's written duties, as outlined in the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Examples of implied powers

Create a national bank, create an Air Force, establish federal agencies

Inherent powers

powers that are not explicitly stated in the Constitution but are understood to be necessary for the government to function, often associated with the presidency.

Examples of inherent powers

Conduct foreign affairs, recognize foreign governments, acquire territory

Reserved powers

powers that are not given to the national government by a constitution, nor forbidden to the regional or state governments, meaning they stay with the states or the people

Examples of reserved powers

Run public schools, issue driver's licenses, establish local governments, conduct elections

Concurrent powers

powers that are shared by both the federal and state government, including those established by the Supremacy Clause which states that the Constitution and federal laws take precedence over state laws.

Examples of concurrent powers

Tax, borrow money, establish courts, make/enforce laws

Popular Sovereignty

The idea that political authority comes from the people

Declaration of Independence: view of government

Government is created by the people to protect natural rights

Weakness of the Articles of Confederation

National government was too weak, gave too much power to the states, no taxes on states

Federalism

Power is divided between the national government and state governments, more than one level of government each with its own source of power

Unitary government

Power all in one central government

Federalists’ view on the Constitution

Supported the Constitution and a stronger national government

Anti-Federalists’ view on the Constitution

Feared a powerful central government and wanted stronger protections for individual liberties

Separation of Powers

Government power is divided among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches

Checks and Balances

Each branch of government checks the other branches

Divided government

One party holds one branch of government and the other party holds the other branch of government

Elite Democracy

Political power is concentrated among a small group of people, limited participation

Pluralist Democracy

Political power is influenced by competing interest groups

Participatory Democracy

Political power is influenced by broad citizen participation

Direct Democracy

Citizens vote directly on laws and policies

Great Compromise

1787 agreement during the US Constitutional Convention that created a bicameral Congress: House based on population and Senate with equal representation

Senate term length

6 years

House term length

2 years

Formal qualifications to be president

35 years old, natural-born U.S. citizen, U.S. resident for 14 years

Informal qualifications to be president

Male, white, Christian, rich, married, family, straight, charisma, no anti-military, no major scandals

American’s first political party

The Federalist party

Oldest current major political party

The Democratic party

Political Socialization

The complex process by which individuals acquire their political ideologies

Stronger predictor of political party affiliation

Parents/family political affiliation

Gender gap

the tendency for women to support Democratic candidates at higher rates and men to support Republic candidates at higher rates

What liberals generally support

More government involvement, greater government regulation, collective good

What conservatives generally support

Less government intervention, lower taxes, individual responsibility

Typical Democratic supporters

Urban, younger, minorities, educated

Typical Republican supporters

Rural, older, white

Before national nominating conventions, who chose presidential candidates?

Congressional party caucuses, “King Caucus” system

What happens at national political conventions?

Formally nominate the presidential candidate, vice presidential candidate, and launch the general election campaign

What replaced caucuses as the main method for selecting delegates?

Primary elections

Why do presidential candidates focus on large competitive states?

Winner-take-all system and electoral college

Amount of electoral votes needed to win

270 electoral votes

Most common form of political participation in the US

voting in elections

Who originally decided voting qualifications?

state governments

Poll taxes and literacy tests

methods used to disenfranchise African American voters

Grandfather clause

Exempted citizens from voting barriers if their ancestors voted before 1867

Voting Rights Act of 1965

Banned literacy tests, poll taxes, and prohibits racial discrimination

Shelby County v. Holder (2013)

The Supreme Court struck down the Voting Rights Act's coverage formula for federal preclearance, weakening federal oversight of changes to voting laws

Linkage Institutions

Organizations and groups that connect citizens to the government and policymakers; eg. political parties, interest groups, elections, and the media

How can the Constitution be formally changed?

Proposed by 2/3 of Congress, ratified by ¾ of the states

How can the Constitution be informally changed?

Supreme Court interpretations, congressional legislation, presidential actions, political practices and customs

What happens if no presidential candidate gets a majority of electoral votes?

House of Representatives

What happens if no VP candidate gets a majority of electoral votes?

Senate

“Winner-take-all”

The candidate who wins the popular vote in a state receives all of that state’s electoral votes

How many states use winner-take-all?

48 states and Washington D.C.; Maine and Nebraska use a different system

How do candidates usually present themselves during the primary season?

They often present themselves as more ideologically extreme to appeal to party voters

PACs

Contributes directly to candidates within legal limits; give money to incumbents

SuperPACs

Can raise and spend unlimited amounts independently, but cannot directly coordinate spending with candidates; produce TV ads and digital campaigns to attack or support candidates

Hard money

Regulated political contributions given directly to candidates or campaigns

Soft money

Money given to political parties for general party activities, rather than directly to a specific candidate

Buckley v. Valeo (1976)

Established limits on how much government could restrict campaign spending, ruled that spending money to influence elections is a form of constitutionally protected free speech

Citizens United v. FEC (2010)

Ruled that corporations and labor unions could make unlimited independent political expenditures, led to the growth of SuperPACs and increase independent political spending

Voting a party ticket

Voting for candidates from the same political party across multiple offices

Rational choice voting

Voting based on what a citizen perceives to be in their individual best interest

Retrospective voting

Voting to decide whether the candidate or party in power should be reelected based on their recent past track record

Prospective voting

Voting based on predictions of how a candidate or party will perform in the future (looking at promising and proposed platforms)

Pocketbook issue

Refers to a voter’s personal financial situation and how the current economy directly impacts their individual household budget

Closed primary

Only registered people could vote for the party they registered for

Open primary

Open to vote for any party

Blanket/Jungle primary

When all candidates are jammed on to one ballot

Major party realignment

One party falls and another one rises

Major voter realignment

Large shift of voters from one party to another

Recall

Voters can kick a elected official out of office

Initiative

Citizens propose a law and vote on it

Referendum

A vote where citizens directly approve or reject a law proposed by their state legislature

Party nominals

People who register and vote for their party

Party regulars

People who donate and vote

Party loyalists

People who vote, donate, and volunteer

What state-level election procedure is closest to direct democracy?

Initiative process, allows citizens to propose a law and vote on it

Gatekeeper

The media filters information and decides which stories receive public attention

Scorekeeper

The media focuses on who is winning and losing, especially during elections

Watchdog

The media investigates government and exposes corruption, wrongdoing, or abuses of power