AP Gov Constitution

Commerce Clause (Article I, Section 8)

Regulates interstate and foreign commerce.

Taxing and Spending Power (Article I, Section 8)

Collects taxes and funds federal programs.

Power to Declare War and Raise Armies (Article I, Section 8)

Declares war and funds armed forces.

Power to Coin Money (Article I, Section 8)

Creates a single national currency.

Power to Establish Inferior Courts (Article I, Section 8)

Creates lower federal court systems.

Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause)

Grants Congress implied legislative powers.

Tenth Amendment (Reserved Powers Clause)

Reserves non-delegated powers to states.

Concurrent Powers

Powers shared by federal and state governments.

Denied Powers (Article I, Sections 9 & 10)

Actions constitutionally forbidden to governments.

Writ of Habeas Corpus (Article I, Section 9)

Prevents unlawful, indefinite detention.

Prohibition of Bills of Attainder

Bans legislative punishment without trial.

Prohibition of Ex Post Facto Laws

Bans retroactively criminalizing past actions.

Trial by Jury in Criminal Cases (Article III, Section 2)

Guarantees jury trials for federal crimes.

No Religious Test Clause (Article VI, Clause 3)

Bans religious requirements for holding office.

Constitutional Definition of Treason (Article III, Section 3)

Waging war against U.S. or aiding enemies.

Federalist No. 10

Controls factions using a large republic.

Federalist No. 51

Protects liberty via checks and balances.

Federalist No. 39

Describes a hybrid federal-national republic.

Brutus No. 1

Warns against an all-powerful central government.

Achievements of the Articles of Confederation

Won independence and organized western lands.

Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

No taxing power, executive, or courts.

Shays's Rebellion (1786–1787)

Exposed federal weakness, prompting the Constitutional Convention.

Virginia Plan vs. New Jersey Plan

Population-based versus equal legislative representation.

The Great (Connecticut) Compromise

Created bicameral Congress: House and Senate.

Three-Fifths Compromise

Counted three-fifths of enslaved persons for representation.

Electoral College Allocation

Requires 270 electoral votes to elect president.

Winner-Take-All vs. District System

Plurality wins all electors versus district allocation.

Supremacy Clause (Article VI, Clause 2)

Federal law overrides conflicting state laws.

Full Faith and Credit Clause (Article IV, Section 1)

States honor public records of other states.

Privileges and Immunities Clause (Article IV, Section 2)

Prevents state discrimination against out-of-state citizens.

Judicial Review & Marbury v. Madison (1803)

Allows courts to invalidate unconstitutional acts.

Participatory Democracy

Broad, direct citizen political engagement.

Pluralist Democracy

Multiple interest groups competing over policy.

Elite Democracy

Wealthy, educated elites dominating policymaking.

First Amendment

Protects speech, religion, press, assembly, petition.

Fifteenth Amendment (1870)

Protects voting rights regardless of race.

Seventeenth Amendment (1913)

Mandates direct popular election of senators.

Nineteenth Amendment (1920)

Grants women the right to vote.

Twenty-Third Amendment (1961)

Gives Washington, D.C. presidential electoral votes.

Twenty-Fourth Amendment (1964)

Outlaws poll taxes in federal elections.

Twenty-Sixth Amendment (1971)

Lowers statutory voting age to 18.