AP US Gov

Sovereignty

UN Charter right to self-determination
Hobbes - natural rights + moral protection

Locke - exchange of rights/property for protection

Declaration of Independence

Life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness (not property)

Can revolt if tyrannical

Symbolic, signed by 13 colonies

Articles of Confederation

No executive or judicial, no taxation, no army

9/13 to pass bill, 13/13 to amend (impossible)

Shay’s Rebellion → Constitutional Convention

Constitutional Convention

Virginia vs New Jersey (small) plan → great compromise
3/5 Compromise - representation and taxation

Federalist 10

A large republic can control factions which are inevitable, for stability

Brutus 1

A centralize government will be tyrannical/distant from the people.

Constitution

27 Amendments, first 10 are the Bill of Rights (Antifederalist request)

2/3 of congress, ¾ state to amend

Supremacy Clause

Basic Principles

Separation of powers (checks and balances, veto, injuction, impeachment)

Leg writes laws and power of purse

Exe enforces laws and power of the sword

Judicial interprets laws and power of gavel

Federalist 51

Ambition must counteract ambition, so we trust the checks and balances over the people

Freedom of Speech

Political speech is always protected (Johnson), or political hyperbole (Watts)

Speech in a public forum is more protected than in private spaces

Incitement can be regulated if it causes direct violence/harm

Schenck V. US - clear and present danger, Brandenburg → imminent lawless action

Obscenity - crude, sexual, offensive, based on community standards, and lacks LAPS (lit, art, politics, science)

Libel/Slander - false and malicious speech, public are protected more

Freedom of Press

Prior restraint - can not prevent publication, can’t punish after for printing

NYT v. US - NYT could not be prosecuted for pentagon papers

Freedom of Assembly

Regulations must be content neutral, but can regulate time, place, and manner

Student Rights

Tinker v. Des Moines - students can express political beliefs as long as no substantive interference (Vietnam)

Bethel - obscene speech can be censors at assemblies

Hazelwood - school sponsored articles can be censored if violates educational mission

TLO - students can be searched by school official with reasonable suspicion

Morse - students can be punished for speech that goes against the mission of school (bongs 4 jesus)

Writ of Certiorari

an official request for an appeal

Judicial Review

Supreme Court ability to declare laws, rules, or actions unconstitutional

Stare Decisis - principle that courts should follow higher courts

Federalist 78

The implied power of judicial review protects the government and the judicial branch is already weak, established in Marbury v. Madison

Second Amendment

State milita → individuals in Heller
McDonald v. Chicago - it applies to state and local laws (incorporation)

Judicial Philosophies

Originalism - preventing judicial overreach, no new rights that aren’t stated

Living Constitutionalist - keeps the constitution in context of modern times

Judicial Restraint - should leave policy to political institutions, so hesitant to strike down laws

Judicial Activism - should feel free to step in and protect rights

Democracies

A republic - representative government
Elite Democracy - a few people (wealthy or educated) make decisions for all

Trustee - to trust the representatives to make the best decisions

Pluralist - many organized groups compete for control

Participatory Democracy - citizens have direct influence

Delegate Model - representatives should follow voter opinion

Politico Model - a combination of delegate/trustee

Bureaucracy

System of agencies and government employees who carry out laws and programs

They generally fill in the specifics of the law, not congress (agency proposal)

If no budget → shutdown

Interest Group

Corps, nonprofits, individuals who have a common political goal (special interest)

Lobbying → donations/iron triangles (Congress → Bureau → Lobby)

Former staff/politicians become lobbyists

Pork barrel legislation → money for local projects for votes

Powers of Congress

Article I - for taxes, borrowing money, commerce, post offices, patents, etc.

Elastic Clause - necessary and proper clause, i.e highways for post office

Oversight - calls hearings and special committees to investigate

Impeach - 2/3 of senate to convict

Powers of President

Commander in Chief

Deployment of Forces - War Powers Resolution - 60 days without declaring war w/ congress

Nominating federal judges. cabinet, ambassadors

Bully Pulpit - power to persuade the public

Federalist 70

Energy in the executive to respond to crisis

Executive Orders

Official directives by the president on how to carry out laws
Signing statements - expressing a specific interpretation of a law while signing it

Executive agreements - foreign policy, a treaty without senate approval

Executive Branch (led by who and includes who)

Led by the president, includes all employees, departments (State, Treasury), and agencies (NASA, CIA)

The Cabinet

Political appointees who run executive branch departments

Political appointees include advisors and strategists, but most jobs are civil service (merit)

Nominated by president, approved by senate

25th Amendment of succession (unable to discharge duties)

Immigration Policy (the three departments/agencies)

State department - processes visas/citizenship, debated between family-based or merit immigration decisions

Customs and Border Protection - screens people and vehicles at the border, debated on how to effectively control entry, and asylum

ICE - investigates, detains, deports immigrants who commit crimes or are in the country without authorization, debated on who, what rights, etc.

Political Socialization

The process people form their political beliefs

Ideology - basic political values

Your family is the best predictor of your future political beliefs

Generational effect theory - major events changes beliefs

Life cycle effect theory - getting older changes beliefs

Partisanship - individual’s identification with a party.

Ideological Values (Government involvement, economy)

Conservative - favoring tax cuts, less regulations (fiscal) vs opposing changes to traditional morality (social), right wing

• LAISSEZ-FAIRE FISCAL POLICY: Little gvmt intervention in business

• SUPPLY-SIDE ECONOMICS: By freeing trade, the economy will grow

Liberal - government involvement to decrease inequality and active social changes (left wing)

• KEYNESIAN FISCAL ECONOMICS: Gvmt must spend money for economic growth

Libertarian - favoring limited government involvement in economic or social, radicals prefer abolition of gov. for voluntary orgs.

Socialist - regulating capitalism through free public service (paid by gov), radicals abolish all private property through authoritarian means

Party Coalitions

Alliances across interests/demographics to win majorities

• New Deal Coalition - labor unions, white south, racial/ethnic minorities

• Reagan Coalition - social conservatives, wealthy business owners, white south

Identity Politics - strategy of talking about specific issues to build/activate coalition

Framing - specific phrasing of issues to shape view

• Pro-life vs Pro-Choice, Death tax vs estate tax, Obamacare vs Affordable Care Act

Media Coverage

Press Secretaries - people who politicians have speak to reporters

Horserace journalism - watching whos ahead in polls, easy, cheap, captivating (not on issues)

Watchdog journalism - watching government officials and if they are acting in public interest, against corruption, slow, unpopular, expensive

Taxes

Income tax - job earnings, a progressive one focuses against wealthy, flat one for everyone

Sales tax - paid on things you buy (regressive tax, affects poor)

Capital Gains Tax - paid on investment earnings, generally lower (meaning wealthy benefit)

Property tax - land and buildings, fund public schools

Federal Budget

Discretionary Spending - decided each year

Mandatory Spending - not decided each year (Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid)

Deficit - spending > revenue → National Debt

Debt ceiling crisis - fears of defaulting on debt

The president proposes a budget, but house and senate write their own versions

If can not agree → shutdown

Fiscal vs Monetary Policy

Fiscal - controlling economy through gov. spending (Keynesian Fiscal stimulates economy), Congress makes these decisions

Monetary Policy - controlling economy through value of currency (lowering and raising interest rates for inflation, also encourages investment), Federal reserve makes these decisions

Legislative Branch

Congress, house and senate!

House - Responsive, chosen every 2 years, power of tax bills, and speaker of the house picks the bills to vote on.

Senate - deliberative, as senators chosen every 6 years, originally by the state legislatures. Power of treaties and nominations.

Filibuster - can prevent a vote in the senate, at least 60 votes to reach cloture. (Nuclear option to remove it is considered)