AP U.S. Government Study Guide: The Constitution & Amendments

Constitutional Foundations

  • Popular Sovereignty: Government gets its power from the people.
  • Republicanism: Citizens elect representatives to make decisions on their behalf.
  • Limited Government: Government power is restricted by laws and the Constitution.
  • Separation of Powers: Power is divided among the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.
  • Checks and Balances: Each branch has powers that can limit the other branches.
  • Federalism: Power is divided between the national government and state governments.
  • Three Branches:
    • Legislative (Congress): Makes laws.
    • Executive (President): Enforces laws.
    • Judicial (Courts): Interprets laws.

Articles of the Constitution

  • Article I: Legislative Branch - Congress.
  • Article II: Executive Branch - President.
  • Article III: Judicial Branch - Supreme Court and federal courts.
  • Article IV: Relationships among the states.
  • Article V: Amendment process.
  • Article VI: Supremacy of the Constitution and federal law.
  • Article VII: Ratification of the Constitution.

Important Constitutional Clauses

  • Necessary and Proper (Elastic) Clause (Article I): Allows Congress to make laws needed to carry out its enumerated powers.
  • Commerce Clause (Article I): Gives Congress power to regulate interstate and international commerce.
  • Supremacy Clause (Article VI): The Constitution, valid federal laws, and treaties are the supreme law of the land.
  • Full Faith and Credit Clause (Article IV): States generally recognize the public acts, records, and judicial proceedings of other states.

The Bill of Rights - Amendments 1-10

  • 1st Amendment: RAPPS: Religion, Assembly, Press, Petition, Speech. Religion includes the Establishment Clause and Free Exercise Clause.
  • 2nd Amendment: Right to keep and bear arms.
  • 3rd Amendment: Protection against forced quartering of soldiers in homes during peacetime without consent.
  • 4th Amendment: Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures; probable cause is a key concept.
  • 5th Amendment: Due process, protection against self-incrimination and double jeopardy, grand jury protection in certain federal cases, and the Takings Clause.
  • 6th Amendment: Speedy/public trial, impartial jury, notice of charges, confrontation of witnesses, and assistance of counsel.
  • 7th Amendment: Jury trial in certain federal civil cases.
  • 8th Amendment: Protection against excessive bail, excessive fines, and cruel and unusual punishment.
  • 9th Amendment: People have rights beyond those specifically listed in the Constitution.
  • 10th Amendment: Powers not delegated to the federal government or prohibited to the states are reserved to the states or the people.

Amendments 11-27

  • 11th Amendment: Limits certain lawsuits against states in federal court.
  • 12th Amendment: Electors cast separate votes for President and Vice President.
  • 13th Amendment: Abolished slavery and involuntary servitude, except as punishment for crime.
  • 14th Amendment: Citizenship, Due Process, and Equal Protection. Central to civil rights, civil liberties, and selective incorporation.
  • 15th Amendment: Voting rights cannot be denied based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.
  • 16th Amendment: Authorizes a federal income tax.
  • 17th Amendment: Direct election of U.S. senators by voters.
  • 18th Amendment: Prohibition of alcohol.
  • 19th Amendment: Voting rights cannot be denied based on sex.
  • 20th Amendment: Changes the beginning/end dates of presidential and congressional terms; presidential inauguration is January 20.
  • 21st Amendment: Repealed the 18th Amendment and ended Prohibition.
  • 22nd Amendment: Limits a President to two elected terms, with a maximum of nearly 10 years in certain succession circumstances.
  • 23rd Amendment: Gives Washington, D.C. electoral votes in presidential elections.
  • 24th Amendment: Prohibits poll taxes in federal elections.
  • 25th Amendment: Presidential succession/disability and the process for filling a vice-presidential vacancy.
  • 26th Amendment: Voting age lowered to 18.
  • 27th Amendment: Congressional pay changes cannot take effect until after an election of representatives.

High-Priority Amendments and Key Distinctions

  • High-Priority Amendments Summary:
    • 1: RAPPS - core First Amendment freedoms
    • 2: Right to bear arms
    • 4: Search and seizure
    • 5: Due process and self-incrimination
    • 6: Criminal trial rights
    • 8: Cruel and unusual punishment
    • 10: Reserved powers / states
    • 13: Abolished slavery
    • 14: Citizenship, due process, equal protection
    • 15: Race and voting
    • 17: Direct election of senators
    • 19: Sex and voting
    • 22: Presidential term limit
    • 24: No poll tax in federal elections
    • 25: Presidential succession/disability
    • 26: Voting age = 18
  • Voting Amendment Memory Trick:
    • 15 = Race | 19 = Sex | 24 = Tax | 26 = 18
  • AP Government Due Process Distinction:
    • The 5th Amendment Due Process Clause applies to the federal government.
    • The 14th Amendment Due Process Clause applies to state governments and serves as the basis for selective incorporation of many Bill of Rights protections.

AP-Style Practice Questions

  • Question 1: Congress regulates businesses operating across state lines. Which provision most directly supports this?
    • A. Supremacy Clause
    • B. Commerce Clause
    • C. Full Faith and Credit Clause
    • D. Establishment Clause
    • Answer: B - Commerce Clause
  • Question 2: A state law conflicts with a valid federal law. Which principle is most relevant?
    • A. Reserved powers
    • B. Judicial restraint
    • C. Supremacy Clause
    • D. Popular sovereignty
    • Answer: C - Supremacy Clause
  • Question 3: Police conduct an unreasonable search of someone's home. Which amendment is most directly involved?
    • A. 1st
    • B. 4th
    • C. 5th
    • D. 8th
    • Answer: B - 4th Amendment
  • Question 4: A state denies a group of citizens equal treatment under its laws. Which amendment would most directly apply?
    • A. 10th
    • B. 13th
    • C. 14th
    • D. 15th
    • Answer: C - 14th Amendment
  • Question 5: Which amendment most directly strengthened popular control over Congress?
    • A. 10th
    • B. 17th
    • C. 22nd
    • D. 25th
    • Answer: B - 17th Amendment