US Government Final Exam Notes

US Government Final Exam

Amendments

  • Bill of Rights: Understand what each amendment in the Bill of Rights does.
  • Voting Amendments: Know the purpose and effect of amendments related to voting rights.
  • Post-Civil War Amendments: Understand the intent and impact of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments.

Articles of the Constitution

  • Article 1: Legislative Branch - Powers, structure (House & Senate), and law-making process.
  • Article 2: Executive Branch - Powers of the President, election process.
  • Article 3: Judicial Branch - Powers of the Supreme Court, judicial review.
  • Article 4: States - Relationship between states and the federal government.
  • Article 5: Amendment Process - How the Constitution can be amended.
  • Article 6: Supremacy Clause - Constitution and federal laws are supreme.
  • Article 7: Ratification - How the Constitution was ratified.

Political Philosophy

  • Classical Republicans: Focus on civic virtue, common good, and small, uniform communities.
  • Natural Rights Philosophers: Emphasis on individual rights, limited government, and popular sovereignty.

Vocabulary

  • Unit 1: Constitution, Constitutional government, Democracy, Forms of government, Limited government, Mixed constitution, Parliament, Republic, Unwritten constitution, Written constitution, Civic virtue.
  • Unit 2: Classical republicanism, Common good, Consent of the governed, Divine right, Inalienable rights, Natural rights, Political legitimacy, Popular sovereignty, Pursuit of happiness, Right of revolution, Social contract, State of nature, capitalism, city-state, feudalism, Judeo-Christian, Nation-state, Private morality, Public morality, Common law, Magna carta, Precedent, Redress of grievances, Rights of Englishmen, Rule of law, Stare decisis.
  • Unit 3: Writ of habeas corpus, Charter, Constituent, Covenant, Indentured servant, Magistrate, Mayflower Compact, Suffrage, Compact, Law of nature, Sovereignty, Writs of assistance, Checks and balances, Legislative supremacy, Veto
  • Unit 4: Articles of Confederation, Confederation, Shay’s Rebellion, Civil discourse, Federal system, National government, Proportional representation, Great compromise, Three-fifths Compromise, Deliberative body.
  • Unit 5: Electoral College, Enumerated powers, Necessary and proper clause, Separated powers, Shared powers, Bill of attainder, Ex post facto, Secede, Supremacy clause, Tariff, Anti-federalist, Bill of rights, Ratification, Faction, The Federalist, Federalists, Majority tyranny, “new science of politics”.
  • Unit 6: Amendment, Judicial review, Delegated powers, Party system, Patronage, Platform, Political party.
  • Unit 7: Sedition, Ticket, Abolitionists, Literacy test, Poll tax, Secession, Due process of law, Fundamental rights, Incorporation, Equality of condition, Equality of opportunity, Intermediate scrutiny, Rational basis, Separate but equal, Strict scrutiny, Enfranchisement, Franchise.
  • Unit 8: Delegate theory of representation, Enforcement powers, Federalism, Gerrymandering, Implied powers, Inherent powers, Trustee theory of representation, Bill.
  • Unit 9: Cloture, Filibuster, Impeachment, Lobbying, Pocket veto, Power to investigate, Resolution, Seniority, Commander in chief, Executive order, Executive power, Bureaucracy, Cabinet, Civil service, Independent agencies, Patronage.
  • Unit 10: Libel, Prior censorship, Seditious libel, Probable cause, Seizure, Warrant, Bail, Capital punishment, Indictment.

Powers of Government Branches

  • Legislative (Article 1): Lawmaking powers, enumerated powers, implied powers (Necessary and Proper Clause).
  • Executive (Article 2): Enforces laws, Commander-in-Chief, executive orders.
  • Judicial (Article 3): Interprets laws, judicial review (established in Marbury v. Madison).
  • Checks and Balances: Understand how each branch can limit the power of the others.

Constitutional Convention

  • Major Ideas: Federalists (strong central government) vs. Anti-Federalists (states' rights).
  • Main Debates: Representation (Great Compromise), slavery (Three-Fifths Compromise).
    <br/><br />\newline Three-Fifths Compromise: For representation and taxation, each slave would count as three-fifths of a person.
  • Compromises: Great Compromise (bicameral legislature), Electoral College.
  • Reasons for Convention: Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation (Shay's Rebellion).

Law-Making Process

  • 8 Steps for Making a Law: Understand the legislative process from bill introduction to presidential action.

Aristotle's Forms of Government

  • Right Forms: Monarchy, Aristocracy, Polity.
  • Corrupt Forms: Tyranny, Oligarchy, Democracy (mob rule).

Articles of Confederation

  • Accomplishments: Land Ordinance of 1785, Northwest Ordinance of 1787.
  • Shortcomings: Weak central government, no power to tax, no national currency, no national court system, Shay's Rebellion.

Supreme Court Cases

  • TLO: Search and seizure in schools.
  • Griswold: Right to privacy (contraceptives).
  • Miranda: Rights of the accused (Miranda rights).
  • Maryland v. Craig: Confrontation Clause (child witness).
  • Tinker v. Des Moines: Student free speech rights (black armbands).
  • McDonald v. Chicago: Right to bear arms (incorporated to states).
  • Heller v. DC: Right to bear arms (individual right for self-defense).