AP US Government and Politics Review

U.S. Government and Politics Exam Review

Exam Structure

55 Multiple Choice Questions: 1 hour & 20 minutes, 50% of grade.
4 Free Response Questions: 1 hour & 40 minutes, 50% of grade.

Key Content Areas

Unit 1: Foundations of Democracy (15-22%)
Unit 2: Interaction Among the Branches (25-36%)
Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (13-18%)
Unit 4: Political and Ideological Beliefs (10-15%)
Unit 5: Political Participation (20-27%)

Required Supreme Court Cases

Marbury v. Madison-1803
McCulloch v. Maryland-1819
Schenck v. US-1919
Brown v. Board of Ed-1954
Baker v. Carr-1962
Engel v. Vitale-1962
Gideon v. Wainwright-1963
Tinker v. Des Moines-1969
NY Times Co. v. US-1971
Wisconsin v. Yoder-1972
Roe v. Wade-1973
Shaw v. Reno-1993
US. v. Lopez-1995
McDonald v. Chicago-2010
Citizens United v. FEC-2010

Required Documents

The Declaration of Independence
The Articles of Confederation
The Constitution of the United States
Federalist #10
Brutus #1
Federalist #51
Federalist #70
Federalist # 78
Letter from a Birmingham Jail

Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy

Key Concepts: Natural rights, popular sovereignty, republicanism, social contract, limited government.
Natural Rights: Freedoms guaranteed to all citizens.
Popular Sovereignty: Government power belongs to the people.
Republicanism: Citizens vote for representatives.
Social Contract: People give up some rights for protection.

Models of Representative Democracy:

Participatory Democracy: Citizens participate directly.
Pluralist Democracy: Power shared among groups.
Elite Democracy: Power controlled by a few influential people.

Principles of Representative Democracy:

Federalism: Power divided between federal and state governments.
Checks and Balances: Branches check each other.
Separation of Powers: Division of government responsibilities.
Limited Government: Government powers limited by the Constitution.

Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist

Federalist #10: Large republic controls factions.
*Factions arise from unequal distribution of property.
Brutus #1: Favors small, decentralized republic.
*Anti-Federalists feared a powerful national government.

Articles of Confederation

Weak central government, states had most power.
Government couldn't enforce tax laws or regulate commerce.
Shays’s Rebellion showed the need for a stronger government.

Constitutional Compromises:

Great (Connecticut) Compromise: Bicameral Congress (House based on population, Senate with equal representation).
Electoral College: Electors chosen by states.
Three-Fifths Compromise: Slaves counted as 3/5 of a person.
Compromise on the importation of slaves: Congress could ban slave trade after 1808.

Constitutional Basis of Federalism:

Enumerated, concurrent, and reserved powers.
Commerce Clause & Elastic Clause: Key roles in expanding federal power.

Key Definitions:

Federalism: Sharing power between state and national government.
Enumerated Powers: Powers granted to the national government.
Implied Powers: Powers not specifically granted but necessary.
Reserved Powers: Powers reserved to the states (10th Amendment).
Full Faith and Credit Clause: States honor other states' acts.
Privileges and Immunities Clause: States can't discriminate against citizens of other states.
Extradition: Surrendering criminal offenders to the state where the crime occurred.

Amendment Process:

Proposal: ⅔ vote in both houses of Congress OR proposal from ⅔ of state legislatures.
Ratification: ¾ of the states.

Amendments

10th Amendment: Reserves powers for the states.
14th Amendment: States cannot deny equal protection of law.
Commerce Clause: Congress regulates commerce.

Grants and Mandates

Grants-in-aid: Federal government gives money to the states.
*Categorical Grants: For a specific purpose with restrictions.
*Block Grants: For a broad purpose with few strings attached.
Mandates: Federal government orders states to do certain things.

Types of Federalism:

Dual Federalism: States and national government remain supreme within their spheres.
Cooperative Federalism: Powers shared between states and national government.

Key Cases:

McCulloch v. Maryland: Congress has implied powers.
United States v. Lopez: Limited national government power under the Commerce Clause.

Key Federalism Legislation:

Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program
National Voter Registration Act (Motor Voter Act)
Clean Air Act
Americans with Disabilities Act
Brady Bill
No Child Left Behind Act

Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government

Legislative Branch

Senate: Represents states equally (2 per state).
*100 Senators
Requirements to be a US Senator: 30 years old, 9 years citizenship, resident of the state
House of Representatives: Represents the population, depends on state population
*435 members
*Requirements to be a US Representative: 25 years old, 7 years citizenship, resident of state
Representation decided by census every 10 years (A1 S2).

Enumerated Powers of Congress:

Borrow money, tax, regulate commerce, establish citizenship laws, coin money, punish counterfeit money.
*Establish post offices, lower courts, regulate patents, establish piracy laws, declare war; raise and support army/navy/militia.

Implied Powers of Congress:

Derived from the Necessary and Proper Clause.

Congressional Committees:

Standing Committee: Permanent, divided by policy area.
Conference Committee: Resolves differences between House and Senate versions of a bill.
Select Committee: Investigates a specific issue.
Joint Committee: Includes House and Senate members, focuses public attention on an issue.

Chamber-Specific Procedures:

Speaker of the House: Leader of the House of Representatives.
President of the Senate: Vice President, only votes to break a tie.
Filibuster: Senator delays a motion.
Cloture: Ends debate on a bill.
Rules Committee: Determines rules for debate in the House.
Committee of the Whole: Relaxes debate limits.
Discharge Petitions: Means of bringing a bill out of committee.

Budget and Lawmaking:

Congress generates a budget addressing discretionary and mandatory spending.
Discretionary Spending: Optional spending.
Mandatory Spending: Spending required by law.
Pork Barrel Legislation: Appropriation of government spending for localized projects.
Logrolling: Exchanging favors by reciprocal voting.

Influences on Congressional Behavior:

Ideological divisions lead to gridlock or compromise.
Gerrymandering and redistricting increase partisanship.
*Gerrymandering: manipulating the boundaries to favor one party or class
*Redistricting: redistricting in the US is the process of drawing electoral district boundaries.
*Reapportionment: Reapportionments normally occur following each decennial census
Trustee Model: Representatives act as 'trustees' for their constituency.
Delegate Model: Representatives act as delegates for their constituency.
Politico: A politician with extreme political views

Key Cases:

Baker v. Carr: Each vote should carry equal weight.
Shaw v. Reno: Redistricting based on race requires strict scrutiny.

The Presidency

Presidency has been enhanced beyond constitutional powers.
President implements a policy agenda.

Formal Powers:

Executive Orders
Signing Bills
Veto Power
Declare war (ask congress)
Excuse people from Jail

Checks on Appointment Powers

Senate confirmation is an important check on appointment powers, but the president’s longest lasting influence lies in life tenured judicial appointments
*Cabinet
*Ambassadors
*White House Staff
Amendment 22 term limits

Presidential Communication

Modern technology/Social media: Allows presidents to rapidly respond to political issues.
State of the Union: Opportunity for presidents to inform Congress and the public of policy goals.

The Federal Bureaucracy

Performs implementation, administration and regulation

Writing and enforcing regulations
Issuing Fines
*Testifying before COngress
*Iron Triangles: stable alliance between bureaucrats of a government agency, members of an interest group, and members of a legistlative committee.

Civil Service System

Pendleton Civil Service Reform Act: Some government employees selected by competitive exams.

Bureaucratic Agencies with Discretionary Authority

Department of Homeland Security
Department of Transportation
Department of Veterans Affairs
Department of Education
Environmental Protection Agency
Federal Elections Commission (FEC)
Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC)

The Judicial Branch

Design protects the court’s independence

Judicial Review

Supreme court's power to review whether acts of other branches are constitutional

Foundations of Judicial Power

Article III of the constitution
Hamilton argues that the judiciary will be impartial and is insulated from politics. He also makes the case that the judiciary is the weakest branch.

Marbury v. Madison

Established judicial review.
Precedents and stare decisis
Controversial court decisions can be challenged by
*Future apppointment
Legislation changing the courts jurisdiction

Political Ideology

Judicial Activism: Justices should wield the power of judicial review, sometimes creating bold new policies
*Ex: Brown v Board
Judicial Restraint: Justices should be cautious in overturning laws
*Ex: Plessy v. Ferguston. Supreme court upheld racial segregation of railroad cars and established the “separate-but-equal” doctrine

Limited Power

The legislative branch can limit the Supreme Court’s power by confirming these justices, setting the size of the Court, establishing other federal courts, amending the Constitution, and by writing legislation modifying the impact of a decision.

Functions of amicus curiae briefs: address policy issues, providing a more sympathetic advocate, supplement or bolster a partys brief, provide historical perspective or technical assistance, endorse a party, or seek to mitigate or expand the effects of a potentially important prior court opinion

Court details

Writ of Certiorari: writ that the Supreme Court issues to review a lower court’s judgement. A case cannot be appealed to the Supreme Court → a party seeking to appeal to the Supreme Court from a lower court must file a writ of certiorari → if 4 justices agree to review the case, then the court will hear the case

Rule of Four

permits 4 of the 9 justices to grant a writ of certiorari. Done specifically to prevent a majority of the Court from controlling the Court’s docket

Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

US Constitution protects individual liberties and rights

Bill of rights

Amendment Rights

1st Amendment: Freedom of Religion, Press, Speech, Assembly, Petition
2nd Amendment: Right to Bear Arms
4th Amendment: Right to be free from un-reasonable searches and seizures
5th Amendment: Right to grand jury indictment, no double jeopardy, freedom from self-incrimination, due process of law
6th Amendment: Right to be in-formed of charges be present when wit-nesses speak in court, to call defense witnesses, to have a lawyer.
8th Amendment: Freedom from excessive bail and cruel and unusual punishment
9th Amendment: Guarantee of rights not listed in Constitution
10th Amendment: The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.

1st Amendment Cases

Engel v. Vitale (1962): School prayer in public schools violates the Establishment Clause.
Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972): Compulsory school attendance laws violate the Free Exercise Clause.
Tinker v. Des Moines (1969): Students' free speech in schools is protected, including symbolic speech.

Balancing Social Order and Individual Freedom:

Time, place, and manner regulations
Government regulations that place restrictions on free speech
*Miller Test set in Miller vs. California
Supreme Court uses this three-part test to determine whether speech meets the criteria for obscenity. If so, it can be restricted by the government

1st Amendment Cases (Limitations on Speech):

Schenck v. US: The