AP Gov – Constitutional Foundations & Key Cases

Key Constitutional Clauses

• Supremacy Clause → federal law overrides state law.

• Necessary & Proper Clause ("Elastic Clause") → Congress may enact laws not explicitly listed if necessary & proper for carrying out enumerated powers.

Foundational Papers

• Federalist $51$ (Madison)

  • Separation of Powers

  • Checks & Balances

• Federalist $10$ (Madison)

  • Danger of factions; large republic dilutes factional power.

• Brutus I (Anti-Federalist)

  • Strong central govt risks tyranny.

  • States may lose sovereignty & influence.

Theories of Democracy & Power

• Equality of Opportunity → core democratic ideal.

• Elite Democracy → policy driven by a small, affluent group; argued to have existed since founding.

• Divine Right Theory → rulers claim authority from God.

• Evolutionary Theory → leadership through family bloodlines.

• Hobbes → dictatorship preferable; people surrender freedoms for security—"better to fear one than many."

Key Amendments

• $14^{th}$ Amendment

  • Defines citizenship.

  • Incorporates Due Process (extends $5^{th}$ protections).

• $10^{th}$ Amendment

  • Powers not delegated to federal govt are reserved to states (central in state-vs-federal power debates).

Landmark Supreme Court Cases

• McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

  • National bank upheld via Necessary & Proper Clause.

  • States cannot tax federal entities (Supremacy Clause).

• U.S. v. Lopez (1995)

  • Struck down Gun-Free School Zones Act; Congress exceeded Commerce Clause authority.

Other Constitutional Concepts

• Full Faith & Credit Clause → states must honor other states' civil laws (e.g., marriage).

• Census & Representation

  • Executive actions to adjust population counts raise separation-of-powers questions.

• Gerrymandering

  • Redrawing districts for partisan advantage; current disputes in TX, CA, NY.

Democracy Principles

• Worth & Dignity of Every Person → fundamental democratic value.

Quick Recall List

• Supremacy Clause = federal law supreme.
• Necessary & Proper = implied powers for Congress.
• Fed $51$ = separation of powers.
• Fed $10$ = factions.
• Brutus I = anti-central tyranny.
• $14^{th}$ = citizenship & due process.
• $10^{th}$ = reserved state powers.
• McCulloch = bank OK, states can’t tax.
• Lopez = limits Commerce Clause.
• Equality of Opportunity, Elite vs Divine vs Evolutionary theories.