AP US Government

1
AP US Government

• Year in Review

2
Constitutional Underpinnings and Federalism

• Influences on the Constitution
• Articles of Confederation
• Accomplishments
• Weakness
• John Locke and Federalist Essays

3
Constitutional Underpinnings and Federalism

• Adoption of the Constitution
• Components of the Major Articles
• Amending Process
• Key Amendments
• Electoral College Process
• Impeachment Process

4
Constitutional Underpinnings and Federalism

• Separation of Powers
• War
• Raising Revenue
• Confirmation
• Impeachment

5
Constitutional Underpinnings and Federalism

• Elite Theories of Democratic Government
• Interest Group pluralism/hyperpluralism
• Elitism
• Belief in equality of opportunity NOT results

6
Constitutional Underpinnings and Federalism

• Federalism
• Define federal, unitary, and confederate forms of
  gvts
• How has the relationship between the Federal and
  state governments changed?
• McCulloch v Maryland
• Unfunded mandates
• Types of sanctions (cross over/ cross- cutting)
• Block Grants

7
Political Beliefs and Behaviors

• Beliefs that citizens hold about their government
  and their leaders
• Mistrust
• Trends in Presidential approval
• Process by which citizens learn about politics
• Political Socialization
• Selective perception

8
Political Beliefs and Behaviors

• Demographic beliefs and voter behavior
• ID major demographic groups and identify their
  political behavior (voting patterns and turnout)
• Educated/uneducated
• White/minority
• Rich/poor
• Young/old

9
Political Beliefs and Behaviors

• The nature sources and consequences of public
  opinion (dealignment)
• Ways people participate in politics
• Voting/statistics/obstacles to turnout
• Other forms of political participation
• Factors that make citizens differ from one
  another in beliefs and behaviors

10
Political Parties, Interest Groups and Media

• Parties/elections
• Functions
• Organize competition
• Get candidates elected
• Provide loyal opposition
• Organization
• Nation v. grass roots party membership
• Two party systems/ multi-party systems

11
Political Parties, Interest Groups, and Media

• Development of Parties
• Realignment
• Obstacles for 3rd Parties
• Describe the decline of the political party
  (changes in membership)
• Effects on the political process

12
Political Parties

• Electoral laws and systems
• Plurality elections, winner-take-all,
  proportional representation
• Primary, caucus, convention
• How do Dems/GOP nominate Presidential Candidates
• Electoral College
• Describe contemporary political campaigns

13
Interest Groups

• Range of interests represented?
• Activities?
• Techniques / resources
• Examples of groups and resources
• Effects on the Process
• Fed 10
• Incumbency advantage

14
Interest Groups

• PACs
• Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974
• McCain-Feingold and Buckley v. Valeo

15
Media

• Functions and structures of the Media
• Impact of media on politics
• Campaigns (watchdog)
• Gatekeeper
• Horse race journalism

16
IV. Institutions of Government(A) Congress

• Describe the demographics of congress
• Explain the incumbency advantages
• Define gerrymandering / ID Supreme Court Limits
  on gerrymandering

17
Congress

• Factors that influence congress
• Divided government
• Party discipline
• Interest group pluralism
• District concerns

18
Congress

• Legislative Process
• Advantages of the majority party
• Importance of committees
• Speaker of the House
• Rules committee
• Standing committees
• Committee assignments
• Leadership positions
• Filibuster/cloture
• Pork barrel politics (ear-marks)

19
Congress

• Non-Legislative Roles
• Oversight of the bureaucracy
• Confirmation politics (Senate)
• Impeachment / removal (House and Senate)
• Investigations (Watergate/ Whitewater/ Monica
  Lewinski)

20
What are the differences in the House and Senate?

• House
• Power of the purse (ways and means)
• Closest to the people
• More rules
• Fewer staff
• Less prestigious
• 2 year terms
• 25 years old

• Senate
• More prestigious
• Less formal, fewer rules
• Confirmations/Treaties
• Filibusters
• 6 year terms
• 30 years old

21
The Presidency

• What are the Constitutional Powers of the
  President?
• What are the informal powers of the president?
  (Where are they found?)

22
President Congress

• How has the President gained power over Congress?
• Executive orders
• Executive Agreements
• Impoundment
• War Powers
• Veto / veto threats

23
Courts

• Who creates courts?
• How are federal judges selected?
• How is the court system organized?
• Describe basic jurisdictional issues
• What is habeas corpus?
• How do most court cases end?

24
Courts

• Describe Supreme Court procedure
• What cases have original jurisdiction in the
  Supreme Court?
• How do Justices decide to grant cert?
• How can outside groups influence the court?
• Who is the solicitor general?
• What is concurring / dissenting opinion
• What is Judicial Activism? What is judicial
  restraint?
• Id/ describe major rulings of the Warren and
  Burger Courts

25
Bureaucracy

• ID Cabinet, independent agencies, EOP, and
  Government Corporations.
• Describe quasi-legislative and quasi-judicial
  functions
• What are iron triangles?
• ID rules of the bureacucracy
• Hatch Act
• Freedom of Information Act
• Pendleton Act

26
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

• The development of CLs by judicial
  interpretation
• Know rights and liberties
• Limits on Free speech
• Interpretations on Separation between Church and
  State
• Lemon v Kurtzman
• New Jersey School Bus ruling

27
Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

• Development to the Right of Privacy
• Development of Due Process
• The impact of the 14th amendment on the
  development of rights and liberties
• Barron v Baltimore
• Gitlow v NY
• Gideon v. Waingright

28
Key SC Cases

• Bakke v California
• Brown v Board
• Engel v Vitale
• Gideon v Wainright
• Gitlow v NY
• Griswold v Conn.
• Heart of Atlanta Hotel
• Lemon v Kurtzman

• Marbury v Madison
• Mapp v Ohio
• McCulloch v MD
• Miranda
• Miller v Cali
• New Jersey School Bus
• Roe v. Wade
• Schenck v US
• Westbury
• Baker

29
Public Policy

• Formation of policy agendas
• Role of institutions in the enactment of policy
• Role of the bureaucracy and courts in policy
  implementation
• Identify a policy network
• Know what entitlements are.
• Identify the US tax policy as progressive