Download Major Topics AP Government End of Course Exam and Performance

Major Topics AP Government
End of Course Exam and Performance Assessment
Constitution:
● Amendments, years, and rationale.
Bill of Rights:
1. Est. of Religion or Free Exercise thereof. Freedom of Speech, press, assembly,
petition, religion.
2. Well Regulated Militia, the right to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed.
3. No quartering of troops peacetime
4. Unreasonable Search and Seizure
5. Due Process, Double Jeopardy, Self Incrimination, Eminent Domain (taking
clause)
6. Right to Trial by jury- criminal. Right to Counsel
7. Trial Jury- Civil
8. Cruel and Unusual Punishment. Excessive fines and bail
9. Unenumerated Rights. Rights that may come up in the future still belong to the
people.
10. Reserved Powers. Any power not given to the Fed. Govt nor prohibited to the
states belong to states or people. Public Ed.
Rest of Amendments:
11. Citizens cannot sue states except their own. For. Citizens cannot sue states.
12. Electoral College explained.
13. Prohibits Slavery. Abolition
14. Citizenship- born or naturalized in US or states.
- Any State- Due Process, Equal Protection of Laws- Civil Rights.
15. Cannot deny Suffrage for Former Slaves. MALES
13,14,15- AKA Civil War Amend
16. Income Tax- 1913
17. Direct Election Senators 1913. State Leg.
18. Prohibition- Alcohol. 1919.
19. Suffrage for Women. 1920.
20. Lame Duck- Shortened. President Inaugurated Jan. 20th. Congress at Jan. 3rd.
21. Repeal Prohibition Alcohol 1933
22. 2 terms for Pres. Term Limits. Or 10 yrs. 1951.
23. 3 for DC. Electoral Votes.
24. Poll Taxes. NONONONONONO 1964
25. Presidential Succession- Incapacitation.
Whenever a VP dies or leaves- Pres. Gets to Choose. Approved by both houses of
Congress.
- Voluntarily hand over power until he recovers.
- VP and Maj. Of the Cabinet. Agree to transfer power.
Dispute- Congress decides. 2/3
26. 18-21 Suffrage. Vietnam.
27. Congress Cannot raise salary in current term. 1992
Weaknesses of Articles of the Confederation:
1. No taxing power
2. No commerce power
3. 13 states to amendment
4. Could have an army and navy but couldn’t pay.
5. Only one vote per state in confederation congress
6. No judiciary
7. Could coin money but so could all
8. 9/13 to pass any law.
9. States retain most sovereignty.
10.Weak executive.
Preamble- Purpose of the Constitution/Goals:
More Perfect Union- Americanism.
Est. Justice- Judiciary
Domestic Tranquility- among states and people
Provide Common Defense- For. Defense.
General WelfareSecure the blessing of liberty- right to be as free as you want as long as you are not harming
others
Structure:
Articles, Sections, Clauses
Article I- Legislative Branch. Congress
Article II- Exec. Branch. President
Article III- Judiciary. Courts. SCOTUS.
Article IV- Creation of States, Full Faith and Credit, Privileges and Immunities.
Article V- Amending Constitution. 2/3 Congress ¾ States.
Article VI- Oaths of Office, Debt, Supremacy Clause.
Article VII- Ratification 9/13
Major Arguments of the Federalists and AntiFederalists:
Constitution passes the Convention with 52 votes (3 vote no).
Then it goes to the states were 9/13 states must vote for ratification.
It is in the states that the Federalists (those who favor Constitution and stronger government)
and the Anti Federalists (those who want weaker national government and oppose
Constitution).
The battle between the two groups ramps up in Mass, NY, and Virginia.
Federalists James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton wrote 86 essays under the
name Publius to convince the state of NY to ratify the Constitution.
● The Federalist Papers are the best explanation of the Constitution and arguments for it.
● Federalist #10- warns against factions (groups all wanting power) and argue a large
extended republic is the best protection against them.
● Federalist #51- government will not be too strong because of built in checks and
balances.
The AntiFederalist write a series of essay to oppose the Federalist view point. Under names
like the Centinal, Brutus, the Federal Farmer, and Patrick Henry.
AntiFederalists demand a Bill of Rights to ratify the Constitution.
Federalist believe a Bill of Rights is not necessary:
1. State Constitutions already have them.
2. If you list rights you limit them.
3. Rights already in Art. I- habeas corpus, bill of attainder, ex post facto, and no religious
tests.
Federalists
1. Articles of Confederation are disaster. Need reform
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
We need a stronger central government
Trust the delegates at the convention
The Constitution isn’t perfect but it’s good.
Amend it later
The solution is extended republics that balance out with factions (Federalist #10)
System of Checks and Balances (Federalist #51)
Antifederalists
1. Central power is dangerous
2. The Constitution caters to the rich
3. The country is too big for the representation of the Constitution
4. Separation of Powers wasn’t separate enough
5. The judicial branch was too vague
6. Taxes are made for abuse
7. We should not have an army that is always at the ready (only when you need it)
8. Too powerful of a President
9. lack of bill of rights
Protecting Minority Rights- courts cases, law, and Amendments:
● Brown v. Board of Education (Separate schools and facilities are not
constitutional. Separate but equal is inherently unequal under 14th Amendment
Equal Protection Clause. Social problems with discrimination basis)
● Civil Rights Act of 1964 (cannot discriminate based on race or gender in public
accommodations)
● Voting Rights Act of 1965 (outlawed literacy tests and made it crime to stop
people from voting)
● Americans with Disabilities Act (can’t discriminate in employment but
accomodate and must modify public accommodations to maximum extent)
● 13th (banned slavery)
● 14th (defied citizenship and provided Due Process and Equal Protection to
States)
● 15th (Can’t deny vote base on race)
● 19th (Female voting)
● 24th (Outlawed poll tax)
● 26th (18-21 year olds vote) Amendments.
● Changing the Constitution- Supreme Court interpretation, Amendment Process
(⅔ of Congress and ¾ of the State's), Tradition and Custom.
Branches of Government:
● Legislative Powers and Checks- power to tax, power to spend, power to regulate
interstate commerce, power to declare war, power over bankruptcy, power to establish
●
●
all courts under the Supreme Court, power to set weights and measures, power to do all
things necessary and proper to fulfill foregoing powers.
Executive Powers and Checks- power to appt. judges, ambassadors, and other high
officials, wield executive power, be sure laws be faithfully executed, Commander and
Chief of armed forces.
Judiciary Powers and Checks- power to interpret the Constitution. (Judicial Review)
Political Parties and Interest Groups:
● Be able to identify and explain what they do.
● Political Parties- organize, provide people with a label, raise money, put together a group
of leaders.
○ Major parties in US- Democrats and Republicans.
○ Run primaries- Primaries are elections to select the candidates to run for office.
●
Interest Groups- people who come together for a common interest and seek to influence
policy. Lobby- act of influencing. Can be corporations, unions. or other groups.
Role and impact of Fiscal Policy:
● Congress Taxing and Spending
● Keynesian Theory- Increase taxes and decrease spending=money out of economy=lower inflation
- Increase spending and decrease taxes (borrow)=pull country out of recession by
spending money in economy.
-Spend more money during a recession to increase demand and tax less to increase
spending and it will equal growth, employment etc.
● Adam Smith and the Invisible Hand of Capitalism- The key doctrine of classical
economics is that a laissez-faire attitude by government toward the marketplace will
allow the “invisible hand” to guide everyone in their economic endeavors, create the
greatest good for the greatest number of people, and generate economic growth.
● Marxism- the gradual establishment of a two class system of rich and poor (bourgeoisie
and proletariat) dominate society and economics. With the rich exploiting the poor.
Leading to communism and revolution eventually.
● Monetarism- all about the government controlling the amount of money in the economy
which then controls the economy. Too much money=inflation. Too little money=high
interest rates
Ohio Constitution:
● 1803- Democratic- 2yr terms for governor with term limits. 1 and 2 yr terms for General
Assembly.
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
●
1803- Governor no veto and legislature choose all judges, other high officials, and had to
approve most of the governors other appointments.
1803- Required the Supreme Court to meet once a year in every counted.
1851 Constitution- to reign in exploding debt it required a balanced budget every two
years by Ohio Legislature.
1851 Constitution-expanded terms of Governor and gave veto. Also ability to make
more appointments on own.
1851 Constitution- removed requirement that Supreme Court meet in every county and
created 3rd level of courts (district courts) to take off work load from judiciary.
1851 Constitution- required that all judges be elected in the state of Ohio.
1851 Constitution- allowed for initiative and referendum process.
○ Initiative- citizens make a law through ballot.
○ Referendum- citizens repeal a law through ballot.
1851 Constitution- expanded voting rights and called for constitutional question every
20yrs.
Federal Reserve: Monetary Policy- controlling the supply of money in the US economy.
● Fiscal Policy- controlling the economy by taxing and spending. Congress
● Federal Reserve System created in 1913 to combat financial panic and was charged
with using monetary policy to control inflation (the general rise in prices) and stabilize
employment (keep money in economy to spur growth).
● FED uses 3 tools to fill its goals:
○ 1. Open Market Operations- FED buys US treasury bonds from financial
institutions. When the FED buys bonds from these institutions it puts more
money in the hands of these institutions which they lend out and therefore put
more money in the economy. When they sell bonds it sucks money out of the
economy and the FED stores the cash.
● 2. Discount Rate- rate charged to banks on loans from federal reserve. If FED
reduces the rate it encourages banks to lend at lower rates and borrow and lend
money more freely. More money in economy. If FED increases the rate it takes
money out of bank and dedicates it to paying that interest rates which takes
money out of the economy.
● 3. Reserve Requirement- how much cash banks must have on hand. If low it
encourages banks to lend more money and put money in the economy which
encourages growth. If reserve requirement is high is forces banks to keep more
money on hand which does not allow them to lend money and put it in economy.
●
●
●
The Federal Reserve receives no money from the government and must give all its profit
back to government. It can make monetary decisions without any approval from the
Congress or the President.
The President appoints the members of the Federal Reserve board and its chairman for
14yr terms.
There are 12 Federal Reserve banks across the US.
Court Cases:
● McCulloch v. Maryland 1819- established power of Federal government in the Federalist
scheme. Federal government is more powerful over the states. Hudson River
Steamboat case.
● Marbury v. Madison 1803- established Judicial Review. Courts ability to declare laws
unconstitutional.