A.P. United States Government Review Topic #1 – …eastwood4.com/AP_Gov_Resources_files/AP Govt Revi… ·  · 2014-04-14A.P. United States Government Review Topic #1 ... Nominations

A.P. United States Government Review Topic #1 – Constitutional Underpinnings

Sources: Lineberry Ch. 1& 2, Woll Reader - Roche and Beard, Federalist #51

I. Articles of Confederation

A. Shay’s Rebellion

II. Constitutional Convention

A. Historical Aspects

B. Compromises

1. Connecticut/Great Compromise

2. 3/5 Compromise

3. Electoral College

C. Individual Rights in the Constitution

D. Checks and Balances/Separation of Powers

1. Executive

2. Legislative

3. Judicial

E. Amendment Process

F. Ratification

1. Federalists/ Federalist #10

2. Anti-federalists

G. Bill of Rights

H. Later Interpretations (Roche v. Beard) Potential Free Response Topics

Formal and informal amendments Whether founding fathers were democratic Expansion of voting rights Weaknesses in Articles of Confederation/How Constitution fixed them

Review Topic #2 – Federalism I. Defining federalism II. Advantages of a federal system III. Powers of Government

A. State

B. Federal

C. Concurrent

III. Federalism and the Constitution

A. Supremacy Clause

B. 10th Amendment

C. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819), Gibbons v. Ogden (1824) and U.S. v. Lopez (1993)

D. Elastic Clause

E. Full Faith and Credit Clause

F. Extradition

G. Privileges and Immunities Clause

IV. Intergovernmental Relations Today

A. Dual Federalism

B. Cooperative Federalism

C. Fiscal Federalism

1. Cross over Sanctions

2. Cross cutting requirements

3. Categorical grants

4. Block grants

5. Revenue sharing Potential Free Response Topics Ongoing tension between state and federal government Unfunded mandates Advantages and disadvantages of federalism for democracy

Review Topic #3 – Political Beliefs and Behaviors and Elections

Sources: Lineberry Chapters 6,9 and 10

I. Theories of Government

A. Pluralism B. Elitism

I. Political Socialization

A. Family—most important

B. Mass media

C. School

II. American Political Culture

A. Equality 1. Legal 2. Political 3. NOT economic equality

B. Rights

1. Freedom of speech (support the concept, but intolerance in practice)

2. Freedom of religion

III. The Politics of Voting

A. Voter Turnout 1. Comparison to other countries

1. No mandatory voting 2. Voter registration/Motor Voter Act of 1993

2. Decline in voter turnout (less than half in most elections) 1. Larger electorate 2. Less party mobilization 3. More mobile population 4. Increase in minority groups and youth 5. Dealignment 6. Declining trust in government 7. Don’t see a difference between parties 8. NOT apathy/cynicism/loss of efficacy

3. Who votes 1. Age 2. Education 3. Region 4. Income

4. How people vote (liberal or conservative) 1. Age 2. Education 3. Region 4. Income 5. Race 6. Gender Gap 7. Role of party identification 8. Increase in independent voters

V. Types of Political Participation

A. Voting—most common political activity

B. Other forms of participation

1. Litigation 2. Protest 3. Contact Public officials 4. Contact the media 5. Work on campaigns 6. Work on voter registration drives 7. Contribute money to campaigns 8. Run for office 9. Hold office 10. Discuss issues to persuade others 11. Join an overtly political organization 12. thinking about issues 13. NOT violence

VI. Decline of Trust and Confidence in Government

A. Less trust since 1950s B. Divided Government

1. More partisanship 2. Decline of the middle 3. Frustration with the process 4. Slows the confirmation process 5. Creates gridlock

C. Role of Money in Politics

1. Candidates spend too much time raising money 2. Role of interest groups 3. Connections to wealthy donors (Abramoff) 4. Keeps good people from running 5. Small contributions don’t matter 6. Perception of wasteful spending

D. Consequences of the Decline of Trust

1. More protest 2. Decline in voting 3. Increase in independent and third party identification

4. Non-partisan community action 5. Apathy DOES NOT count.

VII. Nominations and Campaigns

A. Primaries 1. Used more often than state conventions 2. Weaken party control 3. Increase the number of people involved in choosing candidates 4. Primary voters are more educated and affluent. 5. Closed (voters must declare a party before the election) v. Open

B. Nominations

1. McGovern Fraser Commission 1968—Democrats increase the number of females and minority delegates at the convention

2. Delegates to conventions are more educated and more likely to participate in politics

VIII. Elections

A. How votes are counted

1. Electoral College means candidates campaign in competitive states with large populations.

2. Elections are FPTP/SMD 3. Candidate with plurality wins 4. Winner-take-all 5. Fosters two main parties 6. Incumbents usually win (incumbency advantage is greater in the

House)

B. Congressional Districts 1. Boundaries are drawn by state legislatures. 2. Gerrymandering is drawing a district to favor one party (or race). 3. In districts with a large number of non-English speakers, voting

materials must be provided in native language.

C. Critical Elections 1. Result in realignment 2. This means new coalitions of voters support each party.

IX. Money and Campaigning

A. Federal Election Campaign Act of 1974 1. Creates the FEC 2. Requires disclosure 3. Matching funds for presidential campaigns 4. Limits hard money to $1000 for individuals 5. BUT there was a “soft money loophole”

B. Buckley v. Valeo (1976) 1. Contributing to your own campaign is free speech 2. Allows the rich to have more influence 3. Spending money independent of a campaign (527) is free speech 4. This is an obstacle to reform—an amendment would be required

to fix this.

C. McCain-Feingold (2002) 1. Eliminates soft money

a. This levels the playing field b. This lessons concerns about buying influence c. More disclosure and transparency d. Might decrease the cost of campaigning

2. Limits on hard money ($2000 individual, $5000 PACS)

a. Not indexed to inflation b. Candidates might spend less time fundraising c. Might decrease the influence of PACs

3. The rise of 527s

a. Ads are run independent of a candidate b. This circumvents the ban on soft money c. Gives the rich more influence

Possible Free Response Topics Types of participation other than voting Who votes/doesn’t vote and why Campaign finance reform

Reasons for low voter turnout

Review Topic #4 – Linkage Institutions: Political Parties, Interest Groups and Mass Media

Sources: Lineberry Chapters 7,8 and 11, Federalist #10, First Amendment

I. Development of the media and politics

A. First Amendment

B. Press conferences

C. Investigative Journalism/Scandals/Watergate

D. Print media

1. Beats

E. Broadcast media

1. Sound bites

F. Bias

II. Public Opinion and the Media

A. Agenda setting

B. Media events

III. What parties do

A. Three-headed political giant

1. Party and the electorate

a. Party identification

b. Ticket-splitting

2. Party as an organization

a. patronage

b. party machines

c. Pendleton Civil Service Act of 1883

d. Hatch Act of 1939

3. Party in Government

IV. Party eras in American History

A. First Party System: 1796-1824

B. Democrats-Whigs: 1828-1856

C. The Two Republic Eras: 1860-1928

D. The New Deal Coalition: 1932-1964

E. Era of Divided Government: 1968-2002

F. Critical Elections

G. Realignment

V. Third Parties

A. Three Types

1. Splinter

2. Specific causes

3. Charismatic individual

B. Advantages/Disadvantages

VI. Definition of interest groups and how they work

VII. Three Contemporary theories of democracy

A. Pluralism

B. Elitism

C. Hyperpluralism

VIII. Factors in the success of Interest Groups

A. Size/Olson’s Law of Large Groups

B. Intensity/Single-Issue groups

C. Financial Resources

IX. Shaping policy

A. Lobbying

B. Electioneering/PACs

C. Litigation

1. amicus curiae briefs

2. class action lawsuits

D. Mobilizing public opinion

X. Types of interest groups

A. Economic

1. Labor

a. AFL-CIO

b. Wagner Act of 1935

2. Business

a. National Association of Manufacturers

b. Taft-Hartley Act of 1947

B. Environmental

C. Equality

D. Consumers’/Public interests

Possible Free Response Topics Bias in the media Presidential uses of the media Impact of the media on policy agenda and presidential approval Impact of third parties on elections Increase in independent voting Third party impact on policy agenda The impact of interest groups on democracy/government How particular interest groups pursue their goals

Review Topic #5 – Congress

Sources: Lineberry Chapter 12

I. Congressional Demographics

II. Elections

A. Incumbency

B. Advertising

C. Credit claiming

1. Casework

2. Pork

D. Position taking

E. Party identification

F. Franking privileges

III. Bicameralism

A. The House

1. Congressional districts

2. Special powers

B. The Senate

1. Filibuster/cloture

2. Special powers

IV. Congressional Leadership Positions

A. Speaker of the House

B. President of the Senate

C. Majority Leader

D. Minority Leader

E. Whips

V. Types of leadership

A. Descriptive

B. Substantive

C. Trustee

D. Instructed delegate

E. politico

VI. Committees/Subcommittees

A. Appointment of committee heads/membership on committees

1. Seniority

B. Agenda setting

C. Log rolling

D. Four types of committees

1. Standing

2. Joint

3. Select

4. Conference

E. Legislative oversight of bureaucracy

VII. How a Bill becomes a Law

A. Omnibus legislation

B. Christmas tree bill VII, Important committees to know

A. House Rules

B. House Ways and Means

C. Senate Finance

D. Appropriations

Possible Free Response Topics Congressional reapportionment Divided government Advantages/disadvantages of committees/subcommittees Congressional leadership Advantages of incumbency

Review Topic #6 – The Presidency

Sources: Lineberry Chapter 13, Barber article in Woll

I. Presidential Demographics

A. Constitutional requirements

B. Informal requirements

C. Impeachment

D. U.S. v. Nixon (1974)

II. Presidential Powers

A. National security

B. Legislative

C. Administrative

D. Judicial

III. Vice-President and Cabinet

IV. Executive Office

A. National Security Council

B. Council of Economic Advisors

C. Office of Management and Budget

D. White House Staff

1. Wheel and spokes

2. Hierarchical

V. President as Legislator

A. Mandate theory of elections

B. Chief legislator

1.Sign a bill

2.Veto (no line item veto Clinton v. New York (1998))

3.Pocket-veto 4.Becomes a law without signature

C. Executive order

VIII. Party and public support

A. Approval ratings

1. Honeymoon period

2. Crisis

3. Rally events

4. Economy

B. State of the Union Address

C. Special session of Congress

D. Lame duck

IX. National Security Policy

A. Treaties

B. Executive Agreement

C. War Powers Act of 1973 Possible Free Response Topics Effect of divided government Organization of White House staff Expansion of foreign policy powers Impeachment process Presidential relationship with congress/courts Effect of opinion polls on the presidency

Review Topic #7 – The Bureaucracy and the Budget

Sources: Lineberry Chapters 14 and 15

I. Bureaucratic Demographics

A. Civil service system

1. General schedule (GS)

B. The Plum Book

II. How bureaucracies are organized

A. Cabinet departments

B. Regulatory agencies

C. Government corporations

D. Independent executive agencies

III. Implementation

A. Standard operating procedures (SOPs)

B. Street-level bureaucrat

C. Slippage

IV. Iron triangles/issue networks

V. Regulation

A. Command and control v. incentive systems

VI. Criticisms

A. Red tape

B. Conflict among agencies

C. Duplication

D. Imperialism

E. Waste VII, Control of the bureaucracy

A. The President

1. appointments

2. executive order

3. tinker with budget

4. reorganize/eliminate

B. Congress

1. influence appointments

2. budget

3. legislative oversight

4. rewrite legislation to make it more detailed Possible Free Response Topics Iron triangles Presidential/congressional interaction Impact on scope of government

Review Topic #8 – The Budget

Sources: Lineberry Chapter 14 1) Sources of Revenue

a) Income taxes

b) Social insurance taxes

c) Borrowing

d) Excise taxes 2) Taxes and Public policy

a) Tax loophole/deductions

b) Tax expenditures

c) Progressive, regressive and proportional taxes

d) Congressional Budget and Impoundment Control Act of 1974

e) Government shut down in 1995

f) Tax Reform Act of 1986

g) Bush Tax Cut of 2001 3) Federal Expenditures

a) National security

b) Social services

c) Uncontrollable Expenditures

d) Incrementalism v. zero-based budgeting 4) Federal Debt

a) Deficit v. debt

b) Balanced Budget Amendment/Graham-Rudman-Hollings 5) Budgetary Process

a) Office Of Management and Budget

b) House Ways and Means Committee/Senate Finance Committee

c) Congressional Budget Office

d) Budget Resolution

e) Appropriations Committee

f) Continuing Resolution

g) Reconciliation

h) Authorization Bill Possible Free Response Topics Difficulties in controlling expenditures Increasing government debt Revision of entitlement programs

Review Topic #9 – The Courts

Sources: Lineberry Chapter 16 I. The Supreme Court

A. Caseload is mostly appellate

B. Chooses its own cases 1. Writ of Certiorari 2. Four justices must agree

C. Avoids political questions/War Powers Resolution II. Politics of judicial selection

A. Appointment and confirmation 1. Presidents appoint those with similar views 2. Prior political experience/service to party 3. Factors considered include gender, race, ideology, relation, judicial

experience, former prosecutor, education, reputation, litmus test?

B. Senatorial courtesy

C. Influence of interest groups on confirmation

1. advertisements 2. campaign contributions to senators 3. op/ed pieces 4. press conferences 5. protests/demonstrations 6. talk shows 7. testify at confirmation hearings 8. writing to interest group members 9.

6) The Courts and Public Opinion

A. Insulation from public opinion

a. appointed, not elected b. appointed for life c. serve during good behavior d. not up for reelection e. deliberations are held in secret

f. salaries cannot be reduced

B. Influence of public opinion a. Congress can change the number of judges/court’s jurisdiction/create

new courts b. Presidents appoint them/reflect pubic opinion c. Senators confirm/reflects public opinion through election d. Court cares about its reputation e. Individual judges care about their reputations f. Other branches can refuse to enforce rulings/reduces court’s authority

III. Interest Groups and the Courts

A. Ways interest groups try to influence the courts a. Influence the appointment process (see above b. amicus curiae briefs c. litigation—bringing a lawsuit

B. When interest groups will go to the courts (perhaps instead of other branches) a. lack of broad, popular support (Brown v. Board of Education)) b. lack of influence in Congress (also Brown) c. civil rights are involved d. to establish a precedent e. (civil rights interest groups also use grassroots lobbying—outside of

the courts)

IV. Courts as Policymakers

B. Marbury v. Madison/judicial review

C. Original Intent

D. Judicial Activism

E. Judicial Restraint

V. Checks on the Court’s Power

A. Impeachment (judges serve during good behavior)

B. Congress can write clarifying legislation

C. Executive can refuse to enforce rulings

D. Constitutional Amendments (2/3 of both houses of Congress, 3/4 ratification in states)

Possible Free Response Topics Influence of politics on appointment process Influence of public opinion/insulation of Court from public opinion Ways interest groups try to influence appointment/decisions making

Review Topic #10 – Civil Liberties and Rights

I. Constitutional Rights and Liberties

A. The Bill of Rights

B. Barron v. Baltimore (1833)

C. The Fourteenth Amendment (1868)

1. Due Process (applies mostly in criminal cases) 2. Equal Protection (applies mostly in civil rights cases)

D. Selective Incorporation, Gitlow v. New York (1925)

E. Distinguishing civil liberties from civil rights Civil Liberties

II. First Amendment

A. Free Speech 1. a fundamental right, state and local governments may place some

restrictions, but must uphold this right 2. speech that presents a “clear and present danger” may be restricted,

Schenck v. US (1919) 3. The First Amendment protects the “right to redress grievances” with the

government 4. symbolic speech (flag burning, arm bands) is protected

B, Establishment Clause

1. Creates a “wall of separation” between church and state 2. Prohibits a state-sponsored church

III. Defendants’ Rights

A. Constitutional Rights i. right to remain silent

ii. right to an attorney iii. writ of habeas corpus (to be informed of the evidence against you) iv. speedy and public trial

B. Miranda v. Arizona (1966)

C. Mapp v. Ohio (1961)/exclusionary rule

D. Gideon v. Wainright (1963)

IV. Right of Privacy

A. Fourth Amendment

B. Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)

C. Roe v. Wade ((1973)

D. Lawrence v. Texas (2003)

Civil Rights

1) Racial Discrimination

a) Legal Basis

(1) Thirteenth Amendment (1865)

(2) Fourteenth Amendment Equal Protection Clause (1868)

(3) Fifteenth Amendment (1870)

(4) Standard is strict scrutiny/inherently suspect 2) Key Cases

(1) Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857)/overturned by 14th Amendment

(2) Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

(3) Brown v. Topeka Board of Education (1954)/de jure segregation

Baker v. Carr (1962)

Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964)

Bakke v. University of California (1978)

Gratz/Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)

3. Legislation

1. Civil Rights Act of 1964

2. Voting Rights Act of 1965

3. II. Discrimination Against Women

A. Legislation

Equal Pay Act of 1963 Education Amendment Act of 1972 (Title IX)

B. Equal Rights Amendment (passed by Congress in 1974, never ratified by the states, despite extended deadline).

Possible Free Response Topics Selective Incorporation of the Bill of Rights Incorporation of Due Process Protections/Defendants’ Rights cases Incorporation of Equal Protection/Civil Rights cases

Review Topic #11 – Public Policy

Sources: Lineberry Chapters 17,18,19 and 20

I. Types of economies

1. Capitalism

2. Command

3. Mixed

II. Government and the economy

A. Unemployment and inflation

B. Controlling the economy

1. Monetary policy

2. Fiscal policy

III. Social Welfare Policy IV.

A. Defining rich and poor

1. income v. wealth

2. income distribution and inequality

3. entitlements v. means-tested programs

B. Future of Social Welfare policy

V. Health Care

A. Who’s insured and how

1. Clinton Health Care reform

VI. The Environment

A. Conflict between the environment and economic growth

B. Role of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

1. Clean Air Act of 1970

2. Water Pollution Control Act of 1972

3. Endangered Species Act of 1973

4. Superfund (1980)

VII. Foreign and Defense Policy

A. Instruments, actors and policymakers

1. International organizations

2. Regional organizations

3. Multinational corporations

4. non-governmental organizations

5. American foreign policy

a. President

b. State Department

c. Department of Defense

d. Central Intelligence Agency

e. Congress

f. Military-industrial complex

B. New global agenda

1. Economic sanctions 2. Proliferation of WMDs

3. Terrorism

Possible Free Response Topics Ability to control the economy through monetary and fiscal policy Entitlements vs. means-tested programs Environment vs. economy/energy Diplomatic, military and economic means of implementing foreign policy Failure of Clinton’s Health Care Reform Act