AP® Government and Politics History
Speed Review
Unit 1: Foundations of Democracy 15-22% of Exam
Ideals of Democracy- Natural rights, social contract, popular Principles of American Government- Separation of powers,
sovereignty, limited government, republicanism checks and balances
Types of Democracy- Participatory, pluralist, elite democracy Relationship Between the States and Federal Government-
Government Power and Individual Rights- Federalists, Delegated, reserved, concurrent powers, federalism, dynamic
Anti-federalists, debate over the Constitution and state vs. federalism, dual federalism, cooperative federalism,
federal power categorical grants, block grants, federal revenue sharing,
Challenges to the Articles of Confederation- Federal power mandates, incentives
under the AOC, powers Congress lacked under AOC, Shays’ Constitutional Interpretations of Federalism- Supremacy
rebellion clause, commerce clause, necessary, and proper clause,
Ratification of the U.S. Constitution- Great compromise, enumerated powers, implied powers, Tenth Amendment,
Electoral College, 3/5 compromise, compromise on importation McCulloch v. Maryland, U.S. v. Lopez
of slaves, amendment process Federalism in Action- Advantages, disadvantages of federalism
Documents Declaration of Independence, Constitution, Articles of Confederation, Brutus 1, Federalist 10, Federalist 51
Argumentation- Individual rights vs. government power, states vs. federal power, how Constitution affects us
Potential FRQs
Concept Application- States vs federal power
Unit 2: Interaction Among Branches of Government 25-36% of Exam
Congress: Senate and House- Differences, filibuster, holds, Judicial Branch- Article 3, judicial independence, judicial
impeachment, Rules Committee, Committee of the Whole, review, life tenure, Marbury v. Madison
discharge petition, unanimous consent agreement Legitimacy of the Judicial Branch- Precedent, stare decisis,
Structures, Powers, and Functions of Congress- Congressional impact of ideological changes on the Court, appointments
leadership, majority advantages, standing committees, The Court in Action- Why is the Court’s legitimacy questioned?
conference committees, select committees, joint committees, Opinion of the Court, dissenting opinion, concurring opinion,
logrolling, pork barrel legislation, discretionary spending, original jurisdiction, appellate jurisdiction, strict
mandatory spending, entitlement spending constructionism, originalism
Congressional Behavior- Reapportionment, redistricting, Checks on the Judicial Branch- Judicial activism, judicial
gerrymandering, trustee, delegate, politico, party polarization restraint, congressional checks on judiciary, presidential
causes and effects, divided government, Baker v. Carr, Shaw v. checks on judiciary
Reno The Bureaucracy- Merit vs patronage system, civil service
Roles and Powers of the President- Formal, informal powers, system, executive agencies, independent regulatory
veto, commander-in-chief, executive orders, signing commissions, government corporations, cabinet departments
statements, executive agreements, treaties Discretionary and Rule-Making Authority- Administrative tasks,
Checks on the Presidency- Senate confirmation, judicial discretionary authority, regulations/rule-making, issue
appointments, conflict with Congress over policymaking networks, iron triangles
Expansion of Presidential Power- Expansive vs. limited Holding the Bureaucracy Accountable- Congressional oversight,
interpretation of presidential power, 22nd Amendment, reasons power of the purse, presidential influence, questionable
for growth in presidential power accountability of bureaucracy
Presidential Communication- Bully pulpit, State of the Union, Policy and the Branches of government- specific checks each
social media and technology branch has on bureaucracy
Documents Federalist 70, Federalist 78
Concept Application- Branches competing over policymaking
Potential FRQs Argumentation- Balance of power between branches
Quantitative Analysis- Data & policymaking
©Copyright UltimateReviewPacket.com 2023
Ultimate Review Packet requires annual license
AP® Government and Politics History
Speed Review
Unit 3: Civil Liberties & Civil Rights 13-18% of Exam
Bill of Rights- Purpose of Bill of Rights, civil liberties Amendments: Due Process & Rights of the Accused-
First Amendment: Establishment clause, free exercise clause, Exclusionary rule, Miranda rule,, Gideon v. Wainwright
Engel v. Vitale, Wisconsin v. Yoder Amendments: Due Process & Right to Privacy- Roe v. Wade
First Amendment: Freedom of Speech- Schenck v. U.S., Tinker v. Social Movements & Equal Protection- Civil rights, equal
Des Moines, time place manner, protected/unprotected speech protection clause, social movements
First Amendment: Freedom of the Press- New York Times v. U.S. Government Responses to Social Movements- Civil Rights Act of
Second Amendment: Right to Bear Arms- Individual right to 1964, Voting Rights Act of 1965, Title IX of the Educational
bear arms, McDonald v. Chicago Amendments, equal protection, commerce clause
Amendments Balancing Individual Freedom with Public Order Balancing Minority and Majority Rights- Jim Crow laws, Brown v.
and Safety- Liberty vs order, restrictions on death penalty Board of Education
Selective Incorporation- Due process clause, balance of power Affirmative Action- Limits on affirmative action, colorblind
constitution, race conscious
Documents Letter From a Birmingham Jail
SCOTUS Comparison- Compare a required case with a non-required case; know facts, holding, and principle
Potential FRQs
Argument Essay- Liberty vs order, constitutionalism
Unit 4: American Political Ideologies & Beliefs 10-15% of Exam
American Attitudes About Government and Politics- Ideologies of Political Parties- Democrats/liberal,
Individualism, equal opportunity, free enterprise, rule of law Republicans/conservative
Political Socialization- Sources, globalization effect, Ideology & Policy Making- Conservative, liberal, libertarian
generational effects, life cycle effects, major political events ideologies on social and economic issues
Measuring Public Opinion- Benchmark poll, tracking poll, Ideology & Economic Policy- Keynesian economics, supply-side
exit/entrance poll, opinion poll, mass survey, focus group economics, fiscal policy, monetary policy, policy response to
Evaluating Public Opinion Data- Sampling error, random recession or inflation
sample, stratified sample
Quantitative Analysis- Interpret polling or demographic data and apply to policy making
Potential FRQs
Concept Application- Ideological support/opposition for policy proposals
Unit 5: Political Participation 20-27% of Exam
Voting Rights & Models of Voting Behavior- Rational choice Electing a President- Open/closed primary, caucus, general
voting, prospective voting, party line voting, retrospective voting, election, national convention, election strategy, Electoral
15th, 19th, 24th, 26th Amendments College
Voter turnout- Political efficacy, demographics and voting, Congressional Elections- Incumbency advantages, voter
state policies and voter turnout, structural barriers to voting turnout
Political Parties- Linkage institutions, goal of party, party Modern campaigns- long election cycle, fundraising,
functions, candidate-centered campaigns, regional professional consultants
realignments, primaries, dealignment Campaign Finance- Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act, soft
Third-Party Politics- Proportional vs winner-take-all systems, money, hard money, Political Action Committees, Super PACs,
structural barriers, informal barriers to third-party success Citizens United v. F.E.C, free speech & money
Interest Groups Influencing Policy Making- Purpose and Changing Media- Gatekeeper, changing news sources,
functions of interest group, draft legislation, lobbying, increased media choices, consumer-driven media, ideologically
inequality of resources, unequal access to lawmakers oriented programming, uncertainty over credibility of news
sources
Quantitative Analysis- Data/map and apply to elections and policy making
Potential FRQ Topics
Argumentation- Electoral College, democracy
©Copyright UltimateReviewPacket.com 2023
Ultimate Review Packet requires annual license
