A.P. UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS 2012-2013
Summary Outline and Reading Assignments
Textbook: Magleby, et al. Government by the People, 22nd Edition
Unit I Constitutional Democracy
"Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." John Adams, 1814
Objectives
Distinguish between direct and representative democracy.
Explain the interacting values that comprise the democratic faith, such as popular consent, respect for the individual, equality of opportunity, and personal liberty; and examine how democratic values may conflict with one another.
Discuss the educational, economic, social, and ideological conditions conducive to establishing and maintaining democracy.
Explain the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
List the major issues on which the delegates to the Constitutional Convention had consensus as well as those issues on which the delegates had conflicts and compromise.
Debate the arguments against ratification.
Summarize the steps involved in ratifying the Constitution.
Key Terms.
Democracy in all its forms
Constitutionalism
Statism
Popular Consent
Majority Rule
Plurality
Social Capital
Ideology
Theocracy
Articles of Confederation
Annapolis Convention
Constitutional Convention
Shays' Rebellion
Virginia Plan
New Jersey Plan
Great or Connecticut Compromise
Three-Fifths Compromise
Federalists
Anti-federalists
The Federalist Papers
Discussion Questions
If average citizens are fit to select their leaders (representative government), how can they be unfit to govern themselves directly (direct democracy)?
Why shouldn’t democratic decision making be extended to all spheres of life-for example, to the workplace or to colleges?
Why does government expand and contract, and what accounts for major political change?
Reading
Government by the People Chapter 1
Thomas Jefferson on Politics and Government
http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/jefferson/quotations/jeff0100.htm
The Declaration of Independence
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/declaration.html
Preamble of the United States Constitution
http://caselaw.lp.findlaw.com/data/constitution/preamble/
Charles Beard: Framing the Constitution
http://www.cooperativeindividualism.org/beard_constitution.html
Federalist #10
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/7.htm
Is the United States a Democracy?
http://www.thisnation.com/question/011.html
“The Tyranny of the Mob”
http://www.csulb.edu/~astevens/posc100/files/sabato.html
Unit II The Living Constitution and American Federalism
“To live under the American Constitution is the greatest political privilege that was ever accorded to the human race.” Calvin Coolidge
Objectives
Explain the various ways the framers tried to limit government, including federalism, free elections, and checks and balances.
Describe the concept of separation of powers and its relationship to checks and balances.
Define judicial review.
Explain how the checks and balances system has been modified by the rise of national political parties, creation of an independent regulatory commission, changes in the electoral system, changes in technology, and in international affairs.
Contrast the British and American political systems.
Explain the process of the impeachment and removal power.
List presidential practices, and discuss how such practices have evolved.
Explain the two methods for proposing and for ratifying amendments to the Constitution.
Define federalism and its constitutional basis between the national and state governments.
Examine various interpretations of federalism, such as dual, cooperative, marble cake, competitive, permissive, and "New Federalism."
Identify and describe alternatives to federalism.
List advantages of federalism as they relate to the needs of a heterogeneous people.
Examine powers of the national government, powers reserved for the states, and concurrent powers shared by the national and state governments.
Identify limits and obligations on both national and state powers.
Describe the expanding role of the federal courts in reviewing state and local government activities through the Fourteenth Amendment, federal mandates, and federal preemption.
Explain the historical growth in national governmental powers relative to the states, including the debate between the centralists and decentralists.
Examine the politics of federal grants, including how the battle over the appropriate level of government to control the funds tends to be cyclical.
Analyze the impact of federal mandates on state and local government.
Examine reasons for the growth of big government and reasons why Congress is pressured to reduce national programs.
Debate Topic
Resolved that the states can not be trusted to care for their neediest and poorest citizens as well as the federal government; therefore devolution of power to the states and localities in the areas of welfare reform and human services is bad public policy.
Discussion Questions
Was the framing of the Constitution an exercise in democracy, or an elitist conspiracy?
What view of human nature is embodied in the Constitution?
How can any government be strong enough to govern without threatening freedom?
Is dual federalism the friend or foe of liberty, equality, political participation, and policy innovation?
Key Terms.
Natural Law
Separation of Powers
Checks and Balances
Divided Government
Judicial Review
Impeachment
Executive Privilege
Amending the Constitution
Federalism
Express Powers
Implied Powers
Necessary and Proper Clause
Inherent Powers
Commerce Clause
Concurrent Powers
Full Faith and Credit Clause
Extradition
Interstate Compact
Centralists
Decentralists
National Supremacy Clause
Types of Federal Grants
Federal Mandates
Revenue Sharing
Reading
Government by the People Chapters 2 and 3
Constitutional Democracy
apgovernment_outline.doc
Articles IV, V, VI, and VII of the United States Constitution
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html
Federalist #51 and #78
http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/burns7/medialib/docs/fedrlist.htm
Full Faith and Credit Clause, National Supremacy Clause and McCulloch v. Maryland
http://usinfo.state.gov/usa/infousa/facts/democrac/10.htm
Tenth Amendment
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html
Proposed Constitutional Amendments
www.usconstitution.net/constam.html
“Can Federalism Solve America’s Cultural War?
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/04/states_rights_and_wrongs.html
“Living with Cultural Federalism”
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/06/living_with_cultural_federalis.html
Unit III Political Culture and Ideology
"All power is trust." Benjamin Disraeli
Objectives
Define political culture. Also, explain where we learn the American political culture.
Identify and describe the major values that are shared by most Americans, in the tradition of classical liberalism.
Assess the relationship between political values and economic change (such as industrialization and depression).
Examine liberalism and criticisms of this school of political thinking.
Examine conservatism and cite criticisms of this school of political thought.
Key Terms.
Political Culture
Majority Rule
Popular Sovereignty
Capitalism
Ideology
Liberalism
Conservatism
Socialism
Libertarianism
Discussion Questions
How has American political culture changed over the past hundred years, and how does it differ from the political culture of other democratic nations?
To what extent have Americans come to mistrust government, and what difference does it make?
How much do Americans really believe in civil liberty and political toleration?
Reading
Government by the People Chapter 4
The World’s Smallest Political Quiz
http://www.theadvocates.org/quiz.html
Ideology Survey
http://home.att.net/%7Ebetsynewmark2/PoliticalIdeologySurvey.htm
The Political Compass
http://www.politicalcompass.org/
Politopia
http://www.politopia.com/index.htm
“The Death of Political Ideology”
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2006/05/the_death_of_political_ideolog.html
Unit IV The American Political Landscape
"The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of blessings; the inherent virtue of socialism is the equal sharing of miseries." Winston Churchill
Objectives
Define political socialization and demographics.
Distinguish between reinforcing cleavages and cross-cutting cleavages.
Assess the impact on the development of American democracy of geographic isolation and a large land area.
Evaluate sectional differences in the United States.
Examine the effect of state and local identity on politics.
Examine the impact on American politics of race and ethnicity.
Explain how family structure impacts upon the American political landscape.
Identify ways in which religion can be important in American politics.
Describe income and wealth distribution in the United States.
Examine the relationship between differing educational levels and political behavior.
Discuss reasons for the remarkable national unity and identity that exists in a land of such demographic diversity.
Key Terms
Ethnocentrism
Political Socialization
Demographics
Reinforcing and Cross-cutting Cleavages
Manifest Destiny
Sectional Differences
Race and Ethnicity
Gender Gap
Socioeconomic Status
Discussion Questions
How, if at all, does public opinion in America today vary by race, religion, region, and other differences?
Reading
Government by the People Chapter 5
“Circling the Wagons”
http://www.csulb.edu/~astevens/posc322/files/brooks.htm
Polling Reports
http://www.pollingreport.com/
Unit V Interest Groups: The Politics of Influence
“Man is by nature a political animal.” Aristotle
Objectives
Explain Madison's analysis of the problems of faction and possible solutions.
Indicate the most influential interest groups, and their primary concerns relative to government.
Discuss the factors that make an interest group politically potent.
Summarize the major techniques of interest groups.
Key Terms
Factions
The Federalist Number 10
Types of Interest Groups
Characteristics and Techniques of Interest Groups
The Federal Register
Amicus Curiae Briefs
Lobbying and Lobbyists
Revolving Door
Iron Triangle
Political Action Committee (PAC)
Bundling
Discussion Questions
With so many interest groups active, has America succeeded in “curing the mischief of faction”?
Are there any ways, both feasible and desirable, of regulating interest groups?
Reading
Government by the People Chapter 6
Interest Group Research
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/index.asp
Unit VI Political Parties: Essential to Democracy
“...political parties created democracy and modern democracy is unthinkable save in terms of the parties.” E. E. Schattschneider
Objectives
Explain the functions of political parties and the extent to which they are currently being performed by American political parties.
Describe the methods used by parties to nominate candidates and how these methods have changed over time.
Compare the American two-party system with the multiparty system.
Discuss factors that are associated with the emergence of third parties and independent candidates.
Explain how closed and open primaries work.
Trace the development of political parties and the two-party system in America.
Explain why the electorate prefers divided government.
Explain the structure and function of parties in government.
Examine why parties remain important in the electorate.
Evaluate whether the United States is experiencing party dealignment or realignment.
Debate whether political parties are dying.
Examine the problems of soft money and outside issue advocacy as they relate to the principle of accountability.
Key Terms
Party Functions
Party Column Ballot
Nonpartisan
Patronage
Honeymoon
Caucus
Party Conventions
Direct Primary
Open Primary
Closed Primary
Crossover Voting
Proportional Representation
Winner-Take-All
Discussion Questions
Since political parties are so weak in the United States, what purpose do they continue to serve? Since candidates raise most of their own campaign funds, do they even need party affiliation?
To what extent has the decline of mass attachment to the two major parties affected how American’s vote?
Is the future of the two-party system increasingly shaky or virtually ensured?
Party affiliation, while noticeably weaker in recent year, is still a powerful political force for may voters and office holders. Speculate on some of the specific reasons a Democrat would convert to the Republican Party.
Assume that the Electoral College was eliminated in favor of a direct popular election of the president. That is, whichever candidate got the greatest number of popular votes (at least 40 percent of the total) would be elected. How would such a plan affect the two-party system?
Reading
Government by the People Chapter 7
Party Matchmaking Questions
http://www.3pc.net/matchmaker/quiz.html
Unit VII Public Opinion, Participation and Voting
“It were not best that we should all think alike; it is difference of opinion that makes horse races.” Mark Twain
Objectives
Define public opinion, attentive public, and political socialization.
Enumerate the main sources of political socialization. Define opinion distribution, intensity, latency, salience, consensus, and polarization.
Briefly outline the history of enfranchisement in the United States. Discuss the impacts of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Analyze the decline in voter participation in the 20th century.
Analyze the impact of increased identification with "Independent" status.
Explain the relative importance of party identification, candidate appeal, and issues on voting.
Discussion Questions
How responsive is contemporary American government to the opinion of persistent popular majorities, and to what extent do political elites shape how average citizens debate and decide policy issues?
How, if at all, do differences in political participation affect what government actually does?
Why do some people participate in politics at higher rates than others?
What have been the policy consequences of a broader electorate? Which extensions of the suffrage have changed policy outcomes, and which have mattered little?
Key Terms
Public Opinion
Political Socialization
Attentive Public
Fifteenth Amendment
Nineteenth Amendment
Native Americans Get Vote in 1924
Twenty-third Amendment
Twenty-fourth Amendment
Voting Rights Act of 1965
Twenty-sixth Amendment
Voter Registration
Australian Ballot
Motor Voter Act (National Voter Registration Act of 1993)
Prospective Voting
Retrospective Voting
Reading
Government by the People Chapter 8
Poll Results
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/polls.html
Public Opinion
http://www.pollingreport.com/
Unit VIII Campaigns and Elections: Democracy in Action and The Media and American Politics
“Bad officials are elected by good citizens who do not vote.” George Jean Nathan
Objectives
Explain how the structure of the election system affects election strategy.
Illustrate the role of presidential debates in American elections.
Outline major proposals for reforming the election process, giving pro and con arguments.
Define such terms as mass media, infotainment, selective exposure, and selective perception.
Assess the issue of media bias in terms of liberalism/conservatism. Assess the issue of media bias in terms of focus of media coverage.
Describe the impact of new media technologies on politics and campaigning.
Define agenda-setting, issue framing, and image making.
Key Terms
Term Limits
Lame Duck
Winner-Take-All
Plurality
Single-Member District
Proportional Representation
Electoral College
Safe Seat
Advantages of Incumbency
Franking Privilege
Redistricting
Coattail Effect
Discussion Questions
How have primary and general election campaigns changed over the past century and a half?
What matters most in deciding who wins presidential and congressional elections?
What are valence issues, and why do average citizens tend to vote retrospectively?
Why do politicians worry so much about the media?
Debate Topics
Resolved: that the Electoral College should be eliminated.
Resolved: that the President and all members of Congress should be elected at the same time.
Reading
Government by the People Chapters 9 and 10
Politics
http://www.politics1.com/
“Debating McCain – Feingold”
http://www.csulb.edu/~astevens/posc322/files/CQsoftmon.html
The Electoral College
The Electoral College
Arguments in Favor of the Electoral College
The Framers' Electoral Wisdom
Against the Electoral College
Against the Electoral College
Campaign Finance
http://www.fundrace.org/
Campaign Finance Reform
http://www.debatabase.org/details_print.asp?topicID=234
Political Action Committees
http://www.opensecrets.org/pacs/index.asp
Debate: Soft Money is Buying Our Government v. Soft Money is Freedom of Speech
http://cwx.prenhall.com/bookbind/pubbooks/burns7/chapter7/deluxe.html
Buckley v. Valeo 1976
http://www.campaignfinancesite.org/court/buckley1.html
Unit IX The Congress: The People’s Branch
“Taxation with representation ain't so hot either.” Gerard Barzan
Objectives
Assess the factors that go into redistricting, reapportionment, and gerrymandering, and their impact on House elections.
Explain the importance of bicameralism.
Identify and define the basic functions of Congress.
Indicate the role of unlimited debate and the filibuster in Senate proceedings.
Explain the role of and procedures used in the Senate confirmation powers.
Distinguish between Congress as a law-making institution and as a representative assembly.
Distinguish between the delegate and trustee roles of legislators.
Evaluate the impact and power of congressional staff.
Trace the pathway of a bill through both houses of Congress.
Analyze the importance of committee and subcommittee chairs and the process by which they are chosen, especially the impact of seniority.
Explain why so many congressional incumbents win.
Key Terms
Article I
Safe Seat
Redistricting
Reapportionment
Gerrymandering
Structure and Powers
Bicameralism
Power to Confirm
Senatorial Courtesy
Filibuster
Cloture
Contrasting Procedures of the House and Senate
Discussion Questions
Should the number of terms served by members of Congress be limited (as they are for the president)? If not, what justification exists for imposing a term requirement on the president but not on Congress? Wouldn’t corruption be less likely if members of Congress were regularly rotated in office?
Why is Congress an unpopular institution?
If you were a challenger for the House seat in your district, what strategy would you devise to unseat the incumbent?
Reading
Government by the People Chapter 11
“The Congressman from $37,000”
http://www.csulb.edu/~astevens/posc322/files/cong.html
United States House of Representatives
www.house.gov
United States Senate
www.senate.gov
“What is a filibuster?”
www.thisnation.com/question/037.html
Article I United States Constitution
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html
Congressional Elections
http://www.opensecrets.org/politicians/index.asp
Pork Barrel Spending
http://www.cagw.org/site/PageServer?pagename=reports_pigbook2004
Gerrymandering Distorts Our Elections
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/articles/2008/06/gerrymanderings_lower_turnout.html
Unit X The Presidency: The Leadership Branch and Congressional-Presidential Relations
“If I were two-faced, would I be wearing this one?” Abraham Lincoln
Objectives
Evaluate what the public expects of the president in the "unwritten presidential job description."
Describe the office of the presidency as established in the Constitution.