Unit 1 Section for AP Government Midterm / Midterm Exam will be on Friday January 19, 2018
Extra Help Tutorial Sessions will be Every Wednesday. Morning session is 7:30 to 8:00 am. Afternoon Session is 4:30 – 5:30 pm.
  1. According to Article VII of the US Constitution, how is the Constitution supposed to be ratified?
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  • Nine out of the 13 states had to ratify the Constitution.

  1. Name all the rights guaranteed under the First Amendment.
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  • Religion
  • Speech
  • Press
  • Protest

  1. Name all the ways the Executive branch is checked by the Legislative branch.
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  • May override vetoes with a 2/3 vote
  • May remove through impeachment
  • Senate approves treaties and appointments

  1. Name all the ways the Executive branch is checked by the judicial branch.
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  • Judges appointed for life are free from controls from the executive branch, judicial review

  1. Name all the ways the Legislative branch is checked by the Executive branch?
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  • Veto power
  • Recommend legislation
  • Ability to call special sessions of Congress

  1. Name all the ways the Legislative branch is checked by the judicial branch?
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  • Review over lower court decisions & appeal,
  • Stare decisis AKA Doctrine of precedence

  1. Name all the ways the judicial branch is checked by the Executive branch?
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  • Appoint supreme court & other federal judges

  1. Name all the ways the judicial branch is checked by the Legislative branch?
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  • Creates lower courts
  • May remove through impeachment
  • Senate approves appointments

  1. What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
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  • One vote per state
  • Can’t regulate commerce
  • Feds can’t tax
  • No courts
  • No national army
  • No national currency
  • Needed unanimous decision to change AoC

  1. What is federalism?
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  • Shared powers between federal and state governments.

  1. What is the significance of Shay’s Rebellion?
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  • Showed the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.

  1. Referring back to the debate, what position do Federalists take in regards to the interpretation of the Constitution? W what position do Antifederalists take in regards to the interpretation of the Constitution?
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  • Federalist’s position is a Loose interpretation of the Constitution allowing the Federal Government broader powers.
  • Anti- Federalist’s position is a Tight interpretation allowing the Federal Government limited power.

  1. What are the three theories of modern democracies? Explain them.
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  • Pluralism:This theory says that there are many different groups in the country and they have to compromise to get what they want.
  • Hyper-pluralism:This theory says that there are many different groups in the country and whichever one happens to be the strongest at the moment gets what the group wants.
  • Elite Class Theory:This theory says that the rich and powerful are in charge, regardless of the type of government.

  1. What is the main idea of John Locke’s Second Treaties of Civil Government?
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  • All men have natural rights

  1. What created the bicameral system of Congress?
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  • Great Compromise AKA Connecticut Compromise

  1. What powers are reserved for the Federal Government?
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  • Military
  • Currency
  • Regulating Trade
  • Declaring War

  1. What powers are reserved for the states government?
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  • Schools
  • Marriage
  • Safety
  • Health

  1. What powers are concurrent to the states and federal governments?
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  • Taxes
  • Police
  • Courts

  1. How can the Constitution be amended?
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  • 2/3 of Congress must call for amendment, ¾ of Congress must ratify Amendment
  • 2/3 of States must call for amendment, ¾ of States must ratify Amendment

  1. What is the importance of Marbury v Madison?
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  • First case to use judicial review, thus giving the power to the Judicial Branch.

  1. What is the largest influence on a person’s political socialization?
/ Family is the most important influence in Political Socialization. Other factors include Gender, Race, Ethnicity, Age, Friends, School, Peers, & Mass Media. Political Socialization takes place over individual’s entire lifetime.
  1. What is the purpose of public opinion polling?
/ Public Opinion Polls are used to estimate the feelings and beliefs of the entire population on issues, candidates and other areas of interest. Politicians, Candidates, and Media are among the groups interested in polling data.
  1. Explain why the Literary Digest survey of 1936 was flawed.
/ The Digest’s sample was taken from its readership, which was not reflective of the nation. This unscientific, or straw poll was proven wrong when FDR won the election in a landslide victory.
  1. Explain the views of a libertarian.
/ Value individual freedom. Social Liberals (Don’t tell others how to live) Fiscal Conservative (Taxes used for Income Redistribution are basically theft) For example, Libertarian Party Platform says Abortion should be legal but not paid for with other people’s money. The Party platform states “no one is forced to sacrifice his or her values for the sake of others.”
  1. How do pollsters make sure they get quality answers?
/ Use Scientific Polling Methods:
  • Random Sampling
  • Representative Sampling
  • Large Sample Size reduces Margin of Error to +/- 3%
  • Wording of Questions must not be biased, leading or slanted.

  1. How has the media been criticized for their use of polls?
/ Early release of polls may create bandwagon effect: This may cause people to vote for the declared winner, or not vote since the results are reported to be “decided” or to even get more people to vote against the “announced” winner. Ignoring margin of error could lead to false conclusions.
  1. What is true about young voters and voter turnout?
/ Young voters are less likely to vote than older voters. From1972 to 2012, citizens 18-29 years old turned out at a rate 15 to 20 points lower than citizens 30 year and older.
  1. Explain the election of 2000.
/ Early “calls” swung back and forth. At the end of the evening, Bush had a lead of about 1700 votes in Florida, out of almost 6 million cast. Florida law demands a recount in such a close count. Recount closes ‘gap’ from 1700 to 300 votes. Individual ballots inspected for “hanging chads.” Florida

  1. Why do African Americans generally vote for the Democratic Party in the modern era (1970s-today)?
/ African Americans have a history in both major political parties of the United States. After the Civil War almost all Blacks considered them-selves Republicans. It was the Republican Party that was started by abolitionists and of course the party of President Abraham Lincoln. Mean-while Southern Democrats strongly opposed any rights to Blacks at the time and for almost a century there-after.African Americans were not even allowed toofficiallyattend the Democratic convention until 1924.
Why is there such a huge turnout for voting when it comes to African-Americans? Some say it was due to the fact that Barry Goldwater’s vote against the Civil Rights Act in 1964, but that is only half the story.
Things began to change during the “Great Depression” of the 1930s with Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal. In the mid-1930s, blacks voted increasingly for Democrats — even though their party identification didn’t change — and the Democratic Party’s progressive economic and civil rights policies. FDR’s New Deal programs to blacks and the desegregation of the military in the late 1940s was the beginning of the bond between the Democratic party and African-Americans.
The New Deal was a program that helped disadvantaged and minority communities find work. This persuaded 71% of African Americans to vote for a Democrat for president even though only 44% considered themselves to be members of the Democratic Party. I
In 1948 Democrat Harry Truman ordered the desegregation of the military in addition to an executive order affecting racial discrimination of federal employment securing much of the Black vote for the election later that year. During this time 56% of African Americans were now Democrats.
In the 2008 election, 95 percent of the black vote went to Obama and in 2012 it was 93 percent. That is unusual considering that 47 percent of blacks identify as liberal and 45 percent as conservative, but 93 percent voted for the reelection of Barack Obama.
No Democratic presidential nominee has received less than 82 percent of the black vote since Kennedy’s 68 percent in 1960. And in the past 80 years, no Republican presidential nominee has done better than Eisenhower’s 39 percent in his 1956 reelection bid
  1. Among class, who usually votes more?
/ Higher income individuals tend to vote more and can donate to candidates
Younger voters vote less than the elderly
Blacks and Whites tend to vote in approximately equal percentages
  1. What are the suffrage amendments and who they gave the right to?
/ Amendments 15, 19, 24, 26 of the U.S. ConstitutionAmendment 15 Ratified 1870
Section. 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude. Section. 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Amendment 19 Ratified 1920
Section. 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Section. 2. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Amendment 24 Ratified 1964
Section. 1. The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax. Section. 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
Amendment 26 Ratified 1971
Section. 1. The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of age. Section. 2. The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
  1. Why do people vote?
/ Political Efficacy (the belief that your vote matters) is a strong influence on voting. People vote for a variety of reasons including to maintain the status quo, effect change, punish or reward someone for failure or success in office. People also vote for specific issues, causes or candidates.
  1. Who decides the president if the no one receives an Electoral College majority? Explain How the Electoral College Works
/ It takes 270 electoral votes to win the presidency. So what happens if no candidate reaches that required majority of the 538 total votes in the Electoral College? The rules of the process are dictated by the 12th Amendment.
"If no candidate receives a majority of electoral votes, the House of Representatives elects the president from the three presidential candidates who received the most electoral votes,"the National Archives explains. "Each state delegation has one vote." But that might not be the end of the turmoil. With 50 states each getting one vote, it would again be possible to have a 25-25 tie.
"If the House of Representatives fails to elect a president by Inauguration Day, the vice-president elect serves as acting president until the deadlock is resolved in the House," the National Archives explains.
"The Senate would elect the Vice President from the 2 Vice Presidential candidates with the most electoral votes. Each senator would cast one vote for Vice President," according to the National Archives.
The last time was during theelection of 1824when none of the four candidates achieved a majority and the House of Representatives met in January of 1825 to resolve the outcome. Although Andrew Jackson had won the most electoral votes, the House of Representatives awarded the presidency to John Quincy Adams.
The Electoral College is a process where voters in each state vote for an Elector who is supposed to vote for the party’s candidate if the candidate get the majority of popular votes. Each states has the same number of Electors as they have members in both houses of Congress. Only two states split their electoral votes based on percentage of total votes. The rest use a ‘winner take all’ approach.
  1. What is a recall? What is a referendum? What is an initiative?
/ Recall: Citizens can choose to un-elect an official in the middle of his/her term. Referendum: voters can choose to repeal a unpopular law. Initiative: Citizens gather signatures to proposal a law change on the ballot
  1. What is the basis of American democratic society?
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  • Popular Sovereignty
  • Limited Government
  • Separation of Powers
  • Checks and Balances
  • Rule of Law
  • Judicial Review
  • Federalism

  1. What is a straw poll?
/ Unscientific quick polls to get a feel for something.
  1. Explain the views of a conservative.
/ Generally:
  • Military spending should be a top priority
  • Abortion - pro-life
  • Oppose Affirmative Action
  • Advocate lower taxes
  • Decreased spending on social programs

  1. Explain the views of a liberal
/ Generally:
  • Military spending should decrease
  • Abortion - pro-choice
  • Favor Affirmative Action
  • Advocate higher taxes for wealthy
  • Increased spending on social programs

Unit 3 Study Guide
  1. How are the voter bases for Republicans and Democrats different today?
/ Democrats more diverse: Liberal, younger, with stronger support from Women African Americans and Hispanics due to inclusion as candidates. Republicans older, wealthy, mostly white, more conservative.
  1. What is a splinter party? Give some examples.
/ Splinter parties are factions that split off from a larger, existing party due to an ideology that differs from party leaders. Splinter parties often form around a strong political personality. Examples include the Dixiecrats (Southern Democrats) who left the Democratic Party in opposition to Truman’s Civil Rights policies, Teddy Roosevelts’ Bull Moose Party which opposed the entrenched conservatism of the Republican Party. Both of these parties drew voters away from the main party they split off from and the other party won the election.
  1. What is the Democrat Party platform?
(From website
  • Raise incomes & Restore Economic Security for the Middle Class
  • Create Good-Paying Jobs
  • Fight for Economic Fairness & Against Inequality
  • Bring Americans Together & Remove Barriers to Opportunities
  • Protect Voting Rights, Fix our Campaign Finance System, & Restore Our Democracy
  • Combat climate change, build a clean energy economy, & secure Environmental Justice
  • Provide Quality & Affordable Education
  • Ensure the Health and Safety of all Americans
  • Principled Leadership
  • Support our Troops & Keep Faith with our Veterans
  • Confront Global Threats
/ Recent Primary planks of DEM platform have included expanding voting and increasing participation in politics, healthcare reform, equal rights for women & LGBT (et al), Amnesty for undocumented immigrants, Climate Change regulations, abortion on demand & gun control.
Note: Differences between the two major parties include views on the role of government; taxes and budget policy; gun control; spending on defense and social programs; regulatory controls on industry & environmental issues; crime, education, abortion and healthcare.
  1. What is the Republican Party platform?
(From website
  • Restoring the American Dream
  • A Rebirth of Constitutional Government
  • America’s Natural Resources: Agriculture, Energy and the Environment
  • Government Reform
  • Great American Families, Education, Healthcare and Criminal Justice
  • American Resurgent
/ Recent Primary planks of GOP platforms have includedFree Market Rules with limited Government Interference or oversight; Support Capital Punishment, “Traditional” family values, Oppose Amnesty for “Illegal” immigrants; Oppose public revenues for Abortion, believe 2nd Amendment is a fundamental right of self-preservation
Note: Differences between the two major parties include views on the role of government; taxes and budget policy; gun control; spending on defense and social programs; regulatory controls on industry & environmental issues; crime, education, and healthcare.
  1. Why do third parties do poorly in American national elections?
/ The 4 types of Minor Parties (Ideological, Splinter, Economic Protest and Single Issue) typically play the role of spoiler, not winning the election but causing another candidate to lose. (ex. Ralph Nader in 2000 is alleged to have cost Al Gore victory) This gets the attention of the major parties after election results are in causing main parties to reconsider their policies.
Minor Parties have a difficult time competing against the 2 main parties due to the division of public opinion, lack of financial resources and limited exposure (ex. left out of debates) and the institutional features of our elections (ex. Single member districts where the top vote getter wins that office.)
  1. What is an open primary? What is a closed primary?
/ A primary election narrows the choices among candidates in the same party and exist in most states. For years, the closed primary was standard. In a closed primary, voters must declare their party affiliation in advance of the election, typically when they register to vote. The open primary, used by about half of the states today, allows voters to declare party affiliation on election day. Poll workers hand these voters one party’s ballot from which they select the primary candidates. Winners or primary elections go on to face the other parties’ winners. Both Clinton and Trump won their primary elections. Trump won the general election.
  1. What are incumbents? What is the advantage of being an incumbent?
/ Incumbents are politicians already elected into office and running for reelection against a challenger. They have the advantage of name recognition, party support, a proven track record, and typically more financial (Money!) support from special interest groups, PACs and wealthy contributors. These advantages can be so daunting that challengers are often dissuaded from entering the race. House of Representative Incumbents tend to get reelected 90% of the time, Senate Incumbents’ advantages is less, but still strong.
  1. What type of interest groups do most Political Actions Committees (PACs) represent?
/ Corporations. Top three types are Business, Labor or Ideological interests.