FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICAN GOVERNMENT
Reading: CHAPTERS 1-3, LOCKE READING, FEDERALIST 51
Testing: Chapter 1,2 & 3 Quizzes, Locke & Federalist 51 Quizzes, Unit I Essay & Unit I Exam
Assignments: Term Cards & Personal Declaration of Independence
KEY TERMS TO DEFINE AND REMEMBER: UNIT I
Directions: Define 15 terms from each lecture.
o Each term must be defined on its own note card.
o Each term must appear on 1 side of the card with the corresponding definition on the back.
o No points will be given for Term Cards not in your own handwriting.
o Term Cards will always be due the day of the multiple-choice portion of the unit exam.
o Term Cards are worth 1 point a piece.
o For your own sanity’s sake, do not wait until the night before the exam to define all your terms!
Chap. 1
1. Democracy
2. Direct Democracy
3. Elite and class theory
4. Eminent Domain
5. Government
6. Gross domestic product
7. Hyperpluralism
8. Individualism
9. Linkage institutions
10. Majority rule
11. Minority rights
12. Pluralist theory
13. Policy agenda
14. Policy gridlock
15. Policymaking institutions
16. Policymaking system
17. Political culture
18. Political issue
19. Political participation
20. Politics
21. Public goods
22. Public policy
23. Representation
24. Republic
25. Single-issue groups
Chap. 2
1. 17th Amendment
2. 3/5’s Compromise
3. Anti-Federalists
4. Articles of Confederation
5. Bicameral
6. Bill of attainder
7. Bill of Rights
8. Checks and balances
9. Connecticut Compromise
10. Consent of the governed
11. Constitution
12. Equal Rights Amendment
13. Ex post facto law
14. Factions
15. Federalist Papers
16. Federalists
17. Judicial review
18. Limited government
19. Marbury v. Madison
20. Natural rights
21. New Jersey Plan
22. Separation of powers
23. Shays’ Rebellion
24. Suffrage
25. Tyranny of the majority
26. Virginia Plan
27. Writ of habeas corpus
Chap. 3
1. 10th Amendment
2. Block grants
3. Categorical grants
4. Commerce Clause
5. Confederate government
6. Cooperative federalism
7. Devolution
8. Dual federalism
9. Elastic clause
10. Enumerated powers
11. Extradition
12. Federalism
13. Fiscal federalism
14. Formula grants
15. Full faith and credit
16. Gibbons v. Ogden
17. Implied powers
18. Intergovernmental relations
19. Mandates
20. McCulloch v. Maryland
21. Police powers
22. Privileges and immunities
23. Project grants
24. Sovereign
25. Supremacy clause
26. Unitary government
UNIT I BRIDGE NOTES (better than Spark Notes)
ü Politics is a natural and inevitable social process through which society expresses and manages its conflict. It has often been defined as “who gets what, when, and how”. The political process is never-ending. Every government decision is, therefore, a temporary one.
ü Government is made up of institutions that make public policy. We have different levels of government due to federalism, but each level shares some functions with other levels. Just exactly what governments should do is resolved through politics.
ü Ours is considered a democratic form of government. Although we do not directly participate in the everyday making of public policy, we are connected to government through several linkage institutions (elections, media, interest groups, and political parties).
ü A nation’s politics are profoundly affected by its political culture – people’s fundamental beliefs and assumptions about how government and politics should operate.
ü The Constitution was written as a result of a combination of historical, social, and political circumstances and events. Among these are America’s heritage as a British colony. The Constitution also mirrors the problems the young nation faced after the Revolution, the conflicts waged and the compromises offered at the Constitutional Convention of 1787, and the struggle over ratification.
ü The Constitution embodies five basic principles: popular sovereignty (government based on the consent of the governed) and representative government tempered by indirect election, limited government, separation of powers and checks and balances, federalism, and judicial review.
ü The unusually long life and durability of the Constitution owes much to its concise yet flexible text, which has allowed Congress, the president, and the courts to interpret the Constitution in ways appropriate for changing conditions. Because the Constitution has proven so adaptable, it has not been necessary to change it frequently through formal amendment.
ü The drafters of the Constitution sought to create a government capable of governing, promoting economic development, and maintaining individual rights. The Federalist Papers reflect this philosophy and were written to convince opponents of ratification. Since ratification, a movement toward greater political and social equality has resulted in a series of amendments that has advanced the cause of equality while leaving the fundamental structure unaltered.
ü The Constitution is not neutral in its impact. By dividing government power among the three branches of government and between the states and the federal government, it has made quick, decisive, and comprehensive policymaking difficult. But at the same time, divided governmental power has provided citizens with multiple points of access to decision-makers, encouraged policy making through negotiation, bargaining, and compromise, and proven resistant to authoritarian rule.
ü Federalism is a constitutional division of powers of government between the national and the regional (state) governments, with each exercising significant powers. It was the “price of union” – a necessary means for creating one nation out of thirteen highly independent states.
ü Until the 1930’s, American federalism was mostly a dual federalism with the national and state governments operating in largely separate and distinct spheres of authority. But with the advent of the New Deal in the 1930’s and the subsequent extensions of the federal government’s role, federal-state relations have been characterized by cooperative federalism, in which responsibilities are shared among the federal, state, and local governments.
ü An essential element of cooperative federalism is the grant system, which transfers funds from the federal government to the states and localities for the purpose of carrying out federal policies. Federal grants have enabled state and local governments to expand their services but have also made them heavily dependent on the federal government for funds.
ü Because of the expanded role of the federal government since the 1930’s the federal system of today is clearly more centralized than what the Framers envisioned. Which level of government should perform which functions and how these functions should be paid for are continuing sources of conflict and politics.
“Personal Declaration of Independence”: UNIT I ASSIGNMENT
Directions: For this unit you will take a closer look at The Declaration of Independence (pg. 739 of your textbook) by completing the following steps:
1. Read & create an outline by asking yourself ….
What is TJ doing in paragraph 1?
Paragraph 2?
Paragraph 3?
Look over the 27 complaints against King George
What is TJ doing in paragraph 32?
Paragraph 33?
Paragraph 34?
2. Pick something that really annoys you, and write your own Personal Declaration of Independence using Jefferson’s structure, as determined by your outline, and borrowing as much of his language as you wish. (After all, he borrowed a lot of it from Locke!) As for topics, you may declare independence from whatever you wish, school, work, parents, Valentine’s Day, fashion, the sky’s the limit. (I even had a good one about underwear one time!)
3. Share your topic and your best lines
Note #1: You only need 3-5 complaints, not 27 like TJ has
Note #2: You may work with someone else on the outline and your outlines may be identical.
AP RELEASE FRQ’s COVERED IN UNIT I
1. 2000: The Constitution was an attempt to address problems of decentralization that were experienced under the Articles of Confederations.
A. List three problems of decentralized power that existed under the Articles of Confederation. For each problem you listed, identify one solution that the Constitution provided to address the problem.
B. Some have argued that the tensions between decentralized and centralized power continue to exist. Support this argument by explaining how one of the following illustrates the continuing tension.
· Environmental policy
· Gun control
· Disability access
2. 2001: The United States Constitution has endured for more than two centuries as the framework of government. However, the meaning of the Constitution has been changed both by formal and informal methods.
A. Identify two formal methods for adding amendments to the Constitution.
B. Describe two informal methods that have been used to change the meaning of the Constitution. Provide one specific example for each informal method you describe.
C. Explain why informal methods are used more often than the formal process.
3. 2003: Identify two trends in the size and growth of the number of federal government employees compared to the number of state government employees. Explain how each of the following contributes to the differences between the federal and the state trends.
· Block grants
· Federal mandates
4. 2005: The power of the federal government relative to the power of the states has increased since the ratification of the Constitution.
A. Describe two of the following provisions of the Constitution and explain how each has been used over time to expand federal power.
· The power to tax and spend
· The “necessary and proper” or “elastic” clause
· The commerce clause
B. Explain how one of the following has increased the power of the federal government relative to the power of state governments.
· Americans with Disabilities Act
· Civil Rights Act of 1964
· Clean Air Act
5. 2006: The framers of the United States Constitution created a legislative system that is bicameral. However, it is not just bicameral; the framers also established two houses of distinctly different character and authority.
· Discuss two reasons why the framers created a bicameral legislature.
6. 2007: The framers of the United States Constitution created a federal system.
A. Define federalism.
B. Explain how each of the following has been used to increase the power of the federal government relative to the states.
· Categorical grants
· Federal mandates
C. Explain how each of the following has been used to increase the power of the states relative to the federal government.
Block grants
Tenth Amendment
7. 2009: The United States Constitution established a democratic government but also contained several provisions that limited majority rule. Throughout the next two centuries, the role of majority rule in the United States government and politics continued to change.
A. Identify the part of the national government that was originally most closely tied to citizens and explain how it was tied to citizens.
B. Explain two ways the United States Constitution limited majority rule.
C. Explain how each of the following twentieth-century developments moved the United States from a less democratic to a more democratic system.
· The Seventeenth Amendment
· Expansion of suffrage
8. 2009: Identify one linkage institution other than elections and explain two ways it connects citizens to government.
AP Gov Unit I – TIMELINE
WEEK #1
Tuesday, Sept. 6
· Summer Assignment: Courage of Their Convictions Test· Study Guide due – not graded
Wednesday, Sept. 7
· Syllabus, Books & all that fun stuff
Thursday, Sept. 8
· Chap. 1 Introducing Gov’t in America – NotesFriday, Sept. 9
· Chap. 1 Introducing Gov’t in America – Notes
· Parent Forms due
WEEK #2
Monday, Sept. 12· Go over Personal Declaration of
Independence Assignment – due Mon. 9/19
· Chap. 1 Introducing Gov’t in America – Notes
Tuesday, Sept. 13
· Chap. 1 Quiz – Note: You must also havethe Preamble memorized for this quiz!
· Chap 2 The Constitution - Notes
Wednesday, Sept. 14
· Chap 2 The Constitution - Notes
Thursday, Sept. 15
· Class Discussion: Locke & Natural Rights· Locke Reading due & quiz
Friday, Sept. 16
· Chap 2 The Constitution - Notes /WEEK #3
Monday, Sept. 19· Outline of the Declaration of Independence
& Personal Declaration of Independence due
· Chap 2 The Constitution - Notes
Tuesday, Sept. 20
· Chap. 2 Quiz – Note: You must also have a portion of the Declaration of Independence memorized for this quiz! See below ….
· Chap. 3 Federalism – Notes
Wednesday, Sept. 21
· LATE START – Per. 1/3/5
· Chap. 3 Federalism – Notes
Thursday, Sept. 22
· LATE START – Per. 2/4/6
· Chap. 3 Federalism – Notes
Friday, Sept. 23
· Chap. 3 Federalism – NotesWEEK #4
Monday, Sept. 26
· Chap. 3 Quiz· Federalist 51 Reading due & quiz
· Class Discussion: Madison & The Tyranny of the Majority
Tuesday, Sept. 27
· UNIT I REVIEW & CONSTIUTION CHECK
· Bring your own copy of the Constitution to class
Wednesday, Sept. 28
· AP Essay Workshop
· UNIT I ESSAY = take home
Thursday, Sept. 29
· UNIT I ESSAY due
· UNIT I TEST
· Unit I Term Cards due
Friday, Sept. 30
· Go over Unit I ExamPortion of the Declaration of Independence to memorize for Ch. 2 Quiz:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it,…