AP Gov Exam

• Framers


  • Lived at a time when there were new ideas about government organization/function
  • Challenged systems already in place
• Enlightenment


  • (18th century) a philosophical movement that began in Western Europe with roots in Scientific Revolution
  • Use of reason over tradition when solving social problems
• Thomas Hobbes (Leviathan - 1660)


  • Believed that people could not govern themselves and that a monarch with absolute power would protect life best
  • Advocated for rule of law
• Social contract with government

  Some freedoms sacrificed (respecting government) in exchange for government protection
• John Locke (Second Treatise on Civil Government - 1690)


  • Natural rights must be protected
  • Empiricism: people are born with a tabula rasa (blank slate) on equal footing and everything they do is shaped by experience
  • Natural rights (life, liberty, property) are granted by God and government must protect them
  • Right to revolution if natural rights are taken away
• Charles de Montesquieu (De l'Esprit des Lois/The Spirit of the Laws - 1748)


  • Separation of power into three branches of government
  • Checks and balances limited power of each branch
• Jean-Jacques Rousseau (The Social Contract - 1762)


  People are born good but corrupted by society and should act for the greater good rather than out of self-interest
• Voltaire (Candide)


  • Satirical novel, reflected dislike of Christian power and nobles
  • Rationality, advocate of freedom of thought, speech, religion, and politics
• Denis Diderot


  • Producer/editor of first encyclopedia, wanted to change the ways people thought by adding his own/others' philosophies to his work
  • Advocate of freedom of expression and universal education access
  • Criticized divine right, traditional values, and religion
• Philosophers favored democracy over absolute monarchy
• Forms of representative democracy

  • Participatory democracy: broad participation in politics/society by people at various statuses
  • Pluralist democracy: group-based activism by citizens with common interests who seek the same goals
  • Elite democracy: power to the educated/wealthy, discourages participation by the majority of people
• Republicanism


  Supports individualism and natural rights, popular sovereignty (people give the government power), encourages civic participation
• American Republicanism


  • Characterized by representative democracy
  • Elected officials representing a group of people
• Popular sovereignty


  Government power derives from the consent of the governed (ex. elections, protests)
• Declaration of Independence


  • A formal declaration of war between America and Great Britain
  • Written by Thomas Jefferson
  • List of grievances ("crimes" King George III committed against the colonies)
  • Used to explain why the colonies are declaring independence
  • Used as a template by other nations declaring independence
  • Outlined the first government of the United States of America
• Articles of Confederation


  • Predecessor to the Constitution
  • Followed from 1776 to 1781; ratified and named in 1781
  • Created federalism: the way in which federal and state/regional governments interact and share power
  • Ended the Revolutionary War on favorable terms for the United States (Treaty of Paris - 1783)
  • Established the Northwest Ordinance, which created methods through which states would enter the US
• Weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation

  • Could not impose taxes (result of taxation without representation); only state governments could levy taxes
  • National government was in debt from the Revolutionary War had no way to pay for expenses
  • Could only acquire money by requesting it from states, borrowing from other governments, or selling lands in the West
  • No national military; could not draft soldiers
  • No national currency
  • No Supreme Court to interpret law
  • No executive branch to enforce laws
  • No control over taxes imposed between states and could not control interstate trade
  • Needed unanimous votes to amend the Articles
  • 9/13 states had to approve legislation before it was passed
  • Could not control states
  • No enforcement mechanisms/requests from within federal government
  • Needed to be revised
• Constitutional Convention


  • Meeting of the framers in 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
  • Division over powers, structure, and responsibilities of government
  • Some believed that the government under the Articles was too weak, others believed that it shouldn't be changed
  • Generally accepted as pragmatists who tried to protect their and everyone else's property + rights
  • Stronger central gov't necessary, potential to be corrupted
• Federal legislature issues


  1. Unicameral (single house) vs bicameral (two house) legislative branch

  2. Madison's Virginia Plan: bicameral legislature based on population size

  3. New Jersey Plan: unicameral legislature, one vote per state

  4. The Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise): a bicameral legislature with a House of Representatives (population) and Senate (equal representation)
• Representation of enslaved people

  • Northerners: enslaved people should not be counted for electoral votes
  • Southerners: enslaved people should be counted for electoral votes
  • Three-Fifths Compromise: enslaved people would be counted as 3/5 of a person when deciding seats in the House of Representatives
• Authority to enforce laws

  • Created chief executive (president)
  • Enforcer of the law, could keep the legislative branch in check
  • Presidential approval required before bills become law
  • President can veto acts of legislature
  • Congress can override veto if 2/3 of both houses vote
• Supreme Court


  Could mediate disputes between legislative and executive branches, between states, and between state + federal government
• Acceptance of the Constitution

  • Federalists: supporters of the Constitution, advocated for a strong central government
  • Anti-Federalists: opponents of the Constitution, preferred smaller state governments (Articles of Confederation)
• The Federalist Papers


  • A collection of articles supporting the Constitution, best reflects original intent of the framers
  • Persuaded states of the superiority of a strong central government plus power kept by the states
• Bill of Rights


  • Protects the rights of citizens from the government
  • Guaranteed by the Federalists and was added immediately after ratification
  • 10 amendments written by James Madison
• Electoral College


  • Composed of elected officials from each state based on population (each given 2 votes + 1 vote per member of House of Representatives) with a total of 538 electors
  • Originally created because the framers didn't trust American citizens to be educated enough to choose a good president
  • Would ensure that states with larger populations didn't completely overpower smaller states
  • The presidential candidate who wins 270 electoral votes wins the election regardless of who wins popular vote
• Brutus No. 1


  • Anonymous author (pseudonym Brutus) asked questions about + critiqued the draft of the Constitution
  • The first publication that began a series of essays known as the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers
  • National government had too much power, an army could prevent liberty, and representatives may not truly be representative of the people
• The Federalist Papers


  Attempted to answer questions and address concerns posed by Brutus + other Anti-Federalists
• Federalist No. 10


  • Written by James Madison
  • Addresses dangers of factions + how to protect minority interest groups in a nation ruled by majority
  • Argues that a large republic keeps any single faction from taking control
• Anti-Federalists thought that Madison's claims were unrealistic and that a country with multiple factions could never create a good union
• Federalist No. 51


  • Written by James Madison
  • Argued that separation of powers would make the government efficient, dividing responsibilities and tasks
• Anti-Federalists believed that there was no perfect separation of powers and that one branch of government would eventually hold more power
• Federalist No. 70


  • Written by Alexander Hamilton
  • Argued that the executive branch should only have one member: the president
  • Used the British monarchy as an example: the king had power but was checked by the House of Commons
  • Proposed term limits as another way to limit the president's power (not set until the 22nd Amendment in 1951)
• Anti-Federalists believed that only the president's staff would influence him and disagreed with giving control of the military to one person
• Federalist No. 78


  • Written by Alexander Hamilton
  • Addressed concerns about the power of the judicial branch
  • Argued that the judicial branch would have the least amount of power under the Constitution but would also have the power of judicial review
  • Check on Congress
• Anti-Federalists claimed that a federal judiciary could overpower states' judiciaries and that judges' lifetime appointments could result in corruption
• The Constitution


  • Vague and only outlines the government structure
  • Written to allow change through amendments
  • Branches of government have evolved since ratification
• Articles I-III


  1. Set up the three branches of government (in order):

  2. Legislative branch

  3. Executive branch

  4. Judicial branch

  
• Executive branch


  • "The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United states of America"
  • Power to issue executive orders
  • Same effect as law, bypasses Congress in policy-making
  • Not mentioned in the Constitution
  • Used as part of the enforcement duties
  • Executive agreements between country leaders are similar to treaties, bypass ratification power of the Senate
• Judicial branch


  Marbury v. Madison(1803): Supreme Court increased its own power by giving itself the power to overturn laws passed by legislature (judicial review)