Obviously, one review sheet cannot possibly cover everything you need to know in order to coast through the AP exam. Your main study guide should be your NOTEBOOK. There are, however, certain essential terms and concepts you should know like the back of your hand. They are:
Constitutional Foundations: (Ch 1, 3, 4)
republic
limited government
pluralist theory
elite theory
majoritarian government
weaknesses of theArticles of Confederation
how to amend the Constitution - formal and informal
separation of powers - executive, legislative and judicial powers are divided among three separate branches of government
checks and balances - the three branches also have overlapping powers that allow each to check the power of the other two
judicial review (Marbury v. Madison)
federalism - power is divided between the national government and state governments
dual federalism
layer cake federalism
marble cake federalism
cooperative federalism
revenue sharing
categorical grants
block grants
judicial review
Bill of Rights
elastic ("necessary and proper") clause
supremacy clause - federal laws take precedence over state and local laws
enumerated powers - powers listed in the Constitution
implied powers - not listed in the Constitution but based on "necessary and proper" clause, for example, the power to collect taxes implied the power to establish the Internal Revenue Service, the draft to raise an army, the creation of the Federal Reserve to regulate the money supply, creating the Interstate Commerce Commission to regulate commerce between the states
inherent powers
reserved powers - powers that belong to the states
original intent
McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
Congress: (Ch 11)
census
reapportionment - every ten years following the census
gerrymandering
racial gerrymandering
single member district - each congressional district is represented by only the candidate who wins by a majority or plurality (makes it difficult for a third party candidate to win a seat)
Be familiar with the following Supreme Court rulings which deal with the principle of "one man one vote" (ex. congressional districts must be roughly equal in population, districts cannot be based solely on race)
Baker v. Carr (1962)
Westberry v. Sanders (1964)
Shaw v. Reno (1993) -
Miller v. Johnson (1995)
Be familiar with the differing powers and responsibilities of the House and Senate (ex. House - can raise revenue, impeach; Senate - approves treaties and presidential appointments)
legislative oversight - is the authority of Congress to investigate other branches of the government and the bureaucracy (ex.Watergate)
the powers of the Speaker of the House
the roles of the majority leader, minority leader and whips.
the role of the Vice President in the Senate
president pro tempore
House Rules Committee
House Appropriations Committee
House ways and Means Committee
standing committees - permanent subject matter committees, also regulate the bureaucracy
sub-committees
joint committees
conference committee
select committee
committee chairs are always from the majority party
the importance of incumbency with regard to being re-elected
the importance of seniority
caucus - informal networks of legislators with a common interest (ex.Congressional Black Caucus, Caucus for Women's Issues, Travel and Tourism Caucus)
public bill - deals with issues of national concern
private bill - applies to an individual or place
rider
resolution
joint resolution
closed rule - no amendments to a bill may be offered during floor debate
open rule - permits amendments to a bill to be offered during floor debate
filibuster - talking a bill to death (only takes place in the Senate)
cloture - 3/5 vote of the Senate to end a filibuster
legislative veto - the blocking of a presidential or bureaucratic agency action (ex. the sale of arms abroad) by a vote of Congress (ruled unconstitutional in 1983)
legislative intent
logrolling - "You scatch my back (vote for my bill) and I'll scratch yours."
"pork barrel" legislation
markup session - rewriting and revising a bill in a committee or subcommittee
trustee
delegate
constituent - the people you represent (even those who didn't vote for you)
casework - helping constituents who are having problems dealing with the bureaucracy
perks - fringe benefits for membwrs of Congress
The Presidency: (Ch 12)
the formal roles/powers of the president (enumerated in the Constitution)
head of state
commander-in-chief
chief diplomat - (ex. acting as a negotiator for other nations such as Jimmy Carter at Camp David)
chief executive/administrator
chief legislator
nominates federal judges
grants reprieves, pardons and amnesties
veto
pocket veto
informal powers (not enumerated in the Constitution)
precedents set by past presidents (ex. Washington)
actions of Congress granting power to the president (ex. Gulf of Tonkin Resolution)
line-item veto (ruled unconstitutional in Clinton v. New York)
"bully pulpit"
leader of the party
patronage
limits on presidential power
Congress overriding vetoes
Congress passing laws to limit the president's actions (ex. War Powers Act)
decisions by federal courts (ex. US v. Nixon)
global politics requires international cooperation (ex. difficult to "go it alone")
public opinion (ex. standing in the polls)
divided government - (ex. a Republican president and a Democratic Congress)
gridlock
the President as Chief Executive/Chief Administrator
presidential appointments to the Cabinet and bureaucracy
White House Staff - the president's top-level aides
a) White House Chief of Staff
b) National Security Advisor
c) press secretary
d) White House Counsel - the White House lawyer
Executive Office - serves the policy-making needs of the president
a) National Security Council (NSC) - foreign policy advisors
b) Council of Economic Advisors (CEA)
c) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) - prepares the federal budget
d) General Accounting Office (GAO) - monitors how federal (bureaucratic) agencies spend the funds allocated to them by Congress
executive order - one way to get around a recalcitrant Congress (ex. Truman orders desegration of the armed forces)
executive agreements, proclamations and regulations - have the force of law but do not require Congressional approval
The Bureaucracy: (Ch 13)
civil service
the cabinet -14 departments
independent regulatory agencies - are outside the regular system of checks and balances and have executive, legislative, and judicial powers (ex. Federal Reserve Board, Federal TradeCommission, Federal Communications Commission)
deregulation
government corporations - provide services to the public for a fee (ex. Amtrak, Post Office, PBS)
independent executive agencies - range from operating government facilities (General Services Administration) to overseeing federal elections (Federal Election Commission) to monitoring civil rights (Civil Right Commission).
iron triangles
issue networks - less formal than iron triangles and involve more participants (ex. environmental and welfare activists)
Pendleton Act (1883) - ended patronage, established the civil service and merit system
Hatch Act (1939) - limits the political activities of civil service employes
attempts to "re-invent government" to make it smaller and more efficient (ex. Clinton administration)
The Jucicary: (Ch 14)
The federal judiciary has no power to implement and enforce its rulings. (only the Executive branch can)
What is the process for appointing federal justices ? (Who nominates and who approves ?)
In what way is the appointment of Supreme Court justices a political decision ? (ex. Judge Bork)
original jurisdiction - (ex. disputes between states)
appellate jurisdiction - hearing appeals from lower courts, the most common type of Supreme Court case
life tenure
senatorial courtesy
loose constructionist (judicial activist) - argues that the Supreme Court needs to respond to changing times (ex. the Earl Warren Court)
strict constructionist (judicial restraint) - argues that the judiciary's decisions should be based on the original intent of the Constitution (ex. Justices Scalia and Thomas)
judicial activism - (ex. the Earl Warren Court, considered liberal and activist)
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) - Warren Court
Roe v. Wade (1973) - Burger Court
judicial review
Marbury v. Madison (1803)
U.S. solicitor general
Political Behavior and Political Groups:
political socialization (influenced by family, school, peers, the mass media, age, race, income, occupation and religion)
liberal
conservative
gender gap
political participation (voting, running for office, working on a campaign, petition, writing to politicians, demonstration). Voting is the primary way people participate in government.
Be familiar with the voting patterns of various ethnic groups, age groups, income and educational levels.
Why do people who are eligible to vote choose not to ?
political efficacy - the feeling that one's vote has no influence because big business, big money and special interests control politics and government
Those with the least amount of wealth, property and education are the least likely to vote.
Voting is a matter of habit (ex. older people vote more than young people)
Motor Voter Act of 1993
public opinion (measured by opinion polls, media coverage, letters, phone calls and emails between constituents and politicians)
exit poll
How do you evaluate the validity of an opinion poll ?
mass media (ex. TV, radio, newspapers, magazines, books, movies, internet)
the role of the mass media on the decline of political parties
presidential use of the media
regional differences in political attitudes
sound bites
Interest Groups, Political Parties and Elections:
linkage institutions (political parties, interest groups, elections, mass media)
lobbyists
Explain the methods national interest groups (listed below) normally use to influence Congress and the public (ex. lobby individual members of Congress, contribute (PAC) money, "target" them for re-election or defeat in their home state or district, organize letter writing or phone campaigns by constituents to their members of Congress ["all politics is local"], create media "spots" to promote your cause)
National Rifle Association (NRA)
National Organization for Women (NOW)
American Medical Association (AMA)
American Association of Retired Persons (AARP)
National Association of Manufacturers (NAM)
National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP)
economic interest groups (ex. business, labor unions, farmers)
single issue groups (ex. gun control)
Political Action Committees (PAC's)
Federal Election Commission (FEC) - administers federal election laws
campaign finance reform (ex. Federal Election Campaign Act of 1971)
hard money
soft money - contributions for "party building" efforts
two-party system- evolved from Federalists and Anti-Federalists
third parties - have historically served as innovators and stimulators of ideas and reforms only to have them "stolen" by the major parties
single issue districts- make it difficult for third parties to win seats in Congress.
party realignment
caucuses
primaries
open
closed
winner-take-all
frontloading
convention
party identification - more important on the local than federal level
dealignment - weakening of political parties
split-ticket voting
straight ticket voting
Policy making: (Ch 18, 19, 20)
economic policy
OMB - see earlier definition (Executive Office)
GAO - see earlier definition (Executive Office)
regulatory policy - the establishment of sanctions (punishments) to insure compliance with bureaucratic regulations (ex. access for the disabled, protecting the environment)
deregulation - reducing the regulatory role of government (favored by Conservatives)
Gramm-Rudman-Hollings Act of 1985 - an attempt to control the size of the national debt
continuing resolution - allows a department to operate on the previous year's budget if new funds (appropriation bills) are not approved
fiscal policy - the impact of the government's taxing, spending and borrowing policies on the nation's economy
monetary policy - refers to the Federal Reserve Board's attempt to control inflation by manipulating the (a) money supply ( increasing or decreasing interest rates) and (b) reserve requirements (which determine the abount of money banks must keep on hand)
trade deficit
national debt
Budget Impoundment and Control Act of 1974 - forces presidents to spend the money Congress appropriates for programs
House Appropriations committee
environmental policy
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
toxic wastes
global warming
entitlement - a benefit to which every eligable person has a legal right and that the government cannot deny such as Social Security, Medicare, Medicaid, food stamps, aid to dependent children, public assistance (welfare) etc.
education
school vouchers
charter schools
health care
policies are heavily influenced by Health maintainance Organizations (HMO's) and doctor's organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA)
foreign and defense policy
dominated by the President but the Senate also has an important role
Congress has the power to declare war, approve troop commitments, and appropriate funds for foreign policy projects
In setting foreign policy the president relies on the National Security Council (NSC), the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the CIA.
Civil Rights and Civil Liberties: (Chap 15, 16)
Civil rights - freedom from (ex. discrimination, unreasonable search and seizure, etc)
Civil liberties - freedom to (ex. expression, speech, assembly, etc.)
Be familiar with the civil rights and civil liberties guaranteed by the Bill of Rights
wall of separation - refers to the separation of church and state
Fourteenth Amendment - incorporated the Bill of Rights to apply to the states for the first time under the
equal protection clause
due process clause
Milestone cases involving civil rights
Mapp v. Ohio (1964) - established the exclusionary rule
Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) - the right to a lawyer
Miranda v. Arizona (1963) - must be informed of your right to remain silent upon arrest
Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) - separate but equal
Brown v. Board of Education (1954) - segregated schools are unconstitutional
Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978)
Griswald v. Connecticut (1965)
Roe v. Wade (1973)
affirmative action
Civil Rights Act of 1964
Voting Rights Act of 1965