🏛️ AP® US Government Cheatsheet 2025

Declaration of Independence establishes natural rights (life, liberty, pursuit of happiness), popular sovereignty, social contract. U.S. Constitution creates a republic.

Participatory: Broad participation (town halls, initiatives). Pluralist: Group-based activism (interest groups like NRA, AARP). Elite: Limited participation (Electoral College).

Weak central government: no power to tax, no national currency, no executive/judicial branch. Shays' Rebellion highlighted weaknesses.

Great Compromise: Bicameral legislature (House by population, Senate equal). Three-Fifths: Counted enslaved as 3/5 person. Electoral College: Presidential election compromise.

Federalists (Madison, Hamilton): Supported strong national government, wrote Federalist Papers. Anti-Federalists (Brutus): Feared centralized power, demanded Bill of Rights.

Three branches (legislative, executive, judicial) with distinct powers. Each can limit others (Federalist No. 51: "ambition counteracts ambition").

Power division between national and state governments. Expressed/Enumerated: Listed in Constitution. Implied: Necessary and Proper Clause. Concurrent: Shared. Reserved: States (10th Amendment).

Senate: 100 members (2 per state), 6-year terms, confirms appointments, ratifies treaties. House: 435 members (population-based), 2-year terms, initiates revenue bills.

Enumerated: Tax, declare war, regulate interstate commerce (Commerce Clause), pass budget. Implied: Necessary and Proper Clause (Elastic Clause).

Bill introduced → committee action → floor debate → voting → conference committee → presidential action (sign, veto, pocket veto). Senate filibuster, cloture (3/5 vote).

Formal: Commander-in-Chief, make treaties, appoint judges, veto legislation, grant pardons. Informal: Executive orders, agreements, signing statements, bully pulpit.

Supreme Court highest court. Justices serve for life. Marbury v. Madison established judicial review. Precedent (stare decisis). Judicial activism vs. restraint.

Non-elected officials implementing policy. Cabinet departments, independent agencies, regulatory commissions. Rule-making, administrative adjudication. Iron triangles, issue networks.

Protects individual freedoms from government. Initially applied only to federal government, now incorporated to states via 14th Amendment.

Religion: Establishment Clause (Engel v. Vitale), Free Exercise (Wisconsin v. Yoder). Speech: Protected (Tinker v. Des Moines), limits (Schenck - "clear and present danger"). Press: Prior restraint limited (NY Times v. US).

Right to bear arms. Individual right (D.C. v. Heller), incorporated to states (McDonald v. Chicago).

4th: No unreasonable search/seizure. 5th: Due process, no self-incrimination, no double jeopardy. 6th: Right to counsel (Gideon v. Wainwright), speedy trial. 8th: No cruel/unusual punishment. Miranda rights.

Due Process Clause incorporates Bill of Rights to states. Implied right to privacy (Griswold v. Connecticut, Roe v. Wade).

Basis for civil rights. Brown v. Board ended "separate but equal." Civil Rights Act 1964, Voting Rights Act 1965. Affirmative action debates.

African American Civil Rights (MLK's "Letter from Birmingham Jail"), Women's Rights (NOW, Title IX), LGBTQ+ Rights movements.

Process acquiring political values. Key agents: family, school, peers, media, civic/religious organizations. Generational/lifecycle effects.

Core values: individualism, equality of opportunity, free enterprise, rule of law, limited government.

Liberal: Government regulation of economy, social safety nets, civil rights protection. Conservative: Free market, individual responsibility, traditional values. Libertarian: Minimal government in economy and social life.

Scientific polls measure opinion (random sampling, margin of error). Types: opinion, benchmark, tracking, entrance/exit polls. Influence policy debates.

15th: Black men suffrage. 19th: Women's suffrage. 24th: No poll taxes. 26th: Voting age 18. Voting Rights Act 1965.

Factors: education, income, age, political efficacy, registration laws. Models: rational choice, retrospective, prospective, party-line voting.

Political Parties: Nominate candidates, mobilize voters. Interest Groups: Lobbying, litigation, grassroots activism. Elections: Primaries, caucuses, Electoral College. Media: Agenda setting, watchdog, gatekeeper.

Modern campaigns rely on media, fundraising. FECA, BCRA laws. Citizens United v. FEC enabled Super PACs, independent expenditures.

Third parties face winner-take-all, funding challenges but influence elections. Interest groups use lobbying, grassroots, litigation. Free rider problem.