AP US Government 2023 Cheat Sheet | See all AP Gov study guides | @thinkfiveable

Unit 1 Foundations of American Democracy Unit 2 Branches of Government Unit 3 Civil Liberties & Civil Rights
● The Declaration of Independence was drafted by ● Congress - the branch that makes laws to govern the country. It
Jefferson and set the foundation of sovereignty for the consists of two chambers: the Upper House Senate) and lower ● The Bill of Rights consists of the first ten amendments of
U.S Constitution. house HoR the constitution and it guarantees individual rights and
● The Articles of Confederation demonstrated that having ○ Enumerated powers: declaring war, passing federal budget, liberties
a weak government makes the government less efficient raise revenue, coin money, and enact some legislation ● Freedom of Speech and of the press - right to express
and unable to settle disputes. ○ Senate Represents states equally 2 senators per state). opinions without censorship, restraint or fear of retribution.
● Representative democracies can be participatory (strong ○ House of Rep Represents the population (re-evaluated by a ● Right to bear arms Supreme Court has protected it as an
civil society) pluralist (recognition of multiple interest census every 10 years) individual right and it has also posed specific restrictions on
groups) or elite (limited participation). ● Simple majority → used to pass legislation, gov appointments it, such as bans on certain types of weapon.
● Checks and balances - limits to each gov branch ● Supermajority → requires two-thirds of votes, used to pass ● Selective Incorporation States can incorporate rights of
○ Explained by Federalist no. 51 amendments the bill of rights piece by piece.
● Compromises of the Constitution: ● Filibuster - tactic used to prevent legislation from moving forward. ● Due Process clause - states that the government must
○ Great Compromise Connecticut Compromise) - It can be stopped through cloture which requires a three-fifths vote follow impartial and fair procedures when taking away an
creation of a bicameral structure in congress to from Congress. individual’s life, liberty or property. Established by the 5th
have both representational and population-based ● Pork-barrel spending consists of spending directly towards a and 14th amendments.
representation. specific group of people. Logrolling consists of parties supporting ○ The court determined that the right to privacy is
○ Electoral college - compromise between those that each other’s initiative for mutual benefit. protected under the due process clause
wanted popular vote and those who wanted the ● President Enumerated powers of President: ● The rights of the accused include several rights, such as
legislature to elect the President. Presidents must ○ Chief of Executive branch right to a speedy trial, right to remain silent, right to counsel,
have a majority 270 out of 538 of votes to win an ○ Power to appoint officials among others.
election. ○ Commander-in-Chief of the military ● The Miranda clause police must warn an individual of their
○ Three-Fifths Compromise - compromise reached ○ Power to Veto Laws (can be overridden with two/thirds rights before questioning them in custody.
between southern states on how slaves should be majority of congress) ● The Equal Protection clause - all individuals within
counted for representation and taxation purposes ● Judicial branch - power of judicial review which consists of the jurisdiction of state are entitled to equal protection
power to review any legislation. SCOTUSt Highest court

Unit 4 American Political Ideologies & Beliefs Unit 5 Political Participation Required Docs & SCOTUS Cases
● Types of voting: ● Federalist no.10 Madison argued for a strong central government that
controls the “mischiefs of faction”
● Political Socialization is the process by which individuals ○ Rational choice → individual interest ● Brutus no. 1 Defends a small government and argues that the federal
acquire their political values, beliefs, and attitudes. ○ Retrospective → based on recent events system poses violation to individual rights
● Public opinions can be tracked by polls: ○ Prospective → based on expectation ● Federalist no. 70 → on the role of executive branch
● McCulloch v. Maryland → supremacy of federal law
○ Opinion polls → measure public opinion ○ Party-line voting → based on party support ● Marbury v. Madison → established judicial review
○ Benchmark polls 1st poll in a campaign ● Political efficacy → individual’s belief that they can shape outcome ● United States v. Lopez → limited the commerce clause
● Parties: ● Linkage institutions → channel btwn individuals and the gov’t. Incl ● Engel v. Vitale → religious practices in school violate “establishment
clause”
○ Democratic party → more aligned with liberal views political parties, Interest groups, elections & the media
● WI v. Yoder → respects religious practices through “free exercise” clause
○ Republican party → more aligned with conservative ● Electing a President ● Tinker v. Des Moines → freedom of speech extends to student protests
views ○ Incumbency → advantage based on their current status as ● NYT v. U.S → bolstered freedom of press
Ideologies and Policies an office holder ● Schenck v. U.S → bans expressions with “clear and present” danger
● Gideon v. Wainwright → right for an attorney for the poor or indigent
● Liberal → favors governmental intervention and ○ Open and closed primaries → system to decide on candidate ● McDonald v. Chicago 2nd amendment applicable to states
regulation of markets. Supports the expansion of the to represent a party in general election ● Roe v. Wade → right of privacy extends to abortion
right of privacy. ○ Caucuses → meeting between party members to draft ● Brown v. Board of Education → determined that school segregation
violates equal protection clause
● Conservative → favors a free market and smaller platforms and nominate candidates ● Baker v. Carr Determined that the “Tennessee Act” was unconstitutional
government intervention in the economy. ○ Party convention Gathering of representatives of political and that districts have to be appointed in a substantially equal manner
● Libertarians → do not favor government intervention party to conduct business ● Shaw v. Reno - made racial-gerrymandering unconstitutional.
● Citizens United v. FEC → political spending by corporations is permitted
beyond protection of private property ○ Delegates → appointed by a party to represent constituents
under free speech
of a specific area

FRQ Tips: 1. Manage your time! 2. Create a brief outline before writing the essays 3. Consider an alternative perspective for the long essay (and possible rebuttals)
4. Stick to your thesis/main argument 5. Prioritize the key aspects first, then elaborate