AP US Government

We will review everything you need to know about the first unit from the AP US Government course, Foundations of American Democracy! Learn more about the principles of government, federalism, and some key court cases and foundational documents you need to know for the AP exam.

AP US Gov - Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy Review

AP US Government & Politics Open House

🏛 AP Gov 5-hour Cram Finale

AP US Government Cram Finale Trivia

Game of 5s: Units 2-3 Review Mega Trivia

 is defined as a constitutional doctrine that ensures that states cannot create laws that infringe or take away the constitutional rights of citizens. The part of the constitution that provides for selective incorporation is the 14th Amendment.


The Supreme Court uses the Fourteenth Amendment to selectively incorporate these rights.

states that all persons born or naturalized in the United States are citizens of the United States and of the State that they reside in. 

It also states that the State cannot create “any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States; nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.” It is this part, aka the Equal Protections Clause, that the Supreme Court 

, that we reviewed earlier, which ruled to limit gun control laws in Chicago. This relates back to selective incorporation because the citizens’ right to bear arms relates to the states through the 

Another historic court case related to selective incorporation is 

. which ruled that illegally seized evidence cannot be used in court against the accused. The Court held that evidence collected from an unlawful search be excluded from trial. This ruling incorporated the Fourth Amendment’s protection of privacy using the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment.

What does the Equal Protection Clause do?

Selective Incorporation & the 14th Amendment

We’ve compiled a sortable list of a bunch of the AP US Government & Politics (GoPo) past prompts! The AP GOPO essays (or all written portions) are 50% of the exam including short-answer questions (SAQs) and an Argument Essay. It’s important that you understand the rubrics and question styles going into the exam. Use this list to practice! 

By practicing with previously released free response questions (FRQs), you’ll build critical-thinking and analytical skills that will prepare you for the exam. These past prompts have been designed to help you connect concepts and ideas to each other while applying your knowledge to real-life scenarios.

 to focus more on primary documents and have more specific course content outlines, but the past prompts are still a good resource to practice with!

 for reviews, concept explanations, practice FRQs, and more!

Interactions Among Branches of Government (Congress, Policy-making, interest groups)

To carefully read the provided passage and then use the information provided to describe responses that Congress could take, potential partisan obstacles, and how an interest group could argue their rights are being threatened by the scenario.

American Political Ideologies and Belief (political parties, polls)

Using the graphic provided and your knowledge of the AP GoPo course, analyze the data provided and apply it to the situations provided.

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights (civil rights, Fourteenth Amendment)

Using your knowledge of the 14th Amendment and 

, explain the decision and explain how you would apply it to 

Foundations of American Democracy (federalism)

Develop an argument about whether the expanded powers of the national government benefits or hinders policy making.

Using one of the documents listed and additional outside evidence, argue whether or not the expanded powers of the federal government is good or bad for policy-making.

Political Participation (political parties, third-parties)

Demonstrate your understanding of how electoral competition affects third-parties and is affected by gerrymandering.

Demonstrate your understanding of polling by explaining what makes a poll reliable and how they are used.

Demonstrate your understanding of checks and balances by explaining the relationships between vetos, the State of the Union Address, and congressional overrides.

Interactions Between Branches (republicanism)

Demonstrate your understanding of the policy-making process by explaining the influence of interest groups, the media, and public opinion and explain how different situations can affect it.

Explain how the Supreme Court maintains its independence from public opinion and how Congress and the President can limit it.

Political Participation (Interest Groups)

To describe the functions and goals of interest groups in policy-making.

Interactions Among Branches of Government (Federal Spending)

To describe how federal spending, including entitlement and discretionary programs, functions and is affected by different factors.

Interactions Between Branches of Government (federalism)

To explain how the relationship between the state and federal governments is shaped by constitutional clauses and has changed over the years.

Political Participation (linkage institutions)

Describe the relationships between interest groups, political parties, and the media as linkage institutions and the federal government and how they affect elections and policy-making.

Political Participation (Demographics and Elections)

Describe how demographic changes will affect political parties and the electoral process.

Interactions Between Branches of Government (policy-making)

AP GoPo Free Response Questions (FRQ) – Past Prompts

Whether you've taken AP Gov before, are in the class right now, or are just browsing on the internet during AP season, you might just come across some AP Gov memes! We've picked a few of the best that are not only funny, but also are relevant to the course content!

Let us know if this trick works with your AP Gov teacher! Sourced from 

I vividly remember my AP Government teacher putting this up on the board during one of our first classes! Of course, he said homework ISN'T prohibited 😠 by the 8th amendment; in my opinion, that's debatable. 😉

Let's do some review of the content that goes with this meme! The 

 📑 contains the first 10 amendments to the US Constitution. This was something the Anti-Federalists wanted to protect the rights of citizens and prevent government overreach.

 Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.  


You can extract two main points from this:



Now, whether homework qualifies as "cruel or unusual punishment"—that's up to you to decide. 😎

Were the Articles of Confederation any good? Nope! Created by Fiveable on 

I like to think about the Articles of Confederation 📜 as the "terrible first attempt" at a Constitution for our country. The Articles were very weak and did not give the federal government very much power. 😢

One of the main reasons why the founders developed the Articles in this manner was that America had just gotten freedom from a 👑 king! They didn't want the federal government to turn into a monarchy-type government again.

Here are some reasons why the Articles were ineffective:

For the sake of all bears, we hope the founding fathers didn't mean real bears' arms. We think they meant weapons 😉 Image used with permission from Twitter user and teacher 

Ha! We can assure you that the bear is safe, even though the 2nd amendment does guarantee you the right to "bear arms." Unless, of course, the founding fathers meant real bear arms and we've just been reading it wrong for 300 years . . . 🐻

 A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

This amendment protects the right to possess a firearm for self-defense. Additionally, it allows for states to preserve their militias. 🔫

This amendment is often at the center of the gun-control debate, and it has become increasingly controversial in recent years. 💬

, a required Supreme Court Case for the AP exam, the Supreme Court incorporated the 2nd amendment. This means that the 2nd amendment would subsequently apply to states, not just the federal government. 🏦

 Want to see the other required Supreme Court cases for the AP Government and Politics exam? 

Ha! They can't search without a warrant—remember that! Image used with permission from Twitter user and teacher 

Yup! If they forgot a warrant that's not signed by a 👩‍⚖️ judge, police cannot legally enter and search your home. This is super important to remember, in real life and for AP Government! 🚓

This meme goes with the 4th amendment in the Bill of Rights. It states the following:

 "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

As you can see, the warrant must describe the place 🗺️ to be searched and what needs to be seized. 📜

Another important thing to remember about the 4th Amendment is the 

The exclusionary rule states that if police obtain some piece of evidence illegally (ex: without a warrant), prosecutors cannot use that evidence against you in court. ⚖️ An interesting case that goes with this rule is 

. Although it isn't one of the required court cases, it did establish this important rule! 📑

We hope you enjoyed these memes and learned something while you were at it! Good luck on your AP Gov exam! 🎉

Perfect Memes for AP US Government

Are you looking to self-study AP Gov? You've come to the right place! We'll give you some tips and tricks to help you 1) decide whether you want to self-study the course and 2) how to go about the process! 🎉

Let's go through some of the positives and negatives of self-studying an AP course!

1. Use the Course and Exam Description 📜

The AP US Government Course and Exam Description (CED) is the ultimate document for the class! It contains all the information you must know to get a 5 on the exam, and also has a full practice test included. 🎉

The AP Gov CED breaks down the class into 5 core units. College Board also lists the weight each unit has on the exam. You can use this to guide your studies! Spend more time on the units that appear more on the exam. ⏰

2. Have a plan for memorizing the Supreme Court cases and foundational documents 

As you might have noticed in the CED, there are specific Supreme Court cases 👩‍⚖️ and foundational documents 📜 that you must know for the AP exam! It's especially important to start studying these early on so you have time to master them.

Make a calendar for yourself to study the SCOTUS cases and foundational documents! Write each in different colors, and space them out throughout your study period. 📆


We have guides to help you master both the 

A view from outside the Supreme Court of the United States! Image from 

3. Make a study schedule and stick to it! 🗓

Making a study schedule is super important when you are self-studying a course! As I mentioned before, you want to make sure you have the best time management skills possible. ⏰ Here are some tips when creating a study schedule:

Let's look at the structure of the AP exam:

There are lots of practice tests on the Internet that you should take advantage of if you decide to self-study the course. 🎉 There are some questions available in the Course/Exam Description, but tons more in review books 📚 you can purchase. You can find some of the best ones here [[link best books post]].

It is especially important that you practice the free-response questions ✍, as this is where many students struggle. When creating your study schedule, try scheduling some practice free-response sections 2-4 times a month (depending on the time you have left before your AP exam).

Make sure you grade your practice FRQs with the College Board rubric! Doing this will help you get used to the structure before you sit down to take the real exam! 📝

Are you looking for an awesome resource to guide your self-studying? As always, we've got your back! You can sign up for the AP Gov Fiveable course. This can be super helpful when you're self-studying and includes the following:

It's $55 and we promise it's worth it! 🙂 Sign up for

Fiveable's AP US Government and Politics course

Remember, you've got this! Whether you decide to self-study, take the class online, or not take it all, we won't judge! Make sure you make the decision that is best for 

AP US Government Self-Study and Homeschool

Background of the Articles of Confederation 📃

Within the new nation there was a need for organization.

The American people feared a national government due to troubles with the British Monarchy, so there was a struggle to determine how much power should be given away. 

The 13 colonies needed to find common ground in order to be prosperous. 

The Continental Congress had incurred debts to fight the Revolutionary War.

Ultimately, the Articles of Confederation failed. Learn why they failed and how it relates to Shay's Rebellion.

video replay on the Articles of Confederation

Reasons Why the Articles of Confederation Failed 🚫  

Ultimately, the Articles of Confederation failed because they were crafted to keep the national government as weak as possible: 

Amendments needed to have a unanimous vote 

The combination of these factors made it impossible to be able to run a successful new nation. Each colony viewed their needs to be more important than the common good of the nation, and people were much more loyal to their individual states. The Continental Congress had borrowed money to fight the Revolutionary War and could not repay their debts, nor could they enforce a tax, as illustrated by Shay's Rebellion.

Downfall of the Articles of Confederation: Shays' Rebellion 

A group of Massachusetts farmers  were outraged by the increased efforts by the state government to collect taxes. 

They performed a series of violent attacks on government properties. 

The national government was unable to extinguish the rebellion. 

This proved that the Articles did not have the power needed to run the country successfully. 

video on the debate about the Constitution

AP US Government Exam Prep 2020-21

browse by unit

Free Reviews 2020

Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy

Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government

Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs

Unit 5: Political Participation

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Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)

Free Response Questions (FRQ)

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creators

Jenni MacLean

Robby May

Allison Powell

Nicole Johnston

Eric Beckman

Kevin Steinhauser

Fatima Raja

Brandon Wu

Akhilesh Shivaramakrishnan

Annika Tekumulla

Isabela Padilha Vilela

Samantha Howey

Erin Chady

Paul Sargent

Curt Merlau

AP US Government Exam Prep 2020-21

browse by unit

Free Reviews 2020﻿

Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy﻿

Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government﻿

Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights﻿

Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs﻿

Unit 5: Political Participation﻿

Current Events﻿

Multiple Choice Questions (MCQ)﻿

Free Response Questions (FRQ)﻿

Blogs﻿

creators

Jenni MacLean﻿

Robby May﻿

Allison Powell﻿

Nicole Johnston﻿

Eric Beckman﻿

Kevin Steinhauser﻿

Fatima Raja﻿

Brandon Wu﻿

Akhilesh Shivaramakrishnan﻿

Annika Tekumulla﻿

Isabela Padilha Vilela ﻿

Samantha Howey﻿

Erin Chady﻿

Paul Sargent﻿

Curt Merlau﻿