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Marlow Works

AP Course

AP U.S. Government and Politics

Learn how the U.S. constitutional system works and how people participate in it. These units are a compact outline for later lessons.

3 units6 lessons3 terms

Units

Work through the outline like a study guide. Each unit holds short lesson notes and key concepts you can expand later.

Unit 1 of 3

2 lessons

Foundations of American Democracy

Ideas, the Constitution, and federalism.

Key concepts

  • Popular sovereignty
  • Federalism
  • Checks and balances
  • Lesson

    Constitutional principles

    Separation of powers, checks, and limited government.

  • Lesson

    Federalism

    National and state power over time.

Unit 2 of 3

2 lessons

Interactions Among Branches

Congress, the presidency, and the courts.

Key concepts

  • Enumerated powers
  • Judicial review
  • Bureaucracy
  • Lesson

    Congress and lawmaking

    Structure, powers, and gridlock.

  • Lesson

    Executive and judicial power

    Implementation, bureaucracy, and review.

Unit 3 of 3

2 lessons

Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

The Bill of Rights in practice.

Key concepts

  • Bill of Rights
  • Due process
  • Equal protection
  • Lesson

    Selective incorporation

    How the 14th Amendment applies rights to the states.

  • Lesson

    Equal protection

    Civil rights movements and the courts.

Vocabulary

Study resources