Unit 1: FOUNDATIONS of American Democracy
Unit 1 will make up 15-22% of the AP Exam weight.
1.1.A.1 The US government is based on the following democratic ideals:
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1.2.A.1 Representative democracies can take several forms including the following models:
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1.3.A.1 Federalists supported ratification of the Constitution and a strong central government. Madison’s arguments in Federalist No. 10 focused on the superiority of a large republic in controlling the “mischiefs of faction,” delegating authority to elected representatives and dispersing power between the states and national government.
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1.4.A.1 Specific incidents and legal challenges that highlighted key weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation are represented by the:
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1.5.A.1 Compromises deemed necessary for ratification of the Constitution included the following:
Compromise on the importation of slaves
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i. Debates about government surveillance resulting from the federal government’s response to the 9/11 attacks
ii. The debate about the role of the federal government in public school education |
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1.6.A.1 The specific and separate powers delegated to Congress, the president, and the courts allow each branch to check and balance the power of the other branches, ensuring no one branch becomes too powerful.
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1.6.B.1 Separations of powers and checks balances create multiple access points for stakeholders and institutions to influence public policy.
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1.7.A.1 Federalism is the system of government in the United States in which power is shared between the national and state governments. The exclusive and concurrent powers of the national and state governments help explain the ongoing debate over the balance of power between the two levels.
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i. Revenue sharing (national funding with almost no restrictions to the states on its use and is the least used funding)
ii. Block grants (national funding with minimal restrictions to the states on its use and is preferred by the states) iii. Categorical grants (national funding that is restricted to specific categories of expenditures, is preferred by the national government, and is the most commonly used form of funding) iv. Mandates (requirements by the national government of the states) |
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1.8.A.1 The Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment give the national government the power to enforce protections for any persons against the states, but Supreme Court interpretations can influence the extent of those protections.
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1.9.A.1 The allocation of powers between national and state governments creates multiple access points for stakeholders and institutions to influence public policy.
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