FINAL EXAM STUDY GUIDE
** Note: This is a study GUIDE. While many of the topics we covered in class are listed
below, it is not an exhaustive list of every single topic that may appear on the exam.
UNIT 1 - CONSTITUTION AND ITS BACKGROUND
Content
Political Ideology: Liberalism, Conservatism, and Libertarianism;
Constitutional underpinnings: democratic principles, characteristics of American political
culture, and John Locke
Historical Background: Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation
(successes and failures), and Constitutional Convention (Great Compromise, 3/5
Compromise, Federalist Papers and ratification).
Constitution and its amendments: In depth look at each article and amendment.
Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances
UNIT 2 – PRESIDENTIAL ELECTIONS
Content
Presidential Elections: Nominating a Candidate, Primaries and Caucuses, Campaigning
and the General Election.
Role of the media: Horse-race journalism; issue-based journalism
Campaign Financing: Congressional and Presidential Races; Need for reform; Soft
Money and Hard Money; McCain-Feingold Reform Act; 527s
Electoral College
Third Parties
UNIT 3 – POLITICAL OPINIONS, POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, AND
POLITICAL PARTIES
Content
Origins of political attitudes
Political cleavages: Social class, race, region of U.S., education, and religion
Political participation: Who votes, who doesn’t, and why? Reasons for low voter turnout
Historical look at the rise of the American electorate (expanding the vote)
Political Parties: Historical look at the rise of Democrats and Republicans
Historical Look at 3rd Parties
UNIT 4 – FEDERALISM
Content
Types of governments: unitary, confederate, federal.
Historical background: Exclusive powers, reserved powers, and concurrent powers.
Federalists v. Anti-Federalists. Strict v. Loose Constructionism.
Grants-In-Aid: revenue sharing, block grants, Reagan and New Federalism, Devolution,
Mandates, South Dakota v. Dole
Dual v. Cooperative Federalism: McCulloch v. Maryland, Dred Scott v. Sandford,
Hammer v. Dagenhart, U.S. v. Darby Lumber, U.S. v. Lopez
Doctrine of Incorporation: Barron v. Baltimore, 14th Amendment, Due Process Clause,
Gitlow v. New York
UNIT 5 - JUDICIAL BRANCH, FREE SPEECH, AND FREE PRESS
Content
Article III of the Constitution: Jurisdiction of the Court
Powers of the courts: Judiciary Act 1789, Original v. Appellate Jurisdiction, Marbury v.
Madison
Judicial Activism v. Judicial Restraint.
Freedom of Speech: Political and Pure Speech Schenck v. U.S., Brandenburg v. Ohio
Freedom of Speech: Symbolic Speech U.S. v. O’Brien, Texas v. Johnson
Freedom of Speech and Students: Tinker v. DesMoines, Bethel School District v. Fraser,
Melton v. Young, Karr v. Schmidt
Freedom of Speech: Obscenity
Freedom of Press: Prior Restraint, NY Times Test
UNIT 6 – FREEDOM OF RELIGION, RIGHTS OF THE ACCUSED, AND THE
WARREN COURT
Content
Freedom of Religion-- Free Exercise: Reynolds v. U.S., Employment Division v. Smith
Freedom of Religion-- Establishment Clause: Lemon v. Kurtzman, County of Allegheny
v. ACLU
Search and Seizure: Probable Cause and Reasonable Searches Chimel v. CA, Cupp v.
Murphy, U.S. v. Ross, Plain View Doctrine, NJ v. TLO
Warren Court: Mapp v. Ohio, Gideon v. Wainwright, Escobedo v. Illinois, Miranda v.
Arizona
UNIT 7 - CIVIL RIGHTS FOR AFRICAN-AMERICANS AND WOMEN
Content
Historical Background: Reconstruction Era, Jim Crow, Plessy v. Ferguson
African-Americans and school integration: NAACP, Gaines v. Canada, Brown v. Board
of Education, Swann, Rehnquist Court.
Civil Rights Amendments
Civil Rights Era—Southern States v. National Government: Little Rock, Ole Miss,
Massive Resistance Movement, Civil Rights Act 1964, Voting Rights Act 1965.
Affirmative Action: Regents of the University of California v. Bakke
Women’s Rights: ERA, Roe v. Wade, Title IX, Equal Work/Equal Pay and Issues in the
Workplace.
UNIT 8 – EXECUTIVE BRANCH
Content
Article II of the Constitution: Powers of the President
Impeachment: Johnson and Clinton
Evolution of the Presidency: Federalist Paper #69
Presidential Powers During a Crisis: Prize Cases, Korematsu v. U.S., Youngstown Sheet
and Tube v. Sawyer, George W. Bush and wiretapping.
Executive Office of the President
Cabinet, Independent Agencies, and Regulatory Agencies
Organizational Style of Presidents: Pyramid, Circular, Ad Hoc
Presidential Popularity
Relations with Congress
Bureaucracy: Growth of the Bureaucracy; Powers (discretionary authority); recruitment
and retention; appointments; Iron Triangle
UNIT 9 – LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
Content
Incumbent Advantage
Article I of the Constitution
Districting, Reapportionment, Malapportionment, Gerrymandering
Organization of House and Senate: Leadership positions and powers, committees and
caucuses
How a bill becomes a law
Senate and House differences: size of staff; relationship with media; relationship with
constituents.
Voting patterns: Representational, organizational, or attitudinal
Reform and ethics: Reducing Perks, Pork Barrel
Congress Reasserting its Power: War Powers Act, Congressional Budget and
Impoundment Control Act
UNIT 10 – SPECIAL INTEREST GROUPS
Content
Historical Look at the rise of Interest Groups
Incentives to Join: Solidarity, Material, Purposive
Types of Interest Groups: Economic, Single-Issue, Ideological, Public Interest.
Purpose and activities of interest groups: Political cues, Ratings, Grassroots Lobbying,
“Old-Breed” v. “New-Breed”
Funding and Influence of PACs
Publicity, grassroots, and the use of the media.
The revolving door
UNIT 11 – POLICY-MAKING PROCESS
Content
Role of the President, Bureaucracy, Congress, and the Supreme Court
Role of special interests and media
Fiscal Policy: Spending, the budget process, and taxes
Monetary Policy: The Fed, money, and interest rates
Social Security Policy: History, Problems, Conservative and Liberal solutions.