American Government Final Exam Study Guide
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Test will be multiple choice, matching, fill in the black (with a word bank available)
Your final exam is 15% of your final grade
Don’t wait until the night before the exam to begin studying…you will not do well!! Study now a bit each night and
then you will be prepared on exam day, and will not need to cram, but rather just review!
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Different types of government – democracy, confederacy, Unitarian, federal, etc.
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Unicameral legislatures versus bicameral legislatures
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New Jersey Plan, Virginia Plan, Connecticut Compromise, 3/5 Compromise – building the Constitution
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Civil liberties versus civil rights
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The Bill of Rights – including the 1st, 2nd, and 5th Amendments
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Important documents – Articles of Confederation, Declaration of Independence, Constitution
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Popular sovereignty
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Slander and libel
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Expressed powers, reserved powers, concurrent powers, & implied powers
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Discrimination, affirmative action, and reverse discrimination
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Characteristics of the governments of Canada, Japan, the United States, & Mexico
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Characteristics of Communism, Capitalism, & Socialism
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Supreme Court cases of Brown v. Board of Education & Plessy v. Ferguson /Gideon v. /Miranda v. AZ
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Qualifications to be a Senator, House of Representative member, President, and Supreme Court Judge
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Positions and characteristics – Speaker of the House, President of the Senate, Senate & House Majority Leaders,
Senate & House Minority Leaders, Whips
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What is the process for passing a bill?
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What is the process for passing a constitutional amendment?
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Role of the Congress in decided a President if no candidate gets 270 electoral votes
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“Necessary and proper” clause
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What determines how many representatives a state has in the House of Representatives?
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The role of the President in calling a special session?
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How long do House members serve? Senators serve? Term limits?
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Ways that a member of Congress can lose his/her job
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Role of the Congress in approving Presidential appointments
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Responsibilities of Congressman
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Role of Congress in impeachment proceedings
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Trustee, delegates, partisan, & political philosophies of representation
Roles of the President – Commander in Chief, Party leader, Economic Planner , Chief Legislator, etc.
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Evolution of term limits for the President – George Washington  22nd Amendment
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Powers of the Presidency
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25th Amendment – giving up the Presidency – how can it be done?
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Pocket vetoes, vetoes, Congressional overrides
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Who elects the President of the United States?
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Requirements for being President
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How does a person become President? What state has the most electoral votes?
The role of the President’s Cabinet
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Presidential line of secession – in case the President is unable to serve
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Executive Agreements, Treaties, Executive Orders, & Appointments – what are each of these?
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War Powers Act, Council of Economic Advisors, Office of Management & Budget, & The National Security Council
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What is the “Supreme law of the land”?
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Role of the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court
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13th Amendment, 14th Amendment – did what?
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Due Process
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Rights of the accused – double jeopardy, writ of habeas corpus, no bills of attainder, grand juries, 6th Amendment, 5th
Amendment (Miranda Rules, ex post facto laws
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Various types of courts
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What is a bench trial?
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Exclusionary Rules – in what situations can evidence be used
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Jurisdiction – original vs. appellate jurisdiction – which one(s) does the Supreme Court have?
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Know what types of punishments are legal/illegal. Know what types of searches are legal/illegal
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Roe v. Wade, Gideon v. Wainwright, Katz v. United States, Marbury v. Madison – what did these Supreme Court cases
decide?
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Voting qualifications – 15th Amendment, 19th Amendment, 24th Amendment, 26th Amendment
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What can be required or a person to vote? What cannot be required of a person in order to vote?
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How do we determine how people vote in certain elections?
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Are there any trends in how different groups vote? Religious groups, age groups, genders, upper/lower class, race?
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What is the biggest determinant in how people vote?
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What are political parties? What functions do they serve?
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Why do we have a two party system in our country? What are the advantages/disadvantages to a multiparty system
(more than 3), what are the advantages/disadvantages of a one party system?
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Who gives money to candidates? What are PAC’s, what are temporary organizations?
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Democrats vs. Republicans – what do they typically believe? Where do they typically get their support?
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Federalism
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5 classification of aliens
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Duties of all citizens
-- National Origins Act of 1920, quota
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3 waves of immigration to US
-- Early system of law
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2 main arrival points to US
-- Facts about the judicial branch
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Facts about the judicial branch