Monday, August 26
AP GOVERNMENT
TO-DO List
 Don’t forget – Chapter 2 quiz tomorrow!!!
 We will review tomorrow before the quiz
 1.) Pass out reading notes for this week – FRQ for
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tomorrow’s quiz is on the first page.
2.) First 15 – 20 minutes (checking reading, finishing
pre-assessments, and reading in between)
3.) Practice Multiple Choice questions
4.) Notes – not going over every question from your
guided reading
5.) Practice Free Response Question with a partner
Declaration of Independence – MC
• Which of the following statements are true about
the Declaration of Independence?
• I. The Declaration contains important statements about
the philosophy that undergirds American Government
• II. The bulk of the Declaration of Independence is a list of
grievances against King George III.
• III. The Declaration outlines the basic institutions and
processes of American government.
• IV. The Declaration implores the Netherlands to aid the
colonies in their revolt against the British Empire and the
“merciless Indian savages”
Declaration of Independence
 Similar to Locke’s philosophy
 Natural
rights (from nature – life, liberty, prop)
 Gov’t – to preserve rights
 All men created equal
 Consent of governed
 Limited gov’t
 Right to revolt
 Main beliefs of our gov’t
 List of grievances against King George III
From Friday’s reading – Practice MC
 ______1.) The Seventeenth Amendment changed the
nature of senatorial elections by
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A.) prohibiting PACs from contributing to senatorial
campaigns.
B.) establishing a group of electors from each state
to nominate senators.
C.) permitting senatorial debates to be aired on
television.
D.) scheduling them to be held every two years.
E.) requiring senators to be elected directly by the
people.
From Friday’s reading – Practice MC
 ______2.) The Bill of Rights was added to the
Constitution to
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A.) clarify the Supreme Court’s power of judicial
review.
B.) ensure equal voting rights.
C.) protect individual liberties.
D.) define all powers reserved for the federal and
state governments.
E.) prevent the supremacy of one faction of
government over another.
From Friday’s reading – Practice MC
 ______3.) In which of the following ways does the
Constitution protect the rights of individuals?
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A.) It gives Congress the Power to Impeach the
President.
B.) It invests the President with the powers of
commander in chief.
C.) It prevents Congress from passing bills of
attainder.
D.) It allows states to collect taxes.
E.) It divides government into national and state
levels.
Bills of Attainder and other Individual Rights
Pre-Bill of Rights
 B of A: Punish people without a judicial trial
 Prohibits writ of habeas corpus – must explain to a
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judge why someone is being held in custody
Ex post facto laws
Prohibits religious qualifications to hold office
Right to trial by jury in criminal cases
NOT ENOUGH – many pushed for the Bill of
Rights
Government – Attempt #1
Articles of Confederation
 Weak and ineffective nat’l gov’t (more state control)
 Could not solve economic issues
 tariffs
btwn. States
 NO power to tax (supposed to be a main function of
any gov’t)
 paper $ worthless
 Decided a whole NEW form of gov’t was needed…
Philadelphia Convention – What delegates could
agree on….
 Human nature
 Power
and money (ppl. Self-interested)
 Political conflict
 Factions
provide instability
 Order of government
 Preservation
of individual rights
 Nature of government
 Balance
of power (checks and balances)
Issues of Equality
 State representation
 Slavery
 Voting
 Turn to page 42 – how did the framers of
Constitution deal with the above issues?
The Madisonian System
 Madison became the architect of the Constitution’s
final structure
GOALS
 Limiting Majority Control
 Separating Powers
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All branches with their own jobs
 Creating Checks and Balances
 Establishing a Federal System
Thwarting the Tyranny of the Majority
How to prevent a tyranny of the majority
 Place as much of gov’t as possible beyond direct
control of majority (only the House of Reps elected
by people – with short terms)
 Separation of powers
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All branches have their own jobs
 Checks and balances
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Each branch requires consent of the others for many
actions
Ratifying the Constitution
Federalists vs. Anti-Federalists
 Federalists: believed in a strong national gov’t
 Anti-federalists: believed new gov’t was an enemy
of freedoms – why wasn’t there a list of rights?
 Favored stronger state gov’ts
 Federalists added the first 10 amendments to
please the anti-federalists and to get ratification
FIRST 10 - Bill of Rights
 Added specific individual liberties
 Constitution would NOT restrict personal
freedoms
Voting Rights
 Constitution was quiet on voting rights
 Would be left to the STATES to decide
Expansion of Voting Rights over time
 15th (1870)
 No discrimination based on race
 19th (1920)
 Women’s suffrage
 23rd (1961)
 DC residents can vote for president
 24th (1964)
 No more poll taxes (discrimination on income)
 26th (1971)
 Voting age from 21 to 18
Practice Free Response Question (FRQ)
 Take a look at this week’s reading notes
 FRQ on the front page
 Practice this question with someone
POCKET CONSTITUTIONS
• YAY!!!! They arrived!
• Let’s explore them
– In small groups, each will be responsible for looking at
PART of the Constitution and reporting out
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What/who does it discuss?
Key aspects of each section
Article 1 – divide (sections 1 – 5 and sections 6 – 10)
Article 2
Article 3
Article 4
Article 5, 6 and 7
Bill of Rights