Welcome to AP United States
Government and Politics!!!
Mr. Trainor
Website: mrtrainor.sharepoint.com
mrtrainor1@gmail.com
Text: Democracy in Action, Remy
This class will combine textbook
readings with current events. There
will be HW almost every night, and
they will be graded twice per-week
on average.
Course Outline
Text: Democracy in Action
I. Unit 1 – Origins and Roots of American
Government
Chapters 1 and 2: The Origins of American Gov
a. English Political Heritage
b. Influence of European Enlightenment
c. Mayflower Compact, Declaration of
Independence, Articles of Confederation
Unit 1 cont.
Chapter 3: The Constitution – Structure and
Principles
a. Three Branches of government
b. Amending the Constitution
c. The Amendments, Bill of Rights
Chapter 4: The Federal System
a. National and State Powers
b. McCullogh v. Maryland
c. Relations among states
Unit 2
Chapter 16: Political Parties
a. Development of Parties
b. Party Organization
c. Nominating candidates
Chapter 17: Elections and Voting
a. Election campaigns
Unit 3
Chapter 5: Organization of Congress
a. Congressional membership
b. The House of Representatives
c. The Senate
d. Congressional Committees
d. State and Support Agencies
Unit 3 Cont.
Chapter 6: Congressional Powers
a. Constitutional Powers
b. Investigations/oversight
c. Congress and the President
Chapter 7: Congress at Work
a. How a Bill Becomes a Law
b. Taxing and Spending Bills
c. Influencing in Congress
d. Helping Constituents
Unit 4
Chapter 8: The Presidency
a. President and Vice president
b. Electing the President
c. The Cabinet
Chapter 9: Presidential Leadership
a. Presidential Powers
b. Roles of the President
c. Bureaucracy
Unit 5
Chapter 11: The Federal Court System
a. Powers of the Federal Courts
b. Marbury v. Madison
c. Lower Federal Courts
d. The Supreme Court
Chapter 12: Supreme Court Decision-Making
a. Shaping Public Policy
b. Judicial restraint v. Judicial Activism
Unit 6
Chapter 13: Constitutional Freedoms
a. Freedom of Religion
b. Freedom of Speech
c. Freedom of Press
d. Freedom of Assembly
Chapter 14: Citizenship and Equal Justice
a. Immigration
b. The Basis of Citizenship
c. Rights of the Accused
d. Equal Protection under the law
e. Challenges for Civil Liberties
Chapter 15: Law in America
a. Sources of American Law
b. Civil Law
c. Criminal Law