TO: ALL AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS STUDENTS
FROM: MR. BRUMBAUGH AND MR. HALEY
DATE: MAY 29, 2012
RE: SUMMER ASSIGNMENT
AP GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS
Welcome to the exciting world of AP Government and Politics. Our students will be exposed to the complex
and interesting world of government and politics in both the United States and across the world. We have two
(2) separate and distinct classes with their own respective textbooks for use during the course of the school
year 2012 / 2013. The objective of this course is to prepare the students to successfully complete the AP
US Government and AP Comparative Government examinations which are scheduled for early May of
2013. This course is taught on a college level, and it requires a substantial amount of reading and preparation
for every class. This AP United States Government and Politics course is taught in conjunction with AP
Comparative Government and Politics over the course of one year. We divide the course into sections with US
Government being covered in the first semester and Comparative Government being covered in the second
semester. As a result, it is imperative that each student complete a summer assignment related to the US
Government and Politics course in order to successfully complete this course.
I. U.S. GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS - COURSE OVERVIEW AND DESCRIPTION
In this AP United States Government and Politics course, the students focus on
 Knowing the important facts, concepts, terms and theories pertaining to U.S. Government and Politics
 Understanding typical patterns of political processes and behavior and their consequences and
political effects, including political behavior and ideology, the principles of government, and the
structures of government
 Analyzing and interpreting basic data relevant to U.S. Government and Politics
The students in this college level intensive course complete a study of the formal and informal structures and
institutions of government along with a study of the processes of the American political system and an
emphasis on policy-making and implementation. This course explores the political theory and everyday
practice that direct the daily operations of the United States government and shape its public policies. The
objectives of this class go beyond a basic analysis of the way the U.S. government functions. Students develop
a critical understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the American political system, as well as their
rights and responsibilities as citizens.
II. COMPARATIVE GOVERNMENT - COURSE OVERVIEW AND DESCRIPTION
The Advanced Placement Comparative Government and Politics course is intended to provide students with an
opportunity to critically examine different political and governmental realities in various regions of the world.
In the twenty-first century, globalization has become a central theme in our daily lives as we are impacted by
events far removed from our neighborhood, state, and nation. It is vital for students to develop an
understanding of the diverse political structures and practices at work in the world today. With this in mind,
the course focuses on six core countries and the realms in which they operate: Great Britain, Russia, China,
Iran, Mexico and Nigeria. As each country is examined, we analyze and evaluate the topical areas of
methodology, power, institutional structures, civil society, political and economic change and public policy.
III. GRADING, HOMEWORK AND ASSESSMENT
As a rigorous AP course, the students have nightly homework assignments, primarily reading assignments out
of the textbook and supplemental materials and selected current event articles. In addition, the students can
expect regular, weekly quizzes based upon the reading assignments. Each student completes Chapter tests and
Unit Tests which include analytical multiple-choice questions and free response questions. The students also
complete several research projects during the school year.
IV. SUMMER ASSIGNMENTS:
Each student must complete the following assignments over the summer of 2012:
1. Textbook Reading & Outlining
a. Read and Outline US Government Textbook Chapter 1, The Study of American
Government, pages 1- 15.
b. Read and Outline US Government Textbook Chapter 2, The Constitution and Liberty,
pages 16- 46.
c. As this is an election year, Read and Outline US Government Textbook Chapter 10,
Elections and Campaigns, pages 230 – 263.
The link to the text of the reading is here...
http://npsdmoodle.mciu.org/mod/resource/view.php?id=6756
Students must sign into this link with their North Penn user name and password. If you cannot
log in, it is your responsibility to pick up these materials at the NPHS office.
2. Federalist Paper No. 51 Essay
a. Using the internet (or textbook appendix pgs. A26-A29 if you checked out a textbook),
read The Federalist No. 51. Once you have completed the reading, write an informative
essay (of not more than 300 words) summarizing, in your own words, the main idea
and supporting details of the piece.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed51.asp
3. U.S. Constitution Annotations
a. Using the internet (or textbook appendix pgs. A4-A20 if you checked out a textbook),
read the U.S. Constitution. Once you have read the Constitution, complete the
Annotations assignment included in the packet below. The goal is to actually read the US
Constitution, the foundation of all politics in America. You will refer to your Annotated
Constitution throughout the 1st semester. It is imperative that you understand the
Constitution in order to be successful in this course.
http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/usconst.asp
4. Vocabulary
a. Study the Chapter 1 Vocabulary Terms included in the packet below.
You will be tested on these assignments upon your return to school so be ready.
SUMMER ASSIGNMENT DUE DATES:
 Outlines, Annotations, and Essays Due
 Unit I Vocabulary Quiz
 Constitution Test
Tuesday, 9/4/12
Thursday, 9/6/12
Monday 9/10/12
All of these assignments in addition to supplemental information and links to current events stories
about the core countries are available on teacher webpages. You are encouraged to consult these sites.
 www.npenn.org
 Select North Penn High School from the drop-down menu
 Click on Teacher WebPages and go to either Mr. Brumbaugh or Mr. Haley
Have a great summer. We look forward to working with you next year. If you have any questions, please feel
free to e-mail questions or messages to the teachers at
HALEYBJ@NPENN.ORG or brumbafs@npenn.org .
Name_____________________________________
ANNOTATED US CONSTITUTION
ASSIGNMENT: MAKE YOUR OWN ANNOTATED VERSION OF THE US CONSTITUTION.
QUESTION
ANSWER
I. PREAMBLE
1. Identify the 6 purposes of
the Founding Fathers in
creating the new US
Constitution in 1787.
ARTICLE I
2. What do we call the
Legislative Branch of the
US?
3. Describe the organization of
the legislative branch.
4.
What part of Congress is
covered in Section 2?
5.
What is the Term of Office
for the House of
Representatives?
What are the 3 qualifications
for the House of Reps?
6.
7.
8.
9.
10.
11.
12.
13.
Which entity decides on how
many seats / members there
are in the House?
How does a vacancy get
filled before the end of a
term?
What is the title of the
leader of the House?
What role does the House
play in the Impeachment
process?
How many members are
there in the US Senate?
What is the term of office
for the US Senate?
How are the Senate elections
set up?
14. How did the 17th
Amendment change the
process of selecting
Senators?
15. What are the 3
qualifications for being a US
Senator?
16. Who is the President of the
Senate?
17. What voting power does the
President of the Senate have?
LEGISLATIVE BRANCH
18. Who presides over the
Senate when the President is
not present?
19. What role does the Senate
play in the Impeachment
process?
20. Which government official
presides over a Senate
Impeachment trial of the
President?
21. What vote % is needed in
the Senate to punish an
official who has been
impeached?
22. Which governmental entity
sets the time, place and
manner of Congressional
elections?
23. What number of members
has to be present in order for
Congress to conduct
business?
24. Which entity makes the
rules of operation for a
House and punishes its
members?
25. What vote is needed to expel
a member of Congress?
26. Who sets the salary of
members of Congress?
27. Which House gets to handle
Bills for revenue?
28. What is the final step before
a Bill becomes a Law?
29. Describe the Veto Process
30. What % vote is needed to
override a Presidential Veto?
31. How many days does a
President have to act on a
Bill before it automatically
becomes a law?
32. LIST THE TOP 10 MOST
IMPORTANT POWERS OF
CONGRESS IN ARTICLE I
SECTION 8!!!!!!! Put them
in your own words
33. What is the significance of
Article I, Section 8, Clause
18?
34. What limitations are placed
on Congress in Article I,
Section 9?
35. What restrictions are placed
on the states under Article I,
Section 10?
ARTICLE II
36. Where is all executive power
vested?
37. What is the term of office for
a US President?
38. What are the qualifications
for being President?
39. Can the President’s salary be
reduced during his time in
office? Why?
40. What does the President
pledge to protect in the oath
said during his
Inauguration?
41. What are the military
powers of the President?
LIST
42. What are the judicial powers
of the President?
LIST
43. What powers does the
President have as a result of
being the head of the
Executive Branch?
LIST
44. What are the legislative
powers of the President?
LIST
THE EXECUTIVE BRANCH
45. What foreign policy powers
does the President have?
LIST
46. What are the grounds for
Impeachment of an elected
official?
ARTICLE III
47. What is the name of the
highest judicial authority in
the US?
48. Which governmental entity
gets to create the lower
federal courts?
49. What is the term of office for
the federal courts?
50. Can federal judges’ salaries
be lowered during their time
in office?
51. In which cases does the
Supreme Court have original
jurisdiction?
JUDICIAL BRANCH
52. Define Treason
53. What evidence is needed to
convict someone of treason?
54. Where is the power of
Judicial Review laid out?
ARTICLE IV
FEDERALISM / RELATIONS BETWEEN THE STATES AND THE
NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
55. List 3 examples of how the
States are required to
cooperate together in our
federal system.
ARTICLE V
56. What vote is needed to
propose a new Amendment
to the US Constitution?
57. What vote is needed to ratify
a new Amendment to the
Constitution?
ARTICLE VI
58. What is the supreme law of
the land?
The amendment process
AMENDMENTS
59. What are the 5 freedoms
contained in the 1st
Amendment?
60. What is protected in the 2nd
Amendment?
61. What protection is
guaranteed to all Americans
in the 4th Amendment?
62. What is needed in order to
grant a search warrant?
63. What 5 protections are set
out in the 5th Amendment?
64. What are the 6 protections
set out for criminal
defendants in the 6th
Amendment?
65. What does the 8th
Amendment guarantee and
protect us from?
66. Why is the 9th Amendment
one of the most important
but little remembered
Amendments?
67. Why is the 10th Amendment
considered to set out the
RESERVED POWERS?
68. Why does Al Gore hate the
12th Amendment?
69. What does the 13th
Amendment do?
70. Summarize the 14th
Amendment
71. What does the 15th
Amendment do?
72. What does the 16th
Amendment do?
73. What does the 17th
Amendment do?
AMENDMENTS
74. How did the 19th
Amendment change
America?
75. Why is the 21st Amendment
important? Try to think a
little deeper here!
76. How did the 22nd
Amendment change
American politics?
77. Who finally benefited from
the 23rd Amendment?
78. How did the 24th
Amendment actually make
the 15th Amendment mean
something?
79. Summarize the Succession
Rules of the 25th Amendment
80. Who benefitted from the 26th
Amendment?
CHAPTER 1 VOCABULARY TERMS
1. Government - the institution / people through which a nation / state maintains social
order, provides public services, and enforces its decisions on the people.
2. Anarchy – the absence of government
3. Aristocracy – The privileged upper class – A government ruled by the upper class
minority. The nobility
4. Authority – The right to use power
5. Legitimacy – Political authority conferred by law or by a state or national constitution
6. Autocracy – Government by one – Any form of government in which one person
possesses unlimited power
7. Balanced Government – A government in which the power is distributed among
different sections, people or groups – A government with limits on its exercise of power
8. Limited Government – A government in which the power is limited or restricted by a
written constitution.
9. Capitalism - An economic system characterized by private ownership of property,
competitive markets, economic incentives, and limited government involvement in the
production and pricing of goods and services
10. Communism - Economic and political system in which property, resources and goods
are all owned and controlled by the government and the products are shared by all
citizens equally
11. Command Economy - A system in which the government makes all of the economic
decisions
12. Socialism - An economic and governmental system based on public ownership of the
means of production and exchange.
13. Democratic-Socialism – An economic system in which people have basic human rights
and some control over government officials through free elections and multiparty
systems, but the government owns the basic means of production and makes most of the
economic decisions
14. Consensus - general agreement - the judgment arrived at by most of those concerned
15. Constitution - the basic principles and laws of a nation, state, or social group that
determine the powers and duties of the government and guarantee certain rights to the
people in it / a written instrument embodying the rules of a political or social
organization
16. Constitutional Law – The supreme law of the land – Laws relating to the interpretation
of and application o the Constitution
17. Constitutionalism – A theory of government in which the country operates pursuant to a
written constitution
18. Constitutional Democracy – A democratic form of government in which the rulers are
limited by a written constitution
19. Constitutional Government – See above #18
20. Democracy – The rule of the many - A government in which the people have the
sovereign power - A government by the people, either directly or indirectly, with free and
frequent elections
21. Direct Democracy or Pure Democracy or Participatory Democracy – A form of
democratic government in which all citizens exercise the power and participate in the
day-today operations and come together to discuss issues and to pass laws. A
government in which all or many citizens participate on a daily basis
22. Initiative – Process that lets voters put legislative matters or proposals for amendments
to a state constitution directly on the ballot for citizen approval
23. Referendum – The citizens veto – a procedure enabling voters to reject a measure passed
by a state legislature
24. Recall – A procedure whereby voters can remove an elected official from office prior to
the expiration of their term
25. Indirect Democracy or Representative Democracy or Republic - A form of
democratic government that derives its powers indirectly from the people. The people
exercise their power by electing representatives to run the day-to-day operations of the
government. A form of government in which leaders get power and then make decisions
by winning a competitive struggle for the popular vote.
26. Dictatorship - autocratic rule, control, or leadership - a form of government in which
absolute power is concentrated in a single leader who took power by force A government
organization or group in which absolute power is so concentrated in one place - a
despotic state
27. Totalitarian - Any form of government which tries to exercise complete control over the
lives of the people – control over the social, political and economic
28. Fascism – Like Italy under Mussolini and Germany under Hitler – It is any form of
government that tries to be totalitarian and to control all aspects of the political, social
and economic matters.
29. Monarchy – Rule by a King or Queen 30. Absolute Monarchy - A king/queen/emperor who has complete and unlimited power of
the people
31. Divine Right – sovereignty or the right to rule comes from GOD or some supreme
(intelligent) being
32. Constitutional Monarchy – One who shares governmental powers with elected
legislatures or serves mainly as a ceremonial leader or figurehead for the government
33. Majority – One more than half
34. Majority Rule – Government matters are decided by the will of the most citizens or 1
more than half of the citizens
35. Plurality / Plurality Rule – An electoral system in which the winner is the person who
gets the most votes, even if he or she does not get a majority – This system is used in all
U.S. elections
36. Oligarchy - Government by a few people - government by the few
a government in which a small group exercises control especially for corrupt and selfish
purposes
37. Politics – The art of running a government – of trying to influence the government to
adopt some specific policy position
38. Popular Consent – A theory of sovereignty – the idea that sovereignty is consented to by
the people. The people give their consent and approval to the government and the
leaders.
39. Sovereignty – the right to rule - where does the government get its right or power to rule
– the supreme and absolute authority within a territory
40. Popular Sovereignty – the right to rule comes form the people
41. Statism – Theory or view that the state is dominate and most important and not the
individual – the opposite of individualism
42. Theocracy – Any form of government controlled by religious ideas and religious leaders
43. Unitary System - A constitutional arrangement in which all power is concentrated in a
central or national government
44. Federal System or Federalism - A constitutional arrangement whereby power is
distributed between a central / national government and subdivisional governments at the
state and local level. Each level of government exercises direct authority over the people.
45. Confederation or Confederacy - A constitutional arrangement in which sovereign nations,
by compact or agreement, create a central government but carefully limit its power and
do not give it direct authority over the people.
46. Bureaucratic View – View that government and public policy is dominated by appointed
government officials.
47. Elite – A person who possesses a disproportionate share of some valued resource, like
money or power.
48. Elitism – A theory about how political power and public policy is enacted in America.
Belief that a few individuals possess a majority of the power and influence. The actual
distribution of political power depends on the composition of political elites who are
involved in the struggle over policy.
49. Political Elite – A person with a disproportionate share of political power
50. Power Elite / Power Elite View – View that the government is dominated by a few top
leaders, such as corporate leaders, military leaders and key political leaders – most of
whom are outside of government.
51. Majoritarian Politics – Theory that legitimate political authority expresses the will of
the majority of those subject to the government’s authority. Majority rule is the key.
Elected officials are delegates of the people, acting as the people (or a majority thereof)
would act were the matter put to a popular vote. One side effect – a policy in which
almost everyone benefits and almost everyone pays the costs.
52. Marxist View – The view that government in American is dominated by the group that
wins that economic battle- namely the capitalists
53. Pluralism / Pluralistic View – The belief that competition among all affected interest
groups shapes public policy.
54. Hyperpluralism – Pluralism on speed – It is when there are too many interest groups
pushing and pulling on politicians and then nothing gets accomplished and public policy
is never finished
55. Power – The ability of one person (or a group) to cause another person (or group) to act
in accordance with the first person’s intent.
56.
Political Power – The ability of one person (or a group) to cause another person (or
group) to act in accordance with the first person’s intent in terms of political issues.