Reviewing these topics should give you an edge on the exam. The Top 21 AP US Topics NOTE: There is a tremendous variety of potential topics the College Board could choose from to make the AP US Government Exam. However, they have often stuck with the same themes. Taken together, twenty-one topics have been used in 1/3rd of all multiple choice and 1/4th of all free response questions. Reviewing these topics should give you an edge on the exam.

The Incumbency Advantage It’s more likely to help members of the House of Representatives than it is the Senate. “Pork Barrel Politics” help make it work. Franking privileges help make it work. This is the single most important factor in determining the outcome of congressional elections.

Federalism The “Supremacy Clause” plays a part. The procedure for amending the Constitution highlights the importance of this. It decentralizes political conflict, provides interest groups with multiple points of access, and creates opportunity for experimentation in public policy. The necessary and proper clause, commerce clause, Civil Rights Act of 1964, categorical grants, and federal mandates have all increased the power of the national government relative to that of the state government. It defines the relationship between central government and regional governments.

Selection of Supreme Court Justices This process illustrates the system of checks and balances. Candidates are selected on the basis of their credentials and racial, ethnic, and gender characteristics. Some of those selected operate on a philosophy of judicial restraint; meaning that they look to the framers original intent to decide cases. Some work those selected operate on a philosophy of judicial activism; meaning the court must address injustices when other branches fail to do so.

The Electoral College System This is a winner-take-all system which makes it difficult for third party candidates. This system encourages campaigning in the most populous states. The system benefits small states . If none of the presidential candidates receives a majority of electoral votes, the selection process moves to the House of Representatives where each state is given one vote. The president and vice president are not elected by a direct vote of the people.

African Americans and Voting Patterns This group has consistently supported the Democratic Party since the New Deal. This group tends to support the more liberal candidates within the Democratic Party. Several studies have demonstrated that when the effects of income and education are eliminated, this group votes at a higher rate than white voters.

Voter Turnout It is lower in the US than in most Western democracies. People with more education are more likely to participate. People with more income are more likely to participate. Older people are more likely to do participate than younger people. Women are more likely to participate than men. Low levels of political efficacy and voter registration reduce participation.

Divided Government This heightens partisanship, slows the legislative process, and reduces public trust in the government. Presidents have attempted to overcome this by going to the media, threatening vetoes, and trying to build coalitions with key interest groups. This occurs when the President and the Congress are from different parties.

Political Action Committees (PACs) The amount of money that one of these can directly contribute to an individual candidate is limited by law. Business _____ have dramatically increased in number since the 1970s. They play a significant role in supporting members of the House of Representatives.

The Veto Power This power is a major executive check on Congress’s power. Most state governors can exercise a line-item version of this power. If the president doesn’t sign a bill and Congress is not in session the bill will die after 10 days. This is a “pocket” version of this power. 1996, Congress gave the president a line-item version of this power. However, in Clinton v. City of New York, the Supreme Court ruled that the power violated the principle of separation of powers.

The President’s Cabinet Leaders of this group often have divided loyalties. They are loyal to the president but also to the institutional goals of their own group. Presidents often experience difficulty in controlling this group because its members form iron triangles with interest groups and congressional committees. The president appoints the heads of this group but they are subject to Senate approval. However, the President can fire them without Senate approval.

Presidential Primaries These have weakened party control over the nomination process. If it is “closed”, voters can only cast a vote for the party they are registered to. People who vote in these are often older and more affluent than the general electorate. Frontloading is a recent pattern of states holding these events in early February and March to capitalize on media attention.

Standing Committees and the Seniority System These are permanent bodies which promote specialized policy expertise among their members Most bills are killed here. In the past, leadership of these bodies was based on a seniority system. Now there are elections but seniority still plays a major factor. Most of these groups are divided into subcommittees. The House Rules Committee is one of, if not the most, powerful of these. They place bills on the calendar, determines the types of amendments allowed, and sets time for debate.

Federalist Number 10 This document put forward the argument that political factions were undesirable but inevitable. This document refuted the commonly held belief that a republican form of government would only work in a small compact territory. He argued that a large country would fragment political power and thus curb the threat posed by both majority and minority factions. This document was written by James Madison to encourage ratification of the new constitution.

The Fourteenth Amendment This voided the decision in the Dred Scott case. The Due Process clause of this forbids a state from acting in an unfair or arbitrary way. The Equal Protection clause of this forbids a state from discriminating against or drawing unreasonable distinctions between persons. The doctrine of Selective Incorporation extends most of the requirements of the Bill of Rights to the states.

Political Socialization The Process by which political values are formed and passed from one generation to the next. Family is the most important agent for this process. Parents usually pass their party identification to their children.

Critical Election The presidential elections of 1800, 1860, and 1932 are examples of these. This is an election in which groups of voters change their traditional patterns of party loyalty. This is an election which triggers a party realignment in which the minority party displaces the majority party, thus ushering in a new party era.

Supreme Court Cases Most of these come through appellate jurisdiction. Nearly all reach the court through writ of certiorari. The Rule of Four is used when determining which of these to hear. Most lower court appeals are never heard.

The Mass Media This plays a key role in affecting which issues the public thinks are most important. This involves “horse-race journalism” which is the tendency to focus on polls. This tends to focus on personalities and sound bites rather than in-depth analysis of key issues.

The Articles of Confederation This established a decentralized system of government in the United States. This established a government that had limited powers over the states. This created a unicameral Congress that lacked the power to levy taxes or regulate interstate trade.

State Legislatures These groups determine the boundary lines of congressional districts. These groups can ratify constitutional amendments with a three-fourths vote. In the original Constitution, these groups chose U.S. senators; a practice ended by the 17th Amendment.

Federalist Number 51 This outlined the system of divided government proposed in the new constitution. It explained the branches and system of checks and balances. Written by James Madison to convince skeptics to ratify the Constitution.