AP U.S. Government and Politics

History

1. The use of primary and secondary sources of information includes an examination of the credibility of each source.
2. Historians analyze cause, effect, sequence and correlation in historical events, including multiple causation and long- and short-term causal relations.
3. The Declaration of Independence reflects an application of Enlightenment ideas to the grievances of British subjects in the American colonies.
4. Problems facing the national government under the Articles of Confederation led to the drafting of the Constitution of the United States. The framers of the Constitution applied ideas of Enlightenment in conceiving the new government.
5. The Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers structured the national debate over the ratification of the Constitution of the United States.
6. The Bill of Rights is derived from English law, ideas of the Enlightenment, the experiences of the American colonists, early experiences of self-government and the national debate over the ratification of the Constitution of the United States.
7. Following Reconstruction, old political and social structures reemerged and racial discrimination was institutionalized.
8. Following World War II, the United States experienced a struggle for racial and gender equality and the extension of civil rights.
9. Historical events provide opportunities to examine alternative courses of action.

Geography

1. The characteristics of regions change over time and there are consequences related to those changes (e.g., industrial belt to rust belt, pristine locations to tourist attractions, colony to independent state).
2. Regions are used as a basis to analyze global geographic issues (e.g., desertification, political disputes, economic unions).
3. Patterns of settlement change over time in terms of functions, sizes and spatial patterns (e.g., a canal town becomes an industrial city, a rural area becomes a transportation hub, cities merge into a megalopolis).

Government

1. The processes of persuasion, compromise, consensus building and negotiation contribute to the resolution of conflicts and differences.
2. As the supreme law of the land, the U.S. Constitution incorporates basic principles that help define the government of the United States as a federal republic including its structure, powers and relationship with the governed.
3. The Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers framed the national debate over the basic principles of government encompassed by the Constitution of the United States.
4. Constitutional government in the United States has changed over time as a result of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court decisions, legislation and informal practices.
5. The Bill of Rights was drafted in response to the national debate over the ratification of the Constitution of the United States.
6. The Reconstruction Era prompted Amendments 13 through 15 to address the aftermath of slavery and the Civil War.
7. Four amendments have provided for extensions of suffrage to disenfranchised groups.
8. In the United States, people have rights that protect them from undue governmental interference. Rights carry responsibilities that help define how people use their rights and that require respect for the rights of others.
9. Historically, the United States has struggled with majority rule and the extension of minority rights. As a result of this struggle, the government has increasingly extended civil rights to marginalized groups and broadened opportunities for participation.

Economics

History

1. The use of primary and secondary sources of information includes an examination of the credibility of each source.
2. Political debates focused on the extent of the role of government in the economy, environmental protection, social welfare and national security.

Geography

1. Properties and functions of geographic representations (e.g., maps, globes, graphs, diagrams, Internet-based mapping applications, geographic information systems, global positioning systems, remote sensing, geographic visualizations) affect how they can be used to represent, analyze and interpret geographic patterns and processes.
2. Criteria are used to organize regions and as the criteria change, the identified regions change (e.g., types of economic activities, ethnic groups, natural vegetation).
3. The characteristics of regions change over time and there are consequences related to those changes (e.g., industrial belt to rust belt, pristine locations to tourist attractions, colony to independent state).
4. Regions are used as a basis to analyze global geographic issues.
5. Globalization has cultural, economic, physical and political consequences (e.g., Internet access increases availability of information, outsourcing leads to regional unemployment, development impacts local ecosystems and economies, computer hacking into sensitive databases leads to insecurity).

Government

1. Opportunities for civic engagement with the structures of government are made possible through political and public policy processes.
2. Political parties, interest groups and the media provide opportunities for civic involvement through various means.
3. Issues can be analyzed through the critical use of information from public records, surveys, research data and policy positions of advocacy groups.
4. The processes of persuasion, compromise, consensus building and negotiation contribute to the resolution of conflicts and differences.
5. Constitutional government in the United States has changed over time as a result of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court decisions, legislation and informal practices.
6. Individuals and organizations play a role within federal, state and local governments in helping to determine public (domestic and foreign) policy.

Economics

1. Economists analyze multiple sources of data to predict trends, make inferences and arrive at conclusions.

Third Quarter: Branches of Government

History

1. The use of primary and secondary sources of information includes an examination of the credibility of each source.
2. Political debates focused on the extent of the role of government in the economy, environmental protection, social welfare and national security.

Geography

1. Human modifications of the physical environment in one place often lead to changes in other places (e.g., construction of a dam provides downstream flood control, construction of a city by-pass reduces commercial activity in the city center, implementation of dry farming techniques in a region leads to new transportation links and hubs).
2. Criteria are used to organize regions and as the criteria change, the identified regions change (e.g., types of economic activities, ethnic groups, natural vegetation).
3. Regions are used as a basis to analyze global geographic issues (e.g., desertification, political disputes, economic unions).

Government

1. Issues can be analyzed through the critical use of information from public records, surveys, research data and policy positions of advocacy groups.
2. The processes of persuasion, compromise, consensus building and negotiation contribute to the resolution of conflicts and differences.
3. Constitutional government in the United States has changed over time as a result of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court decisions, legislation and informal practices.
4. Law and public policy are created and implemented by three branches of government; each functions with its own set of powers and responsibilities. T
5. he political process creates a dynamic interaction among the three branches of government in addressing current issues
6. A variety of entities within the three branches of government, at all levels, address public policy issues that arise in domestic and international affairs.

Economics

1. Government actions, such as tariffs, quotas, subsidies, trade agreements and membership in multinational economic organizations, significantly impact international trade.

History

1. The use of primary and secondary sources of information includes an examination of the credibility of each source.
2. Political debates focused on the extent of the role of government in the economy, environmental protection, social welfare and national security.
3. The United States faced new political, national security and economic challenges in the post-Cold War world and following the attacks on September 11, 2001.

Government

1. Issues can be analyzed through the critical use of information from public records, surveys, research data and policy positions of advocacy groups.
2. The processes of persuasion, compromise, consensus building and negotiation contribute to the resolution of conflicts and differences.
3. Constitutional government in the United States has changed over time as a result of amendments to the U.S. Constitution, Supreme Court decisions, legislation and informal practices.
4. Five amendments have altered provisions for presidential election, terms and succession to address changing historical circumstances.
5. Amendments 16 through 19 responded to calls for reform during the Progressive Era.
6. The Ohio Constitution was drafted in 1851 to address difficulties in governing the state of Ohio
7. As a framework for the state, the Ohio Constitution complements the federal structure of government in the United States
8. The federal government uses spending and tax policy to maintain economic stability and foster economic growth. Regulatory actions carry economic costs and benefits.
9. The Federal Reserve System uses monetary tools to regulate the nation’s money supply and moderate the effects of expansion and contraction in the economy.