Pamela K. Lamb - 5 Steps to a 5: AP U.S. Government & Politics 2021

My love and appreciation to Mark H. Lamb for his constant support, encouragement, and belief in my abilities and in me. Without his collaboration, this book would never have been completed. Special thanks to Frances New for her suggestions and encouragement. To Derek James (DJ) New: May this book someday help you in your studies. To Wallace Good: may your love of political science continue to grow. To my AP Government and Politics colleagues and friends: Thanks for all the ideas you have shared over the yearsIll see you at the reading. To my students, past, present, and future: Thank you for the inspiration you give to all teachers.

I would also like to thank my editors, Grace Freedson and Del Franz for their support and patience in this rewrite.

There are thousands of sites on the web that may be related in some way to the study of government and politics. This is not a comprehensive list of all of these websites. It is a list that is most relevant to your preparation and review for the AP U.S. Government and Politics exam. It is up to you to log on to a site of interest to you and see for yourself what it offers and whether it will benefit you.

Since you are preparing for an Advanced Placement exam, go to the source as your first choice.

The College Boardhttp://www.collegeboard.com/ap/students/index.html

Here you will find:

Welcome page with student and parent information about AP

FAQs about AP, with frequently asked questions and answers

Benefits of AP for students, parents, and schools

Exam information, including a calendar of exams, fees, and exam day details

AP prep, with College Board resources, study skills, and test-taking tips

Subjects page, where you can view sample multiple-choice questions for each AP subject, sample free-response questions (with rubrics and student samples) for the past three years, the course description, and links to related sites

Other Government and Politics sites:

The White Househttp://www.whitehouse.gov

The House of Representativeshttp://www.house.gov

The Senatehttp://www.senate.gov

The U.S. Supreme Courthttp://www.supremecourtus.gov

Oyez Projecthttp://www.oyez.org

Each of these websites will lead you to many others. There are just too many to list here; in fact, there are hundreds of thousands of sites listed on the web.

I suggest you use your favorite search engine (I like http://www.google.com) and type in ADVANCED PLACEMENT GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS. From that point you can surf the Internet for sites that suit your particular needs or interests. You will have to take the time to explore the sites and evaluate their usefulness. Some AP teachers have created great sites with links to other sites that you may find of value.

Affirmative actionA policy designed to correct the effects of past discrimination; requirement by law that positive steps be taken to increase the number of minorities in businesses, schools, colleges, and labor.

Agenda settingThe process of forming the list of matters that policymakers intend to address.

AmendmentA revision or change to a bill, law, or constitution.

Amicus curiaebriefFriend of the court; interested groups may be invited to file legal briefs supporting or rejecting arguments of the case.

Anti-FederalistsOpposed the adoption of the U.S. Constitution because it gave too much power to the national government at the expense of the state governments and lacked a bill of rights.

Appellate jurisdictionGives the court authority to hear cases on appeal from the lower courts.

ApportionmentDistribution of representatives among the states based on the population of each state.

AppropriationsMoney granted by Congress or a state legislature for a specific purpose.

Article IIIEstablishes the Supreme Court and gives Congress the power to establish the lower (inferior) courts, provides that judicial compensation cannot be lowered during tenure, provides jurisdiction of the courts, and addresses treason and its punishment.

Articles of ConfederationThe first national constitution of the United States, which created a government lasting from 1781 to 1789; replaced by the current Constitution.

At-largeAll the voters of a state or county elect their representative.

Baker v. Carr(1961)The Supreme Court ruled that reapportionment challenges are not political questions if brought under the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

BenchmarkInitial poll on a candidate and issues on which campaign strategy is based and against which later polls are compared.

BicameralA legislature divided into two chambers; Congress has the Senate and the House of Representatives.

Bill of RightsThe first 10 amendments to the Constitution, guaranteeing certain rights and liberties to the people.

BillA law proposed by the legislature.

Bills of attainderFinding a person guilty of a crime without a trial; prohibited under the Constitution.

Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act (BCRA)banned the use of soft money in federal campaigns, placed limits on issue advertising, and increased the 1974 limits on individual and group contributions to candidates; also called McCain-Feingold.

Blanket primaryVoters may vote for candidates of either party.

Block grantMoney given to states for general programs within a broad category.

Brief ordersThe returning of a case to a lower court because a similar case was recently decided.

BriefLegal document submitted to the court setting forth the facts of a case and supporting a position.

Brown v. Board of Education(1954)Supreme Court decision that overturned Plessy v. Ferguson, ended legal segregation, stating that school segregation is unconstitutional.

Brutus No. 1Written by Anti-Federalist Robert Yates to convince the people of New York to not ratify the Constitution, suggesting that republics had to be small and homogeneousnot large and diverseto be successful and arguing that a Bill of Rights was a critical part in the protection of the peoples liberties.

BureaucracyA systematic way of organizing a complex, large, administrative structure with responsibility for carrying out the day-to-day tasks of the organization, departments, and agencies of the government.

Bureaucratic theoryThe hierarchical structure and standardized procedures of government allow bureaucrats to hold the real power over public policy; proposed by Max Weber.

CabinetGovernment departments headed by presidential appointees to help establish public policy and operate a specific policy area of governmental activity.

Candidate-centered campaignsElection campaigns and other political processes in which candidates, not political parties, have most of the initiative and influence.