AP United States Government and Politics
Summer Assignment 2015
Ms. Bouton
Deadline: August 31, 2015
Completed work will be due via email to Ms. Bouton on or before August 31, 2015.
This is a non-negotiable deadline and failure to follow directions, submit work on time,
or complete the assignments thoroughly will result in removal from the course.
The three assignments will be graded based on the following criteria: correct answers,
completion, and thoughtful analysis. This grade will count as the first graded assignment
of the fall term. Students should also expect to participate in discussions and take a test
during the first week of class.
Assignment #1
The U.S. Constitution: A Study Guide
http://constitutioncenter.org
Purpose: A solid foundation and understanding of the three branches of government,
their functions, as well as the U.S. Constitution is vital to success in this course. This
assignment will provide a framework to examine and interpret the U.S. Constitution.
(Preamble, Articles, Amendments) Record your answers on the handouts provided. We
will discuss the Constitution during the first week and take a test on this information. You
will be expected to print your work for your notebook.
Assignment #2
Landmark Supreme Court Cases: An Overview
http://www.oyez.org
Purpose: Research the list of cases listed below. Create a log in which you record the
following information for each case:
1. What is the “constitutional question” that is brought up by the case?
2. Background information/What is the case about?
3. What was the opinion of the court? What precedent was set? What are the impacts/long
term results of the decision?
The log should be typed. Expect a test during the first two weeks of class and be prepared
to see the cases mentioned and discussed throughout the course.
List of Cases
1. McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
2. Gibbons v. Ogden (1824)
3. Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
4. Gitlow v. New York (1925)
5. Korematsu v. United States (1944)
6. Brown v. Board of Education, Topeka (1954)
7. Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
8. Engle v. Vitale (1962)
9. Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
10. Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
11. Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
12. Lemon v. Kurtzman (1973)
13. Roe v. Wade (1973)
14. U.S. v. Nixon (1974)
15. Buckley v. Valeo (1976)
16. Greg v. Georgia (1976)
17. Regents of California v. Bakke (1978)
18. Hazelwood School District v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
19. Texas v. Johnson (1989)
20. Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey (1992)
21. U.S. v. Lopez (1995)
22. Veronia School District v. Acton (1995)
23. Clinton v. New York (1998)
24. Boy Scouts of America et al v. Dale (2000)
25. Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)
Assignment #3
Current Event Journal: Election Year Edition
Purpose: It’s election season! People are declaring their candidacy and vying for their
party’s nomination. All eyes are on November 2016. As we study this year, current events
will play an important role in understanding the workings of the U.S. Government, as
well as the political system.
You are to keep a typed journal of the major developments in regards to the 2016
Presidential Election. Write an entry each week, for a total of 8 entries. The articles must
pertain to any of the candidates and their various views on important campaign issues. I
have included a list of issues and news sources to help guide you, but you are not limited
to this list. I challenge you to read articles from different sources and on different
candidates to get a glimpse into how the media sources report the news. I also want you
to be familiar with as many of the candidates as possible before we begin class.
Please take notes of the following as you read the articles:
1. Source and title of news article and format (online, tv, print, etc.)
2. Summary of the story in your own words
3. Personal Comments or Questions (note any bias, if information is unclear, what you
still want to know)
News Sources:
Campaign Issues:
ABC News
BBC
Bloomberg
CBS News
CNN
The Economist
FOX News
The Guardian
The Huffington Post
NBC News
The New Yorker
The New York Times
National Public Radio
PBS
The Wall Street Journal
The Washington Post
Abortion
Budget and Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Environment
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Government Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Jobs
Principles and Values
Social Security
Tax Reform
War and Peace
Welfare and Poverty
Name _____________________________________________
The U.S. Constitution: A Study Guide
Part I: Read each section of the Constitution. Summarize the general purpose or subject
of the preamble and each article in your own words.
Preamble
Article I
Article II
Article III
Article IV
Article V
Article VI
Article VII
Using the articles, answer the following questions. Cite where you can find the answers.
For example, “Article I, Section1”.
1. What are the constitutional requirements for members of the House?
2. What are the constitutional requirements for members of the Senate?
3. What are the constitutional requirements for the president?
4. Identify two powers the Constitution prohibits from the States.
5. Who has the power to declare war?
6. Who is the president of the Senate and when may that person vote?
7. What legislative body has the power of impeachment? And which body has the power
to try an impeached official?
8. What vote is necessary to convict someone who has been impeached?
9. The Constitution lists (or enumerates) the powers of Congress. List six of them.
10. Identify two powers denied from Congress in the Constitution.
11. How does the House of Representatives determine the rules of proceedings?
12. Name three powers of the President.
13. What is the term of office for Supreme Court justices?
14. What are the two ways amendments to the Constitution can be proposed?
15. What fraction of the houses of Congress is necessary to approve a proposed
amendment?
16. What fraction of the states must approve a proposed amendment for it to be ratified?
17. According to the principle of checks and balances, each branch of the government
must have control over the other branches. Look at the first three articles of the
Constitution and identify one of each type of checks and balance. Remember to indicate
the section where each power is listed in the Constitution.
a. A power that the executive branch has over the legislative branch
b. A power that the executive branch holds over the judicial branch
c. A power that the legislative branch holds over the executive branch
d. A power that the legislative branch holds over the judicial branch
e. A power that the judicial branch holds over the executive branch
f. A power that the judicial branch holds over the legislative branch
18. If no candidate for the presidency wins a simple majority of the total electoral votes,
which body has the power to choose the president?
19. Where in the Constitution is the Electoral College mentioned?
20. Which bodies have the power to override a presidential veto? What margin is required
to override a veto?
21. Which body the power to ratify treaties? What margin is required to ratify a treaty?
Part II: Important Clauses
1.
Where is the “Commerce Clause” and what does it say?
2.
Where is the “Necessary and Proper Clause” and what does it say?
3.
Where is the “Supremacy Clause” and what does it say?
4.
How might these clauses above have impacted the power of the federal government?
5.
What is habeas corpus? Where is the habeas corpus clause and what does it say?
6.
Where are bills of attainders discussed and what does it say?
7.
What is a bill of attainder?
8.
Where are ex post facto laws discussed and what does it say?
9.
What is an ex post facto law?
10. Where is the full faith and credit clause and what does it say?
11. There are two “due process” clauses. Where are they? What does “due process” of law imply?
12. Where is the “equal protection clause”? What does this imply?
Part III: The Amendments to the Constitution
Outline the general purpose of all 27 amendments.
Amendment 1
Amendment 2
Amendment 3
Amendment 4
Amendment 5
Amendment 6
Amendment 7
Amendment 8
Amendment 9
Amendment 10
Amendment 11
Amendment 12
Amendment 13
Amendment 14
Amendment 15
Amendment 16
Amendment 17
Amendment 18
Amendment 19
Amendment 20
Amendment 21
Amendment 22
Amendment 23
Amendment 24
Amendment 25
Amendment 26
Amendment 27
Classifying Amendments: The purpose of a lot of the amendments to the U.S.
Constitution can be classified as voting rights, criminal rights, personal rights (rights that
protect citizens in their private lives), or structural changes (any changes made to solve a
problem in the organization of government. List the amendments in the appropriate
categories.
Voting Rights
Criminal Rights
Personal Rights
Structural Changes