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AP® U.S. Government and Politics

Basic & On Demand

Enrollment for Basic and On Demand courses is open on a rolling basis.

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Plus

Teachers can use the complete Plus course curriculum for flexible instruction.

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Course Summary

Acquire a deep understanding of the foundations and systems of the U.S. government in this non-partisan introductory course. Examine key political concepts, ideas, institutions, policies, and roles of the constitutional system and the political culture of the United States. In this course, students complete a research project and learn invaluable analytical skills through reading and interpreting data, making comparisons, and engaging in evidence-based arguments from Supreme Court decisions and U.S. foundational documents. 

This course prepares students for the AP® U.S. Government and Politics exam.

Curriculum

This is a 1-semester course.

Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy
  • The Basic Function of Government
  • American Democracy
  • Constitutional Foundations
  • The Declaration of Independence
  • Building the Constitution
  • The U.S. Constitution
  • The Basic Principles of the Constitution
  • Inside the Constitution
  • The Bill of Rights
  • Powers Divided
  • Evolution of Federalism
  • The Anti-Federalists and Brutus 1
  • The Federalist Papers
Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government
  • The House of Representatives
  • The Senate
  • Bills and Resolutions
  • Legislation to Law
  • The Nature of a President
  • Presidential Roles
  • The White House
  • The Budget
  • The Nature of the Bureaucracy
  • The Cabinet
  • Other Bureaucratic Bodies
  • Checks on the Bureaucracy
  • State and Local Courts
  • The Federal Court System
  • Historical Supreme Courts
  • The Nature of the Supreme Court
  • The Modern Supreme Court
Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights
  • Incorporation
  • Freedom of Religion
  • Freedom of Speech
  • Freedom of the Press
  • The Fourth Amendment
  • Due Process and Criminal Rights
  • The Civil Rights Movement
  • Civil Rights Legislation
  • Equality Before the Law
Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs
  • Political Participation
  • Party Identification
  • Politics, Polls, and the Press
Unit 5: Political Participation
  • The Two-Party System
  • Third Parties
  • Party Function and Structure
  • Political Party Eras
  • Voting Behavior and Intensity
  • Financing Elections
  • Congressional Elections
  • The Electoral College
  • Presidential Elections