ap gov summer assignment

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AP Government Summer Assignment

To prepare for the upcoming school year, you will complete a summer assignment designed to familiarize you with foundational elements of the U.S. Constitution, landmark Supreme Court cases, and key foundational documents. This assignment aligns with the latest AP Government Course

How to Complete this Assignment

There are several ways that you can complete this assignment. I would recommend dedicating a spiral notebook for all your AP Government notes. These should be the first entries in your notebook. You will not need to submit this assignment but you will be tested over each of these components during the first week of school.  

Memorize these Amendments

You need to understand and memorize the following amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

• 1st: Freedom of speech, religion, press, assembly, and petition.
• 2nd: Right to bear arms.
• 3rd: No quartering of soldiers.
• 4th: Protection against unreasonable searches and seizures.
• 5th: Rights in criminal cases, including due process and protection against self-incrimination.
• 6th: Right to a fair trial.
• 7th: Right to a jury trial in civil cases.
• 8th: Protection against cruel and unusual punishment.
• 9th: Rights retained by the people.
• 10th: Powers reserved to the states.
• 13th: Abolition of slavery.
• 14th: Equal protection under the law and due process.
• 15th: Right to vote regardless of race.
• 17th: Direct election of senators.
• 19th: Women's suffrage.
• 24th: Abolition of poll taxes.
• 26th: Right to vote at age 18.need to succeed.

Required Supreme Court Cases

You need to understand and memorize the key facts and the majority decision for the following landmark Supreme Court cases.

• Established the principle of judicial review, allowing the Supreme Court to declare laws unconstitutional.
• Confirmed the supremacy of federal over state law and upheld the constitutionality of the national bank.
• Established the "clear and present danger" test, limiting free speech during wartime.
• Protected freedom of the press by ruling that the government could not prevent the publication of the Pentagon Papers.
• Affirmed students' right to free speech in schools, stating that students do not "shed their constitutional rights at the schoolhouse gate."
• Prohibited state-sponsored prayer in public schools as a violation of the Establishment Clause.
• Held that requiring Amish children to attend school past the eighth grade violated their religious freedom.
• Guaranteed the right to an attorney for criminal defendants in state courts under the Sixth Amendment.
• Incorporated the Second Amendment right to bear arms to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment.
• Limited Congress's power under the Commerce Clause by ruling that the Gun-Free School Zones Act exceeded federal authority.
• Established the principle of "one person, one vote," ensuring equal representation in legislative districts.
• Addressed racial gerrymandering, ruling that race cannot be the predominant factor in creating electoral districts.
• Allowed unlimited independent political expenditures by corporations and unions under the First Amendment.
• Declared racial segregation in public schools unconstitutional, overturning the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Required Foundation Documents

You need to understand and memorize the main ideas of the following foundational documents.

• Articulated the colonies' reasons for declaring independence from Britain, emphasizing natural rights and the social contract theory.
• Established the first governing document of the United States, which created a weak central government and gave significant power to the states.
• Created a stronger federal government with a system of checks and balances, separation of powers, and a framework for federalism.
• An Anti-Federalist essay that argued against the ratification of the Constitution, warning that a strong central government could threaten individual liberties.
• Written by James Madison, it argued for the ratification of the Constitution by explaining how a large republic could better control factions and protect minority rights.
• Also by James Madison, it explained the importance of checks and balances and the separation of powers in preventing any one branch of government from becoming too powerful.
• Written by Alexander Hamilton, it argued for a single, energetic executive to ensure accountability and effective governance.
• By Alexander Hamilton, it defended the judiciary's role, emphasizing the importance of judicial review and life tenure for judges to ensure independence.
• Written by Martin Luther King Jr., it defended the strategy of nonviolent resistance to racism and argued that individuals have a moral duty to break unjust laws.

Submission Date

You will not be turning in anything for this assignment . Instead, I want you to become familiar with the topics above, specifically the brief descriptions posted with each of them. We will dive in to each topic throughout the course in much more detail but coming in with a general idea of what these things are will definitely help your understanding and learning in the classroom when we get to these topics. That is what this assignment helps students do. 

You will have 3 short quizzes (amendments, court cases, & docs) over these topics during the first 2 weeks of school. A good way to memorize these topics is by writing them down repeatedly, making notecards, study groups, custom made quizlet, etc. Do whatever works for you. Happy studying!

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AP United States Government and Politics

Ap u.s. government and politics course and exam description.

This is the core document for this course.

Updates for 2023-24

Starting in the 2023-24 school year, AP U.S. Government and Politics will have an updated course framework and instructional materials.

Course Overview

AP U.S. Government and Politics is an introductory college-level course in U.S. government and politics. Students cultivate their understanding of U.S. government and politics through analysis of data and text-based sources as they explore topics like constitutionalism, liberty and order, civic participation in a representative democracy, competing policy-making interests, and methods of political analysis.

Course and Exam Description

This is the core document for this course. Unit guides clearly lay out the course content and skills and recommend sequencing and pacing for them throughout the year.

Course Resources

Ap u.s. government and politics course overview.

This resource provides a succinct description of the course and exam.

AP U.S. Government and Politics Course at a Glance

Excerpted from the AP U.S. Government and Politics Course and Exam Description, the Course at a Glance document outlines the topics and skills covered in the AP U.S. Government and Politics course, along with suggestions for sequencing. It was updated in the summer of 2023.

AP U.S. Government and Politics CED Scoring Guidelines

This document details how each of the sample free-response questions in the course and exam description (CED) would be scored. It was updated in the summer of 2023.

AP U.S. Government and Politics CED Scoring Rubric: Argument Essay

This document features general scoring criteria that apply to Free-Response Question 4: Argument Essay, regardless of specific question prompt. It was updated in the summer of 2023.

Course Content

This course framework describes the course requirements necessary for student success and specifies what students should know and be able to do. The framework also encourages instruction that prepares students for advanced political science coursework and active, informed participation in our constitutional democracy.

The AP U.S. Government and Politics framework is organized into five commonly taught units of study that provide one possible sequence for the course. As always, you have the flexibility to organize the course content as you like.

The AP U.S. Government and Politics framework included in the CED outlines distinct skills that students should practice throughout the year—practices that will help them learn to think and act like political scientists.

AP and Higher Education

Higher education professionals play a key role in developing AP courses and exams, setting credit and placement policies, and scoring student work. The AP Higher Education section features information on recruitment and admission, advising and placement, and more.

This chart  shows recommended scores for granting credit, and how much credit should be awarded, for each AP course. Your students can look up credit and placement policies for colleges and universities on the  AP Credit Policy Search .

Meet the Development Committee for AP U.S. Government and Politics.

The AP Program is unique in its reliance on Development Committees. These committees, made up of an equal number of college faculty and experienced secondary AP teachers from across the country, are essential to the preparation of AP course curricula and exams.

AP U.S. Government and Politics Development Committee