Summer Assignments

Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics Summer Assignment

Due:  First Day of School

I am quite excited to teach this class next year and am very glad you made the choice to enroll in Advanced Placement United States Government and Politics.  In order to start the year with some common language, conceptions, and understandings; I need you to complete these assignments over the course of the summer.  Please feel free to email me with any questions you might have about this work.  I do travel a lot in the summer, so if I don’t get back to you right away, I’m not ignoring you.  J  I look forward to getting to know you and explore the exciting world of United States Government and Politics with you next fall!

General Instructions:

Please email me so I may create a class email list and send you articles over the summer.

In your email tell me your name and that you are signing up for the list.  Please do this by June 22.  My email is meredith.elliott@comcast.net

  • Assignment #1:  Read and take notes (if desired and may be used on the current events quiz, certainly not required)
  • Assignment #2:  You must complete this assignment on your own.  When you each complete your own assignment, I can see your strengths and weaknesses from the beginning and adjust the course instruction to facilitate better comprehension by all students.

Assignment #1:  FOLLOW THE NEWS

Following the news over the summer will enhance your understanding of course concepts during the school year.  When you can see how the ideas we are learning in class have played out in actual events, it is much easier to understand the material and remember it for assignments and examinations!  And, knowledge of current events will enhance your explanation of concepts on the free response section of the Advanced Placement exam.  I may email you stories that I find interesting over the course of the summer.  Reading these articles or articles on these topics is strongly recommended.  However, there will be weeks at a time where I don’t send anything (like when I go to the communications blackout known as “Maine”) and I know the same will be happening to you.  So please, don’t just count on reading my articles and think that will do the job!

There will be a current events quiz on the first day of class.  You may use your current events notes if you took them on that quiz.

Ways to follow the news:

  1. Watch an evening news program.  NOT the local news, but the national news with Diane Sawyer, Katie Couric, or Brian Williams.  You want to be looking for political and governmental events.  The Newshour with Jim Lehrer is an excellent source, but many students find him dull.
  2. Read The Boston Globe.  Look at the front page section and the Metro / Region section.  Read the letters to the editor, they can be fascinating and shocking.  If you want to try something different try the Washington Post, the New York Times or the Wall Street Journal.
  3. Read the front page section of cnn.com, nytimes.com, or foxnews.com
  4. Watch C-SPAN and CSPAN-2 for coverage of the House of Representatives and the Senate.
  5. Read a weekly news magazine like Time (more conservative), Newsweek (more liberal), or U.S. News and World Report.
  6. Listen to a radio talk show.

Assignment #2: The Constitution (100 points)

Complete the Constitution Review Sheet.
  THE U.S. CONSTITUTION
Available at www.constitutioncenter.org

Name __________________________

Section ______  (you will fill this in on the first day of school)

Directions: Read the U.S. Constitution and complete the following questions directly on this handout.

PART I: THE OVERALL STRUCTURE OF THE CONSTITUTION
1. Read each article of the Constitution. Summarize the general purpose or subject of each article in one sentence in the chart below.

Article I


  
Article II


  
Article III


  

Article IV

  
Article V

  
Article VI

  
Article VII

  


2. Compare Article I with Article II. Which article is longer and more detailed?


3. Identify two powers denied from Congress in the Constitution.


4. How does the House of Representatives determine the rules of proceedings (the ability to have debates, riders, etc)?


5. Identify two powers the Constitution prohibits from the States.


6. What eligibility requirements does the Constitution establish for members of the House?


7. What eligibility requirements does the Constitution establish for members of the Senate?


8. What eligibility requirements does the Constitution establish for the President?


9. The powers of the Constitution that are specifically granted to the branches of government or to office holders are called express powers.
a. Identify two express powers of the President

b. What are the express powers of the Vice-President?

c. Identify two express powers of Congress

10. 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 balances. Indicate where each power is listed in the Constitution.
  •  Power that the executive branch has over the legislative branch: ___________________________________________
  •  Place found (article/section) ________________
  •  Power that the executive branch has over the judicial branch: _____________________________________________
  •  Place found (article/section) ________________
  •  Power that the legislative branch holds over the executive branch: _________________________________________
  •  Place found (article/section) ________________
  •  Power that the legislative branch holds over the judicial branch: ___________________________________________
  •  Place found (article/section) ________________
  •  Power that the judicial branch holds over the executive branch: ____________________________________________
  •  Place found (article/section) ________________
  •  Power that judicial branch holds over legislative branch:  ___________________________________________________
  •  Place found (article/section) ________________

11. The court of original jurisdiction is the first court that hears a case. Appellate courts hear cases on appeal from lower courts. Although the Supreme Court functions primarily as an appellate court, it is the court of original jurisdiction for certain kinds of cases. What are those?


12. According to Article I of the Constitution, who has the power to declare war?


12. What power does the Constitution give the President in the area of war?


 Part II: MAJORITY AND SUPERMAJORITY
The Constitution requires a simple majority for some actions and a supermajority for others. A simple majority means more than half, while supermajority requirements can involve a 2/3 majority or another type of majority. Most elections in the United States require a plurality, or the most votes, but not necessarily a majority.

1. What bodies have the power to override a presidential veto? _________________________________________________________
  
    What margin is required to override a presidential veto? ____________________________________________________________

    Where in the Constitution is the veto power described?______________________________________________________________

2.  What body has the power to ratify treaties? ______________________________________________________________________

     What margin is required to ratify treaties? _______________________________________________________________________

     Where in the Constitution is the ratification power described? _______________________________________________________

3. To impeach means “to bring charges against” or “to indict”.

    What body has the power to impeach the President? _______________________________________________________________

    Where in the Constitution is the impeachment power described? ______________________________________________________

4. What body has the power to convict the president of charges brought against him in the impeachment process and therefore removes him from the presidency? _________________________________________________________________________________
 
    What margin is required to convict and remove a president? _________________________________________________________

    Where in the Constitution is the impeachment power described? ______________________________________________________

5. What body has the power to accept or reject a president’s nominations to the Supreme Court? ______________________________

    What margin is required to elevate a president’s nominee to a seat on the Court? _________________________________________

   Where in the Constitution are judicial nominations described? _______________________________________________________

6. If no candidate for the presidency wins a simple majority of the total number of electoral votes, what body has the power to choose the president? __________________________________________________________________________________________

    What margin is required to choose the president? _________________________________________________________________

    Where in the Constitution is the Electoral College described? (There are 2 parts) _________________________________________

7.  The Constitution specifies a three-fourths majority for just one process? What?__________________________________________

8. The Constitution has comparatively little to say about the structure and composition of the Supreme Court. Identify two aspects of the Court’s structure and composition that the Constitution does not specify (The Constitution DOES specify these two basic aspects of structure and composition for the other two branches). ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

9. List all parts of the Constitution that require a supermajority. For each, explain why you think there is a supermajority requirement. ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

10. See Article VI. Explain the supremacy clause in your own words.      ________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

11. What are two ways to propose Amendments?  ___________________________________________________________________



12. What are two ways Amendments can be ratified? _________________________________________________________________


PART III: THE AMENDMENTS TO THE CONSTITUTION
Some parts of the Constitution require a simple majority, others a supermajority, while still others protect citizens from the will from the will of the majority. The first ten amendments to the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, protect citizens from the will of the majority. In other words, no majority could vote to take away those rights. Read each amendment and answer the questions below.

I. 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

  


1. Which amendment (s) of the Constitution protect the rights of women?


a.  Summarize what this amendment (s) of the Constitution says:


3. Which amendment(s) of the Constitution protect the rights of African Americans?


a. Summarize what this part(s) of the Constitution says:


5. How were U.S. Senators chosen before the Seventeenth Amendment?





6. Identify by number the amendments that
extended individual rights: ______________________________________________________________________________________

extended civil rights (including voting rights) _______________________________________________________________________

Prohibited certain practices by the States __________________________________________________________________________

Changed specific language in the Constitution ______________________________________________________________________


7. The Twenty-Fifth Amendment describes the sequence of events that would install the vice-president as acting president against the will of the president. Outline that sequence of events.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

8. How many times is the word privacy mentioned in the Constitution (articles and amendments)?


9. Identify two terms in the Constitution that you do not understand. Look up the meanings of the terms and define them here.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
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