AP Government Unit 1 Schedule
Unit 1: Chapter 2,4,5 (Constitution, Civil Rights and Civil Liberties)
**You will be responsible for integrating the specified reading of the chapters while also completing the assignments below** Periodic reading quizzes will be given (note quizzes)
**BLOGGING IS THE ONE WAY TO IMPROVE YOUR GRADE-- THE BLOG IS YOUR FRIEND**
BLOGGER OF THE WEEK-gets a homework pass! Blog site is: http://mrbrookshistory.proboards.com
Overriding Questions for Unit
1. How are the Courts responsible for social change/ civil rights?
2. How are the Courts responsible for changing federalism?
3. How are the Courts responsible for the expansion of civil liberties?
4. How has the role of the Court changed since the Founding?
Name: ______Hour: ___ AP Government – Mr. W.B. Brooks
# / Assignment Title / Due Date / Points PossibleU1HW1 / Read Chapter 2 and take notes (complete by end of 1st week) / N/A
U1HW2 / Read Chapters 4, 5 and take notes (complete by end of 2nd week) / N/A
U1HW3 / Post “Your Bio” on the Blog Site by the end of 2nd week. / 25
U1HW4 / Issue Outline « / 75
U1HW5 / Supreme Court Case « / 100
U1HW6
U1HW7
U1HW8 / Test Corrections (Only required for those that scored BELOW 80% on Unit Summative) / 25
U1CL1 / Reading Quiz (Only Over Textbook Chapters) / 50
U1CL2 / Pickney Article – “Invisible Black America” / 50
U1CL3 / Unit Summative / Exam (MC, FRQ, DBQ – Possible Formats) / 120
RJ / Unit Reading Journal (Completed By 3rd Day of Unit) / 50
RG / Reading Groups (Done In Class On Day Before Unit Exam) / 50
(Note: HW means “Homework” and CL means “Classwork.”) « Means Two HW Passes To Exempt
Unit 1 - Constitution, Civil Rights Liberties / Readings: Edwards, George C.,et all. Government in America: Chapter 2, 4 and 5Federalist papers #10, #51
U.S. Constitution
Areas of Study:
Ø Articles of Confederation & The Constitutional Convention
Ø Shay’s Rebellion
Ø Judicial Review
Ø Amending the Constitution & The Bill of Rights
Readings: Edwards, et. al., Chapters 2, 4 and 5
Relevant Washington Post, St. Louis Post-Dispatch, Time and wire service articles
Areas of Study:
Ø Scope of Judicial Power & The Federal Judicial System
Ø The Politics of Appointing Judges
Ø Supreme Court and its Operation
Ø Role of the Courts in Policy Process
Ø First Amendment and its clauses
Ø Property Rights and Privacy Rights
Ø Criminal and Due Process Rights
Ø Selective Incorporation
Ø Voting and Civil Rights & The Equal Protection Clause
Ø Affirmative Action
Assignments:
Ø See Assignments Above
After studying this Unit, students should be able to:
• Summarize the parallels between Locke’s writings and Jefferson’s language in the Declaration of Independence.
• Describe what Madison meant by “factions” and how he proposed to solve the problems presented by factions.
• Demonstrate what we mean by the “Madisonian model” and how it is incorporated within the Constitution.
• Describe the major issues between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists in the debates over ratification of the Constitution.
• Ascertain how constitutional changes—both formal and informal—continue to shape and alter the Madisonian system.
• Understand how the Constitution affects the scope of government in America.
• Examine how decisions of the Supreme Court have extended specific provisions of the Bill of Rights to the states as part of the incorporation doctrine.
• Describe how the two constitutional statements about religion and government—the establishment clause and the free exercise clause—may sometimes conflict.
• Establish why the Supreme Court will usually not permit prior restraint on speech and press.
• Explain why it has been so difficult for the courts to clearly define which types of materials are considered to be obscene.
• Differentiate between freedom of speech and related concepts such as symbolic speech and freedom of expression.
• Explain how specific provisions of the Bill of Rights have been used to extend basic rights to defendants in criminal trials.
• Ascertain how concepts such as a right to privacy can be inferred or implied from the Bill of Rights.
• Explain why civil liberties are seen as an individual’s protection against the government.
• Understand how civil rights have been used to extend more equality to groups that historically have been subject to discrimination.
• Analyze different interpretations of equality, such as equality of opportunity contrasted with equality of results.
• Explain how the Fourteenth Amendment guarantee of “equal protection of the laws” has been applied to the idea of equality.
• Show the significance of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and explain why efforts for civil rights legislation were finally successful in the mid-1960s.
• Explain why gay and lesbian activists may face the toughest battle for equality of any of America’s minority groups.
• Describe the opposing positions of those who favor affirmative action and those who claim that these policies simply create reverse discrimination.
• Determine how civil rights laws increase the scope and power of government.
From Unit I – Constitution, Civil Rights and Liberties (Chapters 2, 4, 5)
Name: ______Hour: ___ AP Gov’t & Politics – W.B. Brooks
U1HW # 4: ---ISSUE OUTLINE--- (75 Points)
“TO SUPPORT OR NOT TO SUPPORT, THAT IS THE ULTIMATE QUESTION.”
In our democracy today, there are a plethora of issues being discussed and debated. Seven of the most hotly contested issues are:
Affirmative Action, National Missile Defense System, Stem Cell Research, Nationalized healthcare, Preemptive Strike in Iran, Gays in the military and Same Sex Marriage.
In order to become an astute citizen it is important to keep abreast of the HOTTEST topics of the day. Therefore, you will complete this assignment and be on your way to becoming a political animal that is governmentally savvy.
Directions: Each person will choose one of the seven above topics to research. Then follow each step delineated in order to receive full credit for this assignment. Read all questions carefully and complete in an outline format.
(25 points in the homework category)
1. STEP ONE
Provide a paragraph definition (make sure this is in your own words and not plagiarized from someone else) or description of the critical issue at hand. Be sure that you make it clear that you fully understand the issue and its complexities.
2. STEP TWO
List at least two specific examples of your issue (i.e. how is it used, how will it be implemented)
3. STEP THREE
List at least three statements of agreement with your issue.
4. STEP FOUR
List at least three statements of disagreement with your issue.
5. STEP FIVE
State your position in an articulate and concise paragraph. One sentence must include a quote from a notable personality.
6. STEP SIX
Bibliography of at least three sources
Good luck and be sure that you fully understand your issue. You may be expected to go in front of the class and debate the issue with a peer. Or we may receive a special visit from Senator Brooks and then you would have to convince her to vote your way. In either case, just be able to articulate, debate and illustrate your argument.
U1HW# 5: Supreme Court Case (100 Points)
“Cause Judge Judy Says So” or “Singing’ with the Supremes”
An Advanced Placement Look at Recent Supreme Court Precedents
“We have vested in the Court broad authority to interpret the Constitution in the belief that unelected and therefore independent judges can wield powers of reasoning, imagination, and wisdom that will raise their decisions above the trade-offs of everyday politics and the naked act of voting. The method of their decision making is the irreplaceable source of the Justice’s legitimacy. Thus, when they disregard the traditions of law, invoke intellectually dishonest arguments, engage in glaring inconsistencies, and reduce their deliberations to the shallow calculus of five votes beats four, they call their own reason for being into question.
The enterprise of the Court, the process of constitutionalism, depends of the Justice’s ability to persuade us (and one another) that their choices among competing arguments, however imperfect, represent reasoned, dispassionate, honest attempts to decide cases in a principled way. We accept the imperfection- the certainty that judges will sometimes err or overstep their bounds- because we maintain faith that, in the run of things, better arguments will triumph over lesser one. And we depend on the judges themselves to undertake the process with a sense of self-doubt and humility that leaves open the constant possibility of reassessment and change.” Edward Lazarus, Closed Chambers, 1998
“We are a nation of laws not of men” President Ford, 8/9/74
Directions: Select a Supreme Court decision from the next page and complete the following tasks to receive full credit for this assignment:
(50 points in the homework category)
1. Provide a brief summary of the case. This should include a specific reference to a particular liberty guaranteed in the Bill of Rights at issue in the case.
2. In a simple sentence clearly state the precedent established in your case.
3.List the important Court data from your case. This should include the vote totals and the names of the Justices in the majority and minority.
4. Provide a critical passage from the majority opinion which clearly exemplifies the legal principle behind the decision of the case.
5. Provide a critical passage from the minority opinion which clearly exemplifies the opposing legal principle.
6. In a brief essay, no longer than a page, evaluate the Court’s precedent established in this case. Your essay should also evaluate the decision making process of the Supreme Court. Is it deliberative not afflicted by political predilections? Also address the following question, “are we a nation of laws” or “of men and women, 9 to be exact”?
7. Be prepared to present your findings to the class and record the findings of your classmates (This assignment will be a valuable resource later in the semester).
This should be a 3-4 sentence summary of the case, verdict and precedent established. This should NOT be a very lengthy paper.
Hints: The internet has become an incredible source for students of the Supreme Court. There are numerous sites which provide full text of major Supreme Court decisions. Five of the best are
http://www.law.cornell.edu http://www.findlaw.org www.fac.org www.landmarkcases.org www.oyez.com
However, various newspapers (www.washingtonpost.com, www.usatoday.com and www.nytimes.com) also provide valuable information regarding recent Supreme Court decisions.
Furthermore, the traditional library continues to serve as it has for 5,000 years. One excellent single-volume source is The Oxford Companion to the Supreme Court. You can also use Proquest in the library to search for pertinent articles.
“Judicial Supremacy?”
Highlights from the 2001-2007 Docket
1. Lawrence vs. Texas- Sodomy and 10th amendment
2. Roper v. Simmons- Outlawed the death penalty
3.Gonzales v. Raich- Medical Marijuana
4. Lockyer vs. Andrade/Ewing vs. California- 8th amendment and 3 strikes law
5. Atwater v. Lago Vista (2001)- 4th amendment (Search and Seizure)
6. Smith vs. Doe- Privacy and sexual offenders
7. Van Orden v. Perry- 10 Commandments
8. McCreary Country v. ACLU- 10 Commandments
9. Kelo v. City of New London- Eminent Domain and seizing private property
10. MGM Studios v. Grokster- File sharing
11. Sell vs. US- Mentally ill patients and force of psychosis medicine
12. Granholm v. Heald- Wine Shipments
13. Smith v. City of Jackson- Age Discrimination
14. Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education- Sex Discrimination
15. Spector v. Norwegian Cruise Line Ltd. - Disabilities and Cruise Liners
16. Johanns v. Livestock Marketing Association- “Beef, its what for Dinner”
17. Cutter v. Wilkinson- Religion and Prison
18. Bartnicki v. Vopper (2001)- Free Speech and press
19. Parents v. Seattle – Affirmative Action
20.Tenet v. Doe- Espionage and Suing the American government
21. City of Sherrill v. The Oneida Indian Nation - Indian Rights and Federal Treaties
22. Devenpeck v. Alford- 4th Amendment
23. Illinois v. Caballes - 4th Amendment
24. Johnson v. California- Prisons and Race
25. Madigan vs. Telemarketing Associates- Charity and misleading telemarketers
26. Good News Club vs. Milford Central School (2001)- Free Speech
27. Penry vs. Johnson (2001)- 8th Amendment-Prison and Cruel and Unusual Punishment
28. Garcetti v. Ceballos (May 30, 2006)- Gov’t Employees and Free Speech
29. Rumsfeld v. Forum for Academic and Institutional Rights (March 6, 2006)- Equal Access and Free Speech
30. Gonzales v. O Centro Espirita Beneficente Unias Do Vegetal- Religious Freedom and hoasca tea
31. Bringham City, Utah v. Stuart (May 22, 2006)- Warrantless searches
32. Georgia v. Randolph (March 22, 2006)- Warrantless searches
33. Clark v. Arizona (June 29, 2006)- Due Process and insanity test
34. Hudson v. Michigan (June 15, 2006)- Knock and Announce Search Warrants
35. Beard v. Banks (June 28, 2006)- Prison inmates and Denial of access to certain media
36. Hamdan v. Rumsfeld (June 29, 2006)- Separation of powers
37. Gonzales v. Oregon (January 17, 2006)- Federalism and Doctor Assisted suicide
38. Gonzales v. Carthart –Abortion Rights
39. Scott v. Victor (2007) High Speed Chases and 4th Amendment
Unit One Review Guide
Please read the chapters and use the following review guide to help you study for the unit test.
1. What was the principal goal of the American Revolution? What was the principal goal of the French Revolution?
2. Define natural rights. Why did the colonists believe they had a right to natural rights? How did they defend these natural rights?
3. Under the Articles of Confederation, issues such as the environment would be handled by?
4. What was the PRIMARY purpose of the Constitutional Convention of 1787?
5. Describe what Madison means when he states, “If men were angels, no government would be necessary.” What is he saying about the nature of man? How does that nature affect government?
6. What was the central issue in the framing of the US Constitution? (Hint* It was the major problem with the Articles of Confederation)
7. What was the Great Compromise? Why was it so great?
8. What was the goal of the framers of the Constitution?
9. What is the most common method to amending the Constitution? How does it reflect federalism? What is the effect of such an arduous process?