AP Government summer assignment

Please purchase an AP study guide. Any one you purchase will probably be
fine, but the best one (in my estimation) is AP US Government and
Politics Crash Course by Larry Krieger, published by REA.
You will be tested on this information in the first weeks of the
semester:
1. Recent presidential history
a. The winners and losers and political party of each presidential candidate
from 1960-2008.

1960 - John F. Kennedy* (35th) Democratic,

Richard Nixon
Republican

1964- Lyndon B. Johnson (36th) Democratic, Barry Goldwater

Republican

1968- Richard Nixon (37th) Republican,

Hubert Humphrey
Democratic

1972- Richard Nixon (37th) Republican,

George McGovern
Democratic
a.
1974 - Gerald R. Ford (38th) (because of Watergate)

1976- Jimmy Carter (39th) Democratic, Gerald R. Ford Republican

1980- Ronald Reagan (40th) Republican, Jimmy Carter Democratic

1984- Ronald Reagan (40th) Republican, Walter Mondale

Democratic

1988- George H.W. Bush (41st) Republican,

Michael Dukakis
Democratic

1992- Bill Clinton (42nd) Democratic, George H.W. Bush Republican

1996- Bill Clinton (42nd) Democratic, Bob Dole Republican

2000- George W. Bush (43rd) Republican, Al Gore Democratic

2004- George W. Bush (43rd) Republican, John Kerry Democratic

2008- Barack Obama (44th) Democratic, John McCain Republican

b. The years in office for each president (this is simple for most presidents
the January after the November election. For JFK/LBJ and for Nixon/Ford,
though, the years are irregular)

John F. Kennedy (1960- 1963) / Lyndon B. Johnson (Nov. 1963- 1968)

Richard Nixon (1972- 1974) / Gerald Ford (1974-1976)

2. Current government officers
a. President Barack Obama
b. Vice President- Joe Biden
c. Secretary of State- John Kerry
d. Secretary of Defense- Ashton B. Carter
e. Speaker of House- John Boehner
f. Chief Justice- John Roberts
3. Basic details on Congress
a. # in House/Senate (House, 435 ; Senate, 100)
b. Length of terms (House, two or four years; Senate, six years)
c. # per state/how it is determined (in the House)Two per state for senators

d. The members of Congress that represent you 14

4. Basic details on the president
a. Qualifications- in Article II of the Constitution, the president's qualifications
and powers are detailed. In order to be considered for the office, a
presidential candidate must be at least 35 years old, a natural-born U.S.
citizen, and have at least 14 years of residence in the United States.
b. Term length/limit on terms/years (term length- four years; term limit- two
terms; eight years)
c. How Electoral College works- The candidate who receives a majority of
electoral votes (270) wins the Presidency. The number 538 is the sum of
the nation's 435 Representatives, 100 Senators, and 3 electors given to
the District of Columbia. Every four years, voters go to the polls and select
a candidate for President and Vice-President.
5. Basic details on the Supreme Court
a. How many justices/length of term- Nine judges called justices make
up the supreme court of the United States. The Supreme Court is led by
one justice, called the chief justice of the United States. The other eight
justices are known as associate Justices. Justices are nominated by the
President and confirmed by the Senate. The Constitution states that
Justices "shall hold their Offices during good Behaviour." This means that
the Justices hold office as long as they choose and can only be removed
from office by impeachment.