AP US Government and Politics · History & Social Science

AP US Government and Politics: free lessons and course outline

How American government actually works: 59 lessons that follow the College Board's required content topic by topic, argued from the founding documents and the Supreme Court's own opinions. Every lesson quotes the learning objectives and essential knowledge it covers, teaches the required foundational documents and the fourteen required cases, practices the exam's skills, and every unit ends with a stimulus-based review, while the free-response sections drill all four question types against the real rubrics.

3H EXAM 55 MCQ 4 FRQ 13 DOCS 14 CASES 59 LESSONS 60 REVIEW QUESTIONS 20 FREE-RESPONSE PROMPTS NO PREREQ

AP US Government and Politics follows the five units of the College Board course framework, and this course has one lesson for every topic, 59 in all. Each lesson begins with a Required content box quoting the learning objectives and essential knowledge from the framework, then teaches them with worked examples drawn from the required foundational documents (13) and Supreme Court cases (14), an Exam focus box, and six practice items. The weighting is uneven and worth planning around: Unit 2 on the branches of government is 25 to 36 percent of the exam and Unit 5 on political participation is 20 to 27 percent, while Unit 4 on ideologies and beliefs is only 10 to 15 percent. This exam has no DBQ or LEQ: the free-response section is four question types, each with its own rubric: Concept Application (3 points), Quantitative Analysis (4 points), SCOTUS Comparison (4 points), and the Argument Essay (6 points). Every unit ends with a stimulus-based review, and the four essay sections at the bottom of the outline hold five prompts each, with writing spaces that score against the official rubric for that question type.

U1Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy15–22%
U2Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government25–36%
U3Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights13–18%
U4Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs10–15%
U5Unit 5: Political Participation20–27%

Writing the free-response questions? Read the US Government FRQ guide.

Every lesson, unit by unit

U1 is free to read below. The other units open with a free month or a paid plan.

U1 Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy 15–22% of the examFREE

U2 Unit 2: Interactions Among Branches of Government 25–36% of the exam

2.1 Congress: the Senate and the House
2.2 How a bill becomes law: structures and procedures
2.3 Congressional behavior
2.4 Roles and powers of the president
2.5 Checks on the presidency
2.6 Expansion of presidential power
2.7 Presidential communication
2.8 The judicial branch, judicial review, and precedent
2.9 The Court in action
2.10 Checks on the judicial branch
2.11 The bureaucracy
2.12 Rulemaking authority and accountability
2.13 Policy and the branches of government

U3 Unit 3: Civil Liberties and Civil Rights 13–18% of the exam

3.1 The Bill of Rights
3.2 Religion and the Establishment Clause: Engel v. Vitale
3.3 Free exercise: Wisconsin v. Yoder
3.4 Free speech and Schenck v. United States
3.5 Symbolic speech: Tinker v. Des Moines
3.6 Freedom of the press and prior restraint
3.7 The Second Amendment and McDonald v. Chicago
3.8 Balancing freedom with public order and safety
3.9 Selective incorporation
3.10 Rights of the accused: Gideon v. Wainwright
3.11 Due process and the right to privacy
3.12 Social movements and equal protection
3.13 Government responses to social movements: Brown v. Board
3.14 Balancing minority and majority rights
3.15 Affirmative action

U4 Unit 4: American Political Ideologies and Beliefs 10–15% of the exam

4.1 American attitudes about government and politics
4.2 Political socialization and changes in ideology
4.3 The influence of political events on ideology
4.4 Measuring public opinion
4.5 Evaluating public opinion data
4.6 Ideologies of the political parties
4.7 Ideology and policymaking
4.8 Ideology and economic policy
4.9 Ideology and social policy

U5 Unit 5: Political Participation 20–27% of the exam

5.1 Voting rights and models of voting behavior
5.2 Voter turnout
5.3 Political parties
5.4 How and why parties change and adapt
5.5 Third-party politics
5.6 Interest groups influencing policymaking
5.7 Groups influencing policy outcomes
5.8 Electing a president
5.9 Congressional elections
5.10 Modern campaigns
5.11 Campaign finance and Citizens United
5.12 The media and changing media

Keep going in the full AP US Government and Politics course

All of U1 (Unit 1: Foundations of American Democracy) is free to everyone, with no account. The course has 59 lessons, each with worked examples and practice problems that come with full solutions. A free account can also start a free month of the whole course, with no card.

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