• The ideals of democracy as shown in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution
  • Federalist and Anti-Federalist views on central government and democracy
  • Separation of powers and “checks and balances”
  • The relationship between the states and the national government (federalism)
  • How federalism has been interpreted differently over time
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  • The structures, powers, and functions of each house of Congress
  • The roles and powers of the president
  • The roles and powers of the Supreme Court and other federal courts
  • The roles of the federal bureaucracy (departments, agencies, commissions, and government corporations)
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  • The intent of the Bill of Rights
  • The First Amendment (freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press) and how the Supreme Court has interpreted it
  • The Second Amendment (the right to bear arms) and how the Supreme Court has interpreted it
  • Supreme Court interpretations of other amendments
  • How the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment have motivated social movements
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  • How cultural and social factors affect citizens’ beliefs about government
  • How polls are used to gather data about public opinion
  • The ideologies of the Democratic and Republican parties
  • How political ideologies affect policy on economic and social issues
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  • Laws that protect the right to vote
  • Why it’s hard for third parties and independent candidates to succeed
  • Interest groups and their influence
  • Campaign finance and its role in elections
  • The media’s role in elections
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