US Government — Concept List

200 concepts drawn from the course description, covering all 11 units plus four cross-cutting skills (critical thinking, systems thinking, cognitive bias, misinformation detection). Aligned with the College Board AP US Government and Politics curriculum framework.

Review this list carefully before proceeding to graph generation. Remove any concepts that are out of scope; add any that are missing. Concept labels must stay under 32 characters and use Title Case.

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Unit 1 — Foundations of American Democracy

1. Enlightenment Philosophy
2. Natural Rights Theory
3. Social Contract Theory
4. Popular Sovereignty
5. Limited Government
6. Declaration of Independence
7. Articles of Confederation
8. Shays' Rebellion
9. Constitutional Convention of 1787
10. Virginia Plan vs New Jersey Plan
11. Great Compromise
12. Three-Fifths Compromise
13. Federalists and Antifederalists
14. Bicameral Legislature
15. Republican Government

Unit 2 — The Constitution

1. Constitutional Structure
2. Separation of Powers
3. Checks and Balances
4. Supremacy Clause
5. Necessary and Proper Clause
6. Commerce Clause
7. Full Faith and Credit Clause
8. Constitutional Amendment Process
9. Bill of Rights
10. First Amendment
11. Second Amendment
12. Fourth Amendment
13. Fifth Amendment
14. Sixth Amendment
15. Eighth Amendment
16. Fourteenth Amendment
17. Fifteenth Amendment
18. Nineteenth Amendment
19. Twenty-Sixth Amendment
20. Constitutional Interpretation
21. Originalism
22. Living Constitution Theory

Unit 3 — Federalism

1. Federalism
2. Enumerated Powers
3. Reserved Powers
4. Concurrent Powers
5. Dual Federalism
6. Cooperative Federalism
7. New Federalism
8. Fiscal Federalism
9. Categorical Grants
10. Block Grants
11. Unfunded Mandates
12. Nullification Doctrine
13. Preemption Doctrine
14. Devolution

Unit 4 — Congress

1. House of Representatives
2. Senate Structure
3. Congressional Committees
4. Conference Committees
5. Congressional Leadership
6. Speaker of the House
7. Filibuster
8. Cloture
9. Legislative Process
10. Committee Markup
11. Presidential Veto
12. Pocket Veto
13. Veto Override
14. Congressional Oversight
15. Appropriations Process
16. Gerrymandering
17. Reapportionment and Redistricting
18. Congressional Caucuses

Unit 5 — The Presidency

1. Enumerated Presidential Powers
2. Informal Presidential Powers
3. Executive Orders
4. Treaty-Making Power
5. Commander in Chief Role
6. War Powers Resolution
7. Cabinet
8. Executive Office of the President
9. National Security Council
10. Office of Management and Budget
11. Presidential Appointments
12. Executive Privilege
13. Impeachment Process
14. Presidential Succession
15. Going Public Strategy
16. Signing Statements

Unit 6 — The Federal Bureaucracy

1. Federal Bureaucracy Structure
2. Civil Service System
3. Merit vs Spoils System
4. Independent Regulatory Agencies
5. Government Corporations
6. Cabinet Departments
7. Federal Rulemaking Process
8. Notice and Comment Rulemaking
9. Administrative Law
10. Bureaucratic Accountability
11. Iron Triangle
12. Issue Networks
13. Regulatory Capture
14. Administrative Discretion

Unit 7 — The Federal Judiciary

1. Federal Court Structure
2. District Courts
3. Circuit Courts of Appeals
4. Supreme Court
5. Judicial Review
6. Marbury v Madison
7. Judicial Appointment Process
8. Senate Confirmation of Judges
9. Judicial Philosophy
10. Precedent and Stare Decisis
11. Writ of Certiorari
12. Amicus Curiae Briefs
13. Majority and Dissenting Opinions
14. Judicial Restraint vs Activism
15. Standing to Sue
16. Political Question Doctrine

Unit 8 — Civil Liberties and Civil Rights

1. Civil Liberties
2. Civil Rights
3. Selective Incorporation
4. Due Process Clause
5. Equal Protection Clause
6. Freedom of Speech
7. Freedom of Press
8. Freedom of Religion
9. Establishment Clause
10. Free Exercise Clause
11. Freedom of Assembly
12. Fourth Amendment Protections
13. Exclusionary Rule
14. Miranda Rights
15. Right to Counsel
16. Eighth Amendment Protections
17. Civil Rights Movement History
18. Brown v Board of Education
19. Desegregation
20. Affirmative Action
21. Voting Rights Act 1965
22. Civil Rights Act 1964
23. LGBTQ Rights
24. Americans with Disabilities Act

Unit 9 — Political Ideologies and Public Opinion

1. Political Socialization
2. Political Ideology
3. Liberal-Conservative Spectrum
4. Libertarianism
5. Political Polarization
6. Public Opinion Polling
7. Sampling and Margin of Error
8. Media Framing Effects
9. Agenda Setting Theory
10. Traditional Media
11. Social Media and Politics
12. Filter Bubbles
13. Political Knowledge
14. Ideological Sorting

Unit 10 — Political Participation and Elections

1. Types of Political Participation
2. Voting Behavior
3. Voter Turnout
4. Voter Registration
5. Voter Suppression
6. Electoral College
7. Winner-Take-All Electoral System
8. Political Parties
9. Two-Party System
10. Party Platforms
11. Party Realignment
12. Interest Groups
13. Political Action Committees
14. Campaign Finance Law
15. Super PACs
16. Citizens United v FEC
17. Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act
18. Primary Elections
19. General Elections
20. Midterm Elections
21. Initiative and Referendum

Unit 11 — AI and Government

1. AI in Federal Agencies
2. Algorithmic Decision-Making
3. Algorithmic Bias
4. AI-Generated Disinformation
5. AI and Election Integrity
6. Deepfakes in Politics
7. Government AI Surveillance
8. Facial Recognition Technology
9. Autonomous Weapons Policy
10. AI Regulatory Frameworks
11. EU AI Act
12. AI Bill of Rights Blueprint
13. Congressional AI Oversight
14. AI and Fourth Amendment
15. Predictive Policing
16. AI in Criminal Justice

Cross-Cutting Skills

1. Critical Thinking in Civics
2. Systems Thinking in Government
3. Cognitive Bias in Politics
4. Confirmation Bias
5. Motivated Reasoning
6. Misinformation Detection
7. Lateral Reading Technique
8. Fact-Checking Methods
9. Democratic Participation
10. Constitutional Democracy