Concept Taxonomy — US Government¶
12 categories covering all 200 concepts. No single category exceeds 30% of
the total. TaxonomyIDs are 3–5 uppercase letters used as keys in
learning-graph.csv, taxonomy-names.json, and color-config.json.
FOUND — Foundations of American Democracy¶
Concepts 1–15, 199, 200 (17 concepts)
Philosophical origins of American government, early institutional history, and the Founding-era events that produced the Constitutional Convention. Includes Enlightenment thought, natural rights, social contract theory, Articles of Confederation, Shays' Rebellion, the Constitutional Convention, the Great Compromise, and the concept of Republican Government. Also includes the capstone concepts Democratic Participation and Constitutional Democracy.
CONST — The Constitution¶
Concepts 16–37 (22 concepts)
The structure and text of the Constitution itself: the framework of Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances, the major structural clauses (Supremacy, Necessary and Proper, Commerce, Full Faith and Credit), the amendment process, the Bill of Rights (Amendments 1–10), and key subsequent amendments (14th, 15th, 19th, 26th). Also covers constitutional interpretation approaches (Originalism, Living Constitution).
FED — Federalism¶
Concepts 38–51 (14 concepts)
The division of governmental power between national and state governments. Covers enumerated, reserved, and concurrent powers; the historical evolution of federalism (Dual → Cooperative → New); fiscal federalism tools (categorical grants, block grants, unfunded mandates); and doctrines such as nullification, preemption, and devolution.
CONG — Congress¶
Concepts 52–69 (18 concepts)
The structure and functions of the legislative branch. Includes the House and Senate, committee system, leadership roles, the legislative process (markup, floor debate, conference), the filibuster and cloture, presidential veto and override, congressional oversight, the appropriations process, and issues of representation (gerrymandering, reapportionment, redistricting).
PRES — The Presidency¶
Concepts 70–85 (16 concepts)
The formal and informal powers of the executive branch. Covers enumerated and informal presidential powers, executive orders, treaty-making, Commander in Chief authority, War Powers Resolution, the Cabinet and Executive Office of the President (NSC, OMB), presidential appointments, executive privilege, impeachment, succession, and going-public strategy.
BURO — The Federal Bureaucracy¶
Concepts 86–99 (14 concepts)
The organization and operation of the executive establishment below the presidency. Covers the civil service system, merit vs. spoils, independent regulatory agencies, government corporations, cabinet departments, the federal rulemaking process (notice-and-comment), administrative law, accountability mechanisms, and political dynamics (iron triangle, issue networks, regulatory capture, administrative discretion).
JUDI — The Federal Judiciary¶
Concepts 100–115 (16 concepts)
The structure and powers of the federal courts. Includes the three-tier court structure (district, circuit, Supreme Court), judicial review and Marbury v. Madison, the appointment and confirmation process, judicial philosophy, stare decisis, certiorari, amicus briefs, opinions, the restraint vs. activism debate, standing, and the political question doctrine.
CLIB — Civil Liberties and Civil Rights¶
Concepts 116–139 (24 concepts)
Constitutional protections of individual freedoms and equality. Covers the distinction between civil liberties and civil rights, selective incorporation, due process, equal protection, First Amendment freedoms (speech, press, religion, assembly), Fourth Amendment protections, the exclusionary rule, Miranda rights, right to counsel, the civil rights movement, landmark desegregation cases, affirmative action, and major civil rights statutes (Civil Rights Act 1964, Voting Rights Act 1965, ADA, LGBTQ rights).
OPIN — Political Opinion and Media¶
Concepts 140–153 (14 concepts)
How citizens form political beliefs and how media shapes those beliefs. Covers political socialization, ideology (liberal-conservative spectrum, libertarianism), political polarization, public opinion polling methodology (sampling, margin of error), media framing and agenda setting, traditional vs. social media, filter bubbles, political knowledge, and ideological sorting.
ELEC — Elections and Political Participation¶
Concepts 154–174 (21 concepts)
How citizens engage with government through participation and elections. Includes types of participation, voting behavior, voter turnout, registration, voter suppression, the Electoral College and winner-take-all system, political parties, two-party system, party platforms and realignment, interest groups, PACs, Super PACs, campaign finance law, Citizens United, primary and general elections, midterms, and initiative/referendum.
AIGOV — AI and Government¶
Concepts 175–190 (16 concepts)
The intersection of artificial intelligence with government institutions, democratic processes, and constitutional rights. Covers AI use in federal agencies, algorithmic decision-making and bias, AI-generated disinformation, election integrity, deepfakes, government surveillance (facial recognition, predictive policing), autonomous weapons policy, regulatory frameworks (EU AI Act, AI Bill of Rights Blueprint), congressional AI oversight, AI and the Fourth Amendment, and AI in criminal justice.
CRIT — Critical Thinking and Civic Skills¶
Concepts 191–198 (8 concepts)
Cross-cutting meta-skills applied throughout every unit. Includes critical thinking in civics, systems thinking as applied to government, cognitive bias (confirmation bias, motivated reasoning), and misinformation detection skills (lateral reading, fact-checking methods). These concepts are foundational and appear as prerequisites across all other taxonomy categories.
Summary Table¶
| TaxonomyID | Category Name | Concepts | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| FOUND | Foundations of American Democracy | 17 | 8.5% |
| CONST | The Constitution | 22 | 11.0% |
| FED | Federalism | 14 | 7.0% |
| CONG | Congress | 18 | 9.0% |
| PRES | The Presidency | 16 | 8.0% |
| BURO | The Federal Bureaucracy | 14 | 7.0% |
| JUDI | The Federal Judiciary | 16 | 8.0% |
| CLIB | Civil Liberties and Civil Rights | 24 | 12.0% |
| OPIN | Political Opinion and Media | 14 | 7.0% |
| ELEC | Elections and Political Participation | 21 | 10.5% |
| AIGOV | AI and Government | 16 | 8.0% |
| CRIT | Critical Thinking and Civic Skills | 8 | 4.0% |
| Total | 200 | 100% |
No category exceeds 30%. The largest (CLIB at 12%) reflects the course's emphasis on constitutional rights as a core AP topic.