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⚖️ Unit 2 · Interactions Among Branches 🗂️ Flashcards 🗺️ Cheat Sheet ⭐ Essentials 🎙️ Podcast 🎨 Visual Review 📝 MC Practice ✍️ FRQ Practice

AP Government Unit 2 Visual Review

9 visual diagrams walking through every major concept in Unit 2 — from how a bill becomes law to the iron triangle. Arrow keys to navigate.

← Back to Unit 2 hub
UNIT 2 · SLIDE 1 Interactions Among Branches AP U.S. Government · 25–36% of Exam — the Largest Unit 🏛️ Congress Topics 2.1–2.3 • House + Senate • Filibuster/Cloture • Gerrymandering • Budget power • Impeachment Legislates & Checks 🏠 Presidency Topics 2.4–2.7 • Veto/Pocket veto • Executive orders • Treaties/Exec. agmts • Bully pulpit • Appointment power Enforces & Leads ⚖️ Judiciary Topics 2.8–2.11 • Judicial review • Life tenure • Stare decisis • Activism vs. Restraint • Fed. No. 78 Interprets Law 🏢 Bureaucracy Topics 2.12–2.15 • Iron triangles • Rulemaking authority • Merit system • Discretionary power • Congressional oversight Implements Policy All four interact constantly — no branch makes policy alone. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 2 SLIDE 2 · CONGRESS House of Representatives vs. Senate VS House of Representatives 435 members · 2-year terms · All up every cycle Represents people by population Revenue bills MUST originate here Rules Committee controls debate NO filibuster Speaker leads the chamber Impeaches (charges) officials More responsive to popular will Senate 100 members · 6-year terms · 1/3 up every 2 years Represents states equally Treaties: 2/3 approval · Confirms appointments Unlimited debate by default Filibuster — needs 60 votes (cloture) to end Majority/Minority leaders run chamber Tries impeached officials (2/3 to convict) Continuous body — more deliberate and slow Both chambers must pass identical bill text before it goes to the president. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 2 SLIDE 3 · LEGISLATIVE PROCESS How a Bill Becomes Law ① Bill Introduced In either chamber by a member ② Committee Hearings, markup, vote to send to floor ③ Floor Debate House: Rules Committee sets rules for debate Senate: Filibuster possible! ④ Vote in Chamber Simple majority to pass Senate: needs 60 for cloture first then simple majority to pass ⑤ Both Chambers Repeat the Process If different versions pass → Conference Committee reconciles → Both vote again ⑥ President Signs → Law ✓ OR does nothing for 10 days while Congress is in session → also Law ⑥ President Vetoes → Back ✗ Congress can override with 2/3 vote in BOTH chambers ⚠️ Pocket Veto Exception: If Congress adjourns within 10 days and president does nothing → bill dies. CANNOT be overridden. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 2 SLIDE 4 · CONGRESSIONAL BEHAVIOR Why Congress Sometimes Can't Act Polarization Both parties move to ideological extremes Partisan Voting Members vote party line, not conscience Divided Gov't President vs. opposing Congress GRIDLOCK No action possible — legislation stalls THREE MODELS OF REPRESENTATION Trustee Votes own judgment on what's best for the country "I know better than my constituents" Politico ← Most Common Mixes trustee + delegate depending on the issue "It depends on how visible the issue is" Delegate Votes what constituents want, regardless of own view "My district sent me here to vote their way" ⚠️ Gerrymandering Drawing district lines to favor one party. Happens after each census (every 10 yrs). Baker v. Carr (1962) opened courts to redistricting challenges. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 2 SLIDE 5 · PRESIDENTIAL POWERS Formal vs. Informal Presidential Powers Formal (Constitutional) Powers Informal Powers ⚔️ Commander-in-Chief of the military 🚫 Veto bills passed by Congress 📄 Pocket veto (cannot be overridden) 🤝 Treaties (2/3 Senate approval) 👤 Appoint judges, cabinet, ambassadors 📜 State of the Union address 🕊️ Pardon power (Article II) 📋 Executive orders — direct exec. branch 🌐 Executive agreements (no Senate vote) 📝 Signing statements — interpret new laws 📢 Bully pulpit — media & agenda setting 🤝 Bargaining & persuasion with Congress 📱 Social media — direct public communication 📊 Budget proposal — agenda-setting tool Federalist No. 70 (Hamilton): "Energy in the executive is essential" — a single president is more decisive and accountable than a committee. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 2 SLIDE 6 · JUDICIAL BRANCH The Judicial Branch — Power and Independence "The judiciary is beyond comparison the weakest of the three departments... It has neither force nor will, but merely judgment." — Hamilton, Federalist No. 78 (1788) Judicial Review NOT in the Constitution Power to strike down laws or executive actions as unconstitutional. Established by Marbury v. Madison (1803) — Marshall gave the Court this power. Life Tenure Article III + Federalist 78 Federal judges serve "during good behavior" — effectively until they choose to retire or die. Insulates judges from political pressure. Activism vs. Restraint Ongoing debate Activism: Courts should use review boldly to protect rights & drive change. Restraint: Courts should defer to elected branches and follow precedent. Checks on the Judiciary: Constitutional amendment · Judicial appointments shift ideology · Congressional jurisdiction stripping · President can delay enforcement · New legislation can blunt impact of decisions The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 2 SLIDE 7 · BUREAUCRACY The Iron Triangle 🏛️ Congressional Committee Authorizes budget · Conducts oversight · Holds hearings e.g., Senate Agriculture Committee 🏢 Bureaucratic Agency Implements law · Creates regulations e.g., USDA (Dept. of Agriculture) 🤝 Interest Group Lobbies for favorable policy e.g., Farm Bureau / Agribusiness lobby Budget & oversight Info & support Lobbying + campaign money CLOSED SYSTEM Iron Triangle: Stable, closed, hard to break Self-reinforcing — all three benefit from the status quo Issue Network: Fluid, open, temporary Forms around one issue — dissolves when resolved The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 2 SLIDE 8 · ACCOUNTABILITY Holding the Bureaucracy Accountable 🏛️ Congress Strongest check • Power of the purse (fund or defund agencies) • Committee hearings (investigate, question officials) • Oversight monitoring (ongoing supervision) • Confirmation of agency heads • Legislation to modify (rewrite the laws agencies enforce) 🏠 President Directs the bureaucracy • Appoint agency heads (loyalists vs. experts debate) • Executive orders (direct policy priorities) • OMB budget proposals (control agency resources) • Compliance monitoring (enforce admin. goals) ⚖️ Courts Judicial check • Review agency rulemaking (strike down if exceed authority) • Hear challenges to regs (private parties can sue agencies) • Enforce due process (agencies must follow fair procedures) Merit System (Pendleton Act 1883): Career bureaucrats hired/promoted on qualifications, not politics — creates tension with elected officials who want loyal implementers. The Review Hub · AP Government Unit 2 SLIDE 9 · POLICYMAKING Multiple Access Points for Policy Influence POLICY outcome Congress Pass/block legislation · Budget · Oversight Executive Branch Executive orders · Veto · Agenda setting Federal Courts Judicial review · Strike down laws Bureaucracy Rulemaking · Implementation · Enforcement State Governments State legislation · Courts · Federalism Interest Groups Lobbying · Campaign finance · Iron triangles If blocked in one place, citizens and groups can try another. This is both the system's strength (prevents tyranny) and its frustration (slows change).
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Slide 1: Unit 2 Overview — All Four Branches

How to use the visual review

Spend 30 seconds per slide before clicking next. Arrow keys navigate; fullscreen button (⛶) gives the best experience on desktop.

After the visual review, jump straight to MC practice to test yourself on the concepts you just reviewed.