AP U.S. GOVERNMENT & POLITICS · UNIT 1 · 2026–2027
National, Federal, or Both?
Work in pairs or trios. Rotate reader, evidence finder, and challenger; in a pair, share the third role. Each student writes responses in a notebook. Write before opening a hint or model explanation.
1. Read Madison's definitions · 4 minutes
“a government which derives all its powers directly or indirectly from the great body of the people”
Federalist No. 39, excerpt from Madison's definition of a republic · Primary source.
Vocabulary in this essay: National treats the people as one political community. Federal emphasizes states as distinct political communities. Madison classified particular features. He did not simply call every action of today's “federal government” a federal feature.
“The House of Representatives will derive its powers from the people of America”
“The Senate, on the other hand, will derive its powers from the States, as political and coequal societies”
Federalist No. 39, excerpts · Primary source.
Historical lens: Madison analyzed the original Constitution. State legislatures originally selected senators. The Seventeenth Amendment later established direct election, while retaining equal state representation.
2. Classify the design · 8 minutes · 10 points
Copy the chart. The House example is complete. For the other five features, name the category and explain the mechanism. Each row earns one point for an accurate classification and one for an explanation.
| Feature and evidence | Category | Reason |
|---|---|---|
| House: seats reflect population and representatives are elected by the people. | National · completed example | Representation rests on people and population rather than equal votes for each state. |
| Senate: each state has equal representation; state legislatures originally selected senators. | Your turn | What is the unit being represented? |
| Presidency: a state's electors equal its House seats plus its senators. | Your turn | Which two principles enter the formula? |
| Ratification: people deliberate through separate state conventions; Article VII binds the ratifying states. | Your turn | One nationwide vote or separate state decisions? |
| Amendment: Article V requires approval measured in states, but does not require unanimous state approval. | Your turn | Why does Madison call this mixed? |
| Operation: national laws ordinarily act directly on individual people. | Your turn | Does government act only on states as corporate bodies? |
Hint
Use the feature's actual operation, not its label. A rule may combine population and equal state status. Ratification under Article VII is different from amending under Article V.
Check the five rows
Senate: federal—states receive equal representation. Presidency: mixed—electoral allocation combines population through House seats and equality through Senate seats. Ratification: federal—separate state conventions assent, rather than a single national electorate. Article VII required nine states to establish the Constitution among ratifying states; it did not require all thirteen to start. Amendment: mixed—states are counted, but unanimity is not necessary. Operation: national—government usually acts directly on individuals. Madison's full analysis · Articles II, V, VII.
3. Exit · 3 minutes · 2 points
Explain how one national feature responds to a weakness of the Articles and how one federal feature preserves a role for states. Award one point per accurate, explained connection.
Connection to Brutus: Would retaining a role for states fully answer his concern about expanding national authority? Be ready to explain why reasonable critics could remain unconvinced.