Foundational documents are necessary for students to understand the philosophical underpinnings and political values of the U.S. political system and may serve as the focus of AP Exam questions. Source analysis of these documents helps students gain an understanding of how philosophical discussions and debates shaped the architecture of the government. Teachers are encouraged to also use both classic and contemporary scholarly writings in political science to promote the comparison of political ideas and their application to recent events.
The following is a list of required Foundational Documents.
ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION
 SMAN-107-pg935.pdf
SMAN-107-pg935.pdfBRUTUS NO.1
To the Citizens of the State of New-York brutus.pdf
brutus.pdfTHE CONSTITUTION OF THE U.S.
 constitution.pdf
constitution.pdfDECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
 DOI2.pdf
DOI2.pdfFEDERALIST NO.10
The Same Subject Continued: The Union as a Safeguard Against Domestic Faction and Insurrection Federalist_No_10_Excerpts_Annotated_proof_3__1_.pdf
Federalist_No_10_Excerpts_Annotated_proof_3__1_.pdfFEDERALIST NO.51
The Structure of the Government Must Furnish the Proper Checks and Balances Between the Different Departments DOI2.pdf
DOI2.pdfFEDERALIST NO.70
The Executive Department Further Considered fed70.pdf
fed70.pdfFEDERALIST NO.78
The Judiciary Department fed78.pdf
fed78.pdfLETTER FROM A BIRMINGHAM JAIL
BY MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR. lfbjail.pdf
lfbjail.pdfFoundational documents are named in specific topics within the Course Framework; however, the concepts within these documents are also present in other topics and units. The table below indicates both where the foundational document is named in the Course Framework (bold Learning Objectives), and where the documents are also relevant to other Learning Objectives.Â
Please note: While the Constitution is a required foundational document, it is not listed explicitly below because it is applicable to nearly all course learning objectives.