Assignment: American Politics
Part I
1. The political of compromise was an important aspect of the framing of the Constitution. Identify and discuss three political compromises that shaped the Constitution. Why was it necessary to compromise on each of those three issues? What alternatives were considered? Why was the specific compromise eventually adopted?
2. There are many barriers to organizing collective action to achieve public goods. Why is government necessary, and what role does politics play? Write an essay in which you answer these questions by discussing the relationship between public goods and barriers to collective action.
3. Does federalism in America improve or weaken American democracy? What are the advantages and disadvantages of states having a strong role in the American political system? Give at least two examples of each, and explain how they relate to the health of American democracy.
4. Explain how the Bill of Rights went from being relatively inconsequential to being a robust set of civil liberties protections.
Part II Madisonian Democracy
Some consider the Civil Rights Movement to be an important test case of Madisonian democracy in America. What does the struggle to achieve Civil Rights say about the quality of democracy in America? Write an essay that answers that question.
In your essay, be sure to ...
a) Define the concept of Madisonian Democracy, and Explain Madison's ideas about the problems of factions (majority and minority).
b) Discuss and Analyze the relationship between the important political events and eventual policy outcomes of the Civil Rights Movement and America's Madisonian democratic institutions.
c) Based on your analysis of Civil Rights policy in the U.S. and the Civil Rights Movement, explain your conclusion about the quality of American democracy.
Essay-writing tips:
- Create a detailed outline of your essay before writing, including thesis arguments for the entire essay and each section.
- Do you make clearly stated thesis arguments? Do you fully define & explain the major concepts in the essay? Does your writing clearly communicate your intended points?
Format your assignment according to the following formatting requirements:
1. The answer should be typed, double spaced, using Times New Roman font (size 12), with one-inch margins on all sides.
2. The response also include a cover page containing the title of the assignment, the student's name, the course title, and the date. The cover page is not included in the required page length.
3. Also Include a reference page. The Citations and references should follow APA format. The reference page is not included in the required page length.