the balance of power in american government
Learning Objective: Through intensive critical thinking and analysis of Articles I, I, and III of the U.S. Constitution, students learn how the balance of powers works in a republican form of government.
For this assignment, research any one of the topics listed below. Notice the conflicting interests of the parties involved in the issue. Do the mechanisms designed to balance the power of government between institutions and individuals continue to work? Has one center of power grown too powerful? Are individual rights being protected during these disputes? Include a discussion of the balancing mechanisms found in the U.S. Constitution and discussed in Federalist Papers 10, 47, and 51.
Topics
- Sanctuary Cities v Federal Immigration Laws
- Sanctuary city, Wikipedia
- How sanctuary cities actually work, Vox, 2017
- Obergefell v Hodges: State rights and Same Sex marriage
- Obergefell v. Hodges, Wikipedia
- Obergefell v. Hodges Summary | quimbee.com, Quimbee, 2017
- Civil Rights Act of 1964 Federal Laws replace State laws
- Civil Rights Act of 1964, Wikipedia
- A Confrontation for Integration at the University of Alabama, theGrio, 2013
- Legalizing Marijuana: State Laws v Federal laws
- Dealing with Factions: Is Federalist Paper No ten still viable?
- Unite the Right rally, Wikipedia
- American Patriot, PBS FrontLine, 2017
- Individual rights versus the federal government The Sagebrush Rebellion
- Sagebrush Rebellion, Wikipedia
- American Patriot, PBS FrontLine, 2017
- Drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants Cities and States versus Federal Immigration Law
- Wounded Knee 1973 Native Rights versus the Federal Government
- Wounded Knee incident, Wikipedia
- We Shall Remain – Episode 5: Wounded Knee, Jeffery Powell, 2017
- SCOTUS v Administration Census and citizenship question
- Supreme Court Leaves Census Question on Citizenship in Doubt, The New York Times, 2019
- Census citizenship question: what we know about the debate so far, USA Today, 2019
- Voting Right Act of 1965
- Voting Rights Act of 1965, Wikipedia
- The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Explained, Hip Hughes, 2015
- The fight for the right to vote in the United States – Nicki Beaman Griffin, Ted-Ed, 2013
Please note: Additional requirements for the Primary Assignment can be found by clicking on the Course Assignment Comments headline (above).
Each Primary Assignment requires:
- 600 word minimum
- a thesis statement,
- an APA style bibliography,
- use of APA style in-line citations, and
- adherence to the 3+1 Rule.
The 3+1 Rule requires students to use a minimum of three assigned readings from the current week and one from a previous week. This rule encourages students to review and connect the assigned readings from week to week.
this week assigned reading
- The Constitution of the United States: A Transcription, Read Articles 1-3, James Madison, National Archives
- The Federalist Number 47, [30 January] 1788, James Madison, Founders Online
- The Federalist No. 51, [6 February 1788], James Madison, Founders Online
last week assigned reading
- How the Moral Lessons of To Kill a Mockingbird Endure Today, Anne Maxwell, The Conversation, 2018
- The Role of Ethics in President Abraham Lincoln’s Abolishment of Slavery, Palmer Hickman, Penn State Liberal Arts Online, 2017
- Rugged Individualism: Two of the Greatest Threats to this Distinctively American Value, David Davenport, Gordon Lloyd, Hoover Institution, 2017
- Rooting for Complicated Heroes, It’s Complicated, Jack Bowen, Institute of Sports Law and Ethics, 2015
- When in Doubt – And There’s Always Doubt – Be Your Best, Jack Bowen, Institute of Sports Law and Ethics, 2015