Federal System, Hypocrisy Within American Democracy, and the Civil Rights
Please respond to two of the following three short response questions posted below. The questions are broken into sections, and you should respond to each section in your response. Your answers should be short, focused, and complete, ranging from three to six paragraphs (usually a paragraph per 1-2 sections). Please make sure to answer each specific part of every question. Only the first two responses you enter will be graded (there is no benefit to answering all 3 questions).
Successful answers will reflect your own thinking and understanding of the material. These answers will provide details and context that support your arguments and explain your position to the readers. You may also want to provide real world examples taken from the readings, lectures, group discussions, or your own independent thinking
For example, in your response to the questions on federalism you may wish to identify and discuss historical examples of conflict or cooperation between the national and state governments as well as draw from contemporary issues in federalism that are happening today (even after the textbook was written). These illustrations can be from the course materials or your own ideas. Providing this context and being able to apply the material to YOUR OWN understanding of politics really shows us that you have mastered the material. It is essential that you show your own voice, thinking and opinion when asked for. You cannot receive full points by simply restating material from the textbook and lectures.
Each answer will be worth 50 points, for 100 points total. The Question Set is due on Canvas at 11:59 pm on Monday, August 21st. You should plan on uploading your response as a docx file or PDF to this Question Set #1 assignment tab. We will be using Turnitin for the assignment submission. Remember, each question is broken up into parts. Please be sure to address every part of the question!
Below are the questions. You can number these in your response. You are welcome to paste in the question if it helps you, although this is not necessary as long as we are clear on which question you are answering.
1. A) Why did the Articles of Confederation fail to produce a stable government for the new United States of America? B) How did the failures of the Articles of Confederation influence the design of the Constitution of the United States of America? C) How did the need to forge a compromise between large states and small states influence the design of the Constitution? D) How (if at all) has this compromise shaped the way the United States government functions today? E) Based on this analysis, how (if at all) would you reform the Constitution today?
2. A) What are some benefits of having a federal system? B) What are some drawbacks? In addition to the logical arguments, provide an example of federalism being beneficial, and an example of it being problematic. C) Drawing on these arguments, do you think a stronger national government would be better or worse? (Be clear about what you mean by “better” or “worse” and why). Feel free to use examples from current American politics to highlight your argument. D) What reforms (if any) would you recommend to further expand or constrain federal power? Why?
3, One of the core themes of American politics is enduring struggle of minority groups to secure equal protection of the civil rights and civil liberties under law. A) How did prominent civil rights leaders like Frederick Douglas, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and MLK talk about the hypocrisy of American democracy? B) What role has the federal system played in making it difficult for various minority groups to enjoy the full privileges and protections of citizenship under law? Think about the role of both the federal government and state governments in limiting civil rights as you respond to this question. C) How and why were civil rights eventually extended? (Make sure and note the role the federal government, social movements, and individual state governments have played in doing so. D) What do the ongoing protests over civil rights and civil liberties issues (Black Lives Matter, Abortion Access, Covid-19 vaccine and masking mandates) tell us about the struggle for civil rights and civil liberties in contemporary American politics
Political Science Responses
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Question 2 Response
A federal system divides power between two fundamental levels of government – the federal government and states – thus creating a mechanism for checks and balances. In this way, federalism disperses power concentrations to achieve democratization thresholds. It allows states to preserve their self-determination interests while creating a robust national government (Krutz & Waskiewicz, 2021a). For example, state governments can make political decisions and policies that influence the development trajectory of their people instead of relying on the federal government for policy interventions on issues impacting the locals.
On the downside, a federal system may catalyze economic disparities across states as the federal government lacks the authority to even out such discrepancies (Krutz & Waskiewicz, 2021a). For example, previously centralized nations may create local governments or states via devolution, thus creating an impetus for incompetency in handling economic development policy (International IDEA and Constitution Transformation Network, 2018). This may leave some states more developed than others, thus perpetrating social injustice in the community.
Based on these arguments, a stronger national government would be better, especially during a crisis. For example, systems of checks of balances in the U.S. may undermine federal government efforts to impose uniform programs that address climate change and economic uncertainties. According to Feldman (2020), there is a need for a strong national government to address challenges related to the Covid-19 pandemic. In order to address these concerns, a stronger federal government would be well-prepared to develop management priorities and performance objectives geared at strengthening the capacity to achieve the American people’s needs (Czyz, 2022).
The major reform to expand federal power would include enlarging and refining public perspectives by channeling them via the channel of an elected entity of American people (Krutz & Waskiewicz, 2021b). This is an excellent approach to expanding federal power because this body would demonstrate wisdom that best reflects the country's true interests and whose love for justice and patriotism would unlikely sacrifice national interest to partial or state considerations.
Question 3 Response
Martin Luther King (MLK), Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Frederick Douglas highlighted hypocrisy within American democracy by indicating the persistent structural inequalities African Americans continued to experience. For example, MLK noted that racial segregation was an inherent part of...