American Government Homepage

 Welcome to the Homepage of Political Science 110--American National Government. This web site contains information regarding the class. Click on the links below to take you to the document.



Voter Registration Information This helpful link is here for your convenience.

***Please make your personal health a top priority!***
  • UL Counseling and Testing Center 482-6480, 2nd Floor of Olivier Hall
  • Suggested list of self-help books

    • COURSE SYLLABUS

  • POLS 110-American Goverment Course Syllabus The course syllabus handed out in POLS 110.
  • POLS 111-American Government Honors Section Syllabus The course syllabus handed out in POLS 111 (honors section).

    LECTURE NOTES

  • Course Lecture Notes This is an outline of the notes I use during our class discussions. ***These are NOT a replacement for doing the course readings and/or taking notes in class, as these notes will NOT entirely overlap with either the course readings or our in-class discussions!!! Instead, these notes are here simply as an *ADDITIONAL* source of information to help you learn the course material. In class, I will also provide more detailed information, additional examples, diagrams on the blackboard, and answers to student questions. Thus, although this outline should be helpful to you in studying, do not rely ONLY on this outline. To maximize your learning in the course and thus maximize your performance on exams, be sure to ALSO attend class regularly, listen carefully, take excellent detailed notes, ask frequent questions, and then meet with your study group regularly to discuss the readings and class notes and go over the exam review guides in detail.

    EXAMS
  • I STRONGLY urge you to form study groups and review the study guide together in preparing for exams!
  • You must bring a scantron sheet and No. 2 pencil to the exam when it is announced to do so.
  • You must bring a bluebook and permanent-ink pen to the exam when it is announced to do so.
  • Study Guide
  • Sample Multiple Choice Questions Sample multiple choice questions with explanations of answers.

  • Sample Essay Exam Question Sample essay exam question with examples of excellent and poor answers.
  • Grading Criteria Guide
    • Descriptions of the general characteristics of exam essay answers of various grades.
  • Essay Exam Mistakes Typical mistakes made on essay exam answers.

  • Habits for Effective Learning How to improve your performance in this or any academic course.
  • Asking Questions in Class The fundamental importance of asking questions.

    TERM PAPER (only if required on the course syllabus)
  • Don't forget due date as shown on the syllabus (if applicable)!
  • American Government Term Paper (if required by syllabus) Ideology Analysis: The World's Smallest Political Quiz Visit their website for more detail about the quiz: The World's Smallest Political Quiz or download and run a small program on your computer: idquiz.exe (which is also available on their website).

    REQUIRED COURSE READINGS: (TENTATIVE schedule) I strongly recommend you review the readings together sometime prior to class discussion, as well as develop answers to the questions listed by each reading. This will strongly help you understand class discussions and also highly help you prepare for exams.

    Part One of the Course: The History, Principles and Institutions of the U.S. Constitution (the U.S.'s social contract)

    Government and Education

  • Virginia Bill on the Diffusion of Knowledge by Thomas Jefferson. What is the purpose of public education? (How well is your public education meeting these goals?)
  • Rockfish Gap Report by Thomas Jefferson. What is the purpose of primary education? (How well did your K-12 education meet these goals?) What is the purpose of higher education? (How well is your higher education meeting these goals?)

    The Social Contract

  • John Locke, Second Treatise on Government What is the State of Nature? What rights (if any) do people inherently possess, even in a state of nature? What is the Civil Society, and why is it formed? What purpose does the government serve in a Civil Society? Where does that government get its authority to rule? What are the limits of that authority? What may the people rightfully do if the government exceeds those limits?
  • Mayflower CompactHow is this a social contract?

    American Independence

  • Colonial HistoryWhat major events led to the decision by the colonies to declare independence? On what philosophical principle did the colonies object to being repeatedly taxed by Britain? How did this violate the social contract? How did America justify a right to declare independence?
  • The Declaration of Independence How does this incorporate and apply social contract theory in support of the right of the American colonies to declare independence from Britain?

    The New American Government (First Attempt): The Articles of Confederation

  • The Articles of Confederation How is this a social contract? What power was the national legislature given to force the states to pay taxes to the federal government, to force the states to obey laws regulating commerce between the states, or to force the states to contribute troops for a federal army? What sort of federal executive leader (such as a President) was created? What sort of federal court system was created? How could changes be made to the Articles of Confederation? (Hint: some of the previous questions are "trick" questions . . .)
  • Problems with the Articles of ConfederationWhat were the problems with the Articles of Confederation, and how severe were they? What was Shay's Rebellion and what warning did it send regarding the Articles of Confederation? What was the solution?

    The New American Government (Second Attempt): The Constitution

  • The U.S. Constitution How does the Constitution indicate that it is a social contract? In Article I, section 8, What power was the national legislature given to tax, regulate commerce, and raise armies? What does article I, section 8 say about other powers besides those specifically listed? Is there a federal executive? Is there a federal court system? How can changes to the Constitution be made?
  • The Great CompromiseWhat were the two competing ideas for representation in the federal legislature, and what was the compromise that was reached?
  • The Slavery CompromisesWhat was the 3/5 Compromise? What was the compromise that was reached regarding whether slavery could be regulated by Congress? What did the Constitution say about escaped slaves?
  • Brutus No. 3 What does Brutus say about the Constitution's compromises over slavery?
  • Defence of the Constitutions According to future president John Adams, upon what principles is the U.S. government founded, and how does this differ from other nations in the past?

    The Framers' Inconsistencies Considering the following documents, how consistent were the framers when they declared "all men are created equal"? What does this say about who was and was not considered part of the social contract of America?

  • Deleted Paragraph from the Declaration of IndependenceFor what specifically did Jefferson criticize the King of England? Why do you think the Continental Congress deleted this paragraph from the Declaration of Independence before releasing it to the public?
  • Slave Petition What did this anonymous group of slaves compare their situation to?
  • Benjamin Banneker's Letter to Thomas Jefferson (with Jefferson's Reply)What did Banneker request, and how did Jefferson reply to that request?
  • David Walker: Appeal To whom and for what is Walker appealing?
  • Frederick Douglass: What to a Slave is the Fourth of July?What does the 4th of July mean to Douglass and to slaves?
  • Abigail Adams' correspondence with her husband John AdamsWhat was Abigail Adam's request, and how did her husband reply to that request?
  • Seneca Falls DeclarationWho wrote this declaration, and what does it declare? What famous document did they pattern their declaration after?
  • The Trail of Tears What was the Trail of Tears?
  • Words of Chief Joseph What is Chief Joseph's one request above all others to the leaders of the U.S. in Washington, D.C.?
  • Andrew Jackson's Second Annual Message President Jackson publicly explains official U.S. Government policy on "removal of the Indians."
  • John Adams letter Who does John Adams compare poor men to? What does he believe is the danger if poor men are given the right to vote?
  • For further reading (not required, but highly recommended), see Howard Zinn, A People's History of the United States

    A Republic

  • Common Sense by Thomas Paine. Why does government exist? Is government good or bad? What is government's only function? Why is representative democracy a necessary form of government rather than always using only direct democracy?
  • Federalists and Anti-FederalistsWhat positions did the "federalists" and "anti-federalists" represent regarding the new Constitution and why? Who wrote the "Federalist Papers"? How did the organization of the federalists compare to that of the anti-federalists?
  • Brutus No. 1 What are the several reasons a large republic is "impossible"? To what degree has modern technology weakened some of his arguments (or hasn't it)?
  • Federalist 10 What are "factions"? Why are they dangerous, and how does one control the causes and effects of factions? How is a republic better than a democracy? How is a large republic better than a small republic?

    On what points do Madison and Brutus agree and disagree? How does their debate fit into social contract theory? (Hint: what are supposed to be the limits on power of a government in a Civil Society?)
  • Charles Coteworth Pinckney SpeechWhat is "The American Experiment"? Has the experiment succeeded? (Think carefully . . .)
  • CNN's Politics OPTIONAL: Find and read a current political news story that in any way involves competing groups/interests/parties ("factions"). How does this news story illustrate group competition and inefficiency ("gridlock") in the U.S. government today?

    Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances

  • Montesquieu, On the Spirit of Laws What is the danger in having government, and how is this danger minimized by a system of "separation of powers"? What are the three branches of government and what are their functions? What sort of "checks and balances" should the branches of government have against each other, and what purpose do these checks and balances serve?
  • Federalist 51 How does the system of separation of powers relate to the system of checks and balances? What is their purpose? How do the different levels of government (state and federal) serve the same purpose? How do the different interests of citizens (ala factions) also serve the same purpose?
  • Separation of Powers Again, what is "separation of powers" and what are the three branches of the U.S. government? Also again, what are "checks and balances," and what are some specific checks and balances in the U.S. government? How efficient is this system of government? What is the modern name for inefficiency in government?
    How does all this fit into the social contract? (Hint: what are supposed to be the limits on power of a government in a Civil Society?)
  • CNN's Politics OPTIONAL: Find and read a current political news story that in any way involves more than one branch of government. How does this news story illustrate a concept from the readings?

    Federalism: Original Understandings
  • Brutus No. 1 Under the new Constitution, how specifically are the states threatened by the federal government?
  • An Old Whig, Where Then is the Restraint? How specifically does the Constitution give unlimited power to the federal government over the states? (Hint: Both Brutus and An Old Whig make basically the same arguments.)
  • Publius, Federalist 45
  • Publius, Federalist 46 Read Federalist 45 and 46 together. How important might sacrificing state sovereignty be under the new Constitution? Regardless, if the states don't want to sacrifice their sovereignty, what are the numerous (basically 5) advantages the state governments will have over the federal government that will prevent the federal government from oppressing the states?
    How does all this fit into the social contract? (Hint: what are supposed to be the limits on power of a government under the social contract?)

    Federalism: Modern Developments

  • American Federalism--Past, Present, and Future What was the general effect of the Civil War on American federalism? What general effect did the Great Depression have on American federalism? What is dual federalism? What is cooperative federalism? During what time periods did these occur? What is a grant-in-aid and how has this affected relations between the federal and state governments? What are some of the current issues facing American federalism? Given these modern developments in federalism, how accurate were the Federalists and Anti-federalists in their predictions about federalism in America?
  • President Roosevelt, Commonwealth Club Speech How did circumstances change between 1787 and 1932? What should be the "new terms of the old social contract" of the United States?
  • CNN's PoliticsOPTIONAL: Find and read a current political news story that in any way involves federal-state relations. How does this story illustrate a concept from the readings?

    Civil Liberties: Original Understanding
  • Publius, Federalist 84 How could the U.S. Constitution without a bill of rights already offer as much protection of rights as state constitutions (such as New York)? Why is a separate bill of rights unnecessary, and why is it even dangerous?
  • Brutus, On the Lack of a Bill of Rights How does Brutus explain that all social contracts should include a bill of rights? How does Brutus argue that the U.S. Constitution in particular needs a bill of rights?
  • The Bill of Rights What are the basic rights protected by the Bill of Rights? What does the First Amendment do? How necessary is it to protect the freedom of speech in a democracy? What do Amendments 4 through 8 generally do? Why did the framers think it so important to protect the rights of criminally accused individuals? What purposes do the 9th and 10th Amendments serve?

    Civil Liberties: Freedom of Speech and Religious Liberty

  • Texas v. Johnson Who brought the lawsuit and why? Why is burning the American flag "speech"? How did Texas try to justify a ban on flag burning, and why were neither of those justifications valid? Why can't a state outlaw highly offensive speech? According to the dissent, why doesn't the First Amendment protect flag burning? How do you believe social contract theory would resolve the issue?
  • Freedom Forum's First Amendment News OR American Civil Liberties Union (click on "Free Speech")Find and read a current political news story involving a free speech issue. Given this modern issue, how accurate were Hamilton's and Brutus's predictions about the need for a Bill of Rights? Also, how do you believe social contract theory would resolve the issue?
  • Look back at the Constitution and the First Amendment in the Bill of Rights. What do these say about religion?
  • The Founder's Views of Religion A summary that hopefully clears up common public misunderstandings on the issue.
  • Memorial and Remonstrance by James Madison. What does Madison say should be the relationship between government and religion, and why?
  • Was the U.S. Founded as a "Christian nation"? A summary of the best historical evidence we have regarding the intentions of the founders of the United States.
  • Barbary States Treaty (Treaty of Tripoli)According to the U.S. Constitution, U.S. Treaties are part of official U.S. law. According to the U.S. President and U.S. Senate in 1797, what does the Treaty of Tripoli establish as U.S. law regarding whether the U.S. is a "Christian Nation" (see Article 11)?

    Civil Rights: Race (Early Developments)

  • Sectional Conflict (Origins of the Civil War) What were the Missouri Compromise, the Compromise of 1850, and the Kansas-Nebraska Act, and how did the Supreme Court's Dred Scott decision affect those efforts at compromise?
  • Dred Scott v. Sanford According to the Supreme Court, were current or former slaves part of the social contract of the United States? Why or why not? What implication did this have for the rights current or former slaves would have in the United States?
  • Gettysburg Address by Abraham Lincoln. What is the "great task" the United States is engaged in?
  • Second Inaugural Speech by Abrahama Lincoln. Who is to blame for the Civil War?
  • Civil War Amendments What does the 13th Amendment do? What does section 1 of the 14th Amendment do, especially the last clause of that section? What does the 15th Amendment do?
  • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) Who brought the lawsuit and why? What was the intent of the 13th and 14th Amendments? Why doesn't the 14th Amendment prohibit all racial classification? Why is segregation "reasonable"? How does the Court explain that segregation does not treat one group as inferior? According to the dissent, what was the intent of the 13th and 14th Amendments, and how should they be applied to this case?
  • Brief History of "Jim Crow" Laws What were Jim Crow laws? What were some examples?
  • Examples of Jim Crow Laws This list is only a miniscule sample of actual Jim Crow laws that existed.


    Slavery and the Civil War
    Some (few) Southerners still try to assert that the Civil War was not about slavery, but about "states' rights" or "unfair trade tariffs." According to Southern white leaders themselves before and during the Civil War, what was the Civil War about?

  • Southern Address According to the slave state's members of Congress, what would force the U.S. into civil war?
  • Henry Calhoun Farewell Speech According to the most prominent Southern politician prior to his death in 1851, what would force the U.S. into Civil War?
  • Crittenden Compromise What was the nature of the concessions given to the South in the leading proposal for compromise to keep the South in the Union?
  • Alexander Stephens letter to Abraham Lincoln According to the soon-to-be vice president of the Confederacy, what is it that "creates our discontent"?
  • Declarations of Secession by Southern States Why do these Southern state legislatures say they are leaving the U.S. (the last five or so paragraphs of the Texas declaration contain perhaps the most strongly-worded answer).
  • Jefferson Davis Farewell SpeechAccording to Senator Davis (who would soon become the president of the Confederacy) why is Mississippi leaving the Union?
  • James DeBow's arguments to non-slaveowners According to DeBow, for what cause, and why, should non-slaveowners be willing to "die in the last trenches"?
  • Jefferson Davis speech to the CSA Congress According to the President of the Confederate States of America, speaking for the first time to the CSA Congress, what is the CSA fighting for?
  • Alexander Stephens' Cornerstone SpeechAccording to the Vice-President of the Confederate States of America, what is the founding principle of the new Confederate States of America?

    Civil Rights: Race (Modern Developments)

  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954) Who brought the lawsuit and why? How were the schools here equal, and how were they unequal? Why is "separate but unequal" actually unequal? How did the Court explain why the result was different than the result in Plessy v. Ferguson?
  • Alabama Literacy Test for Voting
  • Voting Rights Amendments What is the effect of each of the 15th, 19th, 24th and 26th Amendments?
  • Korematsu v. U.S. (1943) Who brought the lawsuit and why? What justification did the military offer for putting Japanese-Americans in "relocation centers"? Why didn't this violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment? According to the dissents, why did this violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment?
  • Civil Liberties Act of 1988 The formal apology by the United States government to persons of Japanese ancestry who were victims of the imprisonment at issue in the Korematsu case.
    Does the social contract allow government to treat people of different races or nationalities differently?
  • I Have a Dream by Martin Luther King. What metaphor does he use to describe the race situation in the United States? What is King's "dream?"

    Civil Rights: Sex and Sexual Orientation

  • Bradwell v. Illinois (1872) Who brought the lawsuit and why? Why do the concurring Justices believe a woman does not have a right to be a lawyer?
  • U.S. v. Virginia (the VMI case) (1996) Who brought the lawsuit and why? What standard must the government meet when it discriminates on the basis of sex? What justifications did Virginia offer to meet that standard, and why did those justifications fail? Why wasn't Virginia's proposed all-women school enough to satisfy the requirements of the equal protection clause? Apart from this case, does the U.S. social contract allow government to treat people of different sexes differently?
  • Lawrence v. Texas Who brought the lawsuit and why? Why does the Constitution protect the right to engage in gay or lesbian sex? Apart from this case, does the U.S. social contract allow government to treat people differently based on their sexual orientation?
  • American Civil Liberties Union (click on "Women's Rights" or "Lesbian and Gay Rights")Find and read a current political news story involving an issue of gender equality or sexual orientation equality. How do you believe social contract theory would resolve the issue?

    The Legislative Branch

  • Congress How many chambers does the U.S. Congress have, and what are those two chambers called? On what is representation based in each of the two chambers? How long is the term of office for each chamber? What is the minimum number of Representatives each state gets? How many Senators does each state get? How many representatives and Senators are there today? How do the powers of the House and Senate differ (mostly regarding their different roles in the system of checks and balances)? Who is the official title of the presiding officer of each chamber? What happens in case of a tie vote in the Senate? What are the investigative and oversight functions of Congress?
  • Publius, Federalist 52 Why are terms in the U.S. House of Representatives 2 years?
  • Publius, Federalist 62 What are the several reasons that terms in the U.S. Senate are 6 years?
  • The Legislative Process How does a bill become a law? Be able to explain the entire process in detail.
  • U.S. National Debt From Wikipedia. The problem is immense.
  • Brutus on National Debt What does Brutus fear and predict, and how accurate were his predictions given the U.S. national debt today?
  • CNN's Politics OPTIONAL: Find and read a current political news stories that involves Congress. How does this news story illustrate a concept from the readings?
  • Modern Evaluations of Congress will be discussed in class.

    The Executive Branch

  • The Executive Branch How is the President chosen? What are the primary powers of the President?
  • Publius, Federalist 70 What are the qualities the executive should possess, and why are these qualities desirable--that is, what specific benefits are derived by creating an executive with these qualities?
  • Cato, Various Fears Concerning the Executive Department What are the dangers in the new executive--that is, what specific Constitutional powers would allow the President to abuse power?
  • Presidents' views of Presidential Power What are the two competing views of the extent a President's power is limited by the Constitution, and which Presidents support each view?
  • CNN's Politics OPTIONAL: Find and read a current political news stories that involves the President. How does this news story illustrate a concept from the readings?

    The Bureaucracy

  • The Executive Branch What are executive departments? What is the Cabinet? What are independent agencies?"
  • Modern Evaluations of the Bureaucracy will be discussed in class.

    The Judicial Branch

  • The Judiciary What is the basic organizational structure of the federal court system? Over what types of cases does the federal judicial power extend? How are federal judges appointed and what is their term of office? What is the power of judicial review?
  • Publius, Federalist 78 Why will the Supreme Court not have a dangerous amount of power? Why should Supreme Court justices have life terms? Will the Supreme Court have the power of judicial review? How does the power of judicial review relate to social contract theory?
  • Publius, Federalist 81 Why won't the Supreme Court abuse it's power of judicial review over the legislature?
  • Brutus Nos. 15 and 16 Why will the Supreme Court be dangerous? Why won't the threat of impeachment prevent the Supreme Court from abusing its power of judicial review?
  • Brutus No. 11. Why does Brutus predict the Supreme Court will expand the power of the national government over the states? Recalling what you learned about the developement of federalism, how accurate was his "prophecy"?
  • CNN's All Politics OPTIONAL: Find and read a current political news stories that involves a legal issue being addressed by a court. How does this news story illustrate a concept from the readings?
  • Modern Evaluations of the Judicial Branch will be discussed in class.

    Part Two of the Course: The Political Behavior Process
    (Socialization -->Opinionization-->Participation -->Representation)

    Political Behavior: Socialization and the Media

  • Plato's Allegory of the Cave According to Plato, where do we get most of our beliefs? How do we discover "truth"? What is our responsibility once we learn "truth"?
  • The Role of the Media in a Democracy What is the "news media"? Why is it important to a democracy? What are the several ways the modern business aspects of media influence truth and objectivity in the news? What are the several ways the press can be held accountable for abuses of its power?
  • New York Times v. United States What is the role of the news media in a democracy? How are the New York Times and the Washington Post fulfilling that role in this case?
  • Spiro Agnew speech A famous 1969 speech by then-Vice-President Spiro Agnew on the power of the media.

    Political Behavior: Opinions and Ideology

  • 20 Questions You Should Ask About Poll Results From the National Council on Public Polls
  • CNN's Politics OPTIONAL: Find and read a news story about a public opinion poll/survey. Analyzing that poll using the Opinion Poll Evaluation Checklist, how valid do you believe the results of the survey are?
  • The World's Smallest Political Quiz Download, print, and take this survey to measure your political ideology. Bring it to class to discuss the results. For more detail, see their website which contains more detailed information The World's Smallest Political Quiz or download and run a small program on your computer: idquiz.exe (which is also available on their website). What are the two different dimensions of political ideology, and what are the several basic overall ideologies? Which American political parties do you think represent the different ideologies?
  • Political Ideology In-depthThis is the information we will cover in class and which is necessary for your term paper.
  • National Election Studies (NES) Guide to Public Opinion OPTIONAL: Explore how U.S. public opinion has changed over time.

    Political Behavior: Obedience, Parties, Interest Groups, Elections

  • Lyceum Address by Abraham Lincoln. What is the "political religion" Lincoln proposes, and why?
  • Milgram obedience experiment re-enacted From a British television show (Short video on Youtube). What percent of people were willing to give deadly electric shocks to another person simply because they were told to do so?
  • Farewell Address by George Washington. What "warnings" does Washington give? What would Washington think of modern U.S. political parties and foreign policy?
  • Political Parties in the United StatesWhy did political parties first form? How extensively do the two major parties control our political system? What are the several reasons the U.S. has a two-party system? How sort of policy positions are usually adopted by two major parties and why? What are the consequences of weak, decentralized parties in the U.S.? What tends to happen to third parties and why don't citizens vote for them?
  • Citizens' Groups and Lobbies What is the legal basis for interest groups to exist? What is a "PAC"? What is the difference between private and public interest groups?
  • Congressional Elections What is the difference between party-centered and candidate-centered voting? What are the several reasons candidate-centered voting has replaced party-centered voting?
  • Modern evaluations of American political behavior will be discussed in class.

    Political Behavior: Representation

  • Edmund Burke's View of Representation What are the two competing views of how an elected representative should represent the people who elected him or her? According to Burke, which is the proper role and why? Which role furthers the principle of checks and balances: delegate or trustee?
  • Brutus 16 Why does Brutus argue that limits should be placed on the number of terms a Senator can serve in office?
  • Modern evaluations of power in American will be discussed in class.