Unit 1 Discussions
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Fresno City College *
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Political Science
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Dec 6, 2023
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CHAPTER 2:
How did the policies and actions of the British government incite revolution in the
colonies and shape the core principles of the U.S. Constitution, including
representative democracy and protection of life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness?
The Stamp Acts, causing the taxation without representation protests, was an act
of the British government that shaped the core principles of the US constitution. Since
colonists were getting taxed without being represented for their interests, this caused an
uproar of anger. The anger then sparked the Quartering acts which allowed troops to
live in the colonist’s home. The Quartering Acts caused a massacre to occur between
the colonists and the troops. According to the text, “the soldiers shot into the crowd,
leaving five dead and six wounded” (Harrison, 2022, p. 28). So now, not only did the
colonists not have a represented democracy, but they also did not have protection of
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. These policies and actions of the British
government incited the Revolutionary War and further shaped the principles of the US
Constitution.
Good analysis and cited evidence regarding the demand for "no taxation without
representation" by the colonist that now discovered they were not considered British
citizens, but rather British subjects. In fact, resulting boycotts by the colonists became a
valuable tool. With the unitary form of government where the British government
retained all sovereignty, they actually felt no obligation to share this governmental
power with the colonies
How did the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation lead to the need to
adopt the U.S. Constitution? Explore at least 2-3 weaknesses. Analyze one area
of compromise in adopting the U.S. Constitution.
The Articles of Confederation served as the written document that established
the functions of the national government of the US after it declared independence from
Great Britain. One of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was that there
was no national court system to establish and protect the rights of US citizens. Another
weakness was that there was no executive branch established to enforce laws.
According to the text, “the delegates also reached quick consensus on the need to
establish the new constitution as a supreme law of the country”
Core problems were due to the weak national government. This also led to
economic problems associated with sovereignty (all governmental power) placed with
the states. The states functioned more like 13 individual countries with 13 different
money currencies that caused inflation and an economic Great Depression
.
CHAPTER 3:
In terms of which government is sovereign, define and provide details of each
governing system.
A unitary system is defined as a system of political organization, in which most or
all of the governing power resides in a centralized government. This means that the
central government is considered the sovereign government (Harrison, 2022, p.92). The
central government of a unitary system has all or most of the power. A confederal
system is defined as a system of government that spreads power among many state
governments and has a weak central government. This means that where there is a
confederal system in place, there will be different sovereign governments, instead of
one that holds all of the power. The federal government is defined as a system of
governance in which political power is shared between two levels of government; the
national and the state governments. This means that the sovereignty is split between
the national government and state governments.
Under the unitary system, the British government (King George III and
Parliament) was able to abolish colonial assemblies (local governments) that
contributed to the American Revolution. The Articles of Confederation experience is a
great example of how all governing authority remained with the state governments,
leaving the national government very weak. This contributed to the various fatal flaws
that plagued the confederal system. After the adoption of the U.S. Constitution, the U.S.
government then adopted the federal system.
Evaluate the evolution of the federal system in the U.S. by comparing/contrasting
dual federalism and partisan (formerly conflicted) federalism.
After the new constitution was put into place, the United States became a federal
system with dual sovereignty. According to the text, dual sovereignty of the United
States federal system was implemented in such a way that the national and state
governments acted independently on each other (Harrison, 2022, p.42). The dual
federalism that the United States came to be divided authority among the national,
state, and local governments. However, the United States did not stay a dual federalism
as it began to weaken with changes in the American society, such as industrialization
and state struggles. Partisan federalism, the form of federalism that we have today,
was eventually evolved into the government. This form of federalism allows each state
to have a political party based on majority control.
Along with economic changes like the Great Depression, the federal government
began to expand its originally foreign role into the sphere of domestic roles and
responsibilities. For example, the federal government added departments tasked with
engaging in fiscal policy that would pull the U.S. economy out of the depression.
Partisan federalism lies with the political party that wins the policy battle. This has
contributed to the political gridlock with an additional, political layer added to the
existing dynamic between the federal and state levels of government.
CHAPTER 4:
What are civil liberties? How were selective civil liberty protections (First
Amendment, etc.) incorporated or applied to the State governments?
According to the text, civil liberties are defined as constitutionally established
guarantees that protects citizens, opinions, and property against arbitrary government
interference (Harrison, 2022, p.52). In other words, citizens are allowed to have the
freedom to say what they want and believe what they want as long as it is not harming
anybody. Originally, the Bill of Rights only restricted the national government from
interfering in these freedoms, not the state government. However, when the 14th
amendment was passed in 1868, the protections of the Bill of Rights was extended to
the state governments as well since this had to do with the rights to protect former
slaves after the Civil War. It was not until 1925 that these protections were addressed in
the Gitlow v. New York case. This case was significant because it was the first time that
the court ruled that the first amendment is to be applied to the state government.
Yes, in the Gitlow v. New York (1925) the 1st amendment right of free speech
was selectively incorporated as a fundamental right (extended by the due process
clause of the 14th amendment). Mr. Gitlow was arguing that his free speech was
censored by New York State's anarchy law. Mr. Gitlow's case set precedent, but he was
still found guilty since his speech violated the bad tendency test (not a form of protected
speech).
Explore 3 circumstances where the government is allowed to regulate or punish
speech and explain why?
One circumstance where the government is allowed to regulate/punish speech is
for slander which are verbal statements that harm the reputation of another person
(Harrison, 2022, p. 54). Slander is punishable because this can causer damages to a
person, their business, or their reputation. The next circumstance is clear and present
danger. Under this standard, the government is allowed to regulate the situation as this
could pose harm to others. The third circumstance is the bad tendency test. This was a
test that was established in the Gitlow v. New York case. In this circumstance, any
speech that has the potential to cause crime and/or disturb public peace can be
silenced by the government.
The Schenck case is an excellent example of how the court weighed in favor of
order during war time versus liberty per the clear and present danger test. The courts
historical application of these 'tests' rest largely on whether or not the country was
engaged in war time activities.
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CHAPTER 5:
Explore 2-3 tactics that the white majority in southern states used to prevent the
black minority from achieving equality after the end of slavery (Reconstruction
and the period before the 1960's civil rights era)?
One tactic that the white majority used was the use of the white primary. The
white primary was a primary election that took place where the voting was left for white
people only. Another tactic that was used was the literacy test. According to the text,
literacy tests were designed so that few voters would stand a chance of passing the
exam administered to African American voters, whereas the test for white voters was
easy to pass (p.66). Lastly, another tactic that was used to prevent the black minority
from achieving equality was the poll tax. The poll tax was a tax that only African
American people had to pay for them to vote. These tactics listed were only a few of the
many ways that the white majority used to prevent rights from the black minority.
In addition, Black Codes established forced labor contracts for farming and
servant occupations only, produced a racially segregated court system with harsher
penalties for blacks, and limited voting and property ownership.
How did civil disobedience in the 1960's civil rights movement lead to legislative
outcomes? Explore the recent Black Lives Matter protests amid the death of
George Floyd in police custody, including outcomes and similarities to the 1960s
Civil Rights movement.
One key aspect of the civil rights movement that lead to legislative changes was
that these protests were being broadcast nationwide. The most significant occurrence
was the March on Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. The ensuing violence was Dubbed
Bloody Sunday; the march and beatings were televised nationally and were
instrumental in swaying public opinion in favor of civil rights (p. 67). This can compared
to the recent Black Lives Matter movement. Police violence is now often captured by
others and shared through social media. This has brought significant attention to what
would previously be unrecorded.
CHAPTER 6:
Explain in detail at least 3 agents of political socialization? How does the family
environment influence whether we are socialized to be civically engaged?
I would argue that the most significant agent of political socialization is how we
were raised. Starting at a young age, people teach their children about what they
believe in. The family's values and opinions usually influence the child to be or not to be
civically engaged. As stated in the textbook, "core tenets of our belief system- including
our political ideology, our beliefs about people of different races and sexes, even our
party identification- are often firmly embedded before we have completed elementary
school" (p. 81). Another agent of political socialization is the people that one surrounds
themselves with. For example, if one is friends with a group of people who feels strongly
about a certain topic, that person may adapt to those same beliefs. The third agent of
political socialization is media. We live in a time where we are surrounded by the media
making it just another thing that may sway our political values and opinions.
How are public opinion polls (random, quota, stratified) conducted and what is
one problem that plagues polls?
According to the text, "a public opinion poll is a survey of a given population's
opinion on an issue at a particular time" (p. 84). They are conducted by first determining
the target population the polls will be for. The reason for using a target population is to
collect the opinion of a selected group of people who's opinions will impact the vote. The
pollers do not want the poll to be given to someone who's opinion will not matter. Out of
the target population, a random sample of people may be selected to participate in the
poll to ensure that the polls are completely random. Quota sampling may also be used if
the pollster does not want it to be as randomized. Stratified sampling may also be used
if the pollster wants to have a randomized pull but in a select area. One problem that
plagues polls is people vote multiple times which throws off the numbers.