Intro to American Politics and American Political Thought
Midterm Exams
Scroll down to find questions for American Political Thought
Directions for American Politics Exam:
Answer
three of the following questions.
Although each of your answers should be about two pages long, one or two of your
answers may be shorter if your entire exam adds up to six pages (one-inch margins, twelve-point
font size, double spaced).
If the connections between these questions and the required readings are not
immediately apparent, it might help to do some further research on the Web.
No matter which sources you use, you must supply me with a valid link for each one. All you have to do is paste the address of your source(s) at the bottom of each of your essays.
If you copy any part of your midterm from any source, you will receive an "F."
Before
you turn in your midterm, use the Term
Paper Check List to fix
common mistakes. Any essays that
contain the mistakes identified in the term-paper checklist will be marked down
one full grade.
If you have writing problems, be sure to visit the Writing Center before turning in your exam.
All of your answers should be thoughtfully argued, well-organized, and free of grammatical and spelling errors.
American Politics
Summarize James Madison’s central arguments in Federalist #10.
Summarize Alexander Hamilton’s main arguments in Federalist #6.
Explain the differences between people who identify themselves as “strict constructionists” and those who promote the idea of a “living Constitution.” (Note: The source included here uses the term "originalism" to describe strict constructionism and "non-originalist" to describe the position of those who believe in a living constitution.)
Summarize
the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dred Scott v. Sanford.
Specify ways in which this case shaped race relations in the United
States.
Summarize
the Supreme Court’s ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson.
Specify ways in which this case shaped race relations in the United
States.
Explain
the split between the Abolitionists and the Suffragettes in the aftermath of
the Civil War.
Summarize Andrew Carnegie's "Gospel of Wealth."
Summarize the arguments made by Samuel Warren and Louis Brandeis in "The Right to Privacy."
Summarize
some of the main features of the New
Deal.
Describe
ways in which the New Deal continues to define American politics.
Specify
aspects of the New Deal that have been rejected by both Republicans and
Democrats.
Summarize
the Supreme Court’s ruling in Brown v. Board of Education.
Describe how this ruling changed the course of American history.
Summarize John F. Kennedy's Inaugural Address. Place his vision within the historical context of the Cold War.
Summarize
Lyndon Johnson’s conception of “The Great Society.”
Describe
some of the ways in which the Civil Rights Act of 1964 changed the course of
American history.
Explain
the relationship between affirmative action
policies and the Civil Rights Act of
1964.
Compare
and contrast Malcolm X’s
approach to race relations with that of Martin
Luther King.
Describe Robert F. Kennedy’s announcement of the assassination of Martin Luther King. What distinguishes this eulogy from more typical political speeches?
Summarize
the Statement of Purpose of the National Organization for Women (1966).
Specify ways in which the values expressed in this document reflect
the socio-economic status of the women who wrote it.
Summarize the main points made by Gloria Steinem in "Women's Liberation Aims to Free Men Too (1970)."
Summarize
the Supreme Court’s ruling in Roe v. Wade
(1973).
Which aspects of the decision make the right to obtain an abortion
especially vulnerable to attack?
American Political Thought
Directions for American Political Thought Exam:
Answer
two of the following questions.
Although each of your answers should be about three pages long, one of your
answers may be shorter if your entire exam adds up to six pages (one-inch margins, twelve-point
font size, double spaced).
If the connections between these questions and the required readings are not
immediately apparent, it might help to do some further research on the Web.
No matter which sources you use, you must supply me with a valid link for each one. All you have to do is paste the address of your source(s) at the bottom of each of your essays.
If you copy any part of your midterm from any source, you will receive an "F."
Before
you turn in your midterm, use the Term
Paper Check List to fix
common mistakes. Any essays that
contain the mistakes identified in the term-paper checklist will be marked down
one full grade.
If you have writing problems, be sure to visit the Writing Center before turning in your exam.
All of your answers should be thoughtfully argued, well-organized, and free of grammatical and spelling errors.
Summarize James Madison’s central arguments in Federalist #10.
Summarize Alexander Hamilton’s main arguments in Federalist #6.
Explain the differences between people who identify themselves as “strict constructionists” and those who promote the idea of a “living Constitution.” (Note: The source included here uses the term "originalism" to describe strict constructionism and "non-originalist" to describe the position of those who believe in a living constitution.)
Summarize Henry David Thoreau's central arguments in Civil Disobedience (1849)
Summarize the Supreme Court’s ruling in Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857).
Summarize Booker T. Washington's observations in his Atlanta Exposition Address (1895)
Summarize the Supreme Court’s ruling in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).
Describe the arguments the Supreme Court used in Brown v. Board of Education (1954) to overturn Plessy v. Ferguson (1896).
Summarize some of the arguments used by Antisuffragists to explain why women should not be allowed to vote.
Explain the split between the Abolitionists and the Suffragettes in the aftermath of the Civil War.
Summarize Emma Goldman's arguments in "Minorities vs. Majorities," Anarchism and Other Essays (1917).
Summarize
Margaret Sanger's main points in "Woman's
Error and Her Debt" (1920).