Overview: This assignment will cover contents from Chapter 1: American Government & Civic Engagment, Chapter 2: The Constitution & Its Origins, and Chapter 3: American Federalism.
You will be asked to choose from critical thinking questions from each chapter (you’ll answer a total of 4 questions). Each question must be at minimum 4-5 sentences, and quote directly from the textbook at least once to support your answer. Any quoted material does not count toward the 4-5 sentences, you should be able to provide 4 sentences in your own analysis.
Cite the section number and paragraph number if you are using the free online version and don’t have page numbers. The in-text citation would look like this (Krutz & Waskiewicz 2021, sec. 5.1 para. 4). You do not need to include the full bibliography entry for this assignment, just include the in-text citation for each quote.
Make to include each question you choose to answer above your own answer. You can copy and paste the question into your own document or into the text box or you can answer directly on the worksheet. Not including the full question will result in the loss of points.
Chapter 1: American Government & Civic Engagement
Choose one of the following questions to answer:
1. Is citizen engagement necessary for a democracy to function? Explain.
2. Which is the more important reason for being engaged: to gain power or improve the quality of life? Why?
3. Are all Americans equally able to become engaged in government? What factors make it more possible for some people to become engaged than others? What could be done to change this?
4. Which pathways of engagement in the U.S. government do you plan to follow? Why do you prefer these approaches?
Chapter 2: The constitution & its Origins
Choose two of the following questions to answer:
1. What core values and beliefs led to the American Revolution and the writing of the Articles of Confederation? How do these values and beliefs affect American politics today?
2. Was Britain truly depriving colonists of their natural rights? Explain your reasoning.
3. Do the Constitution and the Bill of Rights protect the life, liberty, and property of all Americans? Why or why not?
4. Was the Bill of Rights a necessary addition to the Constitution? Defend your answer.
5. One of the chief areas of compromise at the Constitutional Convention was the issue of slavery. Should delegates who opposed slavery have been willing to compromise? Why or why not?
Chapter 3: American Federalism
Choose one of the following questions to answer:
1. How have the political and economic relationships between the states and federal government evolved since the early 1800s?
2. Discuss how the federal government shapes the actions of state and local governments.
3. What are the merits and drawbacks of American federalism?
4. What do you see as the upcoming challenges to federalism to the next decade? Choose an issue and outline how the states and the federal government could respond.
**The textbook we use is American Government 3e. Openstax
Senior contributing authors Glen Krutz, Oklahoma State University