The essay must be typed in double-spaced. No late assignments will be accepted for grading, in the absence of unavoidable and excusable cause(s). Please use the resources available at the Student Learning Center (SLC) which is located on the second floor of the BB building. You could also take advantage of the virtual zoom room sessions by making an appointment for virtual tutoring. You should have no issues with the assignments if you start planning early, and extra credit may be assessed for each student who attends scheduled writing seminar/tutoring session(s) during the spring semester. You must upload your essay on or before the posted deadline – 04/24 @ 11:59PM.
For this assignment, you will choose one (1) of the topics which I have suggested (below), or create your own topic. You must research and write an essay which is supported by scholarly references (not less than 5 references). I encourage you to submit peer-reviewed articles. The minimum length of the essay is 5 double-spaced pages (you do not need to write more than five pages). Please use times new roman size 12 font with one inch margin – all around. I would prefer black ink on white paper, the good old traditional way, although I have received colored ink / pages essays in the past.
You are free to employ any writing style MLA, APA, Chicago); just maintain this style throughout the paper, including the reference page. Upload the essay on canvas on or before the due date (04/24). Be concise; make two or three main points, and keep your essay simple and easy to navigate. This assignment carries 100 points, and you need to write and pass the essay to receive credit for the course. As a reminder, you are required to upload your essays on canvas on or before the due date (04/24).
To give you a head start, I have written a number of questions which you are welcome to use. Feel free, as well, to create your own research question, but either way, your chosen topic must be approved by me during the first week of class.
Essay Questions/Topics
- The Confederacy v. The National Government of the United States of America: Change and reform driven by the spirit of compromise.
- Did the Framers really mean that gun rights should be applied to every American?
- Should the U.S. Constitution be interpreted just as the Framers intended, or does it extend into new areas of the American life?
- Religious Liberties and American Exceptionalism in the 21st Century: a test of the Guiding Principles behind the U.S. Constitution.
- Should Guns be allowed on school campuses in light of the several instances of school shooting?
- Has Racism been institutionalized in America, or is this notion simply a fallacious supposition?
- Popular Nationalism in the US: a shift in the American Values in the 21st Century.
- Is Impeachment used more as a partisan tool rather than as a means of preserving the Institution of the U.S. Presidency?
- What Really is the American Dream?
- The Establishment of Jim Crow as an American Character and how this relates to the Contemporary American citizen.
- The Federalists were on the right side of the Compromise Debate: why or why not.
- The Anti-Federalists were on the right side of the Compromise Debate: why or why not
- The Flexibility in the U.S. Constitution and how this paved the way for the widening Powers of the U.S. Presidency: Implied Powers that the Founders probably never envisaged.
- The U.S. Bureaucracy and its role in maintaining the American way: the art of institutionalization of the American System.
- From the Social Contract to the Super Power: The Fundamental Elements behind America’s Success.
- How did the Constitutional Bill of Rights, the Three-fifths Compromise and the Federal Courts System each perform in the theatre of the American Government between the Constitutional Convention and period immediately following the American Civil War.
- A Critical Analysis of the Emancipation Proclamation: Key points and important factors which go beyond the words of Thomas Jefferson.
- The meaning of the ‘I Have A Dream’ Speech: Critical Analysis from the perspective of the U.S. Constitution and its protection of Civil Rights.
- Why is United States of America predicated on the free practice of religion yet there is no formal state religion?
- Major U.S. Supreme Court cases which settled issues of race relations in America: what did we learn or have we learned anything?
- The British Colony’s role in expediting America’s Independence.
- The immigration Issue and its impact on families on either side of the American-Mexican Border: American Immigrants during the Donald Trump era.
- What will the next generation of Americans be?
- Should Interest Groups and Super PACS play such a huge role in the election of government officials: what are the Pros and Cons?
- Key reasons why America will continue to be a World Super Power.
- Is America’s reign as the world’s leading Super Power in jeopardy: why/why not?
- Terrorism in the New American Era: How does U.S. International relations engender anti-American sentiments?
- Was the War on Drugs a deterrent or was it a business?
- Capitalism v Socialism: lessons on America’s economic successes in the face of the collapse of Socialism.
- Why were there no ‘Mothers’ among the Founding ‘Fathers’ during the Framing of the United States Constitution?
- The Preamble to the United States of America Constitution We the People: does it promote the foundational ideals of American nation or is it a convenience for extracting authority from the people?
- American National Security during the COVID-19 Pandemic: what have we learned.
- What is at the heart of the disconnect between Gen Z and older Americans?
- What was George Washington’s main impact on the traditional U.S. Presidency?
- 1/6: what does it really mean in today’s America and the lessons learned.
- Should prayer be brought back to the classroom of American schools: arguments for and against?