I expect that you will cover concepts (and history) that you have learned from the lessons so far and then apply them to the current situation regarding our Congress and presidency. At a minimum, consider the following points:
Why did the framers of our Constitution expect Congress to be the most democratic branch?
Why, at the same time, were the founders opposed to the growth of political parties, even as they saw them form in their own time? What, exactly, were they concerned about? Do you think that their fears were justified? Why or why not?
What might be disastrous (to our democracy) about the idea that the most important thing to representatives in Congress today must be that they are able to get reelected, term after term?
Why did the framers also attempt to make Congress the most powerful branch? Is it still the most powerful?
Do you think that our modern Congress functions the way the framers intended it to? Why or why not?
Style:
Think of these essays as semi-informal style essays:
You may use the pronoun I
You must, however, use good grammar and full, correctly structured sentences.
Slang terms are not allowed.
Colloquial language is not allowed.
Do not use outside opinion sources. You MAY use outside journalistic news sources to bring in facts about
relevant current events, but do not base your entire essay on this news. These are not research papers, they are intended to help me gauge what you have learned from the lesson material, and how well you
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understand the taught concepts. In particular, are you able to apply learned concepts to an understanding
of what is taking place now with Congress and the presidency?
It is okay to use your own opinion (particularly for what do you think questions, but this should not be
merely or even mostly an opinion paper. You must demonstrate knowledge and understanding of the
concepts taught, and an ability to appropriately apply those concepts.
You are not required to use the standard five-part essay format, but may if you wish, so long as you are
able to cover all minimum points listed above, at least to some degree.
Writing skills matter. Proofread your papers, preferably more than once, before you upload them. Check
spelling, grammar, sentence construction, and punctuation.
Your work must be typed, double-spaced, and should use Times New Roman or Arial font, as these are the most common, are standard size and are least likely to cause formatting issues when you upload your paper. Font size must be 12 points for Times and 11 or 12 points for Arial.
You do not need a cover page for essays in this class. However, be sure to put your name and the subject or title of the essay at the top of your paper.
