IndexPolitical science exam 1Question 1Question 2Question 3Political science exam 1Question 1a) The authors of the Constitution chose a federal system for several reasons. Perhaps, the most justified reason would be that the authors knew that there would be threats to the freedom of individuals. As we all know, federalism means that national and state governments have separate powers to make laws. If the government were not separate, it would be too powerful and would most likely use that power unfairly. Therefore, with separation, this helps ensure individuals have a fairer legal system, which is why federalism was chosen over other systems. Some other systems would include: confederation, anarchy, and unitary state. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essayb) In McCulloch v. Maryland, federal power was at the center of the debate. The case took place in the year 1819 and was one of the first and most important cases known to the legal system. This was to determine whether the U.S. government had the ability to create a bank in Maryland and whether Maryland was able to tax the government for this decision. Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled that the federal government has the ability to pass laws that are not expressed in the Constitution. This was significant to the federal government's power over the states. This distribution was possible through the Necessary and Proper Clause in Article 1, Paragraph 8 of the Constitution.c) New Federalism is fundamentally a philosophy that places states' rights at the center. In its efforts it seeks to transfer the power vested in the federal government to the states. The devolution revolution was started by the Reagan administration due to past problems where the federal government was not adequate to make decisions. These were efforts to slow down the power of the federal government and return many powers and responsibilities to the states. Since 1995, the United States has addressed issues of federalism using the principles of the Constitution, more specifically the power of the branches of government. What the Constitution says about those powers should be the primary influence in federalism. d) The public policy of one State may differ from one to another. For example, some Florida laws might seem silly to someone living in Pennsylvania. However, that state most likely imposed such laws for a specific reason. Federalism and the powers of Congress are central to state or federal powers. If some form of agreement is not reached, there will be problems within that state. Public policy seeks to enforce social laws that are generally unwritten, but are nevertheless understood. If these two powers cannot agree on such social laws, numerous problems will result. That's why, for example, all states must have a drinking age of 21, although some states believe this should be changed. Yes, we agree.e) I wouldn't consider myself a federalist nowadays. This is because I do not believe that states should unite and form a central authority. I think this would cause more problems in the long run. The term federalist has increasingly changed from its origin to the present day, then a federalist was an individual who supported the Constitution and was committed to a much more flexible decentralized form of government. Nowadays, a federalist is simply someone who advocates the unification of the states as a central force. The views of liberals and conservatives on federalism differ from those of liberals andconservatives during the 18th and 19th centuries. In those times the federalist was regarded with great respect and high regard, however today these opinions are not the same. Liberals and conservatives believe that big government should keep its promises and keep the safety and interests of citizens in mind. However, many discrepancies have emerged between government and its responsibilities to citizens, and many believe they have a personal interests at heart. In the case of Wickard v. Filburn, the Supreme Court significantly increased the regulatory authority of the federal government. Conservatives believe it is our personal responsibility to provide ourselves with healthcare and believe in a limited form of government. However, liberals believe that it is the government's duty to provide us with equality and relieve us from social evils. These two differ widely, however, liberals were more in favor of the rulings in Wickhard v. Filburn because they placed the responsibility more on the federal government than on itself. f) Federalism has both pros and cons associated with it. Some benefits include: protection against tyranny, diffusion of power, increased efficiency, and conflict management. Some of the cons associated with it include: sustained inequalities between states, blocking of nationalist policies by the state, and race to the bottom. g) Chapter 3 of Faultlines discusses whether states or the national government should take the lead on immigration reform. In my opinion, this task should be granted by the national government. I believe that if states were granted such responsibilities, the issue would have little coherence. I think it is in the national government's interest to abandon an immigration reform plan. Ultimately, coherence is key, it would be much easier for the national government to handle these issues, since they have historically been responsible for them. Question 2 a. The primary motivation and assumptions of the framers of the constitution were to establish an effective government. One that was built for the people and would also allow the nation to grow and change. It had to solve previously known problems and also place emphasis on fundamental values such as freedom, equality and democracy. They were convinced that the Constitution would be built on those core beliefs and would be a good representation of the rights that every American deserves. Some of the most important values embedded in the American political system today are very similar to the values the founders believed in. In modern times, the political system is about freedom, equality and property. As we can see, the ideas of freedom and equality have remained the same from times past to the most modern days. Democracy is the main difference. The founders were more interested in democracy within their political arena than individuals are today. I think the reason for this is because many feel that their opinions and votes don't matter. Not to mention that when you vote, it's generally a choice between the lesser of two evils.b. A constitutional democracy is a system within government that ultimately has very well-defined limits on political authorities. Constitutionalism is the strict observance of constitutional principles. Madison's view of human nature influenced his theory of government. Madison, as you probably know, saw evil in human instinct, but at the same time he also observed temperance. He trusted that parliament represented the genuine image of the population it addressed and did not have to adapt to the disasters of human instinct. In this sense, his perspectives on human instinct consequently influenced hisgovernment position by constraining the power of the legislator to anticipate contamination. His theory is represented in the ideas of democracy because he and other authors wanted a republican democracy. Self-interest was also a widely debated topic among these individuals as well. Economic conditions have also had a significant impact on democracy.c. One of the major areas of division at the time of the constitutional convention was between the smaller states and the larger states. Smaller states believed that every state, regardless of size, should have the same number of congressional representatives. However, larger states believed that because they had a larger population, they should receive more representatives. The problem was solved by having a single house of Congress and the representatives are based on population. Each state was allowed at least one representative, and each state was required to have at least two senators, regardless of its population. There were three compromises necessary before the ratification of the constitution. These included: the Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise), the Three-Fifths Compromise, and the Trade Compromise. Equality within the Constitution is found in the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments. The 13th is designated to abolish slavery. The 14th allowed freed slaves to be citizens of the United States. And finally, the 15th Amendment gave the right to vote to any man of any race.d. Marbury v. Madison created jurisdictional control in the government system. Judicial review is basically the power given to federal courts to declare legislative and executive acts unconstitutional. It was very significant and the constitution stated that it was the supreme law of the land. This case was very important when it was decided because it was actually the first Supreme Court case to apply ideas of judicial review. It allowed federal courts to permanently nullify any act of Congress that was in opposition to the Constitution. He fully implemented the ideas of the Constitution. The development of democracy was also affected by this case. Individuals now had a system of checks and balances. He added for a more democratic system. The implications of this within the political system are that congress and even the president can be unconstitutional, however, judicial review is the mediator of this. They will stop things that are unconstitutional. I believe that the Constitution should be radically changed. In my opinion, some of the issues that should be taken into consideration would be the First and Second Amendments. In recent times, freedom of speech has been a very controversial issue. Whether it's the case of Roseanne or college students looking for a safe space in universities. I believe that free speech is not truly free, because it oppresses many individuals. Another consideration could also concern the Second Amendment. Gun reform is certainly another widely controversial topic these days. I think some changes need to be made on those parts as well. Furthermore, it needs to be more modernized by adding some of the problems we face today. For example, with science growing significantly, we need to set limits within. We should allow stem cell research and the ability to manipulate the characteristics of embryos. Question 3In my opinion, Breyers' views should be taken into consideration when interpreting the Constitution. Unlike Scalia, Breyer believes there should be a living constitution approach. This basically means that there is a.
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