HISTORY 1301
Discussion — The Birth of the American Presidency
In Chapter 7, we learn about the Articles of Confederation, our country’s first constitution. Because the government this first constitution created was too weak, the so-called “Founding Fathers” decided to write a new constitution that would establish a stronger, and hopefully more efficient government. They succeeded admirably. This second constitution—which we simply call “the Constitution”—remains the law of the land to this day.
Many students are surprised to learn that the government the Articles of Constitution established didn’t include a President (it didn’t include a Supreme Court either, only a Congress, but that’s another topic altogether). It seems odd to think of the government of the United States operating without a chief executive, but that’s exactly how things worked before the second and current constitution replaced the Articles.
Imagine if we had never changed this particular feature of our government. How different do you think it would work today? Would having only a Congress—as opposed to also having a President, who has so much more power than any other citizen—make for a more democratic country? The Founding Fathers had thought so initially. Before they changed their mind, the powers of a President seemed too much like those of a king or dictator to them.
Or do you think that our country needs to have a President to run effectively? Explain.
10 sentences
HISTORY 1302
Discussion — FDR and His Critics
In Chapter 22, we learn about the “New Deal,” the name given to the programs and government agencies President Franklin D. Roosevelt created to combat the Great Depression. Roosevelt enjoyed tremendous popularity among the American people during his years in the White House, and historians today rank him among the greatest presidents ever, with most placing him second only to Abraham Lincoln.
But not everyone in Roosevelt’s day supported him. In fact, some critics even went so far as to accuse him of acting like a dictator.
What do you think? Was there any merit to this claim?
10 sentences
GOVERNMENT
The assignment is designed to assess your critical thinking problem solving, and communication skills. Your answer will be judged for its clarity, relevance, coherence, logic, depth, consistency, and fairness.
QUESTION
Describe the strengths of the Democratic and Republic parties by region in Texas. Provide an understanding of why each party has certain strengths in particular regions within the state. Based on these understandings, and with changing demographic patterns within the state, speculate as to the future potential of each party within the state of Texas.
15 sentences