-What are some main characteristics of American political culture?
-What was the first framework of government adopted by the U.S. after becoming independent?
-Examine how the Articles of Confederation was designed to limit national power?
-What are some major examples of checks and balances in the Constitution?
-What is the commerce clause in the Constitution?
-What was the process used for ratifying the U.S. Constitution?
What was the Connecticut Compromise? Examine other political compromises from the meetings at the Constitutional Convention which ended up becoming part of the Constitution.
-What is federalism?
-What part of the federal government was designed in the 1787 Constitution to be directly elected by the framers?
-What is bicameralism? Why was this structure created in the legislative branch?
-What are the three branches of the federal government?
-What methods have been used in the U.S. to restrict voting rights?
-What is Judicial Review?
-What is the term length of a Supreme Court Justice?
-What is the Supremacy Clause in the Constitution?
-What Supreme Court case is recognized as setting the precedent of Judicial Review?
-What is meant by “reserved powers” in the Constitution?
-What were the main views of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists on the role of government? Examine how this rivalry contributed to the development of a two-party system.
-What structural method is used to elect Presidents in the U.S? How does it work?
-Why was the Bill of Rights added to the Constitution? Which political faction demanded it?
-What is the process for amending the U.S. Constitution?
-Examine the outcome of the Voting Rights Act of 1965
-How did the Supreme Court case Shelby v Holder (2013) limit the scope of the Voting Rights Act?
What is a republican form of government?
What limits have been placed on democratic participation in America’s political history?
Who were the Jacksonians? The Suffragettes? Radical Republicans (immediately after the US Civil War)? How did they intend to change voting rights in the US?
What did the 15th and 19th Amendments intend to accomplish?
What were the results of the Election of 1800? Why did this matter for American political culture?
What is meant by the existence of a “loyal opposition” in democratic politics? Why is this necessary for democracy to exist?