The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution

The Articles of Confederation was really the first attempt at a Constitution in the United States. The Articles of Confederation created a loose confederation of sovereign states and a weak central government, leaving most of the power with the state governments. The need for a much stronger federal government soon became apparent and eventually led to the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and ultimately to the Constitution that the United States continues to utilize to this day.

For this assignment, write a 500–700-word paper in which you compare and contrast how the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution handled each of the following topics:

1. Legislative organization and powers.
2. Executive and centralized powers.
3. The judicial system.
4. The adding of amendments.

Requirements

• Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• Length: 500–700 words.
• Resources: Use at least two scholarly sources from the Capella library or Internet.
• APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to APA (6th edition) style and formatting.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

In The News – Discussion (Politics in American Gov’t Class)

Choose a current topic or story in the news that you find interesting. Provide a summary and an analysis of the topic, and tie it to this unit’s readings.

Include in your post information from at least one source, being sure to correctly cite the source in the post. Please avoid cutting and pasting information from the Internet.

Religion as Strength to Immigrants

This discussion is focused on the role of religion on various ethnic groups, on immigration into American cities, and on the people who live in the urban area. Based on what you have learned this far, consider the following:

• If religion provides comfort, identity, and strength to urban immigrants, then does it also hamper their complete emergence into a larger all-inclusive society? Explain.

Religion in Immigrant Life

It is time to look at the thoughts of the ACDBN board of directors as they relate to religion in immigrant life. Start this discussion by reading the “Faithful Transitions: Religion in Immigrant Life” and then answer the following questions.

Should religious differences be celebrated or deemphasized? Who on the ACDBN board do you most closely support with regard to religious policy?

Religious Situation

This is the second component of the course project.

Whenever there is a large cultural group located in a particular area, there is usually a predominant religion in that area also. The predominant religion can have many effects on the area. Prepare for this assignment by closely reviewing the materials you have read for the discussions in this unit and by reading pages 15–23, 60–63, and 101–108 from The Evolution of American Urban Society. These readings are related directly to this assignment.

Once you are done with the readings, use them, along with the discussion activities in this unit, suggested Web sites located in the Resources, and additional information you may find on the Internet to answer the following:

• What is the predominant religion in the urban area you selected?
• What are two other major religious groups in the area?
• What were the major religious groups in the past?
• Have a wave of new arrivals of a particular religion come to the area since 2000? What are the effects and repercussions of these new arrivals?
• Are there open rivalries between religions in this area? Explain what they are.
• If there are no religious rivalries in this area, explain why you believe this is so.
• Evaluate the impact of newly arrived religious groups on the religious groups that were there originally.

You must use APA format for your paper. Citations and resources must also be included and documented properly according to APA format.

Federalism

The Founding Fathers of the United States designed the American government to incorporate the principles of federalism in the hopes of preventing one individual or group from holding too much power. They established this system through the 10th Amendment to the Constitution. This Amendment reads, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people” (U.S. Const. amend. X).

In recent history, there are several policy issues where states are taking the lead, and the policy on marijuana is one of these issues. Recently, the states of Washington and Colorado legalized the use of marijuana in referendum votes, despite the federal prohibition of marijuana outlined in the Controlled Substances Act of 1970. For this assignment, you will have the opportunity to analyze choices that governmental officials make and explain your position on these difficult decisions.

Drawing on your reading for this unit, write a short essay, between 500 and 700 words, in which you complete the following:

• Give your position on the following question: Should the states within the greater United States be able to pass laws to legalize marijuana?
• Give at least two specific reasons for your view. You may cite current state and federal legislation as well as court cases within your arguments.
• Address whether there are circumstances where states should be able to take the policy lead.
• Write in complete, well-constructed sentences.
• Draw on specific information from the textbook, and cite your sources using correct APA style.

Reference

U.S. Const. amend. X.

Requirements

• Written communication: Written communication is free of errors that detract from the overall message.
• Length: 500–700 words.
• Resources: Use at least two scholarly sources from the Capella library or Internet.
• APA formatting: Resources and citations are formatted according to APA (6th edition) style and formatting.
• Font and font size: Times New Roman, 12 point.

In The News

Each week we will have a current events news and politics discussion. For this discussion, choose a current topic or story in the news that you find interesting. Provide a summary and an analysis of the topic, and tie it to this unit’s discussion and assignments.

Include in your post information from at least one source, being sure to correctly cite the source in the post. Please avoid cutting and pasting information from the Internet.

Discussion 2 Topic 1

Discussion 2 Topic 2

Assignment 2