DUE: Thursday, Feb 14
Yes, there are other political parties in the United States besides Democratic and Republican. These third parties, however, rarely get much publicity on the national political scene. For example, while Ross Perot was permitted to debate George Bush and Bill Clinton in 1992, Ralph Nader, a 30+ year political activist and recent presidential nominee for the Green Party, was prohibited from participating in the 2000 and 2004 presidential debates. In 2016, although the major party nominees, Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton, were unpopular,Libertarian Party candidate Gary Johnson didn't garner enough support to appear on the debate stage. For better or worse, the United States seems to be stuck with a two-party system. For this project, you will choose a third party from the list below and do the following:
Here are the third parties from which you may choose (I have also included their official websites):
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Why do we have only two dominant parties in our democratic political system? The following article does a nice job of summarizing why the two-party system persists and why third parties have such difficulty elbowing their way in. Third Parties in the U.S. Political Process Also, I found a pretty good PowerPoint on the Youth Leadership Initiative website.
And finally, Ralph Nader's classic interview about third parties from Meet the Press. Today we're comparing the two major parties in the United States. Visit their official websites and complete the following worksheet. Then, tonight for homework, summarize 2 recent news articles on Clinton and Trump (1 article each).
- Comparing Political Parties worksheet Here are today's notes on the differences between liberals and conservatives on major economic, social, moral, and foreign policy issues.
Liberals vs. Conservatives SUPREME COURT DECISIONS IN THE 21STCENTURY
DUE: Friday, May 4th The Supreme Court is responsible for interpreting the constitutionality of federal and state laws. In an increasingly complex and diverse country, the court makes decisions on some very controversial decisions. This project will examine some decisions of the Supreme Court from the year 2000 to today. Task: You and a partner will write a 3-page research paperon one of the following cases: Glossip v. Gross - Lethal Injection Obergefeld v. Hodges– Same Sex Marriage Reed v. Town of Gilbert AZ– freedom of religion Walker v. Texas Division of Sons of Confederate Veterans– Confederate flag and free speech Morse v. Frederick– Freedom of Speech in Schools Elonis v. United States- Social Media and Free Speech Equal Employment Opportunity Commission v. Abercrombie & Fitch Stores- Employment Discrimination Williams-Yulee v. Florida Bar- Judicial Elections and Free Speech Young v. United Parcel Service- Pregnancy Discrimination Holt v. Hobbs- Religious Freedom in Prison Maryland v. King– DNA swab of arrestees Town of Greece v. Galloway – separation of church and state Burwell vs. Hobby Lobby– birth control and religion in workplace Roper v. Simmons– death penalty for underage Van Orden v. Perry– separation of church and state District of Columbia v. Heller– gun laws McCullen v. Coakley– abortion and free speech Riley v. California– search and seizure Hall v. Florida– death penalty SOURCES www.oyez.org http://www.uscourts.gov http://www.scotusblog.com https://supreme.justia.com https://www.law.cornell.edu/supct/supremes.htm DUE: Friday, November 18 We have spent the past few weeks discussing the Executive Branch and the presidency, in addition to the most recent presidential election. While it is too soon to evaluate Barack Obama’s presidency from a historical perspective, we can try to assess his eight years in office and report on his accomplishments and failures. For this project, you will create a Report Card for Obama’s presidency (2009-2017) that includes the following:
The project should be at least 3 pages in length and include a separate bibliography. You may find the following links useful in researching President Obama’s time in office. -https://www.whitehouse.gov/administration/president-obama -https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presidency_of_Barack_Obama -http://www.cnn.com/2012/12/26/us/barack-obama---fast-facts/ -http://www.politico.com/magazine/story/2016/01/obama-biggest-achievements-213487 -http://www.nationalreview.com/article/419488/three-obamas -http://www.gq.com/story/obama-greatest-president-legacy -http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/04/the-obama-doctrine/471525/ -http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2016/10/8-years-in-obamas-america.html -http://www.nytimes.com/2016/05/15/us/politics/obama-as-wartime-president-has-wrestled-with-protecting-nation-and-troops.html?_r=0 -http://www.hoover.org/research/barack-obamas-failed-presidency FRONTLINE goes behind the headlines to investigate what has shaped Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump — where they came from, how they lead and why they want one of the most difficult jobs imaginable.
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