Rakove — “The Politics Of Constitution Making”: You can find the reading here.
Section 53: Due Feb. 9th.
Section 51: Due Feb 12th.
What are the primary principles of the Virginia and New Jersey Plans? What were the two sides debating these plans?
How does Madison radically shift the nature of debate at the convention? What does Madison think the fundamental differences between states are?
What are the two major compromises reached at the Constitutional Convention?
According to Rakove, which compromise is more important to the long term political development of the U.S.? Put another way, which compromise does Rakove view as more “revolutionary?”
American Congress: Reaction Paper 3
Due Feb 9th. D/O/L Chapter 3, “Going For It: Recruitment and Candidacy.”
I think for this chapter what would work best is to focus on half the chapter and think about how these aspects relate to representation and policy outcomes for Congress. Below are some questions to think about when preparing your essay.
First Half: Focus on districts and redistricting. What impact does districting and gerrymandering (define and discuss both partisan and racial/ethnic) have on Congress–consider how districts determine the “type” of representative/representation and the make-up of the House of Representatives? Are local interests articulated well in lawmaking? Are minority (in terms of numbers) viewpoints given the access the founders hoped? What have the courts ruled? Is there a better way to organize Congress?
Second half: How does the structure of elections and candidate recruitment impact Congress? What advantages do incumbents have? What role does money play? Have efforts to reform campaign finance been successful (why/why not)? What does this mean for lawmaking? Do expensive elections inhibit Congress from being representative? Or, is money less influential than many would suggest? How would you reform the campaign finance system?