AP
Government Summer Reading Assignment
The following assignment is due by
September 1st. Please send
all answers, typed in a
Word Document, electronically (via email)
to Mr. Ackerman: mrackermanhistory@gmail.com
• Make sure your work is proofread and written
in complete sentences.
• There are 2 parts to the assignment. Part
I is related to reading excerpts of the Federalist Papers. Part II involves
watching news programs and writing about the programs.
Part I - Federalist Papers Assignment:
Directions: Read the entire content of this assignment carefully, before you
begin. Then answer the questions after each Federalist Paper cited.
A nation without a national government is,
in my view, an awful spectacle.
–Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist
Papers, No. 85
After the Revolutionary War, many Americans
realized that the government established by the Articles of Confederation was
not working. America needed a new form of government. It had to be strong
enough to maintain national unity over a large geographic area, but not so
strong as to become a tyranny.
Unable to find an exact model in history to
fit America’s unique situation, delegates met at Philadelphia in 1787 to create
their own solution to the problem. Their creation was the United States Constitution.
Before the Constitution could become “the
supreme law of the land,” it had to be ratified or approved by at least nine of
the thirteen states. When the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention signed
the Constitution on September 17, 1787, they knew ratification would not be
easy. Many people were bitterly opposed to the proposed new system of
government. A public debate soon erupted in each of the states over whether the
new.
Constitution should be accepted. More
important, it was a crucial debate on the future of the United States.
The Federalist Papers:
Nowhere was the furor
over the proposed Constitution more intense than in New York.
Within days after it was signed, the
Constitution became the subject of widespread criticism in the New York newspapers.
Many commentators charged that the Constitution diminished the rights Americans
had won in the Revolution.
Fearful that the cause
for the Constitution might be lost in his home state, Alexander
Hamilton devised a plan to write a series
of letters or essays rebutting the critics. It is not surprising that Hamilton,
a brilliant lawyer, came forward at this moment to defend the new Constitution.
At Philadelphia, he was the only New Yorker to have signed the Constitution.
The other New York delegates had angrily left the Convention convinced that the
rights of the people were being abandoned.
Hamilton himself was
very much in favor of strengthening the central government. Hamilton’s Constitution would have called for
a president elected for life with the power to appoint state governors.
Hamilton soon backed away from these ideas, and decided that the Constitution,
as written, was the best one possible.
Hamilton published his
first essay in the New York Independent Journal on October 27,
1787. He signed the articles with the Roman
name “Publius.” (The use of pseudonyms by writers on public affairs was a
common practice.) Hamilton soon recruited two others, James Madison and John
Jay, to contribute essays to the series. They also used the pseudonym “Publius.”
James Madison, sometimes called the Father of the Constitution, had played a
major role during the Philadelphia Convention. As a delegate from Virginia, he
participated actively in the debates. He also kept detailed notes of the
proceedings and drafted much of the Constitution.
Unlike Hamilton and
Madison, John Jay of New York had not been a delegate to the
Constitutional Convention. A judge and
diplomat, he was serving as secretary of foreign affairs in the national
government. Between October 1787 and
August 1788, “Publius” wrote 85 essays in several New York newspapers. Hamilton
wrote over 60 percent of these essays and helped with the writing of others.
Madison probably wrote about a third of them with Jay composing the rest.
The essays had an immediate
impact on the ratification debate in New York and in the other states. The
demand for reprints was so great that one New York newspaper publisher printed
the essays together in two volumes entitled The Federalist, A Collection of
Essays, written in favor of the New Constitution, By a Citizen of New York. By
this time the identity of “Publius,” never a well-kept secret, was pretty well
known.
The Federalist, also called The Federalist Papers, has served two very
different purposes in American history. The 85 essays succeeded by helping to
persuade doubtful New Yorkers to ratify the Constitution. Today, The Federalist
Papers helps us to more clearly understand what the writers of the Constitution
had in mind when they drafted that amazing document 200 years ago. What follow
are quotations from several essays in The Federalist Papers. After each are
questions. Use the internet if you want to view the full copy of each
of the Federalist Papers. There are many sites were you can view them free of
charge.
Federalist Paper 23–Alexander Hamilton
The principle purposes to be answered by
Union are these — The common defense of the members — the preservation of the
public peace as well as against internal convulsions as external attacks — the
regulation of commerce with other nations and between the States — the
superintendence of our intercourse, political and commercial, with foreign
countries.
Questions:
1. According to Hamilton, what are the main
purposes of forming a Union under the
Constitution? Make a list in your own
words.
2. Do the majority of Hamilton’s purposes
relate to domestic or to foreign affairs?
3. Which one of Hamilton’s purposes do you
think is the most important for the United States today? Explain your answer in
about 100 words.
Federalist Paper 47–James Madison
The accumulation of all powers legislative,
executive and judiciary in the same hands, whether of one, a few or many, and
whether hereditary, self appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the
very definition of tyranny.
Questions:
1. According to this excerpt, do you think
Madison supported or opposed the principle of “separation of powers”? (Research
this term if you are not familiar with it.)
2. Why do you think Madison held this view
of the “separation of powers”?
3. In about 100 words, describe a
government in which all legislative, executive and judicial power is in the
hands of one person or a single small group.
Federalist Paper 51–James Madison
If men were angels, no government would be
necessary. If angels were to govern men, neither external nor internal controls
on government would be necessary. In framing a government which is to be
administered by men over men, the great difficulty lies in this: You must first
enable the government to control the governed; and in the next place, oblige it
to control itself.
Questions:
1. Which of the following statements would
Madison agree with based on his views in the above excerpt?
a. Government is necessary.
b. The people should elect government
leaders who act like angels.
c. Elected government officials should be
controlled by a system of “checks and balances.”
2. What would you say was Madison’s general
opinion of people in government: angels? devils? something else?
3. Find and describe five examples of
“checks and balances” in the Constitution (you can find the Constitution
online).
Federalist Paper 72–Alexander Hamilton
The original intent of the Constitution was
to place no limit on the number of times an individual could be elected
president. However, after Franklin D. Roosevelt won four presidential elections
in a row, a constitutional amendment (the 22nd) was passed limiting a person to
two terms as president. In the following selection, Hamilton argues against
limiting the number of presidential terms.
[An] ill effect of the exclusion would be
depriving the community of the advantage of the experience gained by the chief
magistrate in the exercise of his office. That experience is the parent of
wisdom is an adage, the truth of which is recognized by the wisest as well as
the simplest of mankind. What more desirable or more essential than this
quality in the government of nations?
Questions:
1. What argument does Hamilton give against
limiting the number of times a person may be elected president?
2. What could have been one of the
arguments used by those who proposed the 22nd Amendment?
3. President Reagan remarked that there
should not be a limit on the number of times a person may serve as president.
Do you agree we should go back to the original intent of the Constitution and
allow individuals to be elected for any number of presidential terms? Explain
your answer in about 100 words.
Federalist Paper 78–Alexander Hamilton
“If then the courts of justice are to be
considered as the bulwarks of a limited constitution against legislative
encroachments, this consideration will afford a strong argument for the
permanent tenure of judicial offices, since nothing will contribute so much as
this to that independent spirit in the judges, which must be essential to the
faithful performance of so arduous a duty.
This independence of the judges is equally
requisite to guard the constitution and the rights of individuals from the
effects of . . . designing men.”
Questions:
1. What does Hamilton mean by “the
permanent tenure of judicial offices”? Does
Hamilton support or oppose this idea?
2. What does Hamilton mean when he says
that an “independent spirit in the judges”is essential for them to do their
duty?
Part II – News Program Analysis:
At some point during the summer, you need
to view 3 news interview programs: one on
Fox NEWS, one on CNN, and an episode of
“Meet the Press” on NBC. In your analysis, you need to include the following:
Date of Show
Topic of Show
Title of Show
Compare and contrast, in essay format,
topics, types of guests, tone of interview and discussion, and any political
perspective/bias that you can detect. The essay should be 2-3 typed pages,
double-spaced, 12 pt. font New Times Roman.
