American History

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  1. Popular Sovereignty: the people establish the government and are the source of their power
  2. Limited Government: the powers of the government are restricted to protect individual rights and are limited to the powers granted by the Constitution
  3. Separation of Powers: the power to govern is divided between the legislative, executive and judicial powers to avoid the concentration and abuse of power by a single branch.  In its most basic form:

    1. The legislative branch – Congress creates the law
    2. The executive branch – President approves the law
    3. The judicial branch – Supreme Court explain and interpret the law
  4. Checks and Balances: each branch of government has the authority to control or restrict some powers of the other 2 branches
  5. Judicial Review: the judiciary has the power to repeal laws and other government action as invalid under the Constitution
  6. Federalism: the rights of the states are protected by dividing the powers between the national government and the state government s – dual system of government

Think about the polarized nature of the American people since the election of Donald Trump. There are major political struggles occurring that strain against some of these principles. Which of them have you seen challenged or threatened in the past 10 years? Cite an example of an event or situation, and identify which principle was challenged, and how (or if!) the power of government worked to level things back to restore order.  Link to a news article about the situation, if you can find one.

Remember to review the academic expectations for your submission.

Submission Instructions:

  • Submit your initial discussion post by 11:59 pm on Wednesday and react critically to at least two of the discussion posts of your classmates by 11:59 pm on Sunday.
  • Contribute a minimum of 250 words to the initial post. It should include at least (number) academic sources, formatted and cited in APA.
  • Respond to at least two of your classmates’ discussion posts by 11:59 pm ET on Sunday. Ask a question, and provide a different viewpoint.
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