Government paper

From your reading of Chapter 1, pick one of the following questions to address. Be mindful of the following instructions:

Your original post needs to be at least 200 words and your TWO responses need to be at least 100 words each. You must use correct grammar, spelling and punctuation. Be respectful in tone. It is okay to disagree with a classmate’s view, but offer up reasons and perhaps even evidence for your decision. This is worth 50 points. Select “Start a New Thread” below and let us know which question you are answering.

1. The American novelist James Baldwin wrote, “Words like freedom, justice, democracy are not common concepts; on the contrary, they are rare. People are not born knowing what these are. It takes enormous and, above all, individual effort to arrive at the respect for other people that these words imply.” Ask students to define the terms freedom, justice, and democracy. How did the students derive their own meaning for these words?
2. What are the most important reasons for low public trust in government? How could public trust in government be increased?
3. The textbook authors discuss liberty as a key component of American democracy. What sort of liberty did James Madison and his colleagues have in mind in the Bill of Rights? Are there limits to how much liberty we can allow and still maintain a stable society? What sorts of limits on personal freedom do you think are acceptable? What sorts of actions are not acceptable? How does national security affect Americans’ support of liberty?
4. The term equality has several dimensions: political, social, and economic. What sort of political equality exists in the United States? Where do we fail to provide political equality? How much social equality do we have? How much should we have? How much economic equality should exist?
5. The development of a public education system is based on the idea that democracy requires an educated population trained in rational discussion and decision making. The authors state that knowledge of how the political system works is the most important requirement for citizenship in a democracy. In what ways does public education promote democratic citizenship? What challenges confront the public education system? Do these challenges affect democratic citizenship? Why or why not?
6. The draft was abolished in the United States in 1973. Some people believe that everyone ought to perform at least one year of mandatory public service, either in the military or in community service. Ask students how they feel about this idea. What benefits would exist with regard to mandatory public service? What problems would exist with mandatory service? If military service were mandated, should it be required of both men and women? If such a policy were enacted, ask students whether they would choose military service or community service. Why?
7. Combating terrorism has entailed restrictions on civil liberties. How can we reconcile civil liberty and national security? Are we better off opting for more liberty or more security? Are the two goals mutually exclusive? Have Americans become less supportive of the limitations on liberty put into place after the terror attacks in 2001, or do they still perceive that it makes sense to give up some liberties in order to feel more secure?
8. As the authors note, Americans have been anxious about the impact of immigrants on American society for a long time. Yet, despite waves of immigrants and increasing diversity in the United States, our core political culture—our respect for liberty, equality, and democracy—remains strong. Why is this the case?