The Supreme Court

In 1896 the Supreme Court ruled in favor of "separate but equal" in the case of Plessy v. Ferguson. The one dissenting justice (Justice Harlan) stated that the Constitution was "color blind". In the 1954 Supreme Court case of Brown v. Board of Education Topeka the court determined that "separate is never equal" and reversed the Plessy v. Ferguson decision.

How would life in the United States be or have been different IF the Supreme Court had rule in favor of Plessy and supported "separate is never equal" in its 1896 decision? (Consider what you know about the Civil Rights Movement when responding to the prompt.)

The Documents that Define U.S. | View timeline

The Documents that Define U.S. View timeline

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Review the documents that contributed to ideas included in the United States Constitution. Select the document that you believe contributed the most and explain your thinking using at least three specific connections.

Declare Youreslf - Part II

How do the most famous lines from the Declaration of Independence define us as citizens of the United States? What expectations do you have for yourself based on the philosophy of the Declaration?
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Declare Yourself

Paste in your response from "Declare Yourself" - the quuestion you are responding to is...
What changes do you want your government officials to make? Why?

Challenges Facing the Nation

President Obama addressed many challenges facing our nation in the State of the Union Address. Select an issue you care about that was addressed by President Obama. Explain the issue. Connect the issue to one of the goals of the United States Government as outlined in the Preamble (form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, or secure the blessings of liberty) and explain if you think it is up to the government or the individual citizen to address the issue (solve the problem).

Why Vote?

Support or oppose the following statement. Defend your response- use expamples from your reading, the news, and your notes.
"A citizen let's the country down when they choose not to vote."

Get Your Faction On - Minor Parties and Interest Groups

After reading the information on minor parties (Chapter 5 - Section 4) and interest groups (Chapter 9 - Sections 1, 2, and 3) - respond to the following prompt: To what extent do minor parties and interest groups help or harm democracies? Defend your position by using a minimum of five citations from the readings.