government

How powerful is a state? How powerful should it be? These questions have been debated since the Revolution. Under the Articles of Confederation, we saw states with significantly higher power than the national government; there was an attempt at more balance in the Constitution. Yet the debate over the power of each level of government continued to be debated, and this debate formed some of the reasoning behind having a Bill of Rights, led to the formation of our two political parties, and formed the basis of many of our conflicts in U.S. history. In the Federalist Era, we saw James Madison and Thomas Jefferson write the “Virginia and Kentucky Resolutions,” in reaction to the Alien and Sedition Acts; their work outlined their beliefs of where national law overreached and states should be able to counter that law. And in the Age of Jackson, we see the issue arise again in relation to the tariffs.

For this essay, you will need to craft a 1000 word, 5-paragraph essay (feel free to craft more than 5 paragraphs).

Prompt: Should state governments have more powerful than the national government, or should the national government be more powerful?

Take a position on state power versus national power. In other words, should state governments or the national government have more power? Your thesis should answer this question. Your thesis roadmap should provide 3 support points (taken course readings/material, the above primary sources, and the Constitution) that support your argument. Refer to the above documents AND the U.S. Constitution when making your argument. You may use all sources we have covered all ready for this assignment.

General Instructions (see the checklist for more requirements):

1. Do not plagiarize. All phrases taken word-for-word from a document must be surrounded with quotation marks and followed by an in-text citation. In addition, you must include that source on your Works Cited page. If you paraphrase anything, you should follow that section with an in-text citation. Do not change every third or fourth word of someone else’s writing in order to complete this assignment.

2. Use at least (3) primary sources (The Kentucky Resolutions, The South Carolina Exposition and Protest, and the U.S. Constitution). The best essays will include additional sources (see above). Remember, primary sources are sources created at the time of the event or by someone who experienced the event. The use of these sources must followed by an in-text citation and be included on your Works’ Cited.

3. Do not use internet sources. If you need to do outside research, you may use library books or academic articles found through Galileo. These sources must be listed on the Works Cited, and you must include in-text citations after the information you’ve taken from the source.

4. Include a Works’ Cited Page. Your Works’ Cited page should have a minimum of 4 sources: the 3 primary sources listed above and the textbook. Cite all quotes and references to specific ideas and data. Citations on your Works’ Cited page MUST be in proper form that conforms with the citation standard you pick. You may use any FORMAL citation method. For help citing work and creating a work cited page, consult a librarian or visit: https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/section/2/

5. You must include at least (9) concrete and specific examples (the names of people, places, events or ideas). This is the bare minimum number of specific examples and may earn you a ‘C’ at best. You can take these examples from the textbook, primary sources, or other sources on the course website.

6. Papers with less than 1000 words will be penalized. Your Works’ Cited page does not count towards the 1000 required words.

7. Citations should be formatted according to the MLA guidelines (if you want to use APA or Chicago, check with me first), including both in-text and your Works Cited page. Guidelines for MLA can be found using the Purdue Owl or you can reference the Citation Help.pdf from the Start Here Module of the course.

8. Essays should be typed in 12-point font with a simple, clean font such as Times New Roman or Arial. Use 1”-inch margins on all sides and double-space the text. Your essay should be a minimum of 1000 words.

9. Successful essays should be carefully organized, with strong thesis statements and specific evidentiary support. Your introduction should include a clear statement of what you will argue in the essay (thesis statements are never questions). The body of the essay will include at least three paragraphs (though you can write more – with this assignment, you will want four body paragraphs) that analyze and evaluate the idea of nullification. Conclude by discussing the key conclusion you reached and why (remember not to use the first person in formal academic essays).

10. Be sure to revise and edit carefully. In addition, make sure to download and use the essay checklist before submitting your essay.

IMPORTANT: You must follow the essay/outline format sheet and other materials available in the Essay Module. Please see these resources so you structure your essay correctly. You will lose points if your essay structure deviates from the one outlined in the Essay Module.

https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript
https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/full-text
https://leefamilyarchive.org/papers/essays/fedfarmer/index.html
https://en.wikisource.org/wiki/South_Carolina_Exposition_and_Protest
https://guides.loc.gov/federalist-papers/full-text
https://leefamilyarchive.org/papers/essays/fedfarmer/index.html