The Balance of Power in American Government

The Balance of Power in the American Government
Learning Objective: Through intensive critical thinking and analysis of Articles I, I, and III of the U.S. Constitution, students learn how the balance of powers works in a republican form of government.

For this assignment, research any one of the topics listed below. Notice the conflicting interests of the parties involved in the issue. Do the mechanisms designed to balance the power of government between institutions and individuals continue to work? Has one center of power grown too powerful? Are individual rights being protected during these disputes? Include a discussion of the balancing mechanisms found in the U.S. Constitution and discussed in Federalist Papers 10, 47, and 51.
Topics
Sanctuary Cities v Federal Immigration Laws
Sanctuary city, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sanctuary_city)
How sanctuary cities actually work, Vox, 2017 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XaR5kR8h4es)
Obergefell v Hodges: State rights and Same Sex marriage
Obergefell v. Hodges, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Obergefell_v._Hodges)
Obergefell v. Hodges Summary | quimbee.com, Quimbee, 2017 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rWSvCNBZxY)
Civil Rights Act of 1964 Federal Laws replace State laws
Civil Rights Act of 1964, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_Rights_Act_of_1964)
A Confrontation for Integration at the University of Alabama, theGrio, 2013 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4WbLGlIzW88)
Transcript (https://content.bellevue.edu/cas/la/400-410-420/id/kss-2019/transcripts/transcript-ua.pdf)
Legalizing Marijuana: State Laws v Federal laws
Timeline of cannabis laws in the United States, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_cannabis_laws_in_the_United_States)
Legalized: A Year In The Life Of Colorado’s Legal Weed Experiment | NBC News, NBC News, 2016 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B1cyfObqehI)
Dealing with Factions: Is Federalist Paper No ten still viable?
Unite the Right rally, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unite_the_Right_rally)
American Patriot, PBS FrontLine, 2017 (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/american-patriot-inside-the-armed-uprising-against-the-federal-government/)
Individual rights versus the federal government The Sagebrush Rebellion
Sagebrush Rebellion, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sagebrush_Rebellion)
American Patriot, PBS FrontLine, 2017 (https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/frontline/film/american-patriot-inside-the-armed-uprising-against-the-federal-government/)
Drivers licenses for undocumented immigrants Cities and States versus Federal Immigration Law
Driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants in the United States, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driver%27s_licenses_for_illegal_immigrants_in_the_United_States)
New York lawmakers OK allowing undocumented immigrants to obtain driver’s licenses, NBC News, 2019 (https://www.cbsnews.com/news/new-york-green-light-bill-state-could-allow-undocumented-immigrants-to-obtain-drivers-licenses/)
Wounded Knee 1973 Native Rights versus the Federal Government
Wounded Knee incident, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wounded_Knee_incident)
We Shall Remain – Episode 5: Wounded Knee, Jeffery Powell, 2017 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJxqMAopPuA)
SCOTUS v Administration Census and citizenship question
Supreme Court Leaves Census Question on Citizenship in Doubt, The New York Times, 2019 (https://www.nytimes.com/2019/06/27/us/politics/census-citizenship-question-supreme-court.html)
Census citizenship question: what we know about the debate so far, USA Today, 2019 (https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2019/07/06/census-citizenship-question-what-we-know-debate/1664071001/)
Voting Right Act of 1965
Voting Rights Act of 1965, Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voting_Rights_Act_of_1965)
The Voting Rights Act of 1965 Explained, Hip Hughes, 2015 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cK6HYJQ3aJc)
The fight for the right to vote in the United States – Nicki Beaman Griffin, Ted-Ed, 2013 (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P9VdyPbbzlI)
RESOURCES:
https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript

https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Madison/01-10-02-0266

https://founders.archives.gov/documents/Hamilton/01-04-02-0199

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