Am Govt Homework 1 Answers - Student Five

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MorganT’s Homework for Lecture One


1. Participating in politics is important because politics is about the future. Every U.S. citizen has the right to vote, and every citizen should insert his or her vote as a say into the nation’s future. Also, in a given election, every vote counts. If multitudes of people did not show up to vote at an election, the election’s results would differ greatly from the results of a fully attended election.

Good, but participating in politics requires more than merely voting. The "grassroots" (discussed in the lecture beginning Thursday) volunteer to help communicate political information to others, such that the information they provide goes far beyond their own vote, but can also affect votes of dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of others.

2. The first three Articles of the U.S. Constitution establish the three branches of government: the Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches. Article II, which has four sections, establishes the authority of the Executive branch.


3. (C) Article II, Section 1, Clause 5 establishes that only a natural born citizen may become president of the United States.


4. When delivering his acceptance speech, Mitt Romney spoke about how his wife’s occupation as a mother was more difficult and more important than Romney’s job as a politician. This portion of Romney’s speech was designed to increase Romney’s likeability among women.

Excellent answer.

6. I think the election between Romney and Obama will be more like the 1948 election than the 1980 election. In both historical elections, the economy was worsening and the incumbent president had low approval ratings. In 1948, however, the low approval president won because the challenger was wealthy and not well liked. If the election is a close call, the undecided votes may shift to Obama because Obama is considered more likeable than Romney.

Terrific analysis, among the best in the class.

Extra Credit (complete 2 out of 4):

7. If a governor knows which neighborhoods vote heavily Democratic or heavily Republican, he or she can manipulate the shapes of the voting districts to help a particular political party be elected. This process, known as “gerrymandering,” was named after a Massachusetts governor who redistricted the state to help his political party win the election.

State legislatures do the "gerrymandering", usually not the governor (though he may sign the new districting into law). Otherwise your answer is excellent. Score: 9/10.

9. The study of history, as it pertains to this government course, is about the nation’s past. The study of politics, on the other hand, is about the nation’s future. While history remains constant, politics is always changing and moving the nation forward.

Good, but the question asked for an example. Score: 8/10.
Good start! Overall score: 67/70.--Andy Schlafly 20:54, 12 September 2012 (EDT)
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