Directions
Drawing upon relevant course materials (lecture and the readings), please respond to TWO of the following three questions. Please prepare each of your responses as an essay (i.e., with an introduction, body, and conclusion). As you discuss the readings in your response (and you are fully expected to do so), please cite your sources using the Chicago Manual of Style. Your essays must be specific, well crafted, and utilize concrete examples from the assigned readings that demonstrate your understanding and analysis of the subject matter. Your responses must be typewritten in Times New Roman, 12-point font, and total 10 double-spaced pages (i.e., 5 pages for each essay) with one- inch margins, page numbers, and a staple in the upper left corner.
Discuss freedom, African Americans, and the founding of the Republic. In your response, be sure to consider the different theorizations of freedom; the ways that the status of African Americans prefigured in discourses surrounding the founding of the republic (including the Declaration of Independence and the formation of the Constitution); the connections and conflicts between the founding fathers and the issue of slavery; as well as the role (and different forms) of racism at this important moment in the organization of the American state. What do we learn from studying American politics from this viewpoint? What is at stake here?
Write an essay that discusses federalism and the nature of the federal system of government as it relates to African American politics. In what ways has federalism expanded and contracted African American rights? What role has the Fourteenth Amendment (and its varied interpretations) played in this narrative? Be sure to compare and contrast state centered federalism and national centered federalism and give examples of the ways that different branches of the federal system have responded to political demands of African Americans.
Write an essay that discusses African American political behavior as evident through political culture, political socialization, and public opinion. In what ways does class polarization impact African American political behavior? How has this become apparent in political choice and policy preferences? How does studying political behavior contribute to our understanding of African American politics?
