19 AP Government Argumentative Essays

Develop an argument that takes a position on whether the process to amend the US Constitution should be simplified.

- Federalist 10

- Brutus I

- Article V of the US Constitution

The process to amend the US Constitution should stay as it is, as the framers deliberately made the process difficult to prevent changes made by the whims of the people.

- Federalist 10: dangerous factions would change Constitution on whims

- Article V: outlines complicated amendment process to include checks & balances; must be approved by the states, so representative but no whims

Develop an argument about whether the expanded powers of the national government benefit or hinder policymaking.

- Articles of Confederation

- Brutus I

- Federalist 10

REBUTTAL

The expanded powers of the national government benefit policymaking because they can create uniform policies that apply to all the states.

- Articles of Confederation: weak national, all states had to agree, almost impossible to amend

- Federalist 10: Factions threaten small republics, strong national prevents singular faction domination

- Rebuttal: some say national government is too large. Still, state governments aren't equipped to handle interstate issues

Take a position on whether the federal government should place more emphasis on protecting individual liberties or providing for order and security.

- Article II of the US Constitution

- Declaration of Independence

- 14th Amendment

Liberty should be the national government's priority because, as seen in the American revolution, America was founded to defend liberty.

- Declaration of Independence: natural rights are a part of the social contract, failing to defend liberties breaks the contract

- 14th Amendment: due process of law & equal protection clause prevent encroachment of liberties & imply that national government should protect them

Take a position on whether the federal government should place more emphasis on protecting individual liberties or providing for order and security.

- 1st Amendment of the US Constitution

- 4th Amendment of the US Constitution

- Necessary & Proper Clause

Liberty should be the national government's priority because, as seen in the American revolution, America was founded to defend liberty.

- 1st Amendment: freedom of expression for all citizens, supports prioritizing individual liberties

- 4th Amendment: protects against unwarranted searches, supports prioritizing individual liberties

Develop an argument that takes a position on whether the federal government should be primarily responsible for managing environmental policy or if it should be the responsibility of the states.

- Brutus I

- Federalist 10

- Preamble of the US Constitution

REBUTTAL

The federal government is better at making environmental policy because environment issues are an interstate and international issue.

- Preamble of the US Constitution: "to promote general welfare," environment = health/welfare

- Federalist 10: competing interests within a large republic require the national government to mediate; environment policy heavily debated --> federal intervention

- Rebuttal: states don't have the resources or international power

Develop an argument that takes a position on the appropriate balance of power between the president and Congress.

- Declaration of Independence

- Federalist 51

- Federalist 70

REBUTTAL

The power of the executive and legislative branches should be equal because no one branch should become too powerful (limited government).

- Declaration of Independence: an all-powerful executive threatens liberty

- Federalist 51: established separation of powers/checks & balances

- Rebuttal: a more powerful legislative branch is more closely tied to the will of the people, but gridlock in Congress slows action

Take a position on whether or not the use of executive orders has caused the power of the presidency to expand beyond the framers' intent.

- Brutus I

- Declaration of Independence

- Federalist 51

Executive orders reflect the powers of an imperial president that many of the framers expressed concerns about during the Constitutional debates because the orders go unchecked by other branches of government and allow the president to act tyrannically.

- Brutus I: argued against a powerful/unitary president for fear of tyranny

- Declaration of Independence: critical of the expanded power of the monarch, yet president's power is approaching tyrannical with executive orders

Take a position on whether the expansion of presidential powers facilitates or hinders effective domestic policy.

- Article II of the US Constitution

- Articles of Confederation

- Federalist 51

The expansion of presidential power facilitates domestic policy because presidents can unite the nation with their informal power of the bully pulpit.

- Article II: Veto power for president, establish broad role of president in domestic policy

- Articles of Confederation: failure & weakness of national government without a president (couldn't even tax), therefore a more powerful Commander in Chief is needed

Take a position on whether or not the use of executive orders has caused the power of the presidency to expand beyond the framers' intent.

- Article I of the US Constitution

- Federalist 70

- 22nd Amendment of the US Constitution

Executive orders do not expand the presidency and reflect the concept of separation of powers established by the framers as they are used to effectively implement the laws passed by Congress.

- 22nd Amendment: term limits on the president, next president can overturn executive orders with new executive orders

- Federalist 70: urges the US to adopt a vigorous executive officer to unite the people & executive orders reflect that vision

Take a position on whether the expansion of presidential powers facilitates or hinders effective foreign policy.

- Article I of the US Constitution

- Article II of the US Constitution

- Federalist 51

The expansion of presidential powers facilitates effective foreign policy because the president is tasked with being the chief of state and to represent the people, he must have appropriate power.

- Article I: gives Congress the role of the legislative branch. Foreign policy is more complex; a single executive is more effective than the competing interests in the legislative branch

- Article II: creates a single executive branch that can act. This supports the idea of a more involved executive in foreign policy

Take a position on whether judges should have lifetime or fixed terms.

- Brutus I

- Declaration of Independence

- Preamble of the US Constitution

Judges should have lifetime terms because it shields them from public pressure as they make decisions according to the law and Constitution.

- Preamble of the US Constitution: "establish justice," need an independent judiciary, no elite interference

- Federalist 78: supports the creation of a judicial branch with judges serving lifetime appointments to ensure that the Constitution is followed, has no police power & not affected by public opinion

Develop an argument on whether the congressional procedure outlined in the Constitution for impeachment and removal is an effective check on the president, too weak a check on the president, or too strong a check on the president.

- Brutus I

- Federalist 51

- Federalist 70

REBUTTAL

The procedure for impeachment is too weak of a check because it requires a two-thirds majority in the Senate to remove a president.

- Brutus I: executive branch will become too powerful, supports argument that impeachment process is too weak a check on the president

- Federalist 51: ambition must counteract ambition between the branches of government, but super majority vote needed by senate does not depict balance!

- Rebuttal: Some say presidents are too often threatened with impeachment which undermines the will of the executive branch. This view ignores that our government is one of the people!

Take a position on whether the expansion of presidential powers facilitates or hinders effective domestic policy.

- Declaration of Independence

- Federalist 10

- Federalist 70

The expansion of presidential power over domestic policy hinders effective policy making because presidents are not as close to the people as members of Congress.

- Federalist 10: large republic alleviates the problems with factions, so a powerful president is not needed for domestic policy

- Declaration of Independence: fears of a strong executive, became principles that guided the formation of the republic. Growth of executive power in domestic policies undermines these principles.

Take a position on whether the expansion of presidential powers facilitates or hinders effective foreign policy.

- Articles of Confederation

- Federalist 10

- Federalist 70

The expansion of presidential powers facilitates effective foreign policy because a strong president as the face of the nation is needed to facilitate more effective foreign policy.

- Federalist 70: argues for a powerful executive to establish strong leadership & unified vision for the nation, including in matters of foreign policy

- Articles of Confederation: demonstrated that a national government without a president to conduct foreign policy was detrimental to the nation

Take a position on whether the Constitution should be amended to abolish the electoral college and replace it with a direct popular vote.

- Article 5 of the US Constitution

- Brutus I

- Federalist 10

The electoral college does not function as intended, so the Constitution should be amended to replace it with a direct popular vote.

- Article V: exists because the Framers intended for people to change the Constitution when a policy is no longer working

- Brutus I: opposed the electoral college as an undemocratic system to elect a president, currently favors a powerful minority

Take a position on whether the Constitution should be amended to abolish the electoral college and replace it with a direct popular vote.

- Article I of the US Constitution

- Article II of the US Constitution

- Federalist 51

The electoral college does not function as intended, so the Constitution should be amended to replace it with a direct popular vote.

- Article I: allows for the direct election of members of Congress which creates accountability for politicians running for office. The same system should be used for the election of the president.

- Article II: establishes the presidency & electoral college; in cases of non-majority, the House of Representatives chooses the President. Just as the House is more representative of the people; therefore, the popular vote should outweigh the electoral college because it is more representative.

Take a position on whether judges should have lifetime or fixed terms.

- Articles of Confederation

- Federalist 51

- 10th Amendment

Judges should have FIXED terms which allows for judges who have become out of touch to be replaced after their terms.

- 10th Amendment: reserves powers to the states, but a federal judiciary with the power of judicial review strips states of that power; states with fixed term judges can be examples for future federal judges' terms

- Articles of Confederation: demonstrated a desire that the federal government not have too much concentrated power. Lifetime judges = too much power

Develop an argument that explains which of the three models of representative democracy—participatory, pluralist, or elite—best achieves the founders' intent for American democracy in terms of ensuring a stable government run by the people.

- Brutus I

- Federalist 10

- US Constitution

REBUTTAL

The participatory model best ensures a stable government run by the people because citizen participation is the best mechanism to hold government officials accountable so that they pass policies that benefit the people and not themselves.

- Brutus I: concerned over the scope of the federal government, so participatory supports individual/small groups to think for themselves

- US Constitution: blueprint for a government by the people, participatory democracy supports voter turnout which is fundamental to ensuring a healthy democracy

- Rebuttal: Some argue that the elite model ensures stability by limiting citizen participation of the ill-informed. This reasoning is dangerous: choosing participants leads to limitations on political opponents' say in politics.

Develop an argument that takes a position on which type of grant best serves the interests of citizens.

- Brutus I

- Federalist 51

- 10th Amendment of the US Constitution

Block grants better fit citizens' needs because the federal grant money does not have strict conditions on how the state governments spend the money; instead, they are allowed discretion to spend the money in ways that best serves their citizens.

- Brutus I: favors state control of government and is critical of the federal structure, states can choose better ways to spend the $ for their people

- 10th Amendment: grants all power not given to federal government to states; Block grants follow this spirit, as states determine how $ for their own citizens is used