Assignment: Week 8
Week 8 Essay: Checks, Balances, and the Unitary Executive
If you did the previous assignment, you now know a great deal about checks and balances in U. S. government.
Now the next step.
Your independent study: Research and read about the unitary executive.
Use google — and try using not only google’s “web” search, but also “news.” I would also suggest — especially for visual learners — that you try clicking on google “image” to see if there aare diagrams, charts, pictures — even cartoons — that help you get the idea of this 9or any) research topic.
Essay Topic: Why is the checks and balances system important for America, and how would a unitary executive impact the system and America?
In your essay compare and contrast the two systems.
Monday, October 23, 8:00AM
Here is how your essay will be graded. This rubric is listed as “Social Sudies Rubric” in the PAGES section of this blog.
- This essay needs to be long enough to cover the principles and ideas discussed, to compare and contrast them, and to fulfill the expectations in the rubric.
- You must have a thesis statement, and it should be in bold face font.
- Include quotes and links. ALL quotes must be linked to the original source.
REMEMBER: “Compare and Contrast” is a particular style of essay.
Basic example of Compare & Contrast:
But ALSO remember — a comare and contrast esssay is more than just a couple of lists of facts.
Once you have your facts and understand them, you still need a THESIS STATEMENT.
Most essays will look something like this:
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This diagram will work for the compare and contrast part, but in this one, you also need to form a conclusion as to the effects of a “unitary executive” on our system of checks and balances and what impact that could have on our country.
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Keep that in mind as you organize your essay. Your conclusion will influence both your thesis statement and your concluding paragraph.
Here are some other sites that will help you with your essay. If you find them helpful, add them to the LINKS section on your blog so that you can refer to them on future essay assignments.
http://www.studygs.net/writing/topics.htm
http://www.studygs.net/5paragraph_edit.htm
http://mrtushistory.homestead.com/files/How_to_Write_a_Historical_Essay.html
A terrific page with everything in the world (and then some) on writing, particularly writing for Social Studies: http://home.comcast.net/~mruland/Skills/skills.htm
Before you write, I would suggest you print out this template and use it to organize your ideas and information: http://www.biologycorner.com/resources/graphic_compare_contrast.gif
The unitary executive and the system of checks and blances are two completely diiferent subjects; checks and balances helps to make sure no one of the branches become too powerful, while a unitary executive will most likely lead to something of a dictatorship. Check and balances was designed to keep the executive, legislative, and judical branch with limited powers over eachother, so either branch could control the other. So far the system has worked.
The checks and balances and the unitary executive are very different, but since they both have to do with government, they are also slightly similar. The unitary executive has to do with the Pesident and the excutive branch, and the checks and balance system also has to deal with the President. The unitary executive is mainly concerning the executive branch, which needs the most checking on. The unitary executive is just like if the President was a king with advisors. The President can choose to listen to the other branches or not. This is where the checks and balance system comes in, their not supposed to let that sort of thing happen. Thats how they’re so different, because they clash together like two trains heading straight for eachother. A source stated: “He may look at the law, but he is not required to follow it” (http://patriot.net/~bmcgin/unitaryexecutivetheory.html).
The President has even started to use this power. “The Bush administration has been using an extreme version of an obscure doctrine called the Unitary Executive Theory to justify executive actions that far exceed past presidents’ power…” (http://rawstory.com/news/2005/CanExecutive_Branch_Decide_0923.html). This action could lead the United States into a dictatorship since the President could have the power to choose weather he listens to the other branchs or not. He has tried to overule the Judicial branch by saying that a terroist didn’t deserve a trial, but in the United States EVERYONE deserves a fair trial. See http://www.thepanamanews.com/pn/v_12/issue_20/opinion_03.html for more info. WIth President Bush exceeding his powers as a President maybe he’s really trying to see how far he could push the United States citizens.
