Homework Three Answers - Student Seven

1\. Identify two of the biggest weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation. The national government it created was extremely weak, so that any legislation was hard to pass. The powers vested in the States, however, were large so that disputes between the States fueled disunity.

Superb!

2\. Other than George Washington, who do you think was the most influential Founding Father? Alexander Hamilton; he gave us political parties, loose constructionism of the Constitution, some of the federalist papers, a national bank, and even George Washington's farewell address.

Excellent, could be the model answer ... though "loose constructionism" is not something conservatives support. I do agree that Hamilton was probably the most influential after Washington.

3\. Give an example of George Washington's leadership. Explain. George Washington commanded respect of Americans, for instance with the whiskey rebellion he defeated the rebels without a drop of blood because of their great respect for President Washington.

Good, but the answer merely seems to reiterate what is in the question. The real goal is to understand why Washington had such immense leadership. (Minus 1)

4\. "Of all the dispositions and habits which lead to political prosperity, religion and morality are indispensable supports." From where is that quote taken, and what does it mean to you? I would say it was from George Washington's farewell adress. I say this because George Washington's farewell adress taught us about how we can achieve prosperity, and George Washington's trust in God is not surprising because Washington was a religious man. It teaches us that if we have faith in God, like in the stories of the Old Testament, God will bring us great things.

Terrific answer. (Note spelling: "address", not "adress")

5\. President John Adams was only a one-term president. Why? John Adams was infamously bullheaded and so as this may have been effective trying to inspire the American people to rebel, it did not increase his popularity as an American President. Also he had George Washington's flawless legacy to follow, a legacy that is hard to be achieved by anyone.

Excellent!

6.Write about any issue related to this week's lecture. I chose the topic of whether we should have debtors prison, I obviously do not believe we should but I do believe people should be made to pay their debts. This disrespect for debts has carried up to the highest levels, signalled by our skyrocketing national debt.

Good.

H1. Would you have been an Anti-Federalist with respect to the Constitution? Discuss. I would have been both a federalist and an antifederalist meaning I would have supported the Constitution being passed but would have demanded that the bill of rights be immediately passed upon the Constitution's being passed.

Excellent.

H2.Do you think States have the power of "nullification" with respect to laws passed by Congress? Discuss in the context of the Alien & Sedition Acts. No, the constitution specifically says that federal laws shall be the supreme law of the land, and so States must enforce federal laws. If states believe a law is unjust they can get the courts to repeal it, in the instance of the alien and sedition acts the law blatantly restricts freedom of speech and so it is unconstitutional so it should have been nullified by the courts.

Good answer with reference to what is called the "Supremacy Clause" - the provision of the Constitution that says "federal laws shall be the supreme law of the land."

H3. Write about any issue related to this week's lecture. Why were notes about the Constitutional Convention destroyed? There are many explanations for this mystery but one compelling explanation is that the founders were trying to make sure that we could not know the "spirit" of the Constitution and the reasons why they said certain things so that the spirit of the law would not subjagate the letter of the law.

Right. (note spelling: "subjugate", not "subjagate")

Paul R.

Grade: 89/90. Terrific work!--Andy Schlafly 13:20, 27 February 2011 (EST)