A number of essay plans relating to the USA Edexcel politics course. Essays largely focused on Constitution, Congress, and comparative theories, but with a few plans relating to Presidency (3 plans), SCOTUS and civil rights (3 plans), Elections (1 plan), and parties and pressure groups (1 plan).
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Predictions?
- Supreme court question (could include a synoptic link to rights)
- Congress (all left in on specification so could be an overall question - also
interpretations and debates????)
- Democracy and participation (also with synoptic link)
- Maybe some sort of constitution link but questionable
Examples in purple bold writing - often versatile and can be used across essays
The Constitution
Evaluate the extent to which the Constitution protects state power.
Agree Disagree
- The hard amendments process - Increased federal power in recent
means that smaller states’ power is years e.g. No Child Left Behind
protected and magnifies their voices, 2001 Bush, PATRIOT Act,
as well as making sure that all the Affordable Care Act 2011, Bill
states have power to vote on the 2021 etc are all examples of
amendments and the fact that need increased federal power recently
¾ highlights every states’ role - Some of the powers that are given
- The 10th amendment clearly states to the state governments in the
that all powers not given to the constitution are vague which means
federal government are given to the that there is the ability of the federal
states, and articles I-IV highlight the government to take over roles due to
powers of the states; means that the vagueness - federal exploitation
there is a clear framework - There is an increasing usage of
- The states are able to bring cases to federal mandates such as the mask
the SCOTUS if they feel that they mandate in 2020 over the Covid-
are not right; means that there is an 19 pandemic which highlights the
independent body that has the ability power that the federal government
to check the government if they can have over the states
have become too strong
Evaluate the view that amendments to the US Constitution are both possible
and useful.
Agree Disagree
- The constitutional amendment - It is an overly complex amendment
process makes it so that the process which means that it is really
Constitution can only really be hard for provision to pass - there
amended based on a permanent were 17 votes under Clinton 1993-
issue due to the long process 2001 and 6 under Bush 2001-2009
(counter with Prohibition 1920s) but none passed, still not equal
- The amendment process makes gender rights amendment
, sure that there is approval both in - Can lead to the smaller majority
the federal and state governments being thwarted by a large minority
which means that there is greater and means that smaller states have
unity over the proposals that are an over magnified voice
made - The difficulty of formal amendments
- The provision for the option of leads to issues with the Supreme
constitutional conventions gives Court as it allows them to make
another way to initiate them which interpretive amendments which may
gives states flexibility and protects not be suited to any of the states but
against a veto from Congress passed as too complex to agree on
in Congress
Evaluate the view that the US constitution can be effectively modernised.
Agree Disagree
- The elastic clause means that the - There has been little change to
powers of federal government can things such as gun laws despite the
be stretched beyond the specified fact that the 2nd Amendment was
powers and so the vagueness written at a time of civil war - means
element means that the Constitution that mass shootings remain
has the ability to change with the common in the US such as Uvalde
times and be modernised 2022 in the primary school, but
- Due to the difficulty of formal with no gun reform, which highlights
amendments it sometimes passes to issues with the Constitution about
the Supreme Court in order to make being too hard to change
interpretative amendments. Whilst - It is a long and complex
these may have a level of bias, it is amendments process which has
still a modern ruling that only seen 26 amendments ever
encompasses the scenarios of the and 10 were in the Bill of Rights
time. This was demonstrated in the which highlights that it is hard to
case of Obergefell v Hodges 2015 pass amendments so modernisation
over same sex marriage cannot be achieved
Evaluate the view that the US constitution protects the principles that it was
built upon.
Agree Disagree
- The branches of government remain - Whilst the separation of powers
completely separate from one remains, the president has become
another and act independently, increasingly more powerful through
which was a large principle of the the use of executive orders such as
constitution when it was founded the Paris Climate Treaty and had
- States have successfully used the gained Congressional powers such
Supreme Court in order to maintain as dominating military actions e.g.
their own power and federalism as Biden and the withdrawal of
was intended in the original troops from Afghanistan 2021
constitution (eg through Texas vs - Federal government has been
US 2016) growing increasingly stronger for
, - The use of checks and balances example through the expansion and
such as the veto and override implementation of Obamacare
demonstrates the continued through the Affordable Care Act
importance of these roles as was 2011
intended in the original constitution - Checks and balance are useful but
can lead to gridlock and increasingly
have led to government shutdowns
recently
Evaluate the view that the constitution adequately protects citizens rights.
Agree Disagree
- The difficulty of the amendments - The rights of citizens often conflict
process combined with the ideology which means whilst some citizens
means that citizens rights are rights are protected others may feel
usually protected even when they that theirs are not - for example the
are controversial e.g. despite right to bear arms protects weapons
Uvalde 2022, Orland 2016 and but does not protect the people who
Sandy Hook 2012 the right to bear die to gun violence each year, and
arms remains a key focus of the US many feel that it should not be such
constitution an easy right
- The federal government has been - The federal government in practise
prevents from amassing vast power has huge amounts of unchecked
that could infringe on citizen’s rights power that even Congress does not
eg SCOTUS ruling against federal have a role over for example
gov in Texas v US 2016 which mandates and the fact that Obama
demonstrates that the federal negotiated the Iran deal with
government power is checked almost no Congressional input
- Interpretive amendments to the - The interpretive amendments by
constitution means that rights can be Supreme justices sees 9 uneelcted
protected in 21st century America justices gain control of the power of
e.g. Obergefell v Hodges 2015 the whole of th eUS constitution
upheld citizens right to have a such a striking down DAPA in
same sex marriage Texas v US 2016, they ignored
Obama's mandate that was given
through the people when they
elected him
Evaluate the view that the US constitution is no longer fit for purpose.
Agree Disagree
- The amendments process means - The amendments process has
that it is incredibly difficult to allowed for some significant
modernise the constitution eg the changes such as the 1992 27th
2nd Amendment despite huge amendment around
gun issues like 2022 Uvalde, Congressional salary that could
Sandy Hook 2012, Orlando 2016 have had a big impact, but also
which demonstrates that if issues protected against frequent and
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