Preview

Presidents of the United States

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
305 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Presidents of the United States
Link to or copy and paste the following on your web browser so you can watch the following video on "The Nature of A President."

http://uccpbank.k12hsn.org/courses/AmericanGovernment/course%20files/multimedia/lesson19/lessonp.html

Now answer the following critical thinking questions and submit them electronically:

1) Admiral George Dewey once said, "the office of President is not such a very difficult one to fill, his duties being mainly to execute the laws of Congress." Do you agree or disagree with this statement. Explain why.

2) List five INFORMAL qualifications you think one should have in order to be seriously considered for the presidency. Explain your choices. (You may use some of the suggested qualifications mentioned in the video.)

3) At about $400,000 a year, the President's salary is far more than that of the average citizen, yet less than the yearly income of many wealthy Americans. Do you think the President is fairly compensated? Why or why not?

4) Would you consider becoming the President of the United States someday, now that you know a little bit more of what is entailed in the job? Why or why not?

Link to or copy and paste the following on your web browser so you can watch the following video on "The Electoral College."

http://uccpbank.k12hsn.org/courses/AmericanGovernment/course%20files/multimedia/lesson15/lessonp.html

Now answer the following critical thinking questions and submit them electronically:

5) Suppose you have been asked to draft a plan for reforming the electoral college. Choose one of the methods discussed in the book (Ch 13, Sec 5) or write one of your own. Explain how your plan will work, and why you think it is superior to other proposed reforms.

6) Under what circumstances can the winner of the popular vote fail to win the presidency? Name one time when this has

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Satisfactory Essays

    A. settled the question on how the president would be elected with the Electoral College.…

    • 394 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Powerful Essays

    5. What would you say were the two or three most difficult times in the life of Theodore Roosevelt? How did he respond to the challenge each time? How does that response illustrate the four…

    • 1168 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Powerful Essays
  • Good Essays

    The Electoral College is an institution that may have served a purpose 200 years ago when the founding fathers needed a system that would be met with approval by both large and small states. The Electoral College is a flawed method of electing our President that has created problems in previous elections and is likely to be the source of problems in the future. The Electoral College provides an undemocratic method of choosing our president that potentially undermines the will of the voters. Not only can a candidate be elected without actually winning the most votes, it puts our elections at the mercy of electors who don't always cast their vote as pledged. I intend to demonstrate that the problems inherent in this voting method far outweigh any benefits it may provide. Replacing the winner-take-all method of awarding electoral votes with a system such as proportional representation or eliminating the college altogether in favor of direct election is the best way to ensure a trouble-free and fair election…

    • 2120 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    How would you react if you learned that the Presidential candidate you had cast your vote for, had actually received more of the popular vote than his competition, but was not elected the next President of the United States? Every four years in November over 90 million Americans vote for the presidential candidates, then in the middle of December the president and vice president of the United States are actually elected by the votes of only 538 citizens. Wouldn't you think there was an obvious flaw in the system? I would be willing to bet that the majority of you would, but in the case of the Electoral College apparently the majority doesn't count.…

    • 972 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Third Point-Thirdly, now, what would it take to change the election process of the president from the Electoral College to a direct election system? It would take a constitutional amendment so 2/3 of the House of Representatives and senate would have to vote yes on the amendment and ¾ of the states also have to pass the amendment which makes it a rather hard task to do or a Constitutional Convention to be called by two-thirds of the legislatures of the States which has never happened before. The closest an amendment ever got passed for fixing this issue going to a straight direct election was in the 91st congress back in 1969 where the proposal for the amendment passed the house with bi-partisan support but only got 55 votes from the senate when it needed 67 to pass and was filibustered by southern senators, However, the proposal was never considered again and died when the 91st Congress officially ended. Recently in the 110th congress which was from 2007-2008, there was a new amendment for a direct election of congress but it never really got out of the committee this time, but this shows that there are still people trying to fight for the change, so with enough support it might happen one day in the far…

    • 1316 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Better Essays

    Since 1781, America’s people have been dictated by a president. There has been only one person in charge for over 200 years. Good and bad has happened over the past years with a president, but one thing is for sure America is in desperate need for a change. It might seem having a president creates greater good for the country, but I disagree. I’m studying how the previous and current presidents have overused there power that comes with presidency, so I can determine if in fact America is better off with no president.…

    • 2071 Words
    • 9 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    Even disregarding the loophole of faithless electors, the U.S. Electoral College system has failed the United States a number of times, most recently in the 2000 election. In the presidential elections in 1876, 1888, and 2000, the Electoral College elected the…

    • 766 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Before the tense and puzzling presidential election in 2000, many people thought the Electoral College was a place of education. Most people now know that it is not a place, but a process of how the President of the United States of America is elected. The Presidential Election of 2000 helped inform Americans that our President is not elected by the popular vote, but through the process of the Electoral College (Ballaro). The Electoral College has existed since the beginning of America. In the Electoral College, each state gets a specific amount of Electoral Votes. Electoral Voters are special electors who cast a vote that reflects his or her individual states choice for President. Together, all of the states come together to make up a total of 538 votes, which means the winning candidate needs 270 electoral votes to achieve victory (Ballaro).…

    • 920 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    Many people tend to think way too much when it comes to government policies. And when people begin to think too hard, then the thoughts floating around in their head make perfectly fine things turn into issues. One issue that is starting to arise is that of the Electoral College, which has been around since the Constitution was scripted. This may seem like a long time ago, and it may appear to some people that times have changed, so the Constitution should change with it. However, if something so greatly prepared has worked for such a long period of time with a superior outcome, what would the point of changing it be?…

    • 889 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    White House President

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages

    He seems ambitious, striving upward, power-seeking. Passive-positive presidents are receptive, and complaint. They search for affection and reward. They help soften the harsh edges of politics. However, their dependence and the fragility of their hopes and enjoyments make disappointment in politics very likely. Passive-negative types are in politics because they believe they ought to e. They lack experience, and flexibility to perform effectively as political leaders. They always tend to want to withdrawal, escape from conflict and uncertainty through procedural arrangements. Active positive president’s wants to achieve results, active negatives want to get and keep power, passive-positives are after love, and passive-negatives emphasize their civic virtue (Barber, Presidential…

    • 991 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Good Essays

    The United States of America is one of the oldest democracies in the world, having continuously elected a head of state since George Washington’s election in 1792. (Barksdale 2014) However, the United States is particularly unique in one aspect of its democracy in that its citizens only indirectly elect the President. When presidential elections are held every four years, Americans head to the polls to officially choose the “electors” that will represent their respective states in the body that actually elects the president and the vice president, the Electoral College. So what exactly is the Electoral College? It consists of 538 electors where each state has a number of electoral votes equal to its total number of representatives to Congress…

    • 855 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
  • Satisfactory Essays

    School

    • 267 Words
    • 1 Page

    Q: In the early 20th Century, Professor Edwin Corwin referred to the U.S. Constitution as an "invitation to struggle," which emphasizes the built-in conflicts between the executive and legislative branches as they check-and-balance one another. In the late 19th century, Congress was the dominant institution. In the 20th century, through a Great Depression, two world wars, the Cold War and 9/11, the Presidency was in the dominant institution. Think about this relationship as you study Chapters 13 and 14, then write a brief essay in which you make a case for one of three scenarios -- (1) a balanced relationship, (2) a dominant presidency, or (3) a dominant congress. Which do you find preferable, in general? Why? What are the advantages and disadvantages of your choice? Explain your answer clearly and in detail and offer examples to help your argument.…

    • 267 Words
    • 1 Page
    Satisfactory Essays
  • Better Essays

    Does Your Vote Count

    • 1368 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Samples, John. In Defense of the Electoral College. 10 November 2000. 26 November 2012. .…

    • 1368 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
  • Good Essays

    2. Recently the presidential election has been a hot topic of discussion that universities and college students have been an instrumental part of.…

    • 783 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays