Category: American government

Change of the Government’s Job in the American Economy during Gilded Age: Analytical Essay

The government’s job in the American economy changed drastically from the 1870s through the 1920s due to the rise of big businesses.

First, we must examine any events that occurred during this time and the effects it had on the community. The Gilded Age took place during the 19th century and is “ the golden age of technological innovation” (Nygren lecture, “Gilded Age, pt. 1”). Society shifted away from agriculture and towards industrialization, which is something not everyone was prepared for. American industrial capitalism developed significantly as well as manufacturing and mass production. Machines used to make steel went from 13,000 tons to 10 million tons (Nygren lecture, “Gilded Age, pt. 1”). The invention of railroads helped promote growth and expansion in many different industries by making transportation faster and bringing many city’s wealth. Goods could be transported from one country to another more efficiently. Urban population increased from 31 million to 76 million (Nygren lecture, “Gilded Age, pt. 1”). People that have lived in poverty in Southern and Eastern Europe emigrated to the Northern and Western States because they saw this as an opportunity for prosperity. Economic growth increased as well as the distance between the rich and poor.

Before the Gilded Age workers were mainly farmers who had the opportunity to work at the speed they desired. Due to technological advancement there were now more factory workers. Andrew Carnegie played a role in big businesses and was dominant for being “self made” (Nygren lecture, “Gilded Age, pt. 1). He was able to financially gain due to him founding the Carnegie Steel along with many other things. Big businesses were expanding and being acknowledged as a great source of power. There was lots of competition and companies began coming up with strategies that promoted organization and financial gain. It was becoming difficult for some companies to compete in the market place so they confided in the government for grants and subsidies. The government did not want any intervention during this period.

The rise of industrial capitalism revolutionized American socioeconomic life in the late 19th century by affecting the way people lived. The Gilded Age promoted economic growth, but caused problems in society. Living conditions have become more expensive. The amount of workers that were skilled and unskilled enlarged. Many of the people emigrating to the United States were unskilled. They were willing to work in dangerous environments for a long period of time with little pay. Poor Americans were not being treated fairly, so they didn’t have alot of liberty. Trade unions in industrial cities were established and grew rapidly. The workers wanted to have control over their working conditions. Carnegie was against labor unions as well as government interference. Carnegie felt that he solved the problem between the rich and the poor by offering more jobs and, “Those who accumulated money had an obligation to use it to promote the advancement of society” (Document 103, p.32). He used his wealth to benefit society through railroads, coal mines, factories, and many more. Other politicians were seen as helpless and dishonest. They were greedy and did things to their benefit. William Graham Sumner was a social darwinist that believed in the government not interfering and he gave credence to inequality. He felt that government interference threatened the liberty of people.It does not solve the problems that arise within the economy. He felt that social classes owed one another and that the working class was not gaining from the prosperity of wealth. This caused people to feel as if their liberty was being overlooked. The increase in Social Darwinism promoted “a negative definition of freedom as limited government and an unrestrained free market. It also helped to persuade courts, in the name of liberty of contract to overturn state laws regulating behavior of corporations”(Document 104, p.36).

Americans of different classes and backgrounds responded to the problems of the industrial age differently. Big businesses supported no government interference because they didn’t have to pay taxes, so they were able to stay rich. African Americans and famers did not like the fact that the government was not helping because it allowed them to stay poor. Coming from a wealthy background kept alive a rich status. If you came from a not so wealthy background then it was said that that status would be maintained. Certain people were able to make more money than others due to lack of government interference which caused social classes to divide ((Nygren lecture, “Gilded Age, pt. 2).

Should the Government Raise the Minimum Wage? Essay

It’s time we at long last take a gander at the cons of the conflict rather than the pros. Numerous individuals need a decent paying job yet aren’t able to due to not being able to go to college, so they turn to food chains and restaurants for pay employment. In our reality, you need to work for something to succeed at anything in everyday life, so the legislature shouldn’t need to raise the minimum wage. A few people get the opportunity to flourish and have a future and head off to college or a specialized school yet decide not to. Individuals who head off to college buckle down and acquire their instruction since they need to be fruitful throughout everyday life.

Raising the minimum wage would hurt laborers significantly, particularly low-gifted specialists. It would bring about employment loses “nearly 1.3 million jobs will be lost if the federal minimum wage is increased to $9.50 per hour”, as mentioned by Joseph Sabia and Richard Burkhauser (2010). Considering that, raising it would hurt the economy and the unemployment rate.

Raising the minimum wage will cause for teens to think working at a fast-food restaurant will be easy and a sustainable way of living instead of going off to college to get a real job benefiting society. Teens need jobs to encounter the workforce and increase significant abilities for future business.

Raising minimum wage has some different downsides like making school less appealing to student because they think they can settle and make a living off McDonald’s rather than striving for higher education. Corporate-law scholar, Stephen Bainbridge says: “When faced with the choice of earning an immediate income or the potential of a better income after four or more years of additional schooling, young people tend to lean towards the former”. Teens would prefer to get money at the earliest opportunity so they can go hang out with friends and do as they please instead of waiting till after college.

Raising the minimum wage would also force businesses to raise prices to compensate for what they must pay their employees now. “If businesses are forced to pay more to employ workers, budgets are affected accordingly. To help with the bottom line, prices may go up as a way of retaining money spent on providing extra compensation to minimum wage workers” (‘Reasons Why the Minimum Wage Should Not Be Raised’). At the point when costs go up that means you need to pay more for things you wish to buy, causing you to spend more of your paycheck. The issue would keep flying back up about compensation.

Although, despite all opposing arguments, people still think minimum wage should be raised. “Congress to raise the minimum wage to $10.10 it will put more money into the pockets of hard-working Americans” (Cap Action War Room/ Think Progress: ‘10 Reasons to Raise the Minimum Wage’).

This is true that people would make more money and carrying it to their home. Therefore, minimum wage should be kept at what it is now, and the government shouldn’t be allowed to raise it in fear of negatively affecting our economy.

Inflation and the Federal Reserve Essay

Introduction

Inflation and unemployment are two macroeconomic components that affect a country’s economy or global economy. This paper addresses these two macroeconomic factors (Inflation and unemployment) and describes a current event related to actions taken by the U.S. Federal Government Reserve Board. The purpose of assessing these two macroeconomic factors is to analyze critically, visualize, and recommend the impacts of these factors on various sectors of the economy. Inflation in the economy shows how prices of products and services are changing within a given period. It also shows the currency’s purchasing power, as the U.S. dollar, over some time (Pettinger, 2021).

On the other hand, unemployment is the state of not finding a job while you are looking for one. Unemployment in the United States is clearly defined through the changes in unemployment rates in a given period. High inflation in an economy can lead to unemployment as the uncertainty of high inflation leads to a low number of investments and economic growth. The Federal Government Reserve Board has issued solutions for raising the interest rates to curb rising inflation rates in the United States of America (Cox, 2021). The US National Reserve Board also took action. It ended the unemployment benefits program in September 2021, which was put in place in March 2020 to caution against the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic (Iacurci, 2021).

Critical Analysis

The current rise of inflation in the United States of America is an economic issue that the Federal Reserve Board has looked into and various actions to prevent further rise. The Federal Government Reserve is taking steps to increase the interest rates to control the money supply in the economy. There is a general tendency in economics: interest rates and inflation are inversely related. The US Federal Reserve is responsible for the monetary policies that influence the rate at which the interest on the loan is applied. When there are low interest rates on loans, most people acquire these loans, increasing the amount of money in circulation (Pettinger, 2019).

Similarly, when the interest rates are high, economic growth slows down, and inflation decreases. In the current situation in the US, inflation reflects the rise in the prices of goods and services. This is due to the high demand for few products and limited services. A moderate increase in inflation does not necessarily hurt the economy but the consumers of the products with inflated prices. The current rise of inflation is controlled by increasing the interest rates, which would reduce economic activity and investments, thus decreasing the inflation rate. The best indicator of inflation is the Consumer Price Index (CPI), which measures the price change of a basket of services and goods used by households (Pettinger, 2019).

Unemployment benefits are crucial during a recession such as COVID-19. The US Federal Reserve Board removed the unemployment benefits program that started in March 2020 to caution against the rising unemployment rates during the pandemic period. The COVID pandemic brought business closure, lockdowns, and work-from-home policies that triggered a dire economic recession. The Federal Reserve took monetary policies to deal with unemployment rates and uncertainty. Unemployment benefits provide temporary help during the recession and partly replace the lost earnings for a while. When economic growth resumes removing the unemployment benefit is crucial since the unemployment rate has been reduced. Another example of a temporary unemployment benefits program funded by the federal government is the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) which started in 2008 and halted in December 2013. One advantage of unemployment insurance is that it acts as a wage supplement and prevents further consumer spending. Although the benefits are less than monthly income or earnings, it is crucial in maintaining consumption and money supply in the economy. The Federal Reserve Board took action to end the COVID unemployment benefits in September 2021 and was informed through the resumption of business and the economic recovery that is still ongoing. With the growth of the US economy going up in 2021 compared to 2020, the unemployment rate also increased compared to 2020 when various restrictions hindered business operations (Iacurci, 2021).

Visualization

The inflation rate in the United has been on the rise in the recent past. CPI is a known indicator of inflation. It is the most used method by statisticians and economists to check inflation and deflation (Esther Pak, 2011). CPI measures the percentage change in the price of certain services and products consumed by households. It measures price changes of services and products such as food, transportation, and medical care. It also covers the difference in workers’ incomes, including retirement income. The U.S. Federal Reserve Board works towards maintaining 2% inflation annually. However, the Federal Reserve is considering raising the interest rates to lower rising inflation (‘U.S. unemployment rate: adjusted, 2021 | Statista’, 2021). The prices of various categories exceed 2% inflation, and some have dramatic changes, as shown below.apparel 4.3%

Unemployment benefits to help with rising unemployment rates in the US due to the COVID-19 re cession were scrapped in September 2021 as the unemployment rates reduced and the economic recovery started. The graph below shows how the unemployment rates have decreased from Dec 2020 to Dec 2021 (‘U.S. unemployment rate: adjusted, 2021 | Statista’, 2021).

Recommendations

Rising inflation and unemployment are key issues that the national and global economies try to control. In periods of inflation, the Federal Reserve has the primary policy of reducing inflation through monetary policies. The basic monetary policy increases the cost of borrowing which discourages spending, thus reducing inflation and economic growth. The Federal Reserve should also have a tight fiscal policy of lowering government spending and higher income tax. This fiscal policy will reduce aggregate demand leading to slow growth and less demand-pull inflation. There are also various recommended policies to reduce unemployment. Fiscal policies such as increasing government spending and cutting taxes help improve aggregate demand and economic growth, hence more jobs. Lowering the taxes raises disposable income, thereby increasing consumption and aggregate demand. An increase in Aggregate demand leads to higher GDP (Pettinger, 2019).

When economic growth is high, firms can produce more, requiring more workers. The Federal government should also fund public construction projects to create employment. This includes building bridges, roads, and other infrastructure to reduce unemployment by hiring workers, engineers, and contractors. Inflation and unemployment tend to be inversely related since the increase in interest rates reduces inflation but causes slow economic growth and a rise in unemployment (Pettinger, 2019). Therefore, in implementing the recommendations, it is crucial to look at other factors that may affect inflation and unemployment. It is essential to solve both inflation and unemployment since uncertainty in inflation leads to lower investments, thus decreasing growth rate and job creation.

Conclusion

High inflation can cause unemployment. For instance, in the case of hyperinflation or uncontrolled rates of inflation, there is a decline in competitiveness and lower export demand, causing unemployment in the export industry. Hyperinflation can even cause businesses and companies to shut down since they can’t pay workers, thus spiking unemployment rates. Therefore, these two economic indicators are crucial, and various monetary and fiscal policies are required to keep them sustainable. When a country’s inflation rate is high, it loses its purchasing power; thereby, the currency declines its value. Although inflation hurts economic growth, falling prices or deflation is also not desirable as consumers delay purchasing products and services, expecting the prices to fall further. This leads to less income and also less economic growth. When the unemployment level is high, the standard of living is also high, leading to less economic growth.

References

1. Cox, J. (2022). Fed members ready to raise interest rates if inflation continues to run high, meeting minutes show. Retrieved 9 February 2022, from https:www.cnbc.com20211124federal-reserve-releases-minutes-from-its- november-meeting.html.
2. Esther Pak, M. (2011). Is CPI an Effective Measure of Inflation? [online] Morningstar UK. Available at: [Accessed 9 February 2022].
3. Iacurci, G. (2021). Retrieved 9 February 2022, from https:www.cnbc.com20210607states-will-be-ending-federal- unemployment-benefits-this-week.html.
4. Pettinger, T., (2019). Policies for reducing unemployment – Economics Help. [online] Economics Help. Available at: [Accessed 8 February 2021].
5. Pettinger, T., (2019). Policies to reduce inflation – Economics Help. [online] Economics Help. Available at: [Accessed 7 February 2021].
6. U. S. unemployment rate: adjusted, 2021 | Statista. Statista. (2021). Retrieved 9 February 2022, from https:www.statista.comstatistics273909seasonally-adjusted-monthly- unemployment- rate-in-the-us.
7. United States – monthly inflation rate December 202021 | Statista. Statista. (2022). Retrieved 9 February 2022, from https:www.statista.comstatistics273418unadjusted-monthly

Essay on ‘House of Cards’ Corruption

A problem in our society today that has been a problem throughout history is corruption in politics. In the television series, House of Cards, the main actor Kevin Spacey plays the role of Francis Underwood. His character makes his way through politics as House Majority Whip up to the President of the United States. Underwood’s character is merciless and craves power and will do anything to get what he wants like any other politician. His character is relentlessly cruel, and in the first two minutes of the first episode of the first season he says, “I have no patience for useless things.” As he says this, he kills a dog and puts it out of its misery since it was just hit by a car. The point is, that Francis Underwood is similar to past and current politicians who will do anything to make a name for themselves or obtain more power. The show House of Cards first aired in 2013 and relates very closely to American politics and previous office holders. In all, this series links with real issues in society that focus on corruption in our political systems.

The show House of Cards in total has a similar problem that society has in just about every episode. Ranging from corruption in politics, blackmail, and affairs, to illegal activities like murder or paying people off, almost everything is in it. The show tries to show a realistic perspective on what working as a journalist or at Capitol Hill is like. Starting as the House Majority Whip, Francis is denied the Secretary of State seat even after he is promised to have it. This is the event that drives Francis to do everything he can to get his revenge and more power in the process. Immediately after this, the corruption starts. Francis uses his subordinates to do dirty work such as paying people off for knowing things, but also handles things himself like having an affair with a journalist/reporter for personal gain in exchange for secret information. Above all, he has murders carried out so that nothing stands in his way of getting to the top. Although this might be a little exaggerated compared to real life because it is television, it is still very similar and linked through corruption and what comes along with that. In Chapter 8, Francis involves himself in an affair with Zoe Barnes, the journalist from The Washington Herald, a newspaper in the show. However, he is smarter than everyone believes him to be and he has a very meticulous plan to get to the top. By engaging in the affair with Zoe Barnes from the newspaper, he uses her to leak stories early which allows him to get what he wants. By telling Zoe information, she leaks it to the public before the government has even released the information to the people. By doing this, Francis can tell her to leak something and when she does, the government is forced to do it. For example, in Chapter 1, when Francis is denied the Secretary of State office, he leaks the information to Zoe that Catherine Durant will be given the Secretary of State spot. He tells her this because Durant has sworn her loyalty to Francis in his revenge path to the top. Of course, since it has been leaked, the government complies and gives her the spot. Now that Francis has received what he wanted from Zoe, he feels that he does not need her anymore. Again, Francis has clearly stated he has no patience for useless things, and because of this, when Francis and Zoe are on the train tracks, Francis pushes her in front of a moving train and kills her instantly, committing murder. Francis Underwood is so corrupt that he has no feelings toward anyone and does whatever it takes, including killing someone, to get the revenge and power he seeks.

In addition to seeing this character on set, we also see plenty of examples of Francis’s character in real-life politics. At the beginning of the series, Francis Underwood is said to have reminded the audience of “notorious Republican Majority Whip Tom Delay, an ultra-conservative Southerner who was involved in massive corruption.” Both of these Majority Whips were involved in some way with things they should not be involved in and it corrupted them. However, later in the show when Francis finally moves up the chain of command and becomes president, he has a striking resemblance to another religious Southern Democrat who also had an “unstoppable lust”, which was Bill Clinton. The show continues and Francis is still corrupt but he has gained the power that he wanted and got his revenge. In the first season, Francis meets with one of the lobbyists who is also corrupt and they work together but when he leaves Francis has an aside and faces the camera and says, “Such a waste of talent. He chose money over power, in this town a mistake nearly everyone makes. Money is the McMansion in Sarasota that starts falling apart after ten years, power is the old stone building that stands for centuries. I cannot respect someone who does not see the difference.” It is obvious to us that Francis is all about getting power, and that money doesn’t matter when you have power. In addition to having the same viewpoints as Clinton, they are also similar in the way that they both had affairs and were impeached from the presidential office. “While Bill Clinton promised to run the ‘most ethical administration in history,’ he has instead presided over an era as sleazy as those of his predecessors. Scandals forced out HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros and Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy. There were charges that foreigners made large illegal donations to the Democratic National Committee during the 1996 election. The most explosive charges surrounded Clinton himself. Allegations of corrupt real estate deals by Clinton when he was governor of Arkansas led to an independent counsel investigation that began in 1993 and continues as of this writing. This investigation eventually produced the charge that Clinton had perjured himself and had obstructed an inquiry into his affair with a White House intern. Clinton was questioned about this affair as part of a sexual harassment lawsuit. Clinton was eventually impeached, but the Senate failed to convict him.” Plainly stated, there is political corruption all over in the government, it is just the United States is good at hiding it. (House of Cards aired in 2013) “By 2013 the United States was rated as one of the more honest countries in the world by Transparency International, a research organization that presents annual ratings of the relative corruption of countries…Many European countries rank ahead of the United States, but most other nations have more perceived corruption.” This shows that the United States is ranked higher but because it is a high-profile country, the corruption in other countries is more recognized. This shows that although there is corruption it is not dealt with because of what country it is.

Furthermore, Bill and Frank both have wives who follow unsympathetic strategies to accomplish their own goals or visions.

From its creation under the U.S. Constitution, the federal judiciary was meant t

From its creation under the U.S. Constitution, the federal judiciary was meant to be an objective arbiter of the federal system. To partly ensure that role, federal judges were given lifetime tenure on account of ‘good behavior’.
According to the U.S. Constitution’s Article III [federal] judges “hold their office during good behavior,” which means they have a lifetime appointment, except under very limited circumstances. Article III judges can be removed from office only through impeachment by the House of Representatives and conviction by the Senate. Article III judgeships are created by legislation enacted by Congress.
Overall, Article III of the Constitution governs the appointment, tenure, and payment of Supreme Court justices, and federal circuit and district judges. These judges, often referred to as “Article III judges,” are nominated by the president and confirmed by the U.S. Senate.
Over the years as the judiciary has become a very important actor in resolving disputes between the other two branches of government (executive and legislative) as well as having the final say on major societal issues in the U.S, it also has attracted a lot of criticism. Increasingly, federal courts, of which the U.S. Supreme Court sits at the apex, find themselves in the unenviable position of being scrutinized from all sides and its very independence and role of objective arbiter of constitutional questions under intense questioning.
In that larger debate, one dominant issue revolves around the lifetime tenure of federal judges. While many are for it; others are firmly against its continuation. The following writing assignment will examine that question.
discuss whether the current system of life tenure for federal judges is still worth maintaining or, alternatively, whether the U.S. should seek to limit life tenure for federal judges through term limits, whether through a constitutional amendment or an act of Congress, whichever is applicable.
If the U.S. chooses to keep it, what are the reasons in your expert opinion stand for maintaining the current system of life tenure. Likewise, if the U.S. aims to constitutionally or legislatively alter it, for what reasons should it change it? Furthermore, which proposal(s) among the multiple ones being put forward stand as the one(s) most likely to ‘depoliticize’ the federal courts?
Excluding, the title and the references page, student individual essay should be exactly 1,500 words, No more, no less. This word count only includes the main body of the paper (from the paper introduction to the conclusion). Please put that word count at the top of the paper.
The essay should be written in Times New Roman, double-spaced and in APA format, with parenthetical citations and a Reference List at the end. A cover page is not necessary.
Again, please cite all sources you use. Students must use at least four sources

Make sure the issue that you choose is something related to one of these: 
the C

Make sure the issue that you choose is something related to one of these: 
the Constitution, Slavery, Reparation, Impeachment, Separation of Powers, Civil Liberties, Gun Rights, Privacy Rights, Abortion, Student loans, Congress, Debt ceiling, Bill of rights, Civil Rights,  LGBT, Federalism

Has the power and position of the president exceeded what the framers of the con

Has the power and position of the president exceeded what the framers of the constitution intended? If so how? Give examples

In 2021, Georgia passed a controversial new election law. This law is one of 2

In 2021, Georgia passed a controversial new election law. This law is one of 240+ similar proposals across 43 states since the 2020 election.
For this discussion, we’ll tackle one aspect of such new restrictions: requiring photo identification for voting. You should read the supporting articles here and here for some current research and data on voter fraud and voter ID laws across the country. Remember, you want to demonstrate that you read the material!
After you’ve read, respond to the following:
Of the two arguments presented in the main article, which do you find more persuasive? Why has this become such a partisan issue?
Here is some BRAND NEW reporting on the issues in Georgia, and you should definitely read it.
REMEMBER: if you use generative AI to create your answers, a) I will be able to tell, b) if I even suspect it, I will compare your submission to AI-generated answers, and c) I will assign you a zero. Generative AI is theft and using it is academic dishonesty.

So far in the class we looked, in detail, at the following realities: 
1) The ch

So far in the class we looked, in detail, at the following realities: 
1) The changing ethnic and racial composition of the US (chapter 1) 
2) Basic American values (chapter 1) 
3) The fact that American people experienced a declining sense of trust in their government since 1960s, while since 1980s income and wealth inequalities have grown in American society (chapter 1)  
4) The constitutional foundations and basic political institutions of the country (chapter 2) 
5) Federalism – the division of power between states and federal government, its changing nature and constitutional principles (chapter 3) 
6) Civil liberties (chapter 4) and civil rights (chapter 5)
7) The public opinion (chapter 6) and its changing nature, as well as the concept of political ideology and political socialization 
8) The media (chapter 7), their changing nature, information revolution, and media biases/manipulation of public opinion. 
9) Political parties and elections
The question that I want you to tackle in this essay is: 
Why had Americans lost their previously high sense of trust in the government some 60 years ago, and the trust has not been restored to this day? What can be done to restore people’s trust in government? 
Some answers to this question are clearly wrong, so I do not want you to engage them. Clearly, whether Republicans or Democrats are in charge does not matter – low general trust persisted under both parties being in charge – for instance, it was low under Pres. GW Bush, Obama, Trump and Biden. (while, obviously, partisan members of the public trusted their “own” government, but the average trust was low). The rise of the internet and social media DOES NOT explain the trend – low trust started in the 1960s, way before the internet and social media, and it did get worse when the internet became the “thing” in the 1990s (to the contrary, under Pres. Clinton there was some uptick in trust, nothing major, though) or when the social media became the “thing” in 2000s (the trust was low and remained low, neither up nor down). There is NO EVIDENCE that American people today are better informed about their government than in the past (American knowledge of their government has always been low, and remains low). Any explanation which focuses merely on very recent events (Obama, Trump, war on terror) is clearly wrong and insufficient, as the trend goes back to the 1960s. An explanation that blames “growth in government power” is clearly wrong, as the power of federal government grew tremendously precisely between 1930s-60s, the age of high trust in government. 
The lines of inquiry that I want you engage are as follows: 
1) long-term changing ethnic and racial composition of American public might have something to do with the trend of persistent mistrust
2) The growing economic inequality of Americans is a potential cause
3) change in American values over time
4) basic American institutions (as delineated in the the Constitution) might be increasingly outdated and out of touch with reality. In other words, our system of government is getting outdated and needs to be reformed
5) The trend has something to do with civil rights and liberties (lack of some, etc). 
6) The American people are not better informed about the government, but the information they have is increasingly more and more negative, as the media became more adversarial, while the information revolution is compounding this adversarial nature of the media. In other words, it is really not about the technology (social media, etc are not the cause of mistrust), but how the technology feeds negative information to the public. Anyway, the media are partially or wholly to blame. 
7) American public opinion is changing and evolving, and some specific changes in its nature create the mistrust. 
8) The nature of American elections and the 2-party system our electoral system creates is, today, causing increasing mistrust (be careful with this idea – between 1930s-60s the two party system was accompanied by high trust). This might be linked to increasing polarization between two parties (the greater and greater hatred and mistrust between the two parties and their supporters – but, then, what is the cause of it, and it is clearly a long term cause. 
8) American people need to be actually informed about their government – so far, they are not. 
Please, focus on at least 2 of the above lines of inquiry, but you can examine all of them if you wish. By all means, choose your favorite and preferred ones. 
Depending on what you diagnose as the cause, please, suggest remedies. 
We have not yet examined presidency, Congress, domestic and foreign policy, etc. Thus, I would prefer you not to engage in a detailed discussions of these issues,  unless you insist, and, then, you are responsible for your own information. 
It is very important that you show a good knowledge of the course reading (our textbook) and cite and quote from our course readings in your answer essay. Essays that do not use our course readings or substitute other sources for our course reading (you are free to bring extra sources in addition to our course reading) will be graded down and receive very low/failed grades. 
4-5 pages, 2000 words minimum (THE WORD MINIMUM IS THE MORE IMPORTANT ONE – YOUR PAPER MUST BE 2000 WORDS LONG), plus a bibliography or works-cited page. Please, use any consistent bibliographic style of citations that you wish (MLA, APA, Turabian, indeed, any style would work, but YOU HAVE TO PROVIDE A WELL-FORMATTED BIBLIOGRAPHY, lack of a properly formatted bibliography/works cited page will result in a low or failing grade).