ASSIGNMENT #5 A LECTURE ON THE ANTI-SLAVERY MOVEMENT

Nieves Micolta

Class: POL 166

Professor: Barry Murdaco

Lehman College

A LECTURE ON THE ANTI-SLAVERY MOVEMENT

1855 BY FREDERICK DOUGLASS

Frederick Douglass (1818-1895) was born in Maryland and escaped bondage at the age of 20 years old. As a free black in the North, he became an active abolitionist traveling the region and using his outstanding skills as a speaker and writer to rally support for the anti-slavery cause. Douglass delivered this address to the Rochester Ladies’Anti-Slavery Society in 1855. In the mid-1800s, many middle-class Northern women worked to end slavery by joining moral reform societies, where they established networks of women and learned political organizing skills.

He referred as anti-slavery as a combination of moral, religious and political forces which has long been, and is now, operating and co-operating  for the abolition of slavery in this country, and throughout the world. 

My understanding about this passage is, that slavery was the way of treated people as a property that also were owned ,sold, and bought like an object. Also these people didn’t have the right to express themselves as we do now. Moreover, the anti- slavery movement was created to help abolitionist.

I chose this lecture about anti- slavery because I agree that everybody should be treated equally and not like trash.

Assignment #4 Another Stab at the Constitution

Nieves Micolta

Class: POL 166

Professor: Barry Murdaco

Lehman College

Another Stab at the Constitution

     Akhil Reed Amar, teaches law an political science at Yale University. Also author of the forthcoming. refer to the limitations on naturalized citizens for holding office, specifically the president. The constitution states that only citizens born in the U.S.,

but those American citizens who happen to have been born abroad to non-American parents and who later choose to become “naturalized”American citizens are not the full legal equals of those of us born in the U.S. true, naturalized Americans have always been allowed to serve as cabinet secretaries, supreme Court justices, Senators and governors. And at the founding, anyone already a citizen could be president,regardless of birthplace.(Alexander Hamilton, for example, though born in the West Indies, was fully eligible to serve as president under the Constitution he himself helped draft). But modern-day naturalized citizens are barred from the presidency simply because they were born in the wrong place to the wrong parents.  

     Bourne and Chesterton would not be in favor of this restriction because as they mention in their articles, we are all foreign-born or the descendants of foreign-born, and not distinctions should be made between us and this country made of immigrants. I think that this restriction is unfair because if a person become a “naturalized” American citizen can serve the army, work for governmental entities, why they can be consider and treated as equal as a natural-born citizen, because as mention in the constitution all citizens have the same rights, so being a president should be one them.  

     I chose the article because I believe that everybody should be treated equal with not exceptions. Moreover, this country was form and constructed by men and women from others countries and after 300 years later this country still receiving immigrants that came to get new opportunities. Some immigrants lived in this country since they were a child and those are the people that should have the right to become a president. They know U.S. culture and will be perform the presidential role as well as a natural born citizen. 

ASSIGNMENT #3 THE CONSTITUTION AND THE FEDERALISTS

Nieves Micolta

Class: POL 166

Professor: Barry Murdaco

Lehman College

THE CONSTITUTION AND THE FEDERALIST

THE CONSTITUTION 

     The Articles of confederation established the first system of government,the first ratified in 1777 and again in 1781. 

     The constitution is the fundamental and entrenched rules governing the conduct of an organization or nation state, that establishing its concept, character and structures. It’s a rather short document consisting of seven articles that broadly lay out the power and responsibilities of the government and its operation. The constitution, drafted in Philadelphia in 1787, ratified in 1788 and put in effect 1789. Moreover, the first three articles set up the basic separation of power between the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of the federal government. Originally, the legislative brach, its split into two different chambers- the house of representative and the senate, while the executive branch  manages the day- to -day operations of government throughout various federal department and agencies, such as the department of treasury, and the judicial branch outlines the powers of the court system. The remaining articles deal with the relationship between the federal government and the states, Article IV  defines the relationship between the state and the federal government, Article V mention the amendment, both the state and congress have the power to initiate the amendment process. and Article VI  debts, supremacy, oaths determines that the USA constitution and all laws made from it, are the “supreme law of land,” and all officials, whether members of the state legislatures, congress judiciary or the executive have to swear an oath to the constitution. The last Article VII ratification, details all those people who signed the constitution, representing the original 13 states.

THE FEDERALIST

   The supporters of the proposed constitution called themselves “FEDERALIST.”Their adopted name implied a commitment to a loose, decentralized system of government. In many respects “FEDERALISM.”Which implies a strong central government was the opposite of the proposed plan that they supported. A more accurate name for the supporters of the Constitution would have been “naturalists.” Along with John Jay and Alexander Hamilton,James Madison penned The Federalist papers. In addition,the federalists were also aware that the problems of the country in the 1780s stemmed from the weaknesses  of the central government created  by the article of confederation. Furthermore, for federalists, the constitution was required in order to safeguard the liberty and in dependence that the America Revolution had created. In the other hand, James madison defined a faction as a number of citizens, whether a majority or minority, who were united and activated by some common impulse of passion, or of adverse to the rights of other citizens. there two ways of removing the causes of factions,or political parties. The first was to destroy the liberty essential to their existence. This remedy would be the worse than the disease,and the second was to give everyone the same opinions, passions and interests. but this was impossible. 

   My understanding  about this is that the constitution and its seven sections are the component of how the government run this country. As mention in article IV congress is legislative body that holds power. Example, borrow money for the nation, declare war and raised military. Also can check the balance of the other two branches, Executive and judicial. While the other last four articles refer of how states and the federal relationship and how these government powers divide. 

     I chose this passage because it is very important to know that the constitution is the law that guides the duties and powers of the government, as well as the citizens and residents rights.