WEEK 3

September  8 (Wednesday):  Constitution

• READ:  Robertson, Federalism and the Making of America,  Chapter 2
              James Madison, Federalist 39 and 51
              Tocqueville, Democracy in America, "Characteristics which Distinguish
              the Federal Constitution"
• Journal 1 Due

1. Describe the way the framers arrived at the design of American federalism.  How much should the actual words of the Constitution settle conflicts about state versus national power today?  How much should the actual words of the Constitution settle conflicts about state versus national power today?

2. Describe Madison's position on federalism in the two Federalist essays.  Many people today consider the Constitution to be broken  If ambition should counteract ambition, doesn't the Constitution and American government work perfectly well?  Give both sides.

3. How does the federal system that Tocqueville describes compare to the federal system the framers thought they were designing?  Why does Tocqueville think that small jurisdictions are so important? Is the U.S. in 2010 too big for federalism to work as well as Tocqueville thought it did?