Should Gerald Ford have pardoned Richard Nixon

Supreme Court Cases

Of all the US Supreme Court cases that you have learned about in this class, which one did you find most interesting and why?

Something that you learned

What did you learning about in this class, had never known about before, and found especially interesting?

Choosing a Native American policy

Read the four-page BRIA article entitled Indian Removal: The Cherokees, Jackson, and the “Trail of Tears.”


Then imagine that you have been selected to serve as advisors to President Andrew Jackson and in this regard have been called upon to tell President Jackson which of the six policies listed below he should adopt.

• Treat tribes as conquered peoples who have forfeited any claims to land
• Remove tribes to an unsettled part of American territory with compensation for giving up their homelands and property
• Allot tribal land to individual members of the tribe.
• Create one state for all tribes

What policy would you tell the president to adopt?

(see http://www.crf-usa.org/bill-of-rights-in-action/bria-21-1-c-indian-removal-the-cherokees-jackson-and-the-trail-of-tears.html for detail.)

Of the time periods studies, which has been your favorite; least favorite. Why

In this class, you learned how to write what APUSH calls a long essay question (LEQ). If you think you have produced a good one, copy and past it here

What political status should the US Congress grant Puerto Rico?

We spent a considerable amount of time this summer learning about the Spanish-American War. Now read the related article entitled Puerto Rico: Commonwealth, Statehood, or Independence. It describes how for more than 100 years Puerto Rico has been a territorial possession of the United States since the Spanish American War and it closes by making the point that it is the United State Congress that has the power to decide Puerto Rico’s political status.

In this regard, there are currently four options on the table:

Option 1: Current Commonwealth

• Puerto Ricans are American citizens who serve in the military and may reside in the United States.
• Puerto Rico has a constitution that provides for self-government in most local matters and includes the right to elect a governor and two-house legislature.
• Puerto Ricans are exempt from the federal income tax, but pay into Social Security.
• Federal grants (more than $10 billion annually) finance a large portion of Puerto Rico's government.
• Puerto Rico is a territorial possession under the authority of Congress.
• The United Nations still debates whether Puerto Rico is a colony.

Option 2: "Enhanced" Commonwealth”

• Includes all items listed in Option 1
• Provides the right to vote for U.S. president and elect a voting representative to Congress (would probably require amending the U.S. Constitution).
• Adds a bill of rights to the Constitution of Puerto Rico.
• Allows membership in trade and other world organizations.
• These enhancements would all have to be approved by Congress, which would continue holding ultimate power over Puerto Rico as a territorial possession.

Option 3: Statehood

• Puerto Rico would have equal status with the other 50 states and would no longer be under congressional authority.
• Two senators and about seven congressional representatives would represent Puerto Rico in Congress.
• Federal financial benefits would increase, but Puerto Ricans would pay federal income taxes.
• Some businesses would lose tax breaks.
• Congress would probably require English as the primary language of government and the public schools as a condition of statehood.

Puerto Rico would have equal status with the other 50 states and would no longer be under congressional authority.

• Two senators and about seven congressional representatives would represent Puerto Rico in Congress.
• Federal financial benefits would increase, but Puerto Ricans would pay federal income taxes.
• Some businesses would lose tax breaks.
• Congress would probably require English as the primary language of government and the public schools as a condition of statehood.

Option 4: Independence

• Puerto Rico would become a sovereign nation with its own political system, language, culture, and membership in the United Nations.
• The United States would no longer be obligated to provide financial support, but would lose all military bases unless Puerto Rico agreed to lease them.
• Some or all Puerto Ricans would likely lose U.S. citizenship and the right to reside in the United States.
• Puerto Rico would be a poor nation, depending on foreign aid from other nations.

What political status do you think the U.S. Congress should grant Puerto Rico.