Unit 3 Study Guide
Congress
Date Due / AssignmentsMon., Nov. 16 / 1. Read Chap 7 Congress pg -226-262
2. Download from my website and read Edmund Burke’s speech to the Electors of Bristol.
3. Write out answers to Reading Questions 1 – 8
Mon., Nov. 16 / 1. Read p. 236 – 243 (“ How Congress is Organized)
2. In the Readings book, read “Congress: The Electoral Connection” by David Mayhew, p. 147
3. Answer questions 9 - 14
Wed., Nov. 18 / 1. Read Chap 12 of Five Steps to a Five
2. Look up and take notes on the Supreme Court cases: Baker v. Carr and Wesberry v. Sanders
3. Read this article on Gerrymandering 101 and then check out the “The Top Five Ugliest Districts: Both are found on the Think Tank Tab
You might also enjoy this quiz: Is it an inkblot or a gerrymandered district?”Found on the Think Tank Tab.
4. Questions 15 – 17
5. Go to this website has a redistricting game that you can play in several functions. Hit “Play the Game.” Then choose Partisan Gerrymander – Basic Level. Play the game for a bit. It’s not necessary that you complete the mission. Just try to figure out what you would need to do in order to complete the mission. If you have time, try some of the other missions, particularly Mission 4: Voting Rights Act. I’m more interested in your figuring out how to achieve each mission than in your actually completing the mission.
Fri., Nov. 20 / 1. Look at the typical schedule for a Congressman on p. 204-5 in the excerpt from David Price in the Readings book. Questions 18 – 27 (There is a lot of picky material in this section; unfortunately, it is all important to understand how Congress operates.)
Fri., Nov 20 / 1. Questions 28 – 33
Tues., Nov.24 / 1. Download from my site and read the article by Barbara Sinclair, “The 60 Vote Senate,” starting at the bottom of p. 164 “With the growth of Senate individualism…”
2. Read the two articles on the new changes of the filibuster rules: “The senate Loses Its Tradition of Consensus” and “Why Woodrow Wilson Hated the Filibuster”
4. Answer questions 34 - 35
Tues., Nov.24 / 1. Read Paul Starobin’s article, “Pork: A Time-Honored Tradition Lives on” on p. 187 in the Readings Book.
2. Read the article by John Ellwood and Eric Patashnik, “In Praise of Pork” on p. 190 in the Readings Book.
3. Look through the tweets from Senator John McCain on his favorite pork projects in the Readings Book on p. 195
3. Download from my site and read the article “Pork Still King of the Hill” by Brian Riedl.
Answer questions 36 - 37
Wed, Nov. 30 / 1. Read the three articles linked on my website: “The Shutdown is the Constitution’s Fault” by Dylan Matthews, “Powers, Separated on Purpose” by Charles C.W. Cooke, and Justice Scalia’s testimony about why Americans should learn to love gridlock.
2. Make a detailed outline or take detailed notes of each article’s arguments – you’ll be handing your notes in with your response. So margin notes are NOT enough.
3. Consider this question: “Did James Madison and the other Founding Fathers make a mistake in how they designed the internal checks and balances in the structure within Congress?”
A. Craft a thesis that answers the question. Your thesis should be analytical and well written. It must do more than repeat the question. It may be more than one sentence.
B. Give a detailed outline of how you would address this question. Do more than repeat the arguments in the articles. You must have three separate arguments to support your thesis.
C. Include evidence from this and past units plus your knowledge of current events to support your arguments.
See the rubric at the end of the Study Guide. This assignment must be typed. If you do any outside research, please include a bibliography and footnotes, when appropriate.
Wed. Nov 30 / Test
Reading Questions
1. What is the paradox regarding Congress and public opinion?
2. How does the book describe partisan polarization in Congress? What is the explanation for why Congress today seems more polarized than it die up until the 1970s?
3. Summarize the differences between Congress and a parliament and how these fundamental differences influence the character of the U.S. Congress.
4. Why is Congress a decentralized institution and why is Congress inevitably unpopular with voters.
5. Read through the six phases of the House of Representatives so that you are clear about the rules changes and the balance of power between the Speaker and committee chairmen. Briefly summarize phases five-six. (It is not important for you to learn the name of individual Speakers except for Newt Gingrich – unless you want to be a history major or quiz bowl whiz.)
6. How has the history and structure of the Senate meant that it would be different from the House of Representatives?
7. What were the main issues in the development of the Senate and how were these issues settled? Make sure that you understand what these terms refer to: filibuster, cloture, Rule 22
8. Summarize the points that Edmund Burke made in his speech to the Bristol Electors about the responsibilities of a representative to his constituents.
9. Read the article by David Mahyew in the Readings book and make a list of what congressmen do to achieve reelection
10. Briefly summarize the trends in the sex and race of members of Congress.
11. Why have more congressional districts become safer for incumbent reelection?
12. What are the possible explanations for why the Democrats dominated Congress from 1933-1994?
13. Why has Congress become more ideologically partisan since the 1980s?
14. Summarize the three theories of how members of Congress behave.
15. Define malapportionment and gerrymandering. From the online article on Gerrymandering 101, summarize what Minority Gerrymandering and packing are.
16. What is the sophomore surge? Why does it happen? What effects does it have?
17. Summarize the issues involved and the resolution inBaker v. Carr and Wesberry v. Sanders.
18. As you look at a typical Congressman’s schedule in the David Price article, what do you notice that he spends most of his time doing? What does he not have time to do according to this schedule?
19. What are the principal jobs and responsibilities in the party leadership in the Senate?
20. What are the formal and informal powers of the Speaker of the House?
21. Why are party votes in the House common?
22. What are caucuses and why are they important?
23. Define the four different types of committees.
24. How are committee chairs chosen and how has this changed since the 1970s?
25. How has the committee structure changed since the 1970s to weaken party chairs? What has been the effect of these changes and how does having a large staff create a demand for more staff?
26. What is the role of congressional staff?
27. What do the GAO, and CBO do?
28. You must know the terms. Find some way to memorize them: choose what works for you – flashcards, notes, sleeping on them.
29. What are the roles of committees and subcommittees and how does this affect the legislation that gets passed?
30. What is the role of the House Rules Committee?
31. How can a filibuster be broken? What do the changes for breaking a filibuster mean for trying to pass a bill in the Senate?
32. Think about it and give your opinion as to the impact the differences between the House and Senate have on policy-making. You must know the chart on p. 236 summarizing the differences between the House and Senate. Figure out a way to learn it.
33. Make a list of the different powers that the Constitution gives to either the House or Senate. This is a review question and you should be able to do it off the top of your head. Then go check yourself by lookingat the Constitution. (It’s in Chap 2 of thebook ) Read through Article I, Sections 1, 3, and 7 and Article II, Section 2. Add in anything you may have forgotten.
34. Using the downloaded article by Barbara Sinclair, make a list of reasons why Congress is sometimes not able to accomplish much.
35. Make a list or chart of the arguments that Joyce Appleby and Fred Bauer make about the filibuster. Be prepared to give your own opinion on the move that the Democrats took to limit the filibuster for judicial and executive nominees.
36. In general, what type of rules are there to make sure our Congress members are ethical?
37. After reading the articles by Paul Starobin, John Ellwood, and Eric Patashik, John McCain, and Brian Riedl, make a list of the arguments for and against pork. Include arguments from the textbook.
Terms to Know
1. / franking privilege / 26. / “one man, one vote” / 51. / Congressional Budget Office (CBO)2. / Unicameral/bicameral / 27. / Shaw v. Reno (1993) / 52. / Simple resolution
3. / bicameral / 28. / sophomore surge / 53. / Concurrent resolution
4. / Speaker of the House / 29. / privileged speech / 54. / Joint resolution
5. / Delegate Model / 30. / Edmund Burke / 56. / multiple referral
6. / Trustee Model / 31. / Representational theory / 57. / sequential referral
7. / Party caucus / 32. / Organizational theory / 58. / discharge petition
8. / Rules Committee / 33. / Attitudinal theory / 59. / closed rule
9. / filibuster / 34. / President Pro Tempore / 60. / open rule
10. / 17th Amendment / 35. / Majority and Minority leaders / 61. / restrictive rule
11. / Rule 22 / 36. / Party Whip / 62. / Quorum and quorum call
12. / cloture / 37. / Steering Committee (D) / 63 / cloture rule
13. / term limits / 38. / Committee on Committees (R) / 64. / double-tracking
14. / US Term Limits, Inc. v. Thornton (1995) / 39. / Policy Committee / 65. / rider
15. / Marginal districts / 40. / Party polarization / 66. / Christmas tree bill
16. / Safe districts / 41. / Caucus / 67. / Committee of the Whole
17. / House Banking scandal / 42. / Congressional Black Caucus / 68. / Pork-Barrel
18. / House Post office scandal / 43. / Blue Dog Democrats / 69. / Earmarks
19. / Reapportionment / 44. / Standing Committees / 70. / Congressional courtesy
20. / redistricting / 45. / Select Committees / 71. / logrolling
21. / malapportionment / 46. / Joint Committees / 72. / Nongermane amendment
22. / gerrymandering / 47. / Conference Committees / 73. / Unanimous consent
23. / majority-minority districts / 48. / seniority system / 74. / Holds
24. / Wesberry v. Sanders 1964 / 49. / Congressional Research Service / 75. / Constituent service or casework
25. / Baker v. Carr (1962) / 50. / General Accounting Office (GAO)
Questions and Themes
Demographics in general of those in Congress
Elements of the Constitution that relate to Congress and its powers – Article I: delegated powers, qualifications for serving in House and Senate
Reasons for a bicameral legislature
Differences b/t House and Senate; vote requirements
Powers of the Senate and House
Non-legislative tasks of Congress: legislative oversight, public education, representing constituents within government, casework
Delegate vs. trustee model; representative, organizational, attitudinal theories of representation
Power of Senate to advise and consent to nominations and treaties
Filibuster, cloture, Rule 22, impact of filibuster on climate of Senate
Types of Committees in Cong: standing, joint, select, conference
oStanding – only ones to write legislation and conduct oversight
Evolution of House rules since 1970s
Job of Speaker. Majority/Minority Leader/ Pro-tem, what do Whips do? How can party leadership affect legislative process
House Ways and Means/Senate Finance > taxes
Appropriations > how money is apportioned to federal agencies
How a bill becomes a law and where a bill can be killed
Important Committees: House Rules – what it can do, House Ways and Means, Senate Finance, Appropriations Committee
Mark up; Discharge Petition; Franking privilege
Advantages of incumbents: credit claiming, constituent service or casework
Role of lobbyists and IGs
Advantages and disadvantages of committee system, role of subcommittees
Pork barrel legislation, earmarks
What affects how congressmen vote? What are the pressures on them to vote?
oPresidential jawboning
oLogrolling
oPACS, IGs
oConstituents
oIdeology, religious beliefs
oParty Affiliation – most important factor
Baker v. Carr, Wesberry v. Sanders, and Shaw v. Reno
Effect of 1982 Voting Rights Act to encourage states to create majority minority districts
oImpact of having majority-minority districts
oWhat has the Supreme Court said about race as a factor? Principles in districting?
Reapportionment and redistricting – what is the difference?
oCensus, apportionment, malapportionment, redistricting, gerrymandering, racial gerrymandering
Who becomes chair of committees, how committee assignments are determined; majority party has majority on committees; Seniority system
Congressional caucuses: party and other caucuses
Term limits debate: arguments on each side
Role of the parties in Congress
Oversight function of executive branch, bureaucracy
Specialization in Congress
How Congress reasserted its powers after Nixon – what made 1974 an earthquake in the power system
How impeachment works
Effects of the 2013 changes in filibusters
Arguments about whether the Founding Fathers made a mistake in the internal checks in the Legislative Branch
Essay Assignment: Did the Founders make a mistake?
Rubric
You include detailed outlines/notes of all three readings / 15You include a well-written, analytical thesis statement that addresses the question / 15
You present at least three well-considered arguments to support your thesis statement / 36
You present specific and sufficient evidence from this unit, current events, and past units to support each of your arguments / 34
TOTAL / 100