U.S. Government Honors Supplementary Assignments

1. Research the following Supreme Court cases. Your task will be to explain the Court’s logic: how did they deal with the facts of the case before them, relate the facts to the Constitution, and deduce their decision? Why is the case considered a landmark case?

        a. Mapp v. Ohio (1961)

        b. Roe v. Wade (1973)

        c. United States v. Nixon (1974)

2. Trace the development of the Presidency. Include the following in your discussion:

        a. What specifically did Washington do that shaped the office for future presidents?

        b. Discuss the contributions of Jefferson, Jackson and Lincoln specifically.

        c. How did the Civil War cause a decline in the prestige and power of the presidency?

        d. What effect did the wars at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century have on the power of the presidency, and why?

        e. Discuss the effects of the Great Depression on the presidency.

        f. What happened to the presidency following World War II?

        g. What is the state of the presidency today?