Essay Analysis

Write an essay that addresses the question posed below. These essays are not opinion essays.
Rather, these essays will demonstrate your understanding of the course material and your
ability to apply this understanding to contemporary politics.
Generally, the first part of each question asks you to explain general principles about American
politics based on the course lectures and readings. Some of the questions will end by asking
you to provide examples from contemporary politics relevant to the topic. You may consult
media reports for these examples. If you consult a media report, you must include a
bibliography reference in the following format:
Author last name, author first name. Date of publication. “Title of article.” Title of
publication. URL or DOI.
No quotations are allowed in your answer. You must write everything in your own words to
demonstrate your knowledge of the topic and your ability to effectively convey that knowledge
to others.
Answers to the assigned essay questions will be between 200 and 250 words long. Significantly
longer answers will be penalized. The last item in each submission will be a word count, e.g.
Word count = 237.
Question:
The textbook lists four historical periods for how the Supreme Court interprets the
Constitution: 1) National Power and Property Rights, 2) Government and the Economy,
3) Individual Rights and Liberties, and 4) Conservative Retrenchment. In your answer, focus only
on the last two periods and contrast the types of decisions the Supreme Court was making in
the third period versus the fourth period. Include 3 types of decisions made in each of these
two periods.