Government Mid-Term Essays
For this assessment, you may refer to your textbook and/or class notes. Any direct quotations or
paraphrasing should be cited properly. Your mid-term essays should be at least 1 page (front and
back). Essays will be worth 50 points each and will be graded based mainly on the depth of your
analysis but deductions may occur with due to poor organization, word choice, sentence fluency,
and/or proof reading.
Essay #1
The United States political system is heavily influenced by both political parties and interest
groups. Identify the fundamental goals of political parties and interest groups as a whole.
Describe how interest groups try to influence political parties. Explain how helping political
parties reach their goals benefits interest groups.
Essay #2
Discuss the events leading up to the creation of the U.S. Constitution. Include the ideas and
people that influenced our Founding Fathers.
Essay #3
The Constitution of the United States creates a government of separate institutions that share
power rather than a government that delegates power exclusively to a single branch. Frequently,
this means that presidents and Congress struggle with each other.
a. For each of the presidential powers below, explain one way that congressional decision
making is affected by that power and give some examples.
• Veto power
• Power to issue executive orders
• Power as commander in chief
b. For each of the congressional powers below, explain one way that presidential decision
making is affected by that power and give some examples.
• Legislative oversight power
• Senate advice and consent power
• Budgetary power