Civil Rights/Liberties

1. What is the difference between civil rights and civil liberties? Are they fully distinct from one another? Or do we sometimes use both terms to refer to the same things? Use examples in your discussion of these two terms and their distinctionThe two party system has been an almost constant presence in American politics since the Founding. Yet political parties were never intended by the architects of the U.S. Constitution, in fact the structure of the Constitutional system was intended to discourage them, and there have been frequent attempts throughout American political history to decrease their power and influence. Nonetheless, political scientists caution that parties are not only inevitable, but have important roles to play. What explains the emergence and persistence of the American two-party system? Describe the role parties play in American politics. (This is not asking you to explain the different positions of the Republican and Democratic parties. Rather, it is asking you to speak about the role of parties in general, regardless of which one.) In the American political context, what are the main drawbacks of having strong political parties? What are the main benefitsAlthough having two political parties is the American norm, the roles played by political parties and the power of party organizations have changed over the course of U.S. history. What historical changes have driven changes in party power? How do modern political parties function differently to parties in the 1800s? This question is NOT asking you to talk about the history of which of the two parties had dominance during different periods and what each party stood for at various times. Rather the question asks you to talk about the power wielded by parties in general, whether Republican or Democratic, and how that power has grown and been curtailed at different periods. What are some innovations, reforms, and historical trends and events that have changed how much power parties had over electoral and political processes.