1. Ruth Gilmore says that capitalism will stop being racial capitalism, when all the white people disappear from the story. What’s the connection between “whiteness” and racism, do you think? Ruth Gilmore says that capitalism won’t stop being racial capitalism if all the white people disappear she states that capitalism requires inequality and racism enshrines it.  

2. Gilmore makes the point that criminals are actually being created by the criminal justice and prison system (she says “the category of ‘criminal person’ can be perpetuated”). According to Gilmore, how does that happen, how does the prison system create new “criminals“? Do you agree with her view?

Gilmore argues that in her view prisons concentrate surpluses she says that instead of all those prisons that were made years ago in the 1960s in California they should’ve built universities, factories, veteran housing, or parks. Gilmore also mentions that in criminalization there has to be a steady stream of criminals to be eligible to be categorized as criminal this is the reason why prisons and criminals keep happening since the sentences have to be longer and this causes people’s criminal behavior to grow.

3. Describe how you understand what Prof. Gilmore – in the last part of her video – calls “liberation struggle”?

The liberation struggle is specific to the needs and struggles of people where they are and that where has many dimensions.

1. What did the Supreme Court decide in the Wal-Mart case? .And more importantly, how did it justify its decision? (HINT: the key word here is “commonality” (and how it related to “class-action lawsuit”). Try to understand what this legal terms means, as it is key to the court’s decision). 

The supreme court decided to put an end to Betty Dukes v. Walmart stores which was a case that pitted over 1.5 million female Walmart workers against the country’s largest private employer. The court made commonality central to their ruling. The article states, “Scalia argued that to claim “commonality” a class must not only share a common problem but also a common solution to that problem—one that would compensate all members equally in a single stroke.” Throughout the year’s many female workers for Walmart noticed that they were being discriminated against and treated differently than men were. women were being paid less although they were doing the same type of work. The article mentioned how a woman who worked for walmart for many years trained a new young men to later find out she was receiving less then his pay.

1. In what ways is the court system better suited to protect the individual, than are the elected branches of government (such as Congress and the President; or the Mayor of NYC and the NYC City Assembly)? Give an example to illustrate your argument.

The court system is better suited to protect individuals than the elected branches of government are because they focus more on protecting individual’s rights for example it is fine for someone being questioned by an officer to remain silent because it is a right they have while on the other hand  An example the article stated was when someone commits a criminal act, the government (state or national, depending on which law has been broken) charges that person with a crime such as the Miranda v. Arizona case which included both of these examples. Each person has more than just one court system ready to protect his or her rights which is beneficial for them.

2. Think about how federal judges get to become judges – unlike Presidents, Mayors and members of Congress (and other legislatures), they are not elected, but rather appointed. Many Americans have thus called the federal courts system, and especially the Supreme Court, anti-democratic PLACES IN OUR GOVERNMENT. Do you agree that the Supreme Court, for example, is an anti-democratic part of our government? What could be the reason for this way of choosing judges in federal courts? (HINT: think about our discussion of “Federalist #10”, and which social class plays a leading role in our government system.)

I definitely believe that the supreme court is an anti-democratic part of the government and a reason for this and choosing the judges in federal courts has to do with the wealthy class and people who own property and businesses. I believe that they are so focused on what benefits them and how they can maintain or get richer which has to do with why they don’t agree with many choices that democrats make.

1. Describe how you understand the “Establishment Clause” and the related “Lemon Test”.  My understanding of the establishment clause is that congress is prohibited from creating or promoting a state-sponsored religion. This establishment also forbids the government from favoring one set of religious beliefs over others or favoring religion over non-religion. This is related to the lemon test since it is used for deciding whether a law or other government might promote a particular religious practice and if it should be allowed.
2. Is burning the US flag protected by the First Amendment? Explain by referring to the relevant court case discussed in the reading. Yes according to the reading burning the US flag is protected by the first amendment it states,” However in 1989 the supreme court decided in texas v. Johnson that burning the flag was a form of symbolic speech protected by the first amendment.”
3. What does it mean when someone says “I’m taking the Fifth”?

What it means by I’m taking a fifth is related to the fifth amendment and it’s the protection against self-incrimination or the right to remain silent. This means that a person does not have to give any evidence in court or to officers that may be used against them in a crime.

1. P. Williams writes in her essay, that the war on terror is a new type of a war. What’s new about it, how is it different from traditional wars? According to P.Williams she says that war has been framed as one against “terror” – against unruly if deadly emotionalism – rather than as a war against specific bodies, specific land, or specific resources. She also states that the war against terrorism is a war of the mind, so broadly defined that the enemy becomes anybody who makes us afraid. 

2. In what ways does the “Roving Wiretaps” of the Patriot Act seem to violate the Bill of Rights? Which amendment(s) does it seem to violate and why?

Roving Wiretaps is a provision used by the patriot act that allows investigators to spy and investigate suspects, spies, and terrorists. This Violates the fourth amendment since its violating a person’s privacy and is doing research on a person without their consent.

3. What about “Sneek and Peek” Warrants?

Sneek and Peek warrants are done last minute without giving people a heads up that they will be searched or investigated. This allows investigators to research houses of drug dealers and other criminals without providing notice.

1. Describe the primary differences in the role of citizens in government, among the federal, confederation, and unitary systems. It is ruled by all types of people especially the ones with power. The constitution created 3 separate branches of government with their own power this ensures that no branch is more powerful than the other this would help check the power of the other two. These branches help run the country. It is important to know all branches and what each does because our democracy depends on an informed citizenry so it’s important to know since we can get a call anytime from the government to participate in many things like a jury, court testifies and etc.
2. Briefly explain how you understand the system of division of power. The article helps us undertsand the divison of power by informing us that the government itself isn’t the one who has all control of the power a nation has. In fact states has power.It says,” The divison of powers does overlap and sometimes leads to problems such as what happened with response to hurricane Katrina between the state and federal governments. This means that the constitution divides the power between states and the federal government.
3. Each one has their own power based on how high it is How does the federal government shape the actions of state and local governments? Write your answer based on doing a bit of research on how the federal government has influenced the actions of NY state and local governments, during the COVID-19 pandemic.The federal government shapes the actions of state and local governments by helping with grants and loans. During the pandemic state and local authorities closed schools, rescheduled elections, placed limits on public gatherings, and shuttered non-essential businesses.One by one, jurisdictions began to issue stay-at-home orders that required Americans to shelter in place with their families and leave only for reasons seemed “essential. It was also mandated to wear a mask and do social distancing for the safetly of peoples health.

1. Based on the arguments presented in Readings 6.1 and 6.2, which social class wrote the Constitution, and which class was excluded and not allowed to participate in this process? In your comment, make sure you clearly specify the difference between the two classes by giving examples from the readings. Based on readings 6.1 and 6.2 wealthy property owners were able to write the constitution to be more specific property-owning white males. They had the chance to vote while the poor couldn’t as stated in the text,” Excluded were all Native Americans (“Indians”), persons of African descent, women, indentured servants, and White males lacking sufficient property. Property qualifications for holding office were so steep as to exclude even most of the White males who could vote. This shows us that based on your social class you get certain privileges than those who have no money. There were many poor people who were going into debt and as mentioned in the article,” Economic prisoners crowded the jails, incarcerated for debts or nonpayment of taxes”.
2. Would say that the social class structure of early United States society, was the same as ours today, or different? Explain. Social class structure in the united states in earlier times is different then what it is today due to the fact that no matter if you’re poor or wealthy your voice matters and you’re able to vote.But on earlier times people who were poor didnt have such rights as stated in the readings that mentioned that in order to be able to vote you must be wealthy and own some type of property. Although even right now in the United States some people may be treated unfairly due to their economic status or social class it isn’t as bad as before.
3. Why were the people who wrote the Constitution so afraid of democracy? Hint: think about how to answer this question by discussing it in terms of social classes.  The article states,” They were determined that persons of birth and fortune should control the affairs of the nation and check the “leveling impulses” of the propertyless multitude who composed “the majority faction” (majority class). This means that the wealthy class wants to be the only one with power and control and doesn’t want the poor/working class to have the same power as them. The article also states,’’Those who hold and those who are without property have ever formed distinct interests in society” and “the first object of government” is “the protection of different and unequal faculties of acquiring property.” The wealthy class doesnt want the working class to have the same rights as them or same interest in society because it can affect them later on and they think it would be unfair.

1. What concept that we have already discussed does “faction” remind you of?

The definition of faction according to the reading is “a number of citizens, whether amounting to a majority or a minority of the whole, who are united and actuated by some common impulse of passion, or of interest, adverse to the rights of other citizens, or to the permanent and aggregate interests of the community.” What this reminds me of would be social class which we have learned before the reason for this is because in society everyone wants to be wealthy and have money or even own some type of property but are we all rich? The answer is no in society there is many different social classes and based on what class youre in is the amount of power you have. Although all classes are aiming for the same thing and interest not all can have and achieve.

2. According to Federalist #10 (written by James Madison), what is the source of wealth (private property)? What factor explains why some people get to possess wealth by owning private property, and others don’t (thus remaining poor)? This is a key question, because it shows how the authors of the Constitution thought about the difference between different classes of Americans! HINT: focus on the passage that begins: “The diversity in the faculties (WHAT DOES FACULTIES mean or refer to?) of men, from which the rights of property originate, is not les….” According to the reading federalist #10 source of wealth is based on what you already know about wealth based on what you own and if you were born into the wealthy family. Someone who wasnt born or is in the wealthy class would have no knowledge or know anything about wealth or being a property owner. The wealthy people are most likely to stay wealthy while the poor people would stay poor and not be able to work their way up. 

3. Do you agree with this explanation of wealth and poverty?

I don’t agree with this explanation of wealth and poverty by James Madison because he’s basically trying to say that you’re wealthy based on your intelligence, gender or social class and that can be true but not in all cases there can be some working-class people who are smart as well but due to the fact that they have no money they might not get the same amount of opportunities and someone with money which can lead to them staying in that same social class. They can be very smart but have a regular low-paying job which doesn’t help with much other than just to survive and maintain what they have while the wealthy people are already rich and just stay there.

4. What is the core mission (“first object”) of the US government? Does this surprise you, does it sound different from what our society today seems to suggest the core mission of the government is? Explain. The core mission of the US government is to protect wealthy business owners and help them stay on top. The goal is to keep everything the same and not let the poor/non-wealthy interfere with their wealth. The government wants to protect them and their properties. This does not surprise me because even today the wealthy people only get wealthier while the rest stay in the same spot forever. Its harder for someone to get on top but easier for the wealthy people to get wealthier.

5. Given the discussion in questions 1-4, are you surprised that Federalist #10 is not in favor of democracy, and supports a Republican (representative) form of government? Why would d the author dislike a (pure) democratic form of government? Hint: think about how this question connects with the social classes… No, I am not surprised that Federalist #10 is not in favor of democracy because they fear that if all people and different classes that are lower fight for equal rights then perhaps it can actually happen and the wealthy people would come out affected. The wealthy people don’t want this to happen and fear it, therefore, I am not surprised that they are in favor of republicans since money, wealth and property is important to them and staying on top with power.

1. Two key concepts in this video are the means of production and labor. In your comment, explain how you understand the means of production and labor. Give an example of each. The video helped me get a good understanding of the means of production and labor. Means of production are basically the things that are used in order to create and make something. In order to create a product, you need tools and objects to help you make it.  The video used a good example, if you’re creating a video the things that would help you make it would be a camera, nice lighting or lamp, and yourself order to make it. Labor is the only thing that can increase the value of what you have. An example would be a plain shirt you’re selling if it’s plain and boring people won’t want to pay much for it because it’s something simple that doesn’t have much value. But if you put in time and labor and add designs with a sewing machine or customize it then the value would increase and it would cost more since labor and time were put into it.
2. Another important concept in understanding social class is value. Based on the ideas presented in Video 5.1, what is value?  What gives “value” to value, what makes something valuable?  Value is what something is worth due to the amount of time and labor put into it. A product’s value is measured by how much labor it takes to produce under normal circumstances. A product that was handmade and took more time is more likely to be more expensive due to everything it took to create it. While a product that took less time since it was made by fast machines would be worth less since it took less time and labor.
3. How are labor and value related? What’s the relationship/connection between the two? The connection between labor and value is that labor is the work that’s being done and put into something and this helps determine the value of a product. A value of a product is determined by the amount of labor that was put into it. The value is how much it is worth.
4. How do you understand the difference between labor and labor power? Hint: this is a key difference, give it your best shot based on what the video says about it, and your own ideas. We’ll clarify and develop it in our discussions, and in my video comments. The difference is that labor is the work that you do to produce while according to Marxist economics the ability to labor is the most important commodity in the world. It is the only commodity that when applied increases the value of what you have. The video gives a lot of examples such as mentioning when you go to work you rent out your labor power for the day the video also states that the amount of work you put in for the day is the same amount that you have to take out for the day. In order to get through the day, you need food , shelter , clothing etc. In other words you receive less than what you make.
5. Surplus Value: what is it? Why is it important to know about, in our study of social classes? Think about an example of surplus value? Surplus value is the value on top of the value it took to get you there, profit essentially. Marx believed you are always being paid less than what your labor is actually worth this is because the boss keeps the profit of all that hard work you did by selling it for more.