1. According to Gilmore, “whiteness is connected to racism because of its link to power, privilege, and economic systems that benefited some groups over others. Racism goes beyond personal prejudices since it also includes systems that favors the social, political, and economic privileges of white people. I think she means that racial capitalism depends on these unequal systems staying in place.
2. According to Gilmore, the prison system can produce even more “criminals” because those who go to prison come out with fewer opportunities, less support, a criminal record that make it difficult to get jobs, housing, and even an education. This can make people go back into situation where they are most likely to get arrested again. I believe her argument makes sense because the system punishes people without helping them return back to society successfully.
3. “Liberation struggle” is people getting together to challenge injustice and make a more equal society. Gilmore talks about communities that are built on care, equality, and support rather than punishment and exploitation. It’s not enough to change laws; what needs to be done is changing the system itself.

In Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. v. Dukes, the Supreme Court concluded that the lawsuit would not be allowed to proceed as a class action suit, which would have enabled 1.5 million women to sue Wal-Mart collectively on account of sexual discrimination against them. The Court justified this decision mainly by focusing on the requirement of “commonality,” which in the context of class action suits, implies that all plaintiffs should possess a common legal or factual issue, which is capable of being answered through a single solution. Antonin Scalia explained that even though the women had accused Wal-Mart of discrimination, their claims varied so much as a result of them having been treated differently, in various settings, by different managers, at different stores. The Court said that there was no “glue” holding all their claims together; in other words, there was no common reason why all the women had been subjected to the same form of discrimination. Because of this lack of commonality, the Court ruled that the case would not move forward as a class action lawsuit.

1. The court system is better suited to protected the individual, than are the elected branches of government because it does not involve any election process and is free from the influence of political considerations, making it possible for judges to make decisions according to the Constitution, not the opinions of the majority. Elected officials sometimes have no choice but to comply with the demands of the majority at the expense of the minority; however, courts have the capacity to safeguard the rights of the minority. For example, in Brown vs. Board of Education, the US Supreme Court declared racial segregation in public schools as unconstitutional, ensuring the protection of black children despite segregation being widely accepted.
2. I agree that the Supreme Court is an anti-democratic part of our government because its justices are not elected and serve long terms which means that citizens cannot participate in choosing whether a judge remains on the bench or gets replaced. it is important to state that such a system of functioning was intentionally created. According to Federalist #10, the framers of the Constitution were afraid of the “tyranny of the majority,” where popular opinion could threaten the rights of minority groups. By appointing judges who come mostly from educated and elite social groups, they established a court that would operate independently of politics and whose decisions would be based on the law instead of public opinion.

1. According to P. Williams, the war on terror is a new type of war because it targets terrorist groups and ideas, not a specific country. It is different from the traditional wars because they have clear armies, battlefields, and objectives.

2. The “Roving Wiretaps” of the Patriot Act seems to be a direct violation of the Fourth Amendment, which guarantees protection against unreasonable searches and seizures. They allow the government to intercept a person’s communications without specifying which phone or device will be tapped, which is a direct violation of the requirement for a warrant.

3. “Sneak and Peek” warrants also violates the Fourth Amendment. They allow law enforcement to gain entry into a home or property without informing the owner, which could be a violation of the warrant requirement and a delay in informing an individual that their privacy has been invaded.

1.Describe how you understand the “Establishment Clause” and the related “Lemon Test”. -The Establishment Clause in the First Amendment to the United States Constitution means that the government cannot favor religion. The Lemon Test in Lemon v. Kurtzman determine if laws follow that rule.

2.Is burning the US flag protected by the First Amendment? Explain by referring to the relevant court case discussed in the reading. -Yes, burning the US flag is protected by the First Amendment. In Texas V. Johnson, the Supreme Court ruled that flag burning is symbolic speech which cannot be punished by the government just because it is offensive.

3.What does it mean when someone says “I’m taking the Fifth”? -When someone says “Im taking the Fifth” or “I plead the Fifth”, it means that they are refusing to answer the question. This phase Is based on the Fifth Amendment of the U.S Constitution, which protects a person from self-incrimination in a legal case.

1.The role of citizens differs in a federal, confederation, and unitary systems. In a federal system, like the United States, citizens participate in both national and state governments by voting for leaders at each level. In a confederation system, such as the early U.S under the Articles of Confederation, citizens influences the government through their state governments because the national government was not effective. In a unitary system, like the United Kingdom, most power is held by the national government so citizens participated by voting for national leaders.

2.The division of power in a system where government authority is shared among different levels of government. This means that no single group has all the power. For example, in the United States, power is shared between the national and state governments. This is to ensure that different levels of government are able to serve the needs of citizens.

3.During the Covid-19 pandemic, the federal government was able influence New York State and local governments by providing financial support. For example, billions of dollars were provided to New York State through the CARES Act and American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 to support testing, healthcare, and relief measures. This money helped guide how the state and local governments responded to the Covid-19 pandemic and support the people.

1. The concept of “faction” reminds me of social class conflict. In the readings, a faction is a group of people with common interests that go against the interests of others because of economic differences in classes. For example, wealthy elites and poorer farmers could form different factions because of their different economic goals, such as protecting their property and debt relief.
2. In Federalist #10, James Madison explains that wealth and property can be traced to the “diversity in the faculties of men,” such as different talents and skills people had. He believed that people differ when it comes to their capabilities, such as their level of intelligence/talent. This is the reason why some people manage to acquire more property and wealth than others, which eventually leads to the different social classes with different interests.
3. I partly agree with this explanation because people do have different abilities that can affect how much money they earn. However, wealth and property are influenced by social factors like education, family background, discrimination and access to resources, apart from individual abilities. Because of this, economic differences are shaped by personal skills and larger social conditions.
4. The core mission “first object” of the US government is the protection of property and the unequal ability of people to acquire it. This demonstrates that the primary purpose of government was to protect property and economic interests. This may seem quite different from today’s understanding that the government’s primary purpose is to create equality and serve the public interest, not just protect property.
5. No, I’m not surprised that Federalist #10 is not in favor of pure democracy and instead supports a republican (representative) form of government. James Madison, worried that in a pure democracy the majority, who were mostly poor people like famers, laborers, and debtors, would pass laws that threatened the property and wealth of the upper class. This was because most of the leaders during that period were wealthy property owners and were worried that the majority rule would negatively impact their economic interests.

1. According to readings 6.1 and 6.2, the Constitution was primarily created by the rich elite who owned properties, including large landowners, merchants, lawyers, and creditors who sought a strong government to protect their properties. On the other hand, the poor or the lower classes of people, including the small farmers, laborers, and debtors, were excluded from the process of the Constitution.

2. The social class structure of early United States society was different from ours today, although some inequalities still existed. Early United States politics were dominated by the rich property-owning males, who were mostly landowners, merchants, and creditors, while, women, slaves, Native Americans, and poor males who were not property owners were excluded. Today’s United States politics allows for the political rights of all citizens to vote regardless of property, race, or gender.

3. The people who wrote the Constitution were afraid of democracy because they thought that the lower classes, like small farmers, laborers, and debtors, would have too much power and pass laws to threatened the wealth of the upper class. Many of the people who wrote the Constitution were landowners, merchants, and creditors who thought that the majority would support debt relief and higher taxes on the rich. Therefore, the Constitution was written to protect the interests of the elite and restrict the power of the majority.

1. The statistic on wealth inequality in the US that made the biggest impression on me was that the top 1% of people in the United States own more money than the bottom 90% combined. The number is shocking because it shows how much wealth is in the country. This stood out to me because it shows how unfair life is, especially for the working class families.

2. Some implications of living in a society that has such huge wealth inequalities are unequal access to education, healthcare, and housing. Wealth brings power and that means that those at the top can shape polices so that it can benefit them. We can see this dynamic is everyday life, such as the difference between well-funded schools in a rich neighborhood and underfunded schools in a poor neighborhood. Wealth inequality can impacts people’s opportunities.