How to Participate and Answer Discussion Questions

Discussion Questions:

Each student is to make one original post in response to the Discussion Question by the indicated posting date. Each student will then post responses to the posts of two other students.

Discussion questions are worth maximum 5 points each. Three (3) points for a quality post and one (1) point each for a quality response to another student's post.

Discussion Question Prompt:

After completing your readings on Federalism, post a comment on one or all of these questions.

Next, please post on at least two others student's posts.

How and why did the Marshall Court establish the National Supremacy of the United States over the governments of the states?

How did the Supreme Court's interpretation's of the Constitution construct Dual Federalism? Focus on the legal arguments, not the facts of the cases.

What specific elements of Supreme Court's rulings in Barron v. Baltimore and Dred Scott v. Sanford created a distinct and separate jurisdiction between the state and national government known as Dual Federalism?

Student Post:

The student is required to post an "original question" or analysis in response to the prompt. The post should be of substance and value to stimulate questions from the class.

"What specific elements of Supreme Court's rulings in Barron v. Baltimore and Dred Scott v. Sanford created a distinct and separate jurisdiction between the state and national government known as Dual Federalism?

Barron v. Baltimore and Dred Scott v. Sanford are great examples in distinguishing a separate but equally powerful state and national government. In the case of Barron v. Baltimore, a Baltimore businessman John Barron who ran a successful docking business filed a lawsuit against the city and state. During this time, the city was into major construction, and as a result dirt was deposited into Barron's wharf preventing many of the ships from utilizing the harbor. Barron then sued citing the Fifth Amendment in the Bill of Rights. The Marshall Court ruled against Barron stating that the Bill of the Rights was strictly federal and does not apply to local or state governments.

In Dred Scott v. Sanford case, this case examined the status of slavery and the rights of slavery in the new territories. Dredd Scott was born into slavery but resided with a family in free states and the Wisconsin Territory. Abolitionists at the time put forth that since he lived in free territories he should then be considered a free man. After a long process, it was eventually brought into Supreme Court which ruled against Scott with a 7-2 vote. They ruled that slaves were considered property and should not be considered as citizens of the United States therefore their status as property had no bearing on where they resided.

While the first case mentioned enhanced the power of the federal government, the second case narrowed the scope of national power, giving more power to the states. Barron v. Baltimore essentially limited the power of local and state governments at the time from the Bill of Rights. At the same time, with Dred Scott v. Sanford, the Court found that Congress had no authority when it came to banning slavery in certain territories."

Student Response to Post:

Each student is to post two (2) responses to the posts of other students. The response posts should offer insight or ask a question for other students to evaluate.

" I found it very interesting that, although the Marshall Court established the National Supremacy clause, they narrowed the scope of national power when it came to the topic of slavery (like the Dred Scott v. Sanford case.) The court decided that Congress had no authority over banning slavery, although it was ultimately banned during the Lincoln era. "

What your response should NOT be

"Your post is well thought out and went on to explain each case which had a huge impact. Easy to understand and enjoyed reading it "

12 Ground Rules for Online Discussions

Participate: This is a shared learning environment. No lurking in the cyberspace background. It is not enough to login and read the discussion thread of others. For the maximum benefit to all, everyone must contribute.
Report Glitches: Discussion forums are electronic. They break. If for any reason you experience difficulty participating, please call, email, or otherwise inform me of the issue. Chances are others are having the same problem.
Help Others: You may have more experience with online discussion forums than the person next to you. Give them a hand. Show them it’s not so hard. They’re really going to appreciate it!
Be Patient: Read everything in the discussion thread before replying. This will help you avoid repeating something someone else has already contributed. Acknowledge the points made with which you agree and suggest alternatives for those with which you don’t.
Be Brief: You want to be clear—and to articulate your point—without being preachy or pompous. Be direct. Stay on point. Don’t lose yourself, or your readers, in overly wordy sentences or paragraphs.
Use Proper Writing Style: This is a must. Write as if you were writing a term paper. Correct spelling, grammatical construction and sentence structure are expected in every other writing activity associated with scholarship and academic engagement. Online discussions are no different.
Cite Your Sources: Another big must! If your contribution to the conversation includes the intellectual property (authored material) of others, e.g., books, newspaper, magazine, or journal articles—online or in print—they must be given proper attribution.
Emoticons and Texting: Social networking and text messaging has spawned a body of linguistic shortcuts that are not part of the academic dialogue. Please refrain from :-) faces and c u l8r’s.
Respect Diversity: It’s an ethnically rich and diverse, multi-cultural world in which we live. Use no language that is—or that could be construed to be—offensive toward others. Racists, sexist, and heterosexist comments and jokes are unacceptable, as are derogatory and/or sarcastic comments and jokes directed at religious beliefs, disabilities, and age.
No YELLING! Step carefully. Beware the electronic footprint you leave behind. Using bold upper-case letters is bad form, like stomping around and yelling at somebody (NOT TO MENTION BEING HARD ON THE EYE).
No Flaming! Criticism must be constructive, well-meaning, and well-articulated. Please, no tantrums. Rants directed at any other contributor are simply unacceptable and will not be tolerated. The same goes for profanity. The academic environment expects higher-order language.
Lastly, Remember: You Can't Un-Ring the Bell. Language is your only tool in an online environment. Be mindful. How others perceive you will be largely—as always—up to you. Once you've hit the send button, you've rung the bell.
Review your written posts and responses to ensure that you’ve conveyed exactly what you intended. This is an excellent opportunity to practice your proofreading, revision, and rewriting skills—valuable assets in the professional world for which you are now preparing.
Hint: Read your post out loud before hitting the send button. This will tell you a lot about whether your grammar and sentence structure are correct, your tone is appropriate, and your contribution clear or not.