Alexis De Tocqueville once said, “The American learns to know the laws by participating in the act of legislation; and he takes a lesson in the forms of government from governing…. The government invites the aid of all who have talents or knowledge to serve it.”
This week, Ms. Carla Federman’s AP United States History class took those words to heart as they gave 1-minute speeches to present their positions on current political issues, as part of their post-AP Exam final project. The presentations were part of a larger project, where students were asked to research a political topic and the historical record of the issue; write a white paper, which is an informative report designed to lay out background on a topic, as well as argue a specific position; and write a letter to their congresspeople explaining their arguments and urging them to take a particular stance on the proposed issue.
Some of the topics of their presentations included charter schools, the death penalty, net neutrality and healthcare.
