Conquer It
Test your knowledge of the Electoral College process by taking the short quiz below. Then, write a brief essay explaining why you either support or disagree with using the Electoral College process in U.S. presidential elections.
What’s Your Opinion?
The Electoral College has been the subject of much discussion and debate over the years. Politicians disagree as to whether the college favors small states, or whether it gives an indirect advantage to rural areas or to ethnic minority clusters in populous states. They also disagree over its value as a preserver of democracy, or as a hindrance to the principle of one-person, one-vote. Opponents argue that the process allows for the possible outcome of an election of a president who has not won in the popular vote of the citizens of the United States. What is your opinion?
In a short essay (250-300 words), explain why you support or disagree with the Electoral College process. Submit your essay to your teacher.
Sample Text
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“This is a solemn but a glorious hour. I only wish that Franklin D. Roosevelt had lived to witness this day. General Eisenhower informs me that the forces of Germany have surrendered to the United Nations. The flags of freedom fly over all Europe…
Our rejoicing is sobered and subdued by a supreme consciousness of the terrible price we have paid to rid the world of Hitler and his evil band. Let us not forget, my fellow Americans, the sorrow and the heartache which today abide in the homes of so many of our neighbors—neighbors whose most priceless possession has been rendered as a sacrifice to redeem our liberty.
We can repay the debt which we owe to our God, to our dead and to our children only by work—by ceaseless devotion to the responsibilities which lie ahead of us. If I could give you a single watchword for the coming months, that word is—work, work, and more work.
We must work to finish the war. Our victory is but half-won. The West is free, but the East is still in bondage to the treacherous tyranny of the Japanese. When the last Japanese division has surrendered unconditionally, then only will our fighting job be done…
I call upon every American to stick to his post until the last battle is won. Until that day, let no man abandon his post or slacken his efforts…”
— President Harry Truman, May 8, 1945
Here is how a one-line quote may look like.
“ Aenean ut odio ornare, sagittis mi in, pharetra dui. Sed quis metus eu.”
— Etiam ac mi Fringilla, April, 1969
