Essay for Political Science
1) Write an exposition of the argument in Paine’s Common Sense. Draw upon your class notes to
make your account as detailed as possible. Your account should include a discussion of the
historical context as this context was analyzed in class. After your exposition, offer an opinion on
whether you think you would have been persuaded by his argument if you were living in the
colonies at the time. Support your opinion with arguments
2) Write an exposition of the argument James Madison develops in Federalist 10. Draw from
your class notes to make your account as detailed as possible. After doing so, offer an evaluation
of Madison’s arguments. What are the merits of his argument? What are its weaknesses? To
what extent do the points he raised remain salient today? In your exposition of Madison’s views,
you must offer some information about the historical context in which The Federalist Papers were
written. In evaluating Madison’s views, you must discuss at least one example from our times.