The APUSH Civic Action Project

What I plan to introduce into my APUSH course Second Semester 2021

For this Civic Action Project, students will need to produce a 750–1000 word blog-post, with this blog post to contain:

• A description of something that the students learned in the class, with this description closing out with a mention of “a matter of ongoing debate” related to what was learned. (For example, if the students, in their blog post, say they learned about the Electoral College, then they need to close out their description of the Electoral Collge with mention of the fact that today there is an ongoing debate as to whether Americans should get rid of the Electoral College and thereby have the people, by popular vote, decide who shall be president.)
• The students’ stance on the ongoing debate.
• The specific civic action that the students urge policymakers to take in regards to this debate.
• A description of the civic actions that the students took in regards to this debate and that were designed to “affect” policy.
• The research that the students conducted before taking a stand on this debate.

To view the Blog Post Template, click here.

The students will be permitted to call for the creation of a new policy. They will also be permitted to call for the amending of any existing policy or even the elimination thereof.

The students will not be permitted to call for a change to school policy, though they will be permitted to call for a chance to city, county, state, federal, and even international policy.

The students may come up with their own Civic Action Project or choose from one of the below.

CAP #1
After learning about Prohibition and revealing what they have learned in their blog post, the students (if so predisposed) complete three civic actions designed to get the CA State Legislature to lower the legal drinking age to 18.

CAP #2
After learning about the deficit spending that resulted from Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal and revealing in their blog post what they have learned, the students (if so predisposed) complete three civic actions designed to get the House of Representatives to propose an amendment to the Constitution that would require the federal government to balance the budget on an annual basis.

CAP #3
After learning about the Pueblo Revolt (native American uprising in 1680 against the Spanish in what’s today the state of New Mexico) and revealing in their blog post what they have learned, the students (if so predisposed) complete three civic actions designed to get the San Marino City Council to pass an ordinance calling for the placing of a plaque on a wall located at what’s called Centennial Plaza (located across from City Hall) . . . with this plaque designed to educate the public about the San Marino area Native Americans (aka Tongva) who rose up against the Spanish in what history refers to as the Mission San Gabriel Uprising of 1785

CAP #4
After learning about the first and second waves of immigration to the United States and revealing in their blog post what they have learned, the students (if so predisposed) complete three civic actions designed to get the United States House of Representatives to propose an amendment to the Constitution that would allow immigrants who are here illegally to become citizens.

CAP #5
After learning about the precedent-setting US Supreme Court case of Roe v. Wade and revealing in their blog post what they have learned, the students (if so predisposed) complete three civic actions designed to get the California State Legislature to pass a law that would allow for birth control pills to be made available over the counter.

CAP #6
After learning about the anti-Vietnam War Protests of the 1960s and revealing in their blog post what they have learned, the students (if so predisposed) complete three civic actions designed to get the House of Representatives to propose an amendment to the Constitution that would prohibit the burning or desecration of the American flag?

CAP #7
After learning the 26th Amendment and revealing what they have learned in their blog post, the students (if so predisposed) complete three civic actions designed to get the San Marino City Council to make pass an ordinance that would lower the voting age for city elections to 16.

CAP #8
After learning about the immigration acts of the 1920s (the Emergency Quota Act of 1921 and the National Origins Act of 1924) and revealing in their blog post what they have learned, the students (if so predisposed) complete three civic actions designed to get the United States Congress to make a law that would read as to make it harder for immigrants to take advantage of America’s open-door immigration policies . . . with this amendment to read “Those born in the United States from non-US citizen parents no longer gain immediate citizenship through birth in the United States unless the parents are citizens or live here for 2 years following the birth of their child.”

CAP #9
After learning about the Electoral College and revealing in their blog post what they have learned, the students (if so predisposed) complete three civic actions designed to get the US House of Representatives to propose that the U.S. Constitution be amended to get rid of the Electoral College and thereby have the people, by popular vote, decide who shall be president.

CAP #10
After learning about the Age of Whaling and revealing in their blog post what they have learned, the students (if so predisposed) complete three civic actions designed to get the California State Legislature to make a law that would require drones operators to fly their drones no lower than 3,000 feet above any/all whales swimming in waters 200 miles off the CA shore.

Here’s why I have decided to introduce a civic action project into my APUSH course:

1. I am a member of a teacher advisory committee that has worked to create a law here in CA designed to award a Seal of Civic Engagement to California students who demonstrate excellence in civics education and participation. Work on my US History course inspired CAP will go a long way to helping students earn that seal.
2. I’ve been encouraged by various education leaders in California to field-test the idea of implementing a CAP into a US History course. Word is that this has never been done before?
3. As an on-level and AP US Government teacher for many years, I’ve seen how students benefit when given a chance to work on a civic action project.