Bethany Hansen

Mr. Bergen
AP Government
21 May, 2014
Final Reflection on the Course
This course has shown me many new styles of thinking in terms of government. I have
learned more about the complexity of our leadership than I even realized there was to know, and
Im now aware of the distinct lack of understanding I have even now in comparison to the whole
picture. But the basic understanding I have developed has led me to somewhat life changing
realizations, principle among which is the necessity of my participation in my countrys
government.
By participation, I dont mean running for office. What I mean is that, as a citizen of the
United States, it is my duty to take part in decisions. There are two things that never really
occurred to me before this year, and while it seems like my former interpretations conflicted with
each other by nature, that just goes to show how unaware I previously was. The first is how
much power representatives have to influence the government and how the people need to speak
out confidently if they want to be heeded. Yet at the same time, I never realized before just the
extent to which citizens can speak out and the many ways available to them to do so.
One of the specific terms that brought a revelation in the field of our government was
trustee model of representation. I had never truly considered exactly how Congress worked,
but if asked I probably would have guessed that members somehow polled the citizens of their
constituency, and then used those results to determine how they would vote - true to the
delegate model of representation. The idea that Congressmen could vote against the majority
of their constituency was novel to me. Yet it was the other factors affecting representatives vote
that caught me most off guard. Party loyalties, especially in light of members like the Whip, who
can punish representatives who do not serve the Partys purpose as expected, was one of these
factors. Say a constituency changes majorities - for example, goes from a Republican majority to
a Democrat one - before a new election cycle. The representative will likely still vote
Republican, thus failing to act as the delegate I had believed Congressmen were obligated to be.
In addition to this force, I also learned about how much direct lobbying goes on. I had believed
that issues were pressed with the American people, so it was not really necessary to press them
with Congress. That is probably where I was most wrong. Grassroots lobbying isnt even the
most prevalent means that interest groups use to get their agenda addressed. Sometimes these
groups even go so far as bribing Congressmen with meals or tickets of various types to vote a
certain way, and that fact scared me a little bit. To see our government - lauded throughout my
earlier education as the nobel, pure-minded innovation of America - stoop to such
unscrupulousness was unheard of in my mind.
Yet along with this malleable Congress that appeared in my realm of understanding was a
more active body of citizens. I realized that voting for the president is not our sole means of
expressing ourselves; quite to the contrary, we could influence our government in myriad ways.
Apart from presidential elections, the elections for other offices are equally accessible and
important matters we can vote on, as well as the different proposals that appear on those ballot.
We can write to our Congressmen, and we can be especially effective in doing so if we are
associated with an interest group. While the influence of some interest groups scared me to
realize, they also gave me hope in our ability to have our concerns heard. The other linkage
institutions we learned about - especially the media - and the role they play in helping us
communicate with the government both surprised and heartened me.
Ultimately, the most important thing I learned in AP Gov this year is that I can have a
voice in government. As an 18-year-old, I plan to register to vote as soon as school is out and to
observe the political activity in our country to decide where I stand on issues so that I can voice
my opinion in the elections forthcoming. I know that my opinion is important on questions other
than just who becomes the 45th president of the United States. I have been empowered to seize
my role as a citizen by the coat tales and participate far more than your average college
studentparticularly the ones who dont vote.

Have a great summer Mr. Bergen, and thanks again for this year in gov. It has been a joy and a
privilege to come to your class every day, and I can honestly say I will miss italthough I
CANT honestly say Ill miss the outlines. :) See you around!