Thursday, 1 October

Students were reminded to turn in hard copies of essays that were submitted electronically to meet a deadline.

Students were reminded of the vocabulary cards due date, and the date of the vocabulary test.

After finishing the lecture on Hamurabi to the Constitution students were given the following assignment which will lede to an essay the rubric for which is at the end of this post.

Name ______________________________________________ Period ________________

Origins of the Constitution: The Great Compromise

The Constitution of the United States is an amazing document; it has endured with fewer than 30 changes for over 200 years. However, some see the constitution as flawed; certainly much of the current political climate in the United States can be traced back to fundamental structures of the Constitution. You are to write an expository / persuasive essay examining the compromises and structures of the Constitution (rubric on back).

After taking Cornell notes on the history of constitutional law in the west, you are to study the following sections of Magruders Government: Chapter 2 Section 1 “Preview”(pages 28-32 /24-30 depending on the edition you have); Section 3 “The Critical Period” (pages44-47 / 36-38); Section 4 “Creating the Constitution” (pages 48-54 /40-45). You should use a Cornell Notes system to take notes as you read. For each of the sections assigned pay special attention to the following:

Overall Question: Was “The Great Compromise,” which results in the Constitution of the United States,” great?

“Preview”: How did the Magna Carta and the history of rights and liberties associated with the Magna Carta and English law “set the stage” for expectations of the colonists and future Americans? What rights and responsibilities did they expect? How did the charters that established colonies create expectations for rights and liberties? What historical reasons led colonists to expect rights and liberties in the new nation?

“The Critical Period”: What were the articles of confederation? What were strengths and successes of the Articles? What were weaknesses of the Articles? What caused the framers of the new Constitution to write the new Constitution?

“Creating the Constitution”: Understanding of this section is critical to not only the essay; but to understanding America. Ask yourself: “What are the positive and negative aspects of The Great Compromise?” Be sure you can identify differences and similarities between the “Virginia Plan,” the “New Jersey Plan,” and the “Connecticut Plan.” Which interests were served by each of these plans? What was the “Great Compromise”? How did the compromise satisfy and frustrate different interests? What sources did the Framers of the Constitution draw on? What aspects of American life are affected by the Compromise?

ADDITIONAL NOTES:

Name ______________________________________________ Period ________________

Was the Great Compromise Great?

Excellent	Good	Partial	Little	Knowledge	Comments
				Was the "Great Compromise" a good solution?
				What changes would you make to our Constitution?
				Articles of Confederation: the system was too weak a government; couldn’t raise revenue; couldn’t enforce it’s own rules.
				Weak national government
				Couldn’t raise revenue
				Couldn’t enforce it’s own laws
				Virginia Plan: favored large population & slave states
				New Jersey Plan: favored small states
				Connecticut Plan: The Great Compromise
				Bi-cameral legislature; House by population / Senate of equal representation by state
				3/5ths Compromise and 20 year guarantee for slavery
				6 (7) Principals of the Constitution:
				Popular Sovereignty;
				Limited Government;
				Separation of Powers;
				Checks and Balances;
				Judicial Review;
				Federalism
				And Individual Liberties (optional)
				"Case study" of the Electoral College; based on the great compromise the make up of the electoral college allows for a President to be elected by a minority of voters.
				The framers of the Constitution did not fully trust regular folk to make decisions
				Students may incorporate charts or graphics to assist in their explanations.

Grade: _______________