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