Blog Assignment 11/01/07

This assignment is due Monday.

Step 1: Based on the issues we discussed in class today, click on each of the links below to learn more about them. Carefully read the information contained at each site.

Gun Control

Death Penalty

Student Free Speech

Subway Searches

Step 2: Answer the questions below. Your responses should be at least three sentences, but no more than 5 sentences long.

• Do you think the death penalty should be used on people under 18, or does that violate the bill of rights?
  
• Do you think that people should be able to buy assault weapons, like machine guns?
  
• Should the police be allowed to search people's bags in subway stations to prevent terrorism?
  
• Should schools have the right to punish students for behavior that happens outside of school?
  

Looking forward to hearing what you have to say. See you Monday!

Bill of Rights HW 10/31/07

Hello, Everyone:

Here's your HW for this evening.

1) Using your textbook, handouts, or the internet, locate the Bill of Rights, or the first ten amendments to the US Constitution. Here's some cool links below to help you.

http://www.constitutioncenter.org/constitution/details_explanation.php?link=120&const=08_amd_01

http://www.ushistory.org/documents/amendments.htm

2. Carefully study the amendments, then create a "Top 10 List" of the amendments in order of importance. In other words...Which of the 10 amendments is the most important to you? Second? Third, Etc.?

3. In a brief composition, explain WHY you chose to put the amendments in that order.

See you in school tomorrow!

"Promote the General Welfare?"

Click on the links below, and carefully read the articles:

Bush Vetoes Child Health Care Bill

House to Vote on New Child Health Bill


Then, based on the article and our discussion in class, reflect on the following questions:

What are the checks and balances taking place here?
Is healthcare a federal, city, or individual responsibility?
What are the limits of "promote the general welfare?"

Homework 10/16/07

Imagine...Only ONE of the 10 Amendments that make up the Bill of Rights could be added to the Constitution. In other words, you can only one have one freedom guaranteed to you by the Constitution.

Which one would you choose? Free speech is nice, but what about the rights of people accused of crimes? Or, it doesn't really sound like it does a whole bunch, what about the 10th amendment, which gives powers not specifically given to the Federal gov't back to the states?

Think very carefully. Then write a post of at least 50 words, but not more than 100 that identifies the amendment you choose, and more importantly, a detailed explanation about your reasons for keeping that amendment.

Looking forward to hearing from you.

Notes on Ratification

RATIFICATION DEBATES:
Immediately following the Constitutional Convention the delegates to Philadelphia brought the newly crafted Constitution to their home states for ratification (or approval). Most states held special ratification conventions, with elected officials representing counties or regions throughout the state. The New York ratifying convention was held in the city of Poughkeepsie.

While many of the smaller states quickly ratified the new Constitution, the debate in the two largest and most important states, New York and Virginia, raged on for months. The debate in New York was particularly divisive. The Constitutional supporters, the Federalists, took the debate into the public forum of the press, publishing a series of pro-ratification essays collectively known as the Federalist Papers. While the Federalist Papers were simply signed "Publius" they were the work of Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and John Jay and they still stand today as some of the greatest commentary on the meaning and intent of the Constitution's chief authors.

The Anti-Federalist opposition to ratification was strong and while all of the states eventually accepted the new government, states such as Virginia and Massachusetts did so only after attaching recommendations concerning the addition of a Bill of Rights. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution were added soon after ratification and became the U.S. Bill of Rights and stand as the Anti-Federalists greatest contribution to the Constitution they so opposed.
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Tonight's HW 10/12/07

Here's tonight's HW assignment:

1. READ: The handout you were given in class today. You'll be reading pages 70-74. Since these are yours, feel free to highlight, annotate, etc.


2. When you're done reading, complete the following:

a. "Terms to Know" on p. 70
b. "Reviewing and Using" p. 74. You are only responsible for completing numbers ONE, FIVE AND SIX (that's 1, 5, and 6).

Due Monday.

Keep up the good work!

Exam Review Notes

Foundations of US Govt
Influences
1. Enlightenment Thinkers: (J-Locke)
a. Power from THE PEOPLE
b. PEOPLE have RIGHTS
c. POWER must be SEPARATED
i. 3 BRANCHES

2. Colonial Gov’t
“MC HOB NET M”
a. Mayflower Compact
b. House of Burgesses
c. New England Town Meeting
IMPORTANT! PEOPLE P.I.G. (participate in gov’t)

3. American Revolution
a. D.O.I. – Jefferson wrote it
i. People’s rights being abused
ii. Gov’t must be removed

4. Articles of Confederation (AOC)
a. 1st US Gov’t – Didn’t Work
i. States have too much power

5. CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION
Created NEW Gov’t
Needed COMPROMISE to get it done
a. GREAT COMPROMISE
i. 2 houses of CONGRESS (makes laws)
ii. Senate (2 per state)
iii. H.O.R. (based on population)
b. 3/5
i. 3/5 slaves could be counted for representatives and taxes
c. COMMERCE
i. Over Control of Trade
ii. Southern and Northern States
iii. Federal gov't gets the power to control trade, but...
1. No Tariffs (TAXES) on exports
2. Slave trade ends 1808

Constitutional Foundations Study Guide

Good Review site:
http://regentsprep.org/Regents/ushisgov/themes/government/index.htm

30 Short Answer: 10 Vocab, 20 M/C
1 Essay
People, Terms and Concepts
• Articles of Confederation
• Mercantalism
• Declaration of Independence
• Great Compromise
• Enlightenment
• Three-Fifths Compromise
• Common Sense
• John Locke
• Thomas Jefferson
• John Peter Zenger Trial

Multiple Choice:

• What was important aboutr the Mayflower Compact, Va. House of Burgesses; What are they examples of?
• What were the differences between the Va. Plan and the NJ Plan?
• What was John Locke’s theory of natural rights?
• Who had a big influence on Thomas Jefferson, and what he wrote in the DOI?
• What are the basic ideas stated in the DOI?
• How are the DOI and Bill of Rights similar?
• What’s the fundamental purpose of gov’t?
• What did the Great Compromise do? What issues did it settle?
• How did the AOC work?
• Why was the AOC unsuccessful?
• Why was Common Sense Important?
• Why was the John Peter Zenger trial important?
• How did Mercantalism work?

Thematic Essay: Constitutional Issues

The Constitutional Convention of 1787 adopted several compromises to resolve disagreements over major issues facing the new nation.

Task:

Identify two issues from the Constitutional Convention of 1787 (what were two disagreements that occurred?).

For each issue identified


• Describe the disagreement that arose over the issue at the C.C. (tell us about the disagreement; don’t just say what it was! Who was it between? What was it over?)
• Explain how the issue was resolved through the use of Compromise (Give the details behind the compromises; how did they work? What did each side get?

You may use any Cold War problems from your study of United States history. Some
suggestions you might wish to consider include, but are not limited to:

• Representation in Congress
• Slavery
• Taxation


Resources:

Chapter 4 (p 20-34) of the BLUE Review Books (the big handout from class),

Textbook Chapter 4

Regentsprep.org – follow the links for Government.

Fdmurphy.com – follow the links for essay writing

Socialstudieshelp.com

Assignments 10/1-10/5/07

For the upcoming week, I have listed a tentative set of
assignments. Hopefully, this will help both students and parents to
plan their study and homework sessions accordingly.

Monday: Read pp. 140-144 in Textbook. Complete "Terms and Names,"
and "Critical Thinking" #4 on p. 144

Tuesday: Reading of an in-class handout pp. 50-56. Complete "Review
and Using the Lesson" p. 52 (#1 only) and p. 56 (#1 and #3).

Wed: Blog Assignment: Was the 3/5 compromise the best possible
solution to the issue of slavery?

Thu/Fri: To Be Determined.

In addition to these assignments, our first exam is tentatively
scheduled for Friday October 12th. The exam will cover the
foundations of America's government, from colonial times through the
constitutional convention. It will consist of roughly 25-30 short
answer questions, and one essay question.

The following website has all of the material that will be on the
exam:
Regents Prep