Overview
Reviving American Ideas is designed for 11 th grade AP United States History to do what the title asks through primary source analysis. Modifications may be made for AP United States Government or Civics. My hope is for students to gain a personal perspective with the readings to bridge the ideal with the real. In light of current federal budget concerns, much talk has been givein to the legitimacy of the U.S. Constitution. If students connect with the Founding Fathers they can realize what was at stake in the early debates about the Constitution and draw connections to today.
Throughout this unit students will study the American political system from primary sources: the Constitution, the Federalist Papers and the Anti-Federalist Papers. This review of American Government content and practice is an attempt to connect the flow of American ideals from ninth grade Civics through eleventh grade American History. Pittsburgh Public students experience civics through a course called Civics: Be The Change. Students have a say in their education through service projects and roundtable discussions. The Social Studies curricula connects year to year by grouping students and retaining the same teachers for at least two years. This looping program is successful in boosting student achievement through mutual trust and responsibility. My class will begin the year with each student giving consent to be in the class as a way of modeling the rights and duties of a citizen. This unit, Reviving American Ideas, will enhance the district's desire to keep all students on the path to Promise Readiness, a college and career path. By starting class discussion on rights, duties and responsibilities in the school students will eventually make connections to the community, state and federal government. By the end of the sequence, the ideals in the U.S. Constitution may not seem as foreign as they did in ninth grade.
American high school students should have some understanding of the major political systems in the world as we are moving to a global society. The difference between democracies and authoritarian states is stressed in World History with a focus on the greatness of democracies. After two years of Social Studies, students should be able to analyze the extent of democracy in America. Robert Dahl defines five key elements of a democracy. They are: effective participation, meaning that the people should have an adequate and equal opportunity to have their voices heard in the decision making process; voting equality, meaning that all votes should count equally; enlightened understanding, which means that the people should have adequate and equal access to information so that they can make the best possible decision; control of the agenda, meaning the people should be able to decide what decisions are debated and voted upon; and, finally, the system must be inclusive, meaning that all adults in the society should be authorized to participate in the political process. 1
Lack of political participation in the United States has had a significant impact on our democracy. Americans have joined the growing Tea Party movement since 2009 to try to reform the ailing political system. Their concerns are taxes, government spending and divergence from the original view of the Constitution. The Coffee Party was created in 2010 as a progressive response to the Tea Party but failed to have a similar impact on the political system. The Tea Party had big names and GOP endorsements. The Coffee Party had average Americans following Harvard Law professors which many saw as "undemocratic" causing supporters to drift away. As we prepare for the 2012 election, the country remains a two-party system with minimal input from the people as individuals.
In recent years we have moved away from the intent of the Founding Fathers. Some political pundits say we need to return to the original arguments. I agree. The Anti-Federalist had many concerns in 1788 that are still valid today. The problem with looking to the U.S. Constitution for guidance reflects a greater problem of educating the citizenry to know what to do to maintain a democracy.
Knowledge of the U.S. Constitution is critical for anyone considering the AP U.S. exam. How much of the Constitution to cover at the high school level is a constant challenge. Teachers know their students have knowledge of the Constitution from Civics class but the level of retention is never certain. Some review of core principles may be necessary before advancing to the philosophy of the Constitution. Students may be daunted by the task of studying all seven articles and twenty-seven amendments along with the division of power. Constitutional controversies may inspire students to investigate the framework further and draw conclusions about the relevance of the Constitution today. Students will have the opportunity to apply their knowledge in a final assessment: they will debate a new, 28th Amendment to the Constitution. They will use information gained from both independent and collective analysis of critical founding documents. Viewing cable news programs, reading newspapers and watching C-SPAN will be helpful research activities. In the end, students will be proud of their knowledge of the Constitution. They will have practiced democracy and gained confidence to move swiftly through the course.
Comments: