Class Activities
Pacing is one of the biggest challenges for AP teachers. By combining skills with content in a simulation students can meet course objectives and move quickly through the curriculum.
Week One
Students can address the complex nature of the question, "who is an American?" through a study of colonial documents. The Mayflower Compact, John Winthrop's "City on a Hill" and The Maryland Toleration Act are sufficient primary sources to this end. Analysis of these documents will allow students to question who came to America, why they came and what order they established from the beginning. Posing the question, "at what point was democracy established in America?" will help students trace the development of direct to representative democracy. Students can use excerpts from Alexis de Tocqueville to assess core American values then and now. Chapters one to three of Foner's The Story of American Freedom can be used as a supplement to the course text.
Week Two
Have students consider, "In what ways and to what extent was the Revolution a mandate for direct democracy?" How are the goals of the Revolution translated into the first government? Often the failures of the Articles of Confederation are compared to the Articles of the U.S. Constitution (1787) to show how the Founding Fathers were quick to address the needs of the growing republic, mainly more power to the executive. This approach yields a simple comparison while showing the underlying arguments for the Constitution; the Federalist Papers. At this level I would have students add their own interpretation. Most students will probably agree that the first government did little to uphold democratic principles, so a Constitution for a more perfect union was necessary.
The textbook Out of Many has an excellent question at the end of chapter 7: Examine the governments established in the Articles of Confederation and in the thirteen state constitutions and pustulate the extent to which those governments were "democratic." 2 4 The question of how democratic America is or seems can be used throughout the course.
With a few days notice, the students can research whether to support the Constitution or make significant changes before ratifying. The teacher can give a document set or have students research the Federalist Papers (in favor of immediate ratification) and the Anti-Federalist Papers (in favor of holding out for a Bill of Rights and other changes). Once students have some background on the drafting and ratifying of the U.S. Constitution they can analyze why certain components were included and other ideas excluded. The debate between Federalist and Anti-Federalists is often used to teach the necessity of a written constitution. When teachers use these documents, the Federalist papers often take center stage to the Anti-Federalist response. Reviving Anti-Federalist themes of small government, individual responsibility and greater representation may allow for varying viewpoints in the classroom.
Practicing a constitutional debate from primary sources like the Anti-federalist papers will show timely issues of debate. Finally, students will ask, "how can I improve the supreme body of law?" As a culminating project to their study of American government and a way for students to show their involvement in the political process they can research the judiciary and propose a elected Supreme Court; they can examine the power of the president as enumerated in Article II juxtaposed with the actual power exercised by recent Presidents, they can also discover voting anomalies by state that do not support the vision of the U.S. Constitution. Hopefully by reviving the Federalist/ Anti-Federalist debate students can create their own vision for a New America and a "more perfect union."
Week Three
As a final project, students will be asked to write their own amendment to the U.S. Constitution (see appendix). They will first research what they see as "holes" in the enumeration of the Constitution and write legislation to clarify the power structure. John Seery's book Too Young To Run is an excellent segue to engage youth in the political process that necessarily needs involvement by the electorate to remain democratic. Micheal Waldman, from the Brennan Center for Justice, published a short read, A Return to Common Sense: Seven Ways to Revitalize Democracy. Waldman highlights voter registration, electronic voting and gerrymandering as three of the biggest deterants to our democratic institutions. C-SPAN and local media may give students other timely debates. His experience as a speech writer for president Clinton allows him to share inside knowledge of the Beltway world.
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