Building a Nation

As Constitutional scholars, you all now have a deep understanding of the document itself and the ideals behind it.  However, American government was still in its infancy after the ratification of the Constitution.  How the government created by the Cosntitution would work in practice was (and is still today) still much in question.  Additionally, America was (and is) still defining the values and beliefs that were the foundations of American political and social thought.  Today, you will work to assess how the early nation was doing; how ideas like liberty were being developed; and whether or not, the new nation was accomplishing the goals set forth in the Preamble to the Constitution and heeding the advice given by its first leader, George Washington.

Instructions for class on 10/4/2012:

1) (15 mins.) In your American Reader read George Washington's Farewell address that begins on page 71.  You can also read it here in case you don't have your book with you.
Read carefully.  Make sure that you have a clear understanding of the values that Washington expresses and the recommendations he is making for the country.
Annotate the reading according to the actions and/or advice Washington offers in response to:

• The mounting criticism of government and the authority of the executive.
• The potential threat of political parties and interest groups
• The roles that religion and education should play in American society.
• The proper role of the United States in international politics.

2) (20 mins.) Next you will investigate a person or event that also influenced the early American republic.  Click on this link and find the person or event that corresponds to your assigned number.  Then you will research your term by going to the subscription databases on the Library website.  Using either the American History database, the Salem History database, or American National Biography online, research your assigned person or event.  Take notes about the key facts or details that are necessary to understand the significance of your assigned person or event.  Note-you may need to go to more than one database to get a full understanding.

3)  (15 minutes) Open this google presentation.  Edit the slide that corresponds with your assigned number.  Your slide should contain:

• A creative title that says something about the significance of your assigned person or event.
• Enough key details about your person or event that someone reading your post will understand it.  This may be written out in paragraph form or a list of bullet points.
• An image that relates to your assigned person or event.

4)  (15 minutes) After creating your slide, go into your notebook and respond to the following prompts about your event or person.

• Link your assigned event or person to George Washington.  According to his Farewell Address, what would George Washington say about the information you discovered?  In what way did (or didn't ) your person or event reflect the values or ideals that Washington defined in his address? 
• What is your assessment of this person or event.  How does your person or event match up with what we've been studying so far?  Does your research help to expand any ideas or notions of liberty that you've seen already?  Are there Constitutional questions that arise as a result of your research?  Does this person or event help to accomplish or go against the goals set forth in the Preamble?

5) (10-15 minutes.) Next, spend time exploring the events or people that your classmates have put into the google presentation by returning to it and looking at the whole slideshow.


6) (10 minutes.) After going through the slideshow, write a final response to this activity in your notebooks.  Based on what you've seen in your research and the slideshow, how would you assess this era?  How is the United States growing as a nation?  Are there any links or connections that you can make between any of the issues that arose then and what you see in the nation today? 

**Note the notebook responses from step 4 and 6 are due in class tomorrow.