Foundations of American Government

Ryan O’Donnell

rspears@gameshowguys.com

http://www.netvibes.com/rspears

6/20/2008

Agenda

1. Timeline– “Post It’s” Early Congresses

2. Teaching Fluency – Declaration & the Preamble

3. CCOT Amendment – Rights of US Citizens

4. Comparison• Cultural Diffusion – photos

5. Magnetic Debate• Federalists vs Anti Federalists

6. Vote On It!• Elect a president

7. Creative Strategies • Power Grab

• Daily Show videos

• BINGO

8. Frazzle – Make A Game Show • Vocabulary

Links• http://www.ncss.org/standards/• http://www.abanet.org/publiced/conversations/constitution/home.shtml • http://www.theatlantic.com/doc/200612/influentials • http://pro.corbis.com/• http://www.netvibes.com/• http://www.worldmapper.org/• http://cagle.com/• http://www.claybennett.com/archives.html • http://www.dipity.com/user/ryanod52/timeline/Constituion_and_New_G

overnment

Time Line

“Post It” Timeline Lesson

Strategy used to help students become familiar with a topic as you begin a unit.

1870event

“Post It” Timeline Lesson

• 1215 Magna Carta

• 1608 British House of Parliament

• 1619 House of Burgesses

• 1774 Continental Congress

• 1776 Declaration of Independence

• 1777 Articles of Confederation

• 1789 Constitutional Convention

Teaching Fluency

Teaching Fluency

• Within the past several years, reading fluency has become recognized as an essential element in elementary and middle grade reading programs.

• Readers who are fluent are better able to comprehend what they read. The goal is to use time to comprehend and not decode.

The Declaration of Independence

• We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

• That to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government,

We hold these truths to be self-evident:

1) that all men are created equal2) that they are endowed by their creator with certain

unalienable rights3) that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit of

happiness4) That to secure these rights, governments are instituted

among men,5) deriving their just powers from the consent of the

governed,6) that whenever any form of government becomes

destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government,

Preamble to the Constitution

• We the People of the United States, 1[ in order to form a more perfect union,] 2[establish justice,] 3[insure domestic tranquility], 4[provide for the common defense] 5[promote the general welfare], and 6[secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity], do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

• If the Preamble were to be written today, how would it be different? Would it reflect different values?

Other great documents to re-write:

• Magna Carta• Gettysburg Address• Emancipation Proclamation• Wilson’s 14 points• Treaty of Versailles• Depression Speeches• Roosevelt’s Pearl Harbor Address• Munich Pact treaty

Change Over Time

Change and Continuity Over Time

• The emphasis on time is the focus of historical analysis, and most basic responsibility of the historian is to identify changes and how they connect to the continuities in society

Lets take a look at something super which has both changed and stayed the

same…

You can use the evolution of Superman to show the historical skill of assessing Change and Continuity

Can you put them in order?

1 234 562006 1948 1993193819561978

•Let’s take a look at Change and Continuity with Superman… Let’s take a look at Change and Continuity with Superman… •How has the actor who is portraying Superman changed and How has the actor who is portraying Superman changed and

stayed the same?stayed the same?

•Higher level discussion would be to analyze WHY these changes, Higher level discussion would be to analyze WHY these changes, or lack of change, occurred… what do you think?or lack of change, occurred… what do you think?

Now lets do the same with music!

Change Over Time

• How has the federal government modified the protection of Rights of American citizens changed from its foundation to today?

Comparison

Comparison

• Comparing is a simple form of analysis. We do it all the time, and we learn a great deal from it. The more systematic and thorough our comparisons become, the more we can learn about the historical materials we study.

Comparison

• Compare the music genres of hip hop and country music.

Hip Hop Similarities Country

Jefferson Memorial, Washington D.C.

Parthenon, Athens

Cultural Diffusion

• Cultural Diffusion is the spread of cultural items such as ideas, styles, religions, technologies, languages, etc between individuals, whether within a single culture or from one culture to another.

Extension Questions

• Can you think of a foreign culture that is presently influencing and changing culture in the United States today? Explain.

• Give an example of another area in which ancient Greek culture influenced the culture of the United States

National Archives, Washington D.C.

Here’s another comparison…

• Compare the Europe to the United States in terms of their global economic status from its foundation to today.

The World TodayBut how is this map distorted?

GDP Today

GDP - 1900

GDP - 1500

Total Population

Current Net Immigration

Current Net Emigration

Human Poverty

Human Poverty

Toy Exports

Toy Imports

Crude Petroleum Exports

Tourism Profit

Christianity

Islam

Hinduism

LUNCH

Magnetic Debate

Students whorepresent the Pro position

Students whorepresent the Con Position

Interrogation Committee

Masking tape & chairs

Vote On It!

Vote On It!

• Challenges students to use evaluation skills in the context of leadership qualities

• Students are given “resumes” of people from a specific time period (names are omitted)

• Goal is for students to choose the person they feel is best qualified for the job, position, etc.

Example Simulation“Vote for a Qualified

Leader”• From the “Constitution &

New Government” binder• Students reflect on

leadership qualities and decide who should be the nation’s first president

“Vote for a Qualified Leader”

• Students first list qualities they think are important for leadership

• Students then examine Candidate Profile Cards (resumes)

• Students decide best and worst choices for general based on education, experience, and background

• True identities are then revealed

Resumes of the Candidates!

Resume #1• He was a farmer, a teacher and a lawyer, and he became a prominent figure of the American Revolution

• He became involved with the colonists cause through written protests against the stamp act.

• Delegate of the first and second Continental Congresses.

• Signed the Declaration of Independence.

• He served as Vice President of the US under George Washington, therefore putting him in an excellent position to become the second president John Adams

Resume #2• An American statesman and the most famous orator of the American Revolution.

• He was a skilled lawyer and orator. He delivered in a thundering voice the most famous speech of the era which ended in the famous words, “ I know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

• He helped draft Virginia’s state constitution and bill of rights.

• Served as Virginia’s governor for two terms.

• Resisted the ratification of the U.S. Constitution because of his fear of the loss of states and individual Rights. This led to the early adoption of the Bill of Rights.

Patrick Henry

Resume #3• A patriot, Inventor, musician, printer,

author, artist diplomat and philosopher.

• He is widely coined as the “First American.”

• He Served as the Pennsylvania representative in London where he helped repeal the Stamp Act and argued for representation in Parliament.

• He helped organize the American postal service.

• He helped draft and signed the Declaration of Independence.

• Member of the Constitutional Convention.

• He was never President of the United States.

Ben Franklin

Resume #4• He served as governor of Virginia and became ambassador to France.

• He was the secretary of state in President Washington’s administration and was vice president under John Adams.

• He presidency was marked by the Louisiana Purchase and his sending of Lewis and Clarke to explore it.

• He is known as the author of the declaration of Independence. Thomas Jefferson

Resume #5• He was a noted Brigadier

General who served under Washington.

• He was the hero at the Battle of Saratoga.

• He was repeatedly passed over for promotion by the Continental Congress.

• Because of this, he sold information about fortifications at West Point to the British.

• His name is synonymous with traitor or betrayal.

Benedict Arnold

Resume #6• This man was the commander-in-chief of the colonial army during the revolutionary war.

• Under his command, the Continental Army defeated the British at Yorktown, Virginia.

• He became chairman of the Constitutional Convention.

• Two years later he became the first president of the United States helping to create the cabinet and the traditions of the new government. He his known as the Father of Our Country.

George Washington

Creative Strategie

s

Creative Strategies

• Power Grab game

• Learning the Articles through magazines

• BINGO inauguration game

• Daily Show video

Power Grabs Round One

• President - The President declares war on China.

• Congress - Congress impeaches Bush because he pardons North. The Democratic Congress uses their anger to get him.

• Courts - The Court rules that the government may not issue patents because of the need for technological advance.

Power Grabs Round Two

• President - Paul Newman comes to town and cuts off the heads of all parking meters. President Bush pardons him.

• Congress - Congress decides that beards are illegal; anyone who wore one in the last year must a $100 fine.

• Courts - The Court rules that the government may not issue patents because of the need for technological advance.

Power Grabs Final Round

• President - The President, concerned about drug violations in the state of Washington, allows the Governor and Attorney General to suspend democracy for a period of one month

• Congress - Congress decides because of the contributions of Pete Rose in baseball, they will honor him with the title, "Sir Pete Rose".

• Courts - The Court rules that because of our large national debt, the U.S. can no longer borrow money. .

• Divide the class into groups of three students each. Using magazines or newspapers have them find five pictures each that illustrate a part of the Constitution. For example a picture of President Bush could be used for Article 2 Section 1 Clause 1. This can be abbreviated A2 S1 C1. Each student would paste their five pictures on a sheet of paper and write the A S C numbers below the pictures with a brief explanation which in this case would be Chief Executive. Each picture must depict a different part of the Constitution. No two pictures should represent the same thing.

BINGOBINGO

Let’s play…

Bingo Board

Free

Using Political Cartoons

• Famous political cartoon created by Benjamin Franklin and first published in 1754

• While the style of America's early political cartoons differs in appearance from those of today, central to all is a subject that is obviously political. And the objects in the cartoon symbolize something other than what is shown.

An American version of London cartoon that denounces the "rape" of Boston in 1774 by the

Intolerable Acts.

Make A Game Show

Make A Game Show