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Center for Civic Education5145 Douglas Fir Road
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LEVEL 2
This Supplement contains excerpts from the Center for Civic Education’s
WE THE PEOPLE: THE CITIZEN & THE CONSTITUTION
middle school text, a program funded by the
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
and authorized by Congress under the
EDUCATION FOR DEMOCRACY ACT ,
which is a part of the
NO CHILD LEFT BEHIND ACT .
To learn more about the materials and programs of the
Center for Civic Education, please visit www.civiced.org.
© 2005, Center for Civic Education, Calabasas, CA, USA
07 06 05 01 02 03
This material has been excerpted from the Center for Civic Education’s
We the People: The Citizen & the Constitution middle school text.
All rights reserved. No part of this supplement may be reproduced or transmitted
in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, or by any information
storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the
Center for Civic Education.
ISBN 0-89818-173-9
Hon. Spencer Abraham
Richard D. Bagin
Richard A. Baker
William G. Baker
Hon. Bill Bradley
Anne Bryant
Hon. John H. Buchanan Jr.
R. Freeman Butts
Mark W. Cannon
Gene Carter
Michael Casserly
Hon. Thad Cochran
Hon. William S. Cohen
John F. Cooke
Hon. Philip M. Crane
Mitchell E. Daniels Jr.
Leonard DeFiore
Thomas Donohue
Jean Bethke Elshtain
Hon. Dianne Feinstein
Vincent L. Ferrandino
William Galston
Susan Griffin
Michael Guerra
William F. Harris
Hon. Orrin G. Hatch
Hon. Mark O. Hatfield
Hon. Augustus F. Hawkins
Dennis Hayes
Charles Haynes
Hon. Ernest F. Hollings
G. Thomas Houlihan
Paul D. Houston
A. E. Dick Howard
Victoria Hughes
Hon. Henry J. Hyde
Shirley Igo
Hon. James Jeffords
Hon. Edward M. Kennedy
Hon. Tom Lantos
Jack Lockridge
William L. Lucas
Kay Maxwell
Edward McElroy
Hon. David McIntosh
Glenn Anne McPhee
Joe McTighe
Milton D. Morris
Hon. Patty Murray
Ralph Neas
Jane Oates
Hon. Claiborne Pell
William T. Pound
Hon. J. Danforth Quayle
Diane Ravitch
Cheryl Red Owl
Alfred S. Regnery
Hon. Rick Renzi
Robert A. Schadler
Hon. Philip R. Sharp
John William Smith
Raymond W. Smock
Lillian Sparks
Hon. Robert T. Stafford
Philippa Strum
Ann Marie Tallman
Gerald Tirozzi
Reg Weaver
Paul A. Yost Jr.
PRESIDENT
Thomas A. Craven, Esq.
MEMBERS
Pamela E. Allender
Maria Casillas
Prof. Thomas Ehrlich
Dr. H. David Fish
Prof. C. Hugh Friedman
Maxine Frost
Ruth M. Gadebusch
Dr. Tom Giugni
Janet M. Green
William D. Hatcher
Dr. Wil Jordan
Eileen Kurahashi, Esq.
Dr. William L. Lucas
Dr. Ali Mossaver-Rahmani
Laura O’Leary
Hon. James Otto
Dr. Richard F. Pedersen
Dr. Paul M. Possemato
Dr. Clark N. Quinn
Clara Slifkin, Esq.
Susan Stroud
Robert B. Taylor
Jeri Thomson
Dr. Dorothy M. Tucker
Prof. Jonathan Varat
Pauline Weaver, Esq.
Robert Wells
Charles L. Whiteside
MEMBERS EMERITUS
Dr. R. Freeman Butts
Joanne M. Garvey, Esq.
A. Ronald Oakes
Leland R. Selna, Jr., Esq.
NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The following staff and consultants have contributed to the development of this text
PRINCIPAL WRITERS
Charles N. Quigley
Ken Rodriguez
CONTRIBUTING WRITER
Charles F. Bahmueller
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR
Theresa M. Richard
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
David Hargrove
PRODUCTION EDITOR
Mark Gage
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
Mark Stritzel
PRODUCTION DESIGN
Holly Small
ILLUSTRATOR
Richard Stein
REVIEWERS
Charles F. Bahmueller
Margaret Stimmann Branson
Sally J. Broughton
Terri DuMont
Kevin Fox
Maria Gallo
Jackie Johnson
Dick Kean
Robert Leming
Clayton Lucas
Lori Mable
Robert McCoy
Donna Paoletti Phillips
Susan Roe
Darnell Tabron
Lynette Wallace
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
CHIEF JUSTICE OF THE UNITED STATES 1969–1986
CHAIR, COMMISSION ON THE BICENTENNIAL
OF THE UNITED STATES CONSTITUTION
WARREN E. BURGER (1907–1995)
The years 1987 to 1991 marked the 200th anniversary of the writing,
ratification, and implementation of the basic documents of
American democracy, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Our
Constitution has stood the tests and stresses of time, wars, and
change. Although it was not perfect, as Benjamin Franklin and many
others recognized, it has lasted because it was carefully crafted
by men who understood the importance of a system of govern-
ment sufficiently strong to meet the challenges of the day, yet suffi-
ciently flexible to accommodate and adapt to new political, economic,
and social conditions.
Many Americans have but a slight understanding of the Constitution,
the Bill of Rights, and the later amendments to which we pledge our
allegiance. The lessons in this book are designed to give you, the
next generation of American citizens, an understanding of the back-
ground, creation, and subsequent history of the unique system of gov-
ernment brought into being by our Constitution. At the same time,
it will help you understand the principles and ideals that under-
lie and give meaning to the Constitution, a system of government
by those governed.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
UNIT ONE WHAT WERE THE FOUNDERS’BASIC IDEAS ABOUT GOVERNMENT?
Lesson 1 What were the British colonies PAGE 11
in America like in the 1770s?
Lesson 2 Why do we need government? PAGE 19
Lesson 3 What is republican government? PAGE 27
Lesson 4 What is constitutional government? PAGE 35
Lesson 5 How can we organize government PAGE 45
to prevent the abuse of power?
Lesson 6 How did constitutional government PAGE 53
develop in Great Britain?
Lesson 7 What experiences led to the American Revolution? PAGE 61
Lesson 8 What basic ideas about government PAGE 69
are in the Declaration of Independence?
Lesson 9 What happened during the American Revolution? PAGE 77
How did the government function?
Lesson 10 How did the states govern themselves PAGE 85
after the Revolution?
Lesson 11 How did the Articles of Confederation organize PAGE 93
the first national government?
INTRODUCTION
UNIT TWOWHAT EXPERIENCES SHAPED THEFOUNDERS’ THINKING ABOUT GOVERNMENT?
Most history books tell thestory of people and events of the past.This book is a history of ideas. Itexplains the most important ideas ofour Constitution and how they weredeveloped. It also highlights the peopleand events that were important inthe history of these ideas.
The Constitution of the UnitedStates was created as a plan for thenew government of our country. Itwas written in Philadelphia in 1787,more than 215 years ago. We studythe Constitution and its history tounderstand our government and howit is supposed to work. Knowing ourpast will help us understand therights and responsibilities thatwe have today.
In this book, you will discover whatthe people who wrote our Constitutionthought the purposes of governmentshould be. They believed governmentshould protect our lives, liberty,
and property. They also believedgovernment should promote thecommon good. You will also learnwhy they thought it was necessaryto limit the powers of government.
You will learn about some of thethings that have happened to theConstitution since it was written in1787. You will study ways in which ithas changed and how these changescame about. You will also learn aboutways the Constitution has stayedthe same.
This book will help you developa good understanding of the Consti-tution and our system of government.It will also help you understand moreabout how our government affectsyour life and how you can influenceyour government.
INTRODUCTION
What werethe Founders’
basic ideasabout government?
unit
ONE
In the spring and summer of 1787,fifty-five men met in Philadelphia. Thesemen knew a great deal about government.They wrote our Constitution. They andmany other Americans gained theirknowledge by reading and discussingbooks about history and politicalphilosophy. Political philosophy is thestudy of basic ideas of government.
Americans also knew about governmentfrom their own experience. Many of themen who met in Philadelphia had beenleaders in the American colonies whenthey were ruled by Great Britain. Manywere leaders in the new state governmentsformed after the American Revolution.
The men who wrote the Constitutionused their knowledge and experienceto create the best kind of governmentthey could. An understanding of theirknowledge and experience will give yousome insight into why they created thekind of government we have today.It will also help you discover andappreciate the most important ideasin our Constitution.
checks and balances
civic virtue
common good
consent of the governed
constitution
constitutional government
natural rights
purposes of government
republican government
separation of powers
social contract
kEY iDEAS
unitONEKEY CONCEPTS
1LESSON
PURPOSE
What were theBritish coloniesin America likein the 1770s?
People living in the American colonies in the 1770swere in many ways quite different from the people livingin Europe. The colonists had brought British laws andcustoms to America. But they were developing their ownway of life as well.
When you finish this lesson, you should be able to explainhow the average person in the American colonies lived inthe 1770s. You should also be able to explain how life in thecolonies influenced people’s ideas about good government.
TERMS TO UNDERSTAND
discriminationFoundersgovernmentindentured servantself-sufficientsubject
Why study the Britishcolonies in North America?
We begin our study of the U.S.Constitution by looking back in history. Theperiod is the 1770s. By that time, there hadbeen European colonies established inNorth America for more than 150 years.Some nations that had set up colonies inAmerica included France, Great Britain,the Netherlands, and Spain. Our study willfocus on the British colonies. It was thesethirteen colonies that became the UnitedStates of America.
By the 1770s, the British coloniesalong the eastern coast of North Americawere well established. The British colonistswere subjects of Great Britain. Being asubject in this case means being underthe rule of a monarch. In 1770, KingGeorge III was the ruler of Great Britain.Our nation did not yet exist.
What did it mean to the colonists to
be a subject of King George III?
Learning about how the people lived inthe British colonies can help us to under-stand why they developed their ideas aboutgovernment. When we talk about govern-ment we mean the people and institutionswith authority to make and enforce the laws,and manage disputes about laws. People living in the 1770s in the British coloniesheld certain beliefs about good governmentthat still affect our lives today.
How did American Indians livebefore the Europeans came?
The Europeans were newcomers toNorth America. Hundreds of differentgroups of Native American people hadinhabited the continent for thousands ofyears. Along the eastern seacoast, wherethe British colonists settled, the nativeIndian people lived in well-organizedtribes. They are known as the EasternWoodland tribes. They lived by fishing,hunting, gathering wild plants, and tend-ing small crops of corn.
The eastern tribes maintained loosepolitical ties among themselves. In somecases, entire tribes formed leagues sothat they could come together to discusscommon problems. The best knownleague was the Iroquois League. The Iro-quois League was made up of five tribesthat lived in what today is the state ofNew York.
Where did the Britishcolonists settle?
The British colonies in Americaoccupied a large area of land. The coloniesstretched twelve hundred miles along thecoast of the Atlantic Ocean and ran twohundred miles inland. Between the settledarea and the Mississippi River lay a vast,forested country. Few Europeans hadexplored beyond the area of settlement.The nations of Europe were small in areacompared to America. Great Britain was only slightly larger than the colony of New York.
Although the land was expansive, therewere few people living on it. In 1790, thepopulation of the colonies was almost 4 mil-lion compared with more than 280 millionpeople living in the United States today.
How did people in thecolonies earn a living?
Boston, New York, and Philadelphiawere the largest cities in the colonies. Eachhad a population of more than 25,000 peo-ple. Most people in cities or towns earnedtheir living by working in professions,trades, crafts, or small factories.
Most colonists did not live in cities. Theylived in small communities or villages oron farms. Ninety percent of the colonistswere farmers. A typical farm was between90 and 160 acres. Farm size varied from thesmall 30-acre plot of the poorest New Eng-land farmers to giant Southern plantationswith thousands of acres. Not all colonistswere independent farmers. Some werehired laborers or craftspeople working onthe larger farms.
12
What was life like for American Indians along the Eastern coast of North America?
Outside the cities and small communi-ties, people in the colonies might live as faras ten miles from their nearest neighbor. Asa result, they had to develop the knowledgeand skills to provide for themselves in orderto survive.
The people became self-sufficient. Self-sufficient means that people had to provide for their own needs. Not only didthe colonists grow their own food, but theyalso wove cloth to make their own clothing.They made their own medicines, built theirown homes and barns, and made their fur-niture and tools. Colonists took the surplusproduce from their farms and traded it forgoods they could not make.
Although families workedindependently, they traded amongtheir neighbors and helped each other.Neighbors got together to build housesand barns. People rarely traveled morethan fifty miles from their homes.
A farm family frequently included ahired laborer or an indentured servant.Indentured servants were men and womenwho sold their labor in exchange for thecost of the trip from Europe to the colonies.Farm families often relied on the labor ofslaves, especially in the South.
The typical colonial family in the 1770sworked hard and had the highest standardof living in the world. The land was fertileand crops grew well. As a result, thecolonists had diets rich in protein and tend-ed to be healthier than people in Europe.
The colonists were also better educatedthan most Europeans. In fact, a greater per-centage of people in the colonies were ableto read and write than in any Europeannation. The most popular publications,
other than the Bible, were newspapers.Four times as many newspapers were published in the colonies than in France.
While most colonists lived fairly well,this was not true of everyone. One-fifth ofthe population was held in slavery. Theslaves were people who were brought aslaborers to the colonies from differentregions of Africa. Slavery was permitted inall the colonies, North and South. Althoughthe practice officially ended around 1799 inthe Northern colonies, it actually continueduntil the 1840s.
How were the people living inthe colonies different fromone another?
Most colonists were descended fromBritish or Irish settlers. Therefore, mostpeople in the colonies spoke English. Somecolonists did not come from English-speak-ing countries, however. Settlers came fromFrance, Germany, the Netherlands, Spain,Sweden and other countries. All broughtwith them their own customs and ideasabout government and rights.
The colonists also held different religiousbeliefs. There were many different groups ofProtestants; there also were Catholics andJews. Compared to most European nationsof the time, the population of the colonieswas diverse.
13
How was life on a small, northern farm different from life
on a large, southern plantation?
What evidence still exists of different people’s contributions
to the United States?
14
IDEAS FOR DISCUSSION
How did this colonialfarmer compare lifein America with lifein Great Britain?
In the 1700s a French colonist whosettled in New York wrote a book thatcontained a series of letters from afictional Pennsylvania farmer to hisfriend in Great Britain. J. HectorSt. John was the pen name thatJean de Crèvecoeur used for his book.The letters describe Crèvecoeur’s viewsabout life in America. Some sections ofthese letters follow. Read them anddiscuss the questions at the end.
Behold, Sir, a humble AmericanPlanter…addressing you from thefarther side of the Atlantic….
[The English traveler to America] isarrived on a new continent; a modernsociety…different from what he hadhitherto seen. It is not composed, as inEurope, of great lords who possess every-thing and of a herd of peoplewho have nothing. Here are noaristocratical families, no courts, nokings…. The rich and the poor are notso far removed from each other as theyare in Europe. Some few towns except-ed, we are all tillers of the earth….[Here we are] united bythe silken bands of mild government,all respecting the laws, withoutdreading their power, because theyare equitable [fair].
15
[Here the traveler] views not the hos-tile castle, and the haughty mansion,contrasted with the clay-built hut andmiserable cabin, where cattle and menhelp to keep each other warm, anddwell in meanness [humility], smoke,and indigence [poverty]…. The meanest[most humble] of our log-houses is adry and comfortable habitation.
Lawyer or merchant are the fairesttitles our towns afford…. We have noprinces, for whom we toil, starve, andbleed: we are the most perfect societynow existing in the world. Here man isfree; as he ought to be….
Can a wretch…call England or anyother kingdom his country? A countrythat had no bread for him, whose fieldsprocured him no harvest, who met withnothing but the frowns of the rich, theseverity of the laws, with jails and pun-ishments; who owned not a single footof the extensive surface of the planet?No! urged by a variety of motives herethey came. Everything has tended toregenerate them; new laws, a newmode of living, a new social system.…
Formerly they were not numbered inany civil lists of their country, exceptin those of the poor; here they rankas citizens.
1. What was it that Crèvecoeur liked about life in the colonies?
2. What rights did he enjoy?
3. Given what you know of Crèvecoeur’s experiences, explain why he would orwould not favor laws that
• guarantee each individual the right to own property
• limit an individual’s right to buy and sell goods to anyone he or she chooses
• give people certain rights because they are wealthy or from a certain family background or group
4. How might people in Great Britain react to Crèvecoeur’s comparisons of life in America and life in Europe? Explain.
16
Why were classdifferences not importantin the colonies?
The colonies were not divided into afew rich people and a large mass of poorpeople as in most of Europe. In thecolonies, there was no royalty and notitled nobility.
The difference between wealthy andpoor people was less important in colonialsociety. A poor person could becomewealthy by using knowledge, skills, andopportunities. In many cases, a man whowas not part of the wealthy class couldbe elected to a government position.
Whose opportunitieswere limited?
Not all people shared the sameopportunities to gain wealth or tobecome leaders. Usually, only adult whitemales who owned property could vote. Inmost colonies, a person had to own fiftyacres of land to be qualified to vote. Butland was easily available. Therefore,more people in the colonies had the rightto vote than in any other country of thattime.
Native Americans, blacks, white menwithout property, and women were typi-cally not allowed to vote or hold office.Women usually were not allowed to ownproperty. Under the law, married coupleswere considered one person and the hus-band controlled the property.
What does this picture tell you about the right to vote in colonial America?
17
What rights did thecolonists value?
Since most colonists were self-sufficient, they valued their freedomhighly. The people in the colonies thoughtthat their society was superior to the corrupt societies of Europe. Colonistsconsidered themselves to be virtuous,hard-working, simple people.
As subjects of Great Britain, thecolonists enjoyed the rights included inthe British constitution. You will learnabout these rights in Lesson 6. Manycolonial governments also protected therights of the colonists. For example, theMassachusetts Body of Liberties of1641 included the right to trial by jury,free elections, and the right of freemen to own property. The state of Pennsylvania guaranteed freedom ofbelief or conscience.
In the years before the American Revolution, the colonists were very sensitive to any attempts by the Britishgovernment to limit their rights. After theRevolution, Americans were concernedwith protecting the rights they had justfought for.
Who were the Founders?Throughout this text, we refer to a
group of people as the Founders. TheFounders were the political leaders ofthe colonies. They had developed theirown ideas about what might be the bestkind of government. These ideas wereformed from their own experiences andtheir studies of governments of the past.
The Founders led the fight to free theAmerican colonies from British rule.The Founders helped to create the stategovernments, and their ideas influencedthe writing of the Constitution. Someof the Founders’ names that you mightrecognize include John and AbigailAdams, Benjamin Franklin, PatrickHenry, Thomas Jefferson, Mercy OtisWarren, and George Washington.
John Adams, one of our nation’sFounders, once said that “revolution was in the minds and hearts of the
people before Lexington and Concord.”What does this statement mean?
LESSON REVIEW
ACTIVITIES
1. In what ways were people’s lives inthe British colonies of the 1770sdifferent from those of people livingin Europe?
2. What diversity of people and ideas existed in the British colonies in the 1770s?
3. What difference did gender, raceand wealth make to people incolonial society?
4. What rights did the colonists value?
5. Who were the Founders?
1. Go to your library or search the Internet. Find information about what life in the colonies was like for one of the following groups:
• children and adolescents• indentured servants• Native Americans• people held in slavery• women
2. The British colonies in America are generally divided into three regions, the New England Colonies,the Middle Colonies, and the Southern Colonies. Learn more about what life was like in each region. Write a brief summary for your class.
3. On an outline map of the United States, mark the British, French,and Spanish colonies with different colors. What states are these colonies now?
4. In the late 1700’s the colonists were self-sufficient, able to grow their own food, make cloths, build homes,and thus sustain themselves. They were also well educated.
Look at the help wanted ads in the newspaper. What kind of work do people do today? What educational levels are required for various types of work? Are people as self-sufficient today as they were in colonial times? How does life differ?
5. Life in colonial America was very different than life in England at that time. Read newspaper stories about countries around the world. Based on those stories, how does our life in America now compare with life in other countries? How do the rights we enjoy in America compare with the rights in those countries?
6. In colonial America only white men were allowed to own land and vote.Find articles in today’s newspaperabout minorities and women. Is there evidence that they have equal rights and freedoms? Do you believe that minorities and women have attained equality in our modern society? Write an essay explaining why or why not. Use facts from the newspaper articles and other sources to support your claim.
18
2LESSON
PURPOSE
Why do we needgovernment?
Our form of government is based on a set of ideas. Theseideas establish what the purpose of government should beand what kind of government is best. This lesson introducesyou to some of the basic ideas that were of great importanceto the Founders. In this lesson you will learn about the idea ofnatural rights.
When you finish this lesson, you should be able to explainwhat the Founders believed to be the natural rights of humanbeings. You should also be able to explain why the Foundersbelieved that the people need a government and how peoplecreate governments.
TERMS TO UNDERSTAND
consentnatural rightspurpose of governmentsocial contractstate of nature
How did theideas of John Lockeinfluence the Founders?
The Founders were students of historyand philosophy. They studied books, readnewspapers, and listened to sermons inchurch. The Founders discussed andexchanged ideas with each other andwith other people.
One philosopher whose writingsinfluenced the thinking of the Founderswas John Locke. John Locke was a well-known English philosopher. Helived from 1632 to 1704. Locke publisheda book called Two Treatises of Governmentin 1689. In that book Locke explained hisideas about natural rights. Locke’s bookwas widely read and discussed in theAmerican colonies. Many of the
20
Founders’ ideas about government werebased on Locke’s philosophy.
John Locke arrived at his ideas byimagining what life might be like ifpeople were living in a state of nature.By this, Locke did not mean necessarilythat people lived in the wilderness.Locke simply saw a state of nature as acondition in which no governments orlaws existed at all.
By imagining life in a state of nature,Locke was able to answer some impor-tant questions like these:
• What is human nature? For example,are all people mainly interested intheir own welfare or do they tend to care for the good of others?
• What should be the main purposeof government?
• How do people who run govern-ment get the right to govern?
• What kinds of government should people support and obey?
• What kinds of government should people resist?
The Founders discussed and debatedJohn Locke’s answers to these questions.The ideas of Locke were used in the Dec-laration of Independence to explain whyAmericans were opposed to British rulein the colonies. After winning the Revo-lutionary War, the Founders used mostof the same ideas to write their stateconstitutions. The ideas of the natural
rights philosophy also are important tothe kind of government that we havetoday.
What were Locke’s ideasabout natural rights?
John Locke believed that throughreasoning we can determine what rightspeople would have in a state of nature.
Locke reasoned that in a state of nature all people seek to have the following rights:
• Life. People want to survive.People want to be as safe as possible from threats to their lives.
• Liberty. People want to be as free as possible. People want to be able to make their own decisions and to live as they please.
• Property. People want to own the things that are necessary to survive, such as food, houses,tools, or land. People want the freedom to work and to gain economic benefits.
Locke said that the rights to life,liberty, and property are natural rights.These rights are a part of the law ofnature. This means that all people havethe rights to life, liberty, and propertyjust because they are human beings.
What did John Locke mean by a state of nature?
What were some of John Locke’sideas about natural rights?
21
The Founders believed that such rightsas those to life, liberty, and property are notmanmade. Instead, our rights are based onthe laws of nature, which were made byGod. The Declaration of Independence, forexample, speaks of “the Laws of Nature andof Nature’s God.” It says that people are“endowed by their Creator” with certainbasic rights and that no one has the right totake away these rights.
What did John Locke saymight happen in a stateof nature?
1. Locke believed that most people arereasonable and good. Most people respect the rights of others becausetheir conscience tells them that theyhave a duty to do so. But people arealso driven by their self-interest.A few humans are not so reasonableand good. Sometimes people who arestronger or more skilled abuse thosewho are weaker or less skilled.
2. Locke believed that in a state of nature, people protect their naturalrights by using their own strengthand skill. People who are weakeror less skilled would find it veryhard to protect their rights.Instead, weaker people would try toprotect their rights by joiningtogether against the strong.
3. Locke believed that in a state ofnature, no one’s life, liberty, or prop-erty would be safe. People would feelinsecure. In a state of nature, thereare no governments or laws to protectlife, liberty, or property. This is why
people agreed to form governments.According to Locke, governments donot exist until people create them.
4. Locke believed that in a state ofnature, no one would have the rightto govern you, and you would nothave the right to govern anyone else.According to Locke, there is only oneway that people get the right togovern anyone else. The people to begoverned have to give their consent.Consent means to approve of some-thing or allow something to takeplace. If the people have not giventheir consent to create a government,there is no legitimate government. Inother words, the power of legitimategovernment comes from the consentof the people.
Why do people agree toform a social contract?
Although people agreed that certainnatural rights existed, they worried abouthow those rights could be protected. In astate of nature, people might feel free to doanything they want to do. Their rightswould not be protected, however, and thatwould make them feel insecure.
For John Locke and other natural rightsphilosophers, the great problem was to finda way to protect each person’s naturalrights so that everyone could enjoy themand live at peace with one another. Lockesaid that the best way to solve this problemin the state of nature is for each individualto agree with others to create and liveunder a government and give that govern-ment the power to make and enforce laws.
22
Locke called this kind of agreement a socialcontract.
As in all contracts, to get somethingyou must give up something. In a socialcontract everyone promises to give up theabsolute right, that is, the right to do any-thing she or he wants to do in a state ofnature. In return, everyone receives thesecurity that can be provided by a govern-ment. Each person consents to obey the lim-its placed upon her or him by the laws cre-ated by the government. Everyone gainsthe security of knowing that their rights tolife, liberty, and property are protected.
Locke says government is the betteralternative to a state of nature wheresome people will not obey natural law.
According to Locke, the main purpose ofgovernment is to protect those naturalrights that the individual cannot effec-tively protect in a state of nature.
In a later lesson, you will study theDeclaration of Independence. You willsee how the Founders included all theideas that you have studied in this lesson.You will also learn to examine questionsabout what kind of government the peopleshould support and obey and what kindthey should resist.
Without government, how might one’s life, liberty, or property be protected?
23
What rights do you thinkall people should have?
Most people would agree that thereare certain rights all people should have.For example, you probably agree thateveryone has the right to be protectedfrom robbers and murderers. You probablyalso agree that a person’s right to voteshould be protected. Most people in theUnited States share the belief thateveryone should have these rights.
Work with a partner or in a groupof three students. Together answer thequestions that follow. Be prepared toshare your ideas with the class.
1. List five rights that you think all people in our nation should have. Why do you think that it is important that all people should have these rights?
2. Which of the rights on your list seem to be the most important? Arrange the rights you listed in the order of their importance. Explain why you ranked the rights on your list in this order.
3. What might you do in order to ensure that these rights are protected?
IDEAS FOR DISCUSSION
What might happen if government did not protect its citizens from criminals?
24
What might life be likein a state of nature?
It is now your turn to be a philosopherlike John Locke. First, imagine that youand all the students in your school areliving in a state of nature. You have plentyof food and other resources to maintainlife and to live well. But there is nogovernment and there are no laws orrules that you have to follow. There is noone to tell you what to do and no one toprotect you.
With your partner or group discuss thefollowing questions about your rights in astate of nature. Be prepared to share yourideas with your class. Finally, compareyour ideas with those of John Locke afteryou read the section “What were Locke’sideas about natural rights?”
1. What might be some advantages and disadvantages of living in a state of nature?
2. What rights, if any, might you expect to have in a state of nature?
3. What might people who are stronger and smarter than others try to do? Why?
4. What might people who are weaker or less skilled than others try to do? Why?
5. What might life be like for everyone living in a state of nature?
6. Would anyone have the right to governyou? Would you have a right to governanyone else? Why?
7. What are some things the people coulddo to protect their lives, liberty, or property?
IDEAS FOR DISCUSSION
25
1. What are natural rights? How do people get their natural rights?
2. What might life be like for people living in a state of nature? Explain.
3. Where does government get its right to govern, according to the natural rights philosophy?
4. What is a social contract?
5. What is the main purpose ofgovernment according John Locke?
1. In this lesson you learned about thesocial contract. Most passengers aboard the Mayflower signed the Mayflower Compact in 1620, before the ship landed in Plymouth. Readthe Mayflower Compact below. Writea brief essay explaining how the Mayflower Compact is an example of a social contract.
Having undertaken, for the glory of God,and advancement of the Christian Faithand Honour of our King and Country,a Voyage to plant the First Colony inthe Northern Parts of Virginia, do bythese presents solemnly and mutuallyin the presence of God and of oneanother, Covenant and Combine our-selves together into a Civil BodyPolitic, for our better order-ing andpreservation and furtherance of theends aforesaid; and by virtue hereof, toenact, constitute, and frame such justand equal Laws, Ordinances, Acts, Con-stitutions, and Offices, from time totime, as shall be thought most meetand convenient for the general good ofthe Colony, unto which we promise alldue submission and obedience.…
2. Study editorial cartoons in the newspaper. Then draw an editorial cartoon that illustrates what life might be like in a state of nature. Useyour cartoon to illustrate why we need government.
3. Read Lord of the Flies by William Golding. It is a novel about what happened when a group of young boys found themselves in a situationwhere there were no laws and no government. Share the story with your class. Does this story supportLocke’s ideas? If so, which ones.
4. Read editorials in the newspaper to seehow they are written. Then write an editorial that tells how the rights to life, liberty, and property apply to you and your family. Share your editorial with the class.
5. Use the entire newspaper including news articles, advertisements, editorials,and even the comics, to search for examples of the “natural rights” to life,liberty, and property. Which are the most important rights to you? Create a chart and rank your most important rights from highest priority to lowest.
LESSON REVIEW
ACTIVITIES
What did the Founderslearn about governmentfrom the Romans?
Two thousand years before our ownnation began, there was a republic thatgreatly influenced the ideas of the Founders.A republic is a country that has a govern-ment in which power is held by the peoplewho elect representatives. These represen-tatives manage the government for thepeople, for the sake of the common good.
The government that fascinated theFounders was the Roman Republic, whichlasted nearly 500 years, from 509 BC to 27BC. The capital of the Roman Republic wasRome, located in what today is Italy.
The Founders read what historians andthe Romans themselves wrote about thepeople and government of the RomanRepublic. The Founders learned that duringthe Republic, the Roman people governedthemselves without a king. In the RomanRepublic, both the common people and thearistocrats, or wealthy upper class, sharedthe power to govern.
3LESSON
PURPOSE
What isrepublicangovernment?
This lesson introduces the ideas of republican government,the common good, and civic virtue. These were ideas the Founderslearned from studying the government of the ancient RomanRepublic. You will learn how these ideas shaped the Founders’thinking about the kind of government they believed to be best.
When you finish this lesson you should be able to explainthe ideas of republican government, the common good, andcivic virtue.
TERMS TO UNDERSTAND
aristocratscivic virtuecommon gooddelegatedirect democracyfactionsrepresentative
representative democracyrepublicrepublican government
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The Founders called the governmentof Rome a republican government.Republican government is a type ofgovernment in which the
• citizens have the power to govern• citizens delegate or entrust
their power to leaders they elect to represent them and to serve their interests
• citizens and their representatives work cooperatively to promote the common good rather than their own interests. The term commongood, or common welfare, means that which is good for thecommunity as a whole.
What advantages didthe Founders see inrepublican government?
The Founders thought a republicanform of government was the best form ofgovernment they could create for them-selves. They thought that they wouldhave some of the same benefits that theancient Romans had enjoyed. These aresome of the benefits the Founders saw inrepublican government:
• Representatives are elected to servethe common good. A representativeis a person elected to act and speak for others. The main purpose ofrepublican government is to servethe common good. Representativesshould not make laws to serve the
interests of one person or one group.The representatives make laws that serve the entire community.
• Having representatives make the laws is more efficient. To make good and fair laws, you have to understandevery problem well. But most peopledo not have the time to learn aboutevery problem. Representatives canmake laws faster and better becauseit becomes their responsibility to do so.
• The people have a say in their government. By delegating power to their representatives, the people do not give up their voice in govern-ment. The people still have to decidewho will represent them. The peoplehave to communicate their ideas andthe actions they want taken to theirrepresentatives.
• The representatives are responsibleto the people. The people hold their representatives responsible formaking making good and fair laws.If the representatives do not makegood and fair laws, the people canvote them out of office and selectnew leaders to represent them.
What were the disadvantagesof republican government?
The Founders worried about whetherrepublican government might work inthe colonies. The Founders saw thatrepublican government as practiced
What did the Founders learn about government from the Roman Republic?
What are the advantages of a republicangovernment in a large and diverse society?
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in the Roman Republic had a fewdisadvantages. These are some of thepossible disadvantages:
• Republican government works best in small communities. In small communities, the people know and care for each other and the common good. The colonies,on the other hand, occupied a large territory.
• The people in a republic have to bevery much alike. There cannot be a high degree of diversity. The peoplecannot be very different in their wealth, moral beliefs, or ways of life. In the colonies, however, thepeople had many different religious beliefs and ways of life.
• People in a large and diverserepublic would naturally divideinto factions, or interest groups.Such interest groups might workagainst other groups or the peopleas a whole, rather than work forthe common good.
How did the Founders adapt the idea of republican government?
James Madison was one of the mostimportant Founders. We often call him “theFather of the Constitution” because heplayed such an important role in creatingour Constitution. Madison adapted the idea
of republican government to the reality ofAmerican life.
Madison defined the difference between a direct democracy and republican government in the following ways:
• In a direct democracy, the people themselves control government. The people create the laws they need.Direct democracy works best in small communities. As communities grow larger, it becomes difficult for people to make the decisions that are needed for the good of all.
• In a republican government,the people’s representatives make the laws and run government.This makes it possible for those in government to administer a much larger area.
Madison believed that America could andshould have a republican form of govern-ment. Laws would be made and adminis-tered by representatives elected by the peo-ple. Madison said that members ofgovernment should be elected by a largenumber of the people rather than by a smallnumber or a favored group. Such a govern-ment was a democracy in the sense that itreceived its right to govern from the peopleas a whole.This kind of government is nowcalled a representative democracy. In arepresentative democracy the peoplechoose leaders to make and administer lawsfor their country.
Madison also believed that you couldorganize government in a way that mighthelp to avoid the abuse of power by any oneperson or faction. You will study these ideasin the next lesson.
How can the common good be determinedin a large and diverse society?
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IDEAS FOR DISCUSSION
Why shouldcitizens promotethe common good?
Examine the ideas of “common good”and “self-interest” in the story aboutCincinnatus. Then respond to thequestions that follow it.
You might want to work with a partneror in groups of three. A spokesperson foreach group should explain its answersto the rest of the class.
CINCINNATUS: A MODEL OF CIVIC VIRTUE
In the year 460 BC, Rome was in greatdanger. An army from the east was burningand plundering the countryside. The enemysurrounded the defending Roman armyon all sides. The leaders of the governmentof Rome decided to ask Cincinnatus, askilled military leader, to help themduring this crisis. The government leaderssent messengers asking Cincinnatus toserve as dictator of the country for aslong as the crisis might last.
Cincinnatus was a hard-working farmerwith only four acres of land. When themessengers found him, he was quietlyplowing the fields. Because he loved hiscountry, he left his plow to go to Rometo lead the army. In a battle that lastedtwo days, his army defeated the enemy
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and saved the country. In gratitude,the people of Rome honored and praisedCincinnatus. But when the crisis wasover, Cincinnatus did not try to remainas dictator of his country. He did not wantcontinued power. Instead, he returnedto his home and his life as a farmerand a citizen.
By returning to his home, Cincinnatusshowed that he valued being a good citizenof Rome more than he valued fame andpersonal power. He respected the govern-ment of Rome. He did not want to use hispopularity to take power away from therepresentatives elected by the citizens.
1. What is the common good as repre-sented in this story? What are the self-interests represented in the story?
Do you agree with the actions taken by Cincinnatus? Why or why not?
2. Describe a person you know or a leader in our nation who you think has civic virtue. Give reasons for your opinion based on the person’s life.
3. Explain some situations where you think you should put the common good above your own interests.
4. Explain some situations in which you might not want to put the common good above your own interests.
5. Explain some situations in which people might disagree about what is best for the common good. What should be done when there are such disagreements? Why?
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Why is civic virtuenecessary for republicangovernment to work well?
The Founders thought that republicangovernment was possible in Rome onlybecause of the high degree of civic virtueof the Roman citizens. Civic virtue meantthat both citizens and their leaderswere willing to set aside their privateinterests and personal concerns forthe common good.
The Founders thought that civic virtuewas important to make a governmentwork well. Citizens need to participate in their government to promote the common good.
Madison understood the importance ofcivic virtue to good government. In thisway, he was like the other Founders.Madison also accepted Locke’s view ofhuman nature. He believed that peopleare prompted to act by their self-interest.He thought that the pursuit of self-interest could in its own way furtherthe common good. For example, a states-man’s desire for fame and admirationfrom others could lead him or her topractice civic virtue. The common goodcould be served by individuals pursuingtheir economic self-interest. Each wouldcontribute to the general prosperity.
Madison also realized that as peoplepursue their own interests they some-times act against the interests of thecommon good. He knew that civic virtuealone could not be relied upon. Madisonwanted a government that would fithuman nature as it is, not as onemight wish it to be.
How did the colonists teachthe values of republicangovernment?
People living in the American colonieswere taught the value of civic virtue andother values of republican government inmany ways. Parents taught these valuesto their children. Teachers taught themin school. Clergy taught them in sermonsand writings. Leading citizens of thecountry were expected to set goodexamples. The values of republicangovernment were a part of the customsand traditions of the people.
The ideas and values of the RomanRepublic were promoted throughout theAmerican colonies in the stories thatpeople read. Public buildings designedto resemble the buildings of ancientRome also reminded people of the ideasand values of the Roman Republic.
The Founders thought it was importantto teach and promote civic virtue amongcitizens. They believed that the RomanRepublic had failed in the end becauseits citizens lost their civic virtue. Theyhad promoted their own interests atthe expense of the common good.
By the time of the American Revolution,the Founders had come to believe stronglyin the ideals of republican government.They thought that Great Britain was vio-lating these ideals. They claimed the
Do you agree with the view that a statesman’s desire for fame and
admiration can lead him or her to pursuethe public good? Why or why not?
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British government was guilty of servingselfish interests at the expense of thecommon good. It had violated those rightsthat good government was supposed toprotect.
After the Revolution, the Founderswere able to establish their own government. They tried to make surethis government would not violate theirrights. An essential step, they thought,was to create a constitutional government.You will learn what a constitution andconstitutional government are in thenext lesson.
What ideals of republican government do you think our
leaders should promote? Why?
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LESSON REVIEW
ACTIVITIES
1. What is republican government? What are the advantages and dis-advantages of republican government?
2. What is the meaning of the term “common good”?
3. What is the difference between direct democracy and representativedemocracy?
4. What is civic virtue? Why is it important that citizens and their representatives have civic virtue?
5. How were the values of republicangovernment promoted in thecolonies? Why were these valuespromoted?
1. His fellow Americans oftenreferred to George Washington as“our Cincinnatus.” Find stories andworks of art that illustrate the life of George Washington as a model of civic virtue. Share what you learned with your class.
2. Many government buildings in Washington, D.C., and state capitolsacross the country look like Greek or Roman buildings. Find photographsof government buildings. Compare them with drawings or photographs of ancient Greek or Roman buildings.Explain how this architectural style inour country symbolizes the influencesof ancient Greece and Rome onthe Founders.
3. In this lesson you learned about the values taught in colonial communities.The excerpts below are from theBlueBack Speller, a popular schooltext of the late 1700s. What values dothe lessons stress? Draw a poster orcartoon illustrating one of the lessons.
Lesson 6:I will not walk with bad men; that
I may not be cast off with them.
I will love the law, and keep it.
I will walk with the just, and do good.
Lesson 12:
Be a good child; mind your book;love your school and strive to learn.
Tell no tales; call no ill names;you must not lie, nor swear,nor cheat, nor steal.
Play not with bad boys; use no ill words atplay, spend your time well, live in peace,and shun all strife.
This is the way to make good men of you,and save your soul from pain and woe.
Lesson 15:
As for those boys and girls that mind nottheir books, and love not church and school,but play with such as tell tales, tell lies,curse, swear, and steal, they will come tosome bad end, and must be whipped tillthey mend their ways.
4. Look through different issues of yourlocal newspaper. Find articles that concern the common good in your community. Share the articles with your class.
5. Find articles in the newspaper about elected officials enacting laws or acting on behalf of citizens. Are these elected officials local, state, or national representatives? Discuss the limits those elected officials may have based on what level of government they represent.
What is a constitution?A constitution is a legal framework
for government. A constitution tells howa government is organized and run. Everynation has a constitution. Both good andbad governments have constitutions.
Most constitutions are in writing. TheUnited States and Russia are two examplesof countries with written constitutions.Some constitutions contain both writtenand unwritten parts. The British consti-tution is the best-known example of thiskind of constitution because it is basedon both written laws and unwritten
customs. It also is possible to have aconstitution that is not in writing at all.Many societies in history had constitutionsbased on unwritten customs and traditions.
You can learn about a governmentand its citizens by studying a nation’sconstitution. Here are some of thequestions a constitution usually answers:
QUESTIONS ABOUT GOVERNMENT
• What are the purposes of government?
• What is the organization of govern-ment? What parts does it have? What does each part do?
4LESSON
PURPOSE
What is constitutionalgovernment?
This lesson introduces the ideas of a constitutionand constitutional government. It also introduces the ideathat a constitution is a higher law.
When you finish this lesson, you should be able to explainthe ideas of a constitution, constitutional government, andhigher law. You should also be able to explain some of theimportant differences between constitutional governmentsand autocratic or dictatorial governments.
TERMS TO UNDERSTAND
autocratic or dictatorial governmentconstitutionconstitutional governmenthigher lawlimitsmonarchyprivate domain
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• How is government supposed to go about doing its business? For example, how does the government make its laws?
• How are people selected to serve in government?
QUESTIONS ABOUT CITIZENS
• Who is a citizen?
• Are citizens supposed to have control over their government? If so, how is this control supposed to work?
• What rights and responsibilities,if any, are the citizens supposed to have?
What is a constitutionalgovernment?
Having a constitution does not meanthat a nation has a constitutional government. A constitutional governmentmeans that there are limits on the powersof the person or group running government.The word “limits,” as used here, meansthings that government may not do oractions that it may not take.
Our Constitution limits the power ofgovernment. The limits are writteninto the Constitution. For example, thecourts cannot force a person to be a witnessagainst himself. The courts cannot denythe accused the right to an attorney.
What are the advantages of constitutional government?
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In some nations, the power of gov-ernment is not limited. It is possible forthe constitution of a nation to providefor the unlimited use of power. In othercases, the constitution of a nation mightsay that the power of government shouldbe limited. But, it might neglect to sayhow those limits are to be enforced.
Suppose the constitution of a nationdoes not limit the powers of its government.On the other hand, suppose it limits thepower, but those limits are not enforced.In either case, the government is not aconstitutional government. We callgovernment of unlimited power anautocratic or dictatorial government.
What is a higher law?In a constitutional government, the
constitution must effectively limit theuse of power. The constitution is ahigher law. A higher law is a set of lawsthat establish and limit the power of government. All the people, includinggovernment leaders, must obey thehigher law of the land. The peoplerunning the government must do whatthe constitution says. The constitutiondescribes ways to ensure that peoplein government obey the limits ontheir power.
In a constitutional government, theconstitution has the following five important characteristics:
1. It lists the basic rights of citizens to life, liberty, and property.
2. It establishes the responsibility of government to protect those rights.
3. It places limits on how the people in government may use theirpowers. Some examples of how our Constitution limits the powers of government are
• Citizens’ rights. People in government cannot unfairly deprive a person of the right tofreedom of speech.
• How resources are distributed.People in government cannot take a person’s propertywithout paying the person afair price for it.
• How conflicts are handled.People in government must give all persons accused of a crime a fair trial.
4. It establishes the principle of a private domain. A private domainis that part of a person’s life thatis not the business of government.
5. It can only be changed with the widespread consent of citizens and according to certain set procedures.
What role does a Constitution play in a constitutional government?
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PARTICIPATING IN A CLASS ACTIVITY
How would you solvethis issue of power?
Read “The Tragedy of Antigone.”The story has been summarized andadapted from a Greek play written in442 BC by Sophocles.
In the drama, Antigone disobeys heruncle, Creon, the ruler of Thebes. Thegovernment of Thebes was a monarchy.A monarchy is a form of government inwhich political power is held by a singleruler such as a king or queen. The kingruled the city; he made and enforced thelaws and he decided on punishments forpeople who violated his laws. The storyraises questions about limits on the power of government.
THE TRAGEDY OF ANTIGONE
Thebes was an important city in ancientGreece. Antigone lived there with her sister, Ismene, her two brothers, Polyneicesand Eteocles, and their uncle Creon.
The citizens of Thebes had chosenEteocles, the younger brother, to be theirking. Polyneices believed that since he wasolder it was his right to rule the land.The two brothers quarreled and Eteoclesbanished Polyneices from the city.
Polyneices left Thebes and gathereda large army to fight his brother for thethrone. It was a long and bitter civil war;many people died and much propertywas destroyed. Finally, Polyneices andEteocles killed each other.
The people of Thebes immediatelyelected Creon to be their next king.Creon decreed that Eteocles was toreceive a hero’s funeral for defendingthe city. But Polyneices was to rot on thebattlefield. Any person who tried to buryPolyneices would be put to death.
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PARTICIPATING IN A CLASS ACTIVITY
“These are my laws!” Creon declared.“Only by these laws can our city be safeand prosper. Only by obedience to theselaws can we avoid civil war and ruin.”
The citizens of Thebes debated thewisdom of Creon’s law. On one side, manypeople were opposed to it. These peoplebelieved it was the duty of the living tobury the dead. According to this belief,unburied souls were doomed to wanderalone throughout eternity. This group of people complained that Creon’s lawviolated their rights without a goodreason for doing so.
Other citizens supported Creon. Theybelieved that Creon’s law was justifiedbecause the city had suffered from rebelsand lawbreakers. It was the king’s duty to decide what to do with people who violated the law. They felt that the fate
of Polyneices could serve as an example to those who did not respect the laws of the king.
Antigone believed that the laws ofthe gods were more important than thelaws of any ruler. So Antigone decidedto bury the body of her brother. “I willnever be false to my brother,” she said.Antigone attempted to convince Ismeneto help her.
“Are you not going too far, exceedingthe limits, when you do what the kinghas forbidden?” Ismene asked of Antigone.“I do not wish to dishonor our brother,but I have no strength to defy the king.If we defy Creon’s law, we will findourselves alone against the powers of the king and we will perish! Since wemust obey Creon’s law, we can ask the
gods for forgiveness,” Ismene said.“Obey the law if you must, Ismene.
I will not urge you further to join me,”Antigone replied.
Later that day, a guard suddenly burstinto the garden where Creon was resting.The guard brought the news that Polyneiceshad been buried. Creon angrily gave ordersto find the guilty person. The guardreturned with Antigone in custody.
“Tell me, did you not know that thereis a law forbidding what you did? Whydid you disobey it?” Creon asked. “Youare my niece, how can this be?”
“I knew the law,” Antigone answered. “IfI had allowed my brother to lie unburied,that would have disturbed me deeply.Your law is not part of eternal justice.I disobeyed your law. I am not sorry forwhat I did,” Antigone said to Creon.
“This brother of yours was attacking
his own country,” Creon replied. “Thegods require no such loyalty to evil doers.It is my duty to produce order and peacein this land. If I do not act, the citizens ofThebes will think me weak. The publicorder, the state itself will be in jeopardy.It is the laws of the state that hold thiscity together. If those who break the lawgo unpunished, we will be a lawless city.Even the innocent will suffer. You havethrown away your future happiness,Antigone,” Creon said. “You make itimpossible for me to avoid putting youto death. Guards, take this womanand lock her away!”
As the guards escorted Antigone fromthe garden, she turned to Creon andsaid, “You further violate the rights ofthe people by passing sentence upon mewithout a fair and public hearing.”
PARTICIPATING IN A CLASS ACTIVITY
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PARTICIPATING IN A CLASS ACTIVITY
PREPARING
As you were able to observe in the story,there were no laws that set reasonablelimits on the power of the king. But,the king had a council of advisers, as insome other cities of ancient Greece. Therole of the council was to investigateproblems and to advise the king onwhat he might do to solve them.
Let us imagine that Antigonehas asked the Council of Advisers toinvestigate the unlimited power of theking. Further, imagine that Creon agreedto permit the council to study the issueand to make recommendations. TheCouncil of Advisers will conduct a hearingand then decide what recommendations,if any, to give the king.
Your class will work in six groups.Five of the groups should prepare tomake a presentation that explains itsideas about limiting the power of theking. The sixth group is the councilof Advisers, who will listen to thepresentations.
In preparing your presentations, usewhat you learned in the lesson as well asthe ideas in the story. Each group alsoshould prepare to answer questionsfrom the council.
Creon. Prepare arguments against any limits on the power of the king. Base your arguments on what you read about Creon in the story. During your presentation, be sure to explain the reasons why you believe the power of the king should remain as is.
Citizens Who Support the King.Prepare arguments against limiting the power of the king. Present specific reasons why you support the actions of the king.
Antigone. Prepare arguments in favor of limiting the power of the king.Base your arguments on what youread about Antigone in the story.During your presentation, proposespecific limits on the king’s powerthat you would like the council torecommend to Creon.
Citizens Who Support Antigone.Prepare arguments that favor limitingthe power of the king. Present specific reasons why you support Antigone’s point of view.
Ismene. Prepare arguments that represent Ismene’s point of view.Present specific reasons why you hold this opinion.
Council of Advisers. Reread the storyand study the role of each group.Then prepare questions to ask each group during the hearing. Select a member of your group to be the president of the Council.
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PRESENTING
The president of the Council ofAdvisers will call the session to order andexplain the purpose of the meeting.
Each group has four minutes tomake a formal presentation to explainits position to the council.
After each presentation, councilmembers may ask questions of the group.Every member of the group should helpanswer the council’s questions.
After the hearing, the Council ofAdvisers will meet to decide whatrecommendations, if any, to make tothe king. The council will then shareits decision with the class.
EVALUATING
After the council has made itsdecision the class as a whole shouldevaluate the decision. Each studentshould answer the evaluation questionsbelow and share their conclusionswith the class.
• What were the strongest arguments made against limiting the power the king? Which arguments were the weakest?
• What were the strongest arguments made in favor of limiting the power of the king? Which arguments were the weakest?
• What did you learn about theimportance of constitutional gov-ernment as a result of this activity?
PARTICIPATING IN A CLASS ACTIVITY
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LESSON REVIEW
ACTIVITIES
1. What is a constitution? What can you learn about a nation’s governmentby studying its constitution?
2. Explain the differences between a constitutional government and an autocratic or dictatorial government.
3. What are the characteristics that define a constitution as a “higher law”?
4. Identify two areas of private life in which you think government should not interfere. Explain why you think government should not intrude in these areas.
1. In the history of the world, there have been governments that ignored the limits on their power. Conductresearch on one of these governments and give examples of how it violated the natural rights of the people.
2. Read the play Antigone. Researchhow the play was rewritten duringWorld War II to inspire resistanceto Nazi rule. Write a short report onyour findings and share it withyour class.
3. Review editorial cartoons in the newspaper to see how they are done.Then draw an editorial cartoon for your class bulletin board that illustrates the difference between a constitutional government and a dictatorial government.
4. In the newspaper find stories aboutcountries that have a limited government and countries that have unlimited government. Paste the articles about either limited or unlimited government on a poster.On the poster list the rights and responsibilities of the citizens, or lack of them, you can infer from the articles selected.
How might people organizea government to preventthe abuse of power?
Constitutional governments are orga-nized in such a way that one person orgroup cannot get enough power to domi-nate the government. Two common waysto do this are
• Separate the powers ofgovernment. Divide the powers of government among different
branches, or parts. Doing so would prevent any one person or group from having all the power.
• Balance the powers among the branches of government. Divide the powers of government in such a way that no one branch controls the other branches. Give each branchmethods to check the use of power by the other branches.
5LESSON
PURPOSE
How can weorganize governmentto prevent theabuse of power?
Constitutional governments are designed to protect thepeople from abuses of government power. In this lesson youlearn how people might organize government to make theabuse of power less likely.
When you finish this lesson, you should be able to explainthe ideas of separation of powers and checks and balances;know the Founders’ reasons for creating a system that limitsgovernmental power; and list some powers of the three branchesof government.
TERMS TO UNDERSTAND
billchecks and balancesexecutive branchjudicial branchlegislative branchseparation of powers
How is the separation of powers differentfrom the balance of powers?
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IDEAS FOR DISCUSSION
Why did the Foundersfear the abuse of power?
The Founders knew that throughouthistory many governments had used theirpower unfairly. This is why they created thesystem of limits on power described inthis lesson. To understand their thinking,read the quotations below. Then, with apartner, discuss the questions that follow.
1. What does each quotation mean?
2. What view of human nature didAlexander Hamilton, BenjaminFranklin, and George Mason share?
3. Do you agree or disagree with these viewsof human nature? Why or why not?
4. If you do agree with these views of humannature, how would you organize our government to protect your rights?
“Give all power to the many,they will oppress the few.Give all power to the few,they will oppress the many.”
ALEXANDER HAMILTON “There are two passions whichhave a Powerful influence on the affairs of men. These are ambition and avarice [greed];the love of power and the love of money.”
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN“From the nature of man,we may be sure that those who have power in their hands…will always, when they can…increase it.”
GEORGE MASON
Why did the Founders believe that allgovernments need limits on theirpower?
How does separationof powers work?
A study of constitutional governmentsshows that they are often divided intothree different groups or branches. Thepower of government is not given to anyone branch. Instead, some of the power is given to each branch. This is calledseparation of powers. For example,we divide our government into thefollowing three branches:
• the legislative branch has the power to make laws
• the executive branch has the power to carry out and enforce laws
• the judicial branch has the power to manage conflicts about the meaning, application,and enforcement of laws.
Why are the powers of government separated and balanced?
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How does a system ofchecks and balances work?
The phrase checks and balancesmeans that the powers of the differentbranches of government are balanced. Noone branch has so much power that itcan completely dominate the others.Although each branch of government hasits own special powers, the powers arechecked because some powers are sharedwith the other branches.
According to our Constitution, Con-gress is the legislative branch. It has thepower to make laws. The power of Con-gress is divided between two houses, theHouse of Representatives and the Sen-ate. Each house can check the power ofthe other by refusing to pass a law pro-posed by the other house.
In addition, our Constitution gives theexecutive and judicial branches ways tocheck and control the power of Congressto make laws. For example:
• A bill is a proposed law. WhenCongress passes a bill, the president must sign it before it can becomelaw. The president has the right to refuse to sign a bill. If thishappens, the bill cannot become a law unless Congress votes againand passes the bill by a two-thirdsmajority of both houses.
• The U. S. Supreme Court can check the power of Congress. The Court can declare a law to be in violation of the Constitution and,therefore, invalid.
There are similar ways to check thepowers of the president and U.S. SupremeCourt. You will learn more about the systemof checks and balances in a later lesson.
This system of separation of powersand checks and balances helps ensurethat government power is limited. Becauseconstitutional governments are organizedin complicated ways, getting things donemay take time. Although it might seemstrange, this is often considered an ad-vantage. Many people think that thesecomplications make it more likely thatwhen government does finally make adecision, it will be a well thought out one.
Which branch of government has the final say about whether a
law is constitutional?
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LESSON REVIEW
ACTIVITIES
1. How does a system of separationof powers work?
2. What are the three branches of our government and what power does each hold?
3. How does a system of checks and balances work? Give some examples.
4. The separation and sharing of powers means that government cannot reach decisions quickly.Why might this be an advantage? Why might it be a disadvantage?
1. Read Articles I, II, and III of the U.S. Constitution. Then, examine the constitution of your state.
Create two charts that illustrate the process of checks and balances,one for in your state government and one for the U.S. government.Share your charts with the class.
2. Find newspaper or newsmagazine articles that illustrate our system of separation of powers and checks and balances. Use the articles to create a bulletin board for your classroom.
3. Collect a series of articles from the newspaper in which the two houses of the U.S. Congress are exercising their powers. Select an issue in which there is disagreement between the Senate and the House of Representatives.Draw a Venn diagram that illustrates each house’s position on the issue. Showthe places the two bodies differ within their own circle and show where they agree in the overlapping portion of the diagram.
4. Find newspaper stories where the executive or judicial branches of government are using their power to carry out, enforce, or deliberate a law enacted by Congress. Which cabinet office of the executive branch or what level of the judicial branch is taking the action? Write a summary of what occurred and how the branch was involved.
