history
Your case study this week includes two sets of primary sources, one from supporters of the new U.S. Constitution and one opposing it. Your goal in your small group discussions is to fully explore both points of view and to understand the underlying reasons for these two opposing viewpoints.
The sources supporting the Constitution can be found at:
http://americainclass.org/sources/makingrevolution/constitution/text3/text3.htm
While those opposing the Constitution can be found here:
http://americainclass.org/sources/makingrevolution/constitution/text4/text4.htm
You will again be discussing the case study in a small group.
In your small group, you should consider the following questions:
- What are the primary arguments for the Constitution in these works?
- What were the major Anti-Federalist objections to the proposed Constitution? Did they relate most to power, money, taxes, economic status, defense, slavery, voting, individual rights, or another factor?
- What did each side in the debate predict would happen to the new nation if the Constitution became the “supreme law of the land”?
- How did the authors portray their political opponents? To what did they ascribe the opposing positions?
- Post initial response by Thursday at 11:50 PM
- Post responses to at least two classmates by Friday at 11:50 PM
Grading: Your discussion will be graded based on your level of participation (each of you should initiate at least one post and reply to at least two posts), but also the quality of your postings. The best postings are clear and well-written, make direct reference to the readings and primary sources, and help to open discussion with other classmates.
Each discussion is worth 4 points. You will get 1 point for your initial post and 1 point for your two replies. If your initial post and replies meet the expectations for quality as defined above, your post will receive up to an additional two points.