Week of 2/22

This week's plans:

2/22 (Monday)--Film--The United States Constitution. I will be in Helena today to help with the We the People competition. Mr. Wilson will show a film which reinforces and elaborates on the structure and principles of the Constitution. Complete the worksheet that accompanies the film and be prepared to turn it in tomorrow. Assignment: Read Chapter 4, section 1 for tomorrow.

2/23 (Tuesday)--Introduction to Federalism. Yesterday's film explored a number of powers the Constitution expressly gives to Congress. Many of these powers are exclusive, meaning only the national government has them. Today, we will build on this knowledge by examining several other concepts of government power. We will learn about implied and inherent powers (those which are not expressly granted to the national government, but which nonetheless exist); concurrent powers (those which are shared by the national and state governments); and the reserved powers (those which are not granted to the national government and also not denied to the states). Understanding these terms is critical to understanding the concept of federalism--the division of power between the national government and the state governments. We will also discuss the important Supreme Court case of McCullough v. Maryland, in which the Court affirmed the supremacy of federal law, and took a broad view of Congress' implied powers under the Elastic Clause.

2/24 (Wednesday)--Cooperative Federalism. Although the Constitution gives Congress a great deal of power, it has found ways to stretch that power even further, allowing the federal government to shape and control the behavior of state governments beyond the technical boundaries established by the Constitution. How? Through something called grants-in-aid. Under these programs, the federal government provides funding to support programs operated by the states, but attaches "strings" to these programs that states must comply with to obtain the funds. Today we will learn about the different types of grants-in-aid programs, and discuss whether their pros and cons.

2/25 (Thursay)--Interstate Relations. The Constitution not only defines the scope of federal and state power, it also defines certain obligations that the states owe to each other. Today, we will discuss these duties, including concepts such as "full faith and credit" and "privileges and immunities." We will also discuss the growing importance of interstate compacts--agreements between or among states (and sometimes even foreign countries) which Congress may authorize the states to enter.

2/26 (Friday)--Review for Quiz. On Monday, we will have a 30-point quiz on the first half of Unit II, covering the Constitution and federalism. Lecture notes for the material covered by the quiz are posted on Docushare in the Unit II folder, under the subfolders "Constitution" and "Federalism." A review sheet will be provided. The test will be open note, so make sure you bring your notes to class on Monday!
Have a great week!

Week of 2/15

This week's plans:

2/15 (Monday)--President's Day--No school.

2/16 (Tuesday)--Exam Review--Unit I. The exam will be worth 50 points--30 multiple choice questions, plus a 20-point essay question.

2/17 (Wednesday)--Unit I Exam. For tomorrow, read Chapter 3, sections 1 and 2.

2/18 (Thursday)--Introduction to Unit II; Structure and Principles of the Constitution. Today we will examine the overall structure and organization of the Constitution, and discuss the six key principles embodied within it and the government it creates: (i) popular sovereignty, (ii) federalism, (iii) separation of powers, (iv) checks and balances, (v) judicial review, and (vi) limited government.

2/19 (Friday)--Work on Essentials Packet for Unit II. Today we will go to the SSRC to work on completing the charts and vocabulary sections of the Essentials Packet for Unit II.

Have a great week!

Week of 2/8

Here are this week's plans:

2/8 (Monday)--Articles of Confederation. We will discuss the chaotic and troubled period of U.S. history between the end of the Revolutionary War in 1781 and the adoption of the United States Constitution in 1789. During this time, the governing document of the United States was the Articles of Confederation. We will learn about the weaknesses of this government, and why a new and more powerful central government was required. Assignment: Google "Daniel Shays" and/or "Shay's Rebellion." Learn two facts about these topics and be prepared to share them in class tomorrow.

2/9 (Tuesday)--Shay's Rebellion. Today we will learn about Daniel Shays, the rebellion among western Massachusetts farmers in 1786 that bears his name, and how that event galvanized (set into motion) the call for the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Why would a Revolutionary War hero take up arms against elected officials in his home state? The answer, as you will learn, is not so different from the reasons we just studied for why the colonies revolted against King George and declared independence!

2/10 (Wednesday)--Constitutional Convention and the "Great Compromise." Today we will examine the key events of the Constitutional Convention that took place in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787. In particular, you will watch a film that dramatizes the key event of the convention: the "Great Compromise." Without this critical achievement, the Constitutional Convention might well have failed! We will also learn about a few other key steps on the road to the Constitution. Assignment: Read the Federalist No. 51 handout, and be prepared to answer the discussion questions in class tomorrow. This will be an individual writing assignment!

2/11 (Thursday)--Writing Activity--Federalist No. 51. Today we will analyze one of the essays from the Federalist Papers, a series of essays written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay to encourage ratification (adoption) of the newly-drafted Constitution of the United States in the state of New York. In this famous essay, Madison discusses the advantages of a key provision of the government contemplated by the new Constitution: separation of powers. Answers to the discussion questions are due tomorrow by the end of class!

2/12 (Friday)--Ratification of the Constitition; Establishment of Federal Government. We will conclude our study of Unit I by examining the fight to ratify the Constitution, and the initial establishment of the central (federal) government after the Constitution was ratified in 1789, including the adoption of the Bill of Rights in 1791.

Next week, after a Monday holiday, we will review for the unit exam on Tuesday, then take the unit exam on Wednesday. On Thursday and Friday, we will begin Unit II by examining the structure of the Constitution (Thursday) and the concept of federalism (Friday).

Have a great week!