Founding a Nation.
FIRST: Please read or skim chapter 7 in our textbook, Foner’s Give Me Liberty! An American History, volume I. Consider watching the Crash Course US History videos below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bO7FQsCcbD8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r161cLYzuDI THEN: Read the following primary sources more closely. Read these excerpts from the Federalist Papers (no. 10 and 51) (https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/Federalist%20Papers_0.pdf), written to convince new Americans to support a strong federal government. This argument stands in contrast to that made by Anti-Federalists– that governance is better at the local and state levels. What arguments and points does the author of the excerpts, James Madison, give for why a federal government is necessary and safe? Would you have been moved by these Federalist arguments to their political purpose? Read these excerpts from the Anti-Federalist Papers (https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/AntiFedPapers_0.pdf), written to argue against the creation of a strong federal government. What are the main arguments featured in these excerpts? How do these excerpts reflect social class tensions and distinctions? Consider why and how the Anti-Federalists appealed to ‘the People’. Even though the Federalists win (the Constitution is formed with a strong federal government to complement state governments and Federalist George Washington was elected to be the first president of the US), which Anti-Federalist ideas remained popular Read this excerpt from Thomas Jefferson’s Notes on the State of Virginia (https://www.gilderlehrman.org/sites/default/files/inline-pdfs/Document%202_From%20Notes%20on%20the%20State%20of%20Virginia.pdf), which gives us some insight to his views on race. Jefferson was an Enlightenment thinker, author of the Declaration of Independence, and a slave-owner. Jefferson, like the famous George Washington, expressed reluctance and even disgust at the institution of slavery, but we must acknowledge that these ‘men of the Enlightenment’ believed themselves superior to black people and benefited their entire lives from that same institution. I wouldn’t call either of them abolitionists for writing that enslaving others felt icky. In this piece, how does Jefferson himself justify his enslavement of black people in his home state of Virginia? Read the Articles of Confederation (https://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/artconf.asp#art2%C2%A0), the original plan for a federal government drafted and ratified during the American War for Independence. Consider as you read that the federal powers outlined in the Articles all pertain to warfare and foreign policy. What can you tell were the biggest concerns of the wealthy, educated American men forming the American government? What does it mean that the Articles set up a ‘league of friendship’? If you would like, you can skim or reference the (Links to an external site.)Constitution of the United States of America. (https://www.archives.gov/founding-docs/constitution-transcript) FINALLY: Complete the short answer assignment below. Using the required readings above, answer EACH of the following questions in a short paragraph (about 50-100 words apiece). Each answer will be worth two points for a total of 10 points. No Chicago formatting is necessary. Question 1: Give one example of the ineffectiveness of the Articles of Confederation. Why was the writing of the Constitution necessary, given the inabilities of the Articles? Question 2: Why were Anti-Federalists opposed to the ratification of the Constitution? Use a piece of quoted evidence from the Anti-Federalist primary source above. Question 3: According to James Madison (author of No.10 and 51 of the Federalist Papers above), why were factions dangerous (see No. 10)? In Madison’s estimation, what are two ways in which American liberties will be protected in the new republic (see No. 10 and 51)?