Week 5 – Gov.
Objectives: Describe the nature of the colony’s relationship to England. Analyze the Medieval origins of the federal government. Explain how the colonies were Christian republics. Compare and contrast the differences between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution.
- The English Bill of Rights
- The Declaration of Independence
- Outline the main arguments of each section of the Declaration.
- “Feudalism and Federalism” (chapter 2) from This Independent Republic, by R. J. Rushdoony
- “The United States” by R. J. Rushdoony
- Read the Articles of Confederation
- What are the beneficial freedoms of the Articles?
- What are weaknesses to a weakened national government?
- Read The Constitution of the United States (stop at the amendments).
- Essay: Analyze how the power of the national government has grown since the ratification of the Constitution. Has it been beneficial to the country to live under the Constitution rather than the Articles of Confederation? Why or why not? What could local governments do to regain authority lost in recent decades?
- The requirements are the same as the previous essay, with the exception of the length. This essay must be at least fifteen hundred words. It’s due at the end of week 10.
- Questions for the week: How did the early English documents (Magna Carta, Petition of Right, English Bill of Rights) influence the colonists in creating the Declaration of Independence? Make a chart contrasting the Constitution and the Articles of Confederation.