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Lesson 1: Republican Government
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This lesson introduces you to thoughts which will help you
understand why the founding fathers of our country believed a republican
form of government was best. You will learn about civic virtue and the
common welfare. The founding fathers studied history The founding fathers studied the history of governments. They were very interested in what they read about the government of the Roman Republic. It was located in what is now the country of Italy. The Roman Republic existed more than 2,000 years before our nation began. The founding fathers liked what they read about the Roman Republic. They learned some important ideas from their study of the government of ancient Rome. They used some of these ideas when they created our government. What is a republican form of government? The government of Rome was called a republican government. The founding fathers read that republican government was one in which the power of government is held by the people. The people give power to leaders they elect to represent them and serve their interests. The representatives are responsible for helping all the people in the country, not just a few people.
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Terms to Know
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Advantages of a republican government
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The founding fathers thought a republican government was the best
kind of government they could choose for themselves. They believed that
the advantages of republican government were:
What is the common welfare? When a government tries to help everyone in a country, we say it is serving the common welfare. The common welfare is what is good for everyone in the country, not just a few people. -* -
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Problem Solving
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How do you decide what the common welfare is? When should you give up your
own interests to do something that is good for everyone? Each person has
to answer this question for himself or herself. The following exercise will help you do this. Work in groups of about three to five students. Each group should discuss the following questions. Be prepared to explain your group's answers to the class.
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What is Civic Virtue?
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When you work to help others and promote the common welfare, you are
showing civic virtue. The founding fathers thought civic virtue was
important for a republican government. People with civic virtue are
interested in having the government help all the people. The founding fathers thought it was necessary to teach children the importance of helping others. Young people learned about civic virtue in their homes, schools, and churches. Adults also heard about civic virtue from their religious and political leaders. The founding fathers thought a republican government would work in our country. They believed most of the people had civic virtue. They thought the people would select leaders who would work for the common welfare.
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Reviewing and Using the Lesson
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Lesson 2: Why Do We Need a Government?
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This lesson introduces you to some of the basic ideas which were of great importance to the founders. They used these ideas when they developed our government. You will learn why they thought we need a government in the first place. You will also learn how they believed governments should be created and what they ought to do. |
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Terms to Know
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Problem solving - identifying basic rights
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Think of a right you believe all people should have. For example, you
probably agree that everyone in the United States has the right to be
protected from robbers and burglars. The belief that everyone should have
this protection is shared by most people in the United States. We hear
about it on television, in the newspaper, and in discussions. Individually or in small groups, explain how you think rights like the one you have identified can be protected. Defining natural rights Most people in the American colonies believed that everyone had a right to life, liberty, and property. These rights were called natural rights. (Sometimes these are now called basic rights or fundamental rights.) The idea of natural rights means that all persons have these rights just because they are human beings. Everyone is born with these rights and they should not be taken away. Many of the founders believed people receive these rights from God. Others believed that people have them just because it is natural for people to have them. John Locke was a famous English philosopher. He lived from 1632 to 1704. He had written a book called Two Treatises of Civil Government (1690). In that book he wrote about natural rights. He said that the main purpose of government should be to protect the people’s natural rights. He also said that kings should not have absolute power. They should not be able to deprive people of their natural rights. Many Americans had read Locke’s book, and they agreed with what it said about government. Those who had not actually read Locke’s book knew his ideas from newspapers, political pamphlets, church sermons, and discussions. Protecting natural rights Although people agreed on certain natural rights, they worried about how those rights could be protected. Locke and others thought about what life would be like in a situation where there was no government and no laws. They called this situation a state of nature. They were afraid that in a state of nature their rights would be taken away.
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Problem solving - it’s your turn to think like a philosopher.
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Imagine what life might be like in a state of nature. Think what your
classroom might be like if there were no rules. Think what might happen if
the teacher didn’t have the right to tell anyone what to do. Work together in groups of about five to answer the following questions about such a situation. Then choose a person to explain your answers to the rest of the class. Then compare your answers with John Locke’s which follow.
Compare your list with John Locke’s You may have seen the same disadvantages in a state of nature that John Locke saw. Locke believed:
The social compact John Locke and other philosophers developed a solution to the problems that exist in a place without government. In a state of nature, people might feel free to do anything they want to do. However, their rights would not be protected and they would feel insecure. Locke argued that people should agree with one another to give up some of their freedom in exchange for protection and security. They should consent to follow some laws in exchange for the protection that these laws would give them. This agreement is called a social compact or social contract. A social compact is an agreement people make among themselves to create a government to rule them and protect their natural rights. In this agreement the people consent to obey the laws created by that government.
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Reviewing and using lesson 2
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Lesson 3: What Responsibilities Accompany Our Rights?
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Suppose your state government does everything it can to protect
your rights. Is this enough? Will your rights be protected? Do we have any
responsibility to protect not only our own rights, but each other’s as
well? In this lesson you will discuss some important questions about the responsibilities of citizens. You must develop your own answers to these questions.
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Is a good constitution enough?
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The founding fathers planned our government carefully. They organized it
so its powers were limited. They separated the powers of our government
among three different branches. They balanced the powers among these
branches. They provided ways each branch could check or limit the powers
of the other branches. Finally, they added a Bill of Rights. The Bill of
Rights now protects our rights from unfair treatment by our national,
state, and local governments. Some of the founders believed they had organized the government very well. They believed the way they planned the government was enough to make sure our rights and welfare would be protected. Other founders did not agree. They did agree that the way the government was organized was very important. However, they believed that the government would only work well if there were good people running it. They also believed it would only succeed if the citizens were good citizens. Today, most people agree. A well-written constitution is not enough to protect our rights. We need to elect leaders who will make and enforce laws that protect our rights and promote our welfare. However, even a good constitution and good leaders may not be enough. If we want to protect our rights and welfare, we, the people, have certain responsibilities to fulfill. Let’s examine what some of these responsibilities might be. What responsibilities accompany our rights? Most of us agree we all should have certain basic rights. For example, we all want the right to speak freely. We want the right to believe as we wish. We also want to be able to own property and to travel wherever we want to go. Is it fair to say that if we want these rights, we must also take on some responsibilities? Let’s examine this question.
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Problem solving - Can you have rights without responsibilities?
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As you study basic rights please examine some of the responsibilities that
go along with these rights. Your class should be divided into four groups.
Each group could develop answers to the questions on one of the rights
listed below. Then each group could report its findings to the class. Group I - Freedom of expression
Group 2 - Freedom of religion
Group 3 - The right to be treated equally
Group 4 - The right to be treated fairly by your state government
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Lesson 4: Why Do We Need Authority?
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In this lesson you will learn some uses of authority. You will examine a situation in which there is no effective authority and identify problems which the lack of authority creates. When you have completed this lesson you should be able to explain how authority can be used to deal with these problems. |
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Terms to Know
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What might happen if there were no authority?
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Think of all the rules you follow every day. Then think about all the
people in authority who sometimes tell you what to do. It might seem to
you that there are too many rules. There may even seem to be too many
people in authority. But have you ever wondered what might happen if there were no rules and no people in authority? What would happen if some people started causing trouble? What if jobs didn't get done that had to be done? Who would settle arguments or protect people's rights? Who would run the government? Would there even be a government? What do you think? Imagine that you wake up one morning and find there is no longer any authority. All rules, laws, police, courts, teachers, principals, and governments have disappeared.
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Critical thinking exercise: Identifying uses of authority
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The following is an excerpt from Mark Twain’s Roughing It, a story
about the Old West. Twain writes about a time when people often took the
law into their own hands. As you read this excerpt, think about
what problems arose because there was a lack of effective authority.
Can students relate the discussion of authority to other pieces of literature or real life situations?
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Lesson 5: A Dictionary of Independence
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Using events and biographies from their state’s history and U.S. history,
students create a dictionary of terms for citizens of a democracy. Resource materials needed
Activities and procedures 1. Write some of the following terms on the chalkboard: 2. Tell students that they are going to create a "dictionary of independence" by defining words that are important to good citizenship, such as the ones on the chalkboard. Tell them they will then write a one- or two-paragraph example, or brief, from their nation’s or state’s history to illustrate the use and meaning of the word. For example, in defining "independence," they might include the appropriate lines of the State Constitution. 3. With the class, brainstorm to add other words to the list on the board, including words that can be illustrated by examples from state history. Divide the list among the participating students so that each has no more than two. (If it is necessary to have more than one student be responsible for the same term, have them work together to provide more than one brief to support it.) 4. Students should then write the term, its dictionary definition, and the brief(s) neatly on sheets of paper of the same size. Students may also enjoy illustrating their terms. Choose one student to create a durable cover for the dictionary pages, then bind all entries together (in alphabetical order) for the library or classroom. Teaching options Encourage students, individually or in groups, to present their briefs as dramatizations. This might be in the form of an excerpt from a speech or a reenactment of a historic event, or a reading of a letter, journal, or other primary source. Have students interpret some of the terms from diverse viewpoints - for example, Alaskan Natives, men and women, children, state residents, hunters, urban dwellers or rural dwellers, etc.
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Funding for the 2003 update and web project was provided by the
University of Alaska.
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