Education@NCC

Welcome Back Teachers!

2010-09-08T07:39:00.000-07:00

It has been a very busy and very exciting summer season here at the Center. The buzz is all about our upcoming Liberty Medal ceremony honoring Tony Blair on September 13; our next installment of The Exchange on September 16; our free and fun Constitution Day Celebrations on September 17; and our new exhibit Art of the American Soldier opening on September 24.
Our new blog is under construction, and we really appreciate your feedback. Look for the full launch of the site later this fall. For now, check out blog.constitutioncenter.org for our alpha version!

The Education Team wishes you all the best for an engaging, stimulating, and very successful school year!

The NCC Welcomes Kathryn Venzor as Education Manager

2010-05-21T06:06:00.000-07:00

The NCC is pleased to welcome Kathryn R. Venzor as our new Education Manager. Kathryn began her museum education career at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. After three years of educational programming and archaeological collections research, she moved to New Mexico to pursue her Master's degree in Anthropology, with an emphasis in Southwestern Archaeology. At New Mexico State University Kathryn served as the Public Programs Coordinator for the University Museum, where she also designed and implemented a Southwestern ceramics research database of the Museum's collections, and assisted in ceramics research for the University's archaeology field school. After completion of her Master's degree, Kathryn moved back east for a position at the University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology. While at Penn, she worked in both American Section collections research as well as a digital initiative with the Penn Libraries Rare Book & Manuscript division. Her work was never far from museum education, however, as Kathryn began work with the Stenton House Museum in Historic Germantown and the History Hunters Youth Reporter Program soon after moving to Philadelphia.
Kathryn is thrilled to be the Education Manager of the NCC, and she looks forward to working with the NCC's 15,000 teachers!

Why is Washington there?

2010-04-23T11:58:00.000-07:00

On April 23, 1789, President-elect George Washington and his wife Martha moved into Franklin House in New York City, the first capital of the United States. A year-and-a-half later, in late 1790, the Washingtons moved to Philadelphia, which would remain the temporary capital of the nation for a decade.

Shortly before the Washingtons' move to Philadelphia, Congress authorized the creation of a new federal capital of ten square miles in size, the site of the capital to be determined by President Washington. Congress had been given the authority to establish a federal district as the "Seat of Government" under Article I, Section 8 of the Constitution. Washington chose a location on the banks of the Potomac River within the borders of Maryland and Virginia.

The district was termed the "Territory of Columbia," and the city that comprised the capital itself was named "Washington" after the president. The city was built on the Maryland side of the Potomac River (the French architect Charles L'Enfant's 1792 design is pictured above). Eventually, Congress would return the land south of the Potomac to the Commonwealth of Virginia.

Have your students research why George Washington chose the site on the Potomac River as the location of the nation's capital. Why did the Framers of the Constitution consider it important to designate federal land as the nation's capital instead of simply housing the capital in an existing city, like New York or Philadelphia?

The 17th Amendment

2010-04-07T12:50:00.000-07:00

April 8 will be the 97th anniversary of the ratification of the 17th Amendment, which mandated the direct election of U.S. senators by popular vote, rather than by state legislatures. This Amendment overrides Article I, Section 3, Clauses 1 and 2 of the Constitution. U.S. Congressman Louie Gohmert (R-TX) recently called for the repeal of the 17th Amendment, arguing that this action would do much to restore states rights.

The Framers of the Constitution called for the election of senators by state legislatures not only to maintain a balance between federal and state power but also to provide a filter for popular opinion. The Founders had apprehensions about making government too democratic, as they believed that the common man might succumb to "passion" (emotion) instead of reason and elect unqualified representatives. Over time, as the right to vote broaded to include more of the American populace, people began to call for the direct election of senators.

Voting rights have expanded throughout our country’s history. Have your students play the National Constitution Center’s Seize the Vote game and learn more about voting history as they attempt to win their character’s right to vote.

Fighting During Recess

2010-03-29T08:29:00.001-07:00

"The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their next session."
- U.S. Constitution: Article II, Section 2, Clause 3

“The United States Senate has the responsibility to approve or disapprove of my nominees. But if, in the interest of scoring political points, Republicans in the Senate refuse to exercise that responsibility, I must act in the interest of the American people and exercise my authority to fill these positions on an interim basis.”
- President Barack Obama

“Circumventing constitutional Senate vetting is dangerous because President Obama’s track record in vetting nominees and other high-level appointees has been very poor. . . . Many of the people President Obama is granting recess appointments will hold high level positions that will greatly influence job creation in this country.”
- Senator Jim DeMint of South Carolina

Though there is little evidence as to the intentions of the Constitution's Framers in creating the recess appointment clause, it seems that it was meant to allow the President to maintain the continuity of administrative government through the temporary filling of offices during periods when the Senate was not in session and thus could not consider nominees. This interpretation was bolstered by the fact that Congress had both relatively short sessions and long recesses between sessions until the beginning of the 20th century.

Presidents, however, have sometimes used recess appointments for political purposes--as opportunities to side-step a Congress controlled by the opposition party. Attorneys General and the courts have added to the president's recess appointment power by interpreting broadly the phrase “vacancies that may happen during the recess of the Senate." The recess appointment power is now generally accepted to include the right to make recess appointments to any position that became vacant prior to the recess and to positions that became vacant during the recess.

President Clinton made 139 recess appointments, and President George W. Bush made 171 in their two terms in the White House. President Obama has made 15 recess appointments in his year-and-a-half in office.

Current Events & the Constitution
Ask your students to deliberate the positives and negatives of recess appointments after first reading Article II, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution. Then ask them to look at the history of recess appointments at the Senate's web site and what each political party has to say about President Obama's recess appointments.

Freedom of Internet Speech

2010-03-23T07:29:00.000-07:00

China and internet search giant Google are at odds over Google’s decision no longer to censor its site. Google has redirected users going to http://www.google.cn/ to Google’s unrestricted Hong Kong site http://www.google.com.hk/ Google was demonized by some in the West and within China for its initial decision to submit to the Chinese government’s censorship policy. Google has now signaled that it wants to "meaningfully increase access to information for people in China." This would entail no longer filtering from Google’s search engine results sites critical of the Chinese government . The Chinese government says that Google has violated a written promise to filter out sites the Chinese government finds objectionable.

"Network neutrality" is the principle that data on the internet should be moved impartially, without regard to content, destination, or source. Those who favor network neutrality believe that it protects the free market by ensuring that all small and independent sites, such as blogs, are on an even playing field with large, corporate-owned sites. Critics of network neutrality want a two-tiered model, where ISPs would be able to charge owners of Web sites a premium fee for priority placement and faster speed across their networks.

Both of these internet controversies are about the concept of freedom of speech: that of the Chinese people and that of small independent web sites. In the United States, freedom of speech is a fundamental right, but in some countries, like China, such a right does not exist in law.

Ask your students these questions:
Is “freedom of speech” an inalienable universal human right? Why, or why not?

If ISPs (Internet Service Providers) can decide what kind of content moves at what speed on the internet, do they then have the ability to determine what types of content internet users have access to? Explain your answer.

Does the concept of freedom of speech translate to the internet? Why, or why not?

To Lead or to Follow?

2010-03-22T13:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, President Obama's healthcare legislation passed Congress, despite its apparent unpopularity with most American voters. This fact brings up the interesting question of whether, in a democracy, elected representatives should simply follow the wishes or their constituents or whether they should decide how to vote without regard to public opinion.

The former theory of representation is known as the "delegate" theory and was famously championed in American history by the Anti-Federalists during the debate about ratification of the Constitution. The latter theory is called the "trustee" theory of representation and was adovocated by Edmund Burke (pictured above), the 18th-century Irish-born British statesmen who sympathized with the American Revolutionaries and who is seen as the godfather of modern conservatism.

Though the delegate theory is more often associated with the American Left and the trustee theory with the Right, in the case of the health care debate, it seems that the two ends of the American political spectrum may be favoring the opposite theory this time around.

Have your students discuss which theory of representation is better for democracy.

Saint Patrick in America

2010-03-16T12:41:00.000-07:00

St. Patrick’s Day is most often celebrated with a plethora of shamrocks, green trappings, and corn beef and cabbage. But do your students know the history of the day and its importance for American history?

St. Patrick is known as the patron saint of Ireland, though he was actually born in Roman-governed England, probably in the late 4th century. Around the age of 16, he was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. He finally escaped after six years of servitude and returned to Britain. Back home, Patrick became a priest and then returned to Ireland where he converted tens of thousands of the Irish people to Christianity. Patrick died on March 17th, most likely in the year 461.

St. Patrick’s Day has been observed as a religious holiday by the Irish for hundreds of years, but the first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States – New York City to be exact. Irish soldiers in the English military marched through the city on March 17, 1762. The day became even more important in America as millions of Irish immigrants entered the United States in the nineteenth century. Today, a St. Patrick’s Day parade takes place in cities all over America, notably Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Savannah. Chicago even has a tradition of dyeing the Chicago River green for the day (see the picture above).

Some have made great and controversial claims for the importance of the role played by the Irish in world history. Their great influence on American history, however, is undisputed. Have your students research the influence of Irish immigration on American history. Where did most Irish immigrants settle? How did this immigration shape religious, political, and cultural developments in the United States? Who are some of the most famous Irish-Americans?

Reconciliation Makes Strange Bedfellows

2010-03-15T10:26:00.000-07:00

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, approved by the House of Representatives in September, may be the key to securing passage of a health care reform bill in the Senate. These two seemingly divergent bills have become intertwined because, though there may not be enough votes in the Senate to pass the health care bill, there are probably enough votes to pass the student aid bill.

The reason for merging the two bills would be to make the health-care half of the legislation more attractive to Democrats and Republicans who support the student aid bill, but not the health care bill. The proposed move to merge the bills would allow Senate Democrats to pass the combined bill via reconciliation. The debate about reconciliation has divided the Congress and brought into question the process of creating legislation.

Reconciliation has been used by both parties for more than three decades to overcome filibusters. It has been utilized by the majority political party in the Senate that did not have a 60-vote supermajority to overcome a filibuster eight times: two times by a Democratic-controlled Congress, and six times by a Republican-controlled Congress.

Current Events and the Constitution
The national debate about health care and education has focused new light on the process of making a bill into a law. Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution is a great place to start in understanding this process. Looking at Congress' parliamentary rules and reconciliation process are the next steps in understanding the process.

"Beware the Ides of March"

2010-03-12T05:35:00.000-08:00

Thus the soothsayer warned Emperor Julius Caesar on the 15th of March, 44 B.C. On that day, Caesar, who had overturned the Roman republic and made himself a tyrant, was assassinated by a group of Senators, including his friend, Brutus. In the eponymous play by William Shakespeare, the Senators begin to stab Caesar, who tries to resist the assault until he sees Brutus also wielding a knife against him. "Et tu, Brute?" ("And you, Brutus?"), Caesar utters in disbelief before collapsing.

The figure of Brutus--the assassin of the tyrant--cast a long shadow over American history. In setting up their own republic, the American Founders looked to the Roman republic as a model and the Roman Empire embodied by Caesar as a portent of what they feared the republic could become. Americans feared that liberty was fragile and that the republic could be undone by the ambition of one man.

"Brutus" became the pseudonym of one of the most famous Antifederalist authors (probably Robert Yates of New York), who wrote essays in opposition to the proposed Constitution of 1787, which he believed dangerously consolidated power in the central government. The Framers of the Constitution were also wary of the rise of a Caesar and designed the presidency with great care in an effort to prevent any abuse of executive power.

The assassin of Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, saw himself as an American Brutus, who was serving the cause of liberty by killing a president who had assumed tyrannical powers. Booth famously called out, "Sic semper tyrannis!" ("Thus always to tyrants!") after shooting Lincoln at Ford's Theater. This phrase was the state motto of Virginia and had been attributed to Brutus himself. Booth was a famous American actor at the time of the assassination and only months before had appeared as Mark Antony in a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (see the picture to the left: from left to right are John Wilkes Booth and his brothers Junius, Jr. and Edwin).

Booth's self-association with the figure of Brutus has tarnished the use of the Roman's name by those who oppose concentrated government power. Still, the story of Brutus and Caesar retains its power today in the United States, particularly in light of the rise of a strong executive that some have dubbed "the imperial presidency."

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone . . . or did he?

2010-03-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

"Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.”

Those were the first words spoken on Alexander Graham Bell’s revolutionary invention, the telephone, on March 10, 1876. Most people today credit Bell as the sole inventor of the telephone. But Bell is often accused of stealing part of his concept for the telephone from fellow inventor Elisha Gray.

Both Gray and Bell applied for a patent from the U.S. Patent Office on the same day: February 14, 1876. Bell was issued his patent on March 7, 1876, and three days later transmitted the first clear words through an acoustic telegraph.

Have your students research the Bell-Gray controversy and discuss which inventor should have received the patent for the telephone. Discuss with them why patents are important. You may also want to have them discuss the impact the telephone has had on history. Your students may be interested in looking at Bell’s experimental notebook entry from March 10, 1876.

Parliamentary and Presidential Systems of Government

2010-03-08T08:29:00.000-08:00

An estimated 60 percent of Iraqis voted during the 2010 parliamentary elections on Monday. In a parliamentary democracy like Iraq’s, parliament has sovereignty over the head of the government, the prime minster. The prime minster is usually the leader of the political party that has either won the majority of seats in parliament or has the most seats without holding a majority. In the case of the latter, the political party with the most seats in parliament must form a coalition government, which includes members of other political parties. Many European, Middle Eastern, and South Asian nations follow the parliamentary system, with Britain’s being that most famous.

The political party of the current Iraqi Prime Minster, Nouri Maliki, is not expected to retain a majority of the seats in that country’s parliament but will probably still hold the most seats and thus would be forced to form a coalition government.

During the 2008 election cycle in the United States, almost 62 percent of eligible voters went to the polls to elect the 44th President of the United States. They also handed the Democratic Party a majority of the seats in both houses of Congress. Some believe the Democrats are in danger of losing their majorities in Congress during the mid-term elections this November, but no matter the result, in a presidential system, Barack Obama would still be President of the United States.

Questions to Consider

Which system, parliamentary or presidential, is more consistent with democratic ideals?

Which system provides for more accountability to the voters?

Why have more democracies adopted the parliamentary system than the presidential system?

Would a parliamentary system necessitate more political parties?

Would having fewer political parties mean a more stable system of government?

My Years in High School

2010-03-08T07:43:00.000-08:00

Teaching is certainly a challenging profession, as well as a rewarding one. Newly published, this little book by a veteran high school teacher details the trials and tribulations of teaching in a 21st-century American public school.

From the book jacket:

"Writer and educator Marcos Puga gives a close-up view of what it's like to be a teacher, with a distinct and humorous voice. From the difficult to the delightful, his narrative is a wonderful tribute to students and how each has the uneniable right to quality education and what role the teacher plays in bringing out the best in his/her students. Meant to aid and inspire other teachers, parents, and yes, even students, this amusing book is filled with advice, anecdotes, and the heartfelt pride of what it means to be a teacher."

Lincoln Takes Office This Day in History

2010-03-04T09:12:00.001-08:00

It was on March 4th, 1861 that Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office to become the 16th President of the United States of America. His inauguration was the impetus for seven southern states to secede from the Union, and his decision to call for 75,000 volunteers to put down the "rebellion" drove four more states into the arms of the new Confederate States of America.

The war and Lincoln's conduct of it brought numerous constitutional questions about states' rights, slavery, and presidential powers to a head. Many of Lincoln's decisions are still debated by scholars today--a debate your students can join by taking part in the National Constitution Center's engaging lesson plan and accompanying online game, Lincoln's Crossroads.

Does the Second Amendment Apply to the States?

2010-03-03T13:37:00.000-08:00

“A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.”
- Second Amendment to the Constitution

“Nor shall any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law.”
- Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause

The debate about whether the 14th Amendment makes the first ten amendments to the Constitution applicable to the states, thus extending the protections of the Bill of Rights, has a long history that will gain another chapter when the Supreme Court hears the case of McDonald v. Chicago this week.

Citing the Due Process Clause of the 14th Amendment, the Supreme Court in a series of cases has held that most of the freedoms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights also apply to the states. The 1st, 4th, three clauses of the 5th, the 6th, and a clause in the 8th Amendment have been incorporated.

Until now, however, the 2nd Amendment, along with the 3rd, a clause in the 5th and the 7th Amendment have not been applied to, or incorporated against, the states. In D.C. v. Heller (2008) the Supreme Court held that the 2nd Amendment protects an individual’s right to possess firearms for self-defense within federal territories, like Washington, D.C.

McDonald v. Chicago will likely determine whether the limits placed on the federal government by the 2nd Amendment are applicable to state and local governments.

Ask your students which of the freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights should be incorporated against the states, which should not be incorporated, and to defend their answers.

The Exchange, the National Constitution Center's program of national student deliberation, will grapple with the issue of gun control, when on May 20, The Exchange asks students: Can government prohibit citizens from owing handguns? Your students can join the conversation about important constitutional issues by visiting The Exchange's website.

Oh Say Can You See . . .

2010-03-02T07:13:00.000-08:00

March 3 will be the 79^th anniversary of the congressional resolution, signed by President Herbert Hoover, which made Francis Scott Key’s Star-Spangled Banner the national anthem. However, there has been a long-standing debate about whether the Star-Spangled Banner is the right choice for the country’s anthem.

The Star-Spangled Banner was written in 1814 and was originally titled Defence of Fort McHenry. Key wrote the work after he witnessed the bombardment of the Maryland fort by the British during the War of 1812. Though composed as a poem, the piece soon began to be sung to the tune of the popular British drinking song “To Anacreon in Heaven.”

For years, many people have lobbied to have the song America the Beautiful replace the Star- Spangled Banner as the country’s national anthem. America the Beautiful was written by Katharine Lee Bates, and the music was composed by church organist Samuel A. Ward. America the Beautiful also began as a poem, entitled Pikes Peak (the plaque atop Pikes Peak commemorating the composition of the poem is pictured above).

Proponents of the switch say that America the Beautiful is easier to sing and more melodic than the Star-Spangled Banner and that the Star-Spangled Banner is too militaristic.

Have your students read the lyrics to the Star-Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful and discuss the differences. Also have them listen to the songs. Have your students deliberate as to which song they think should be our country’s national anthem. Would they keep the Star-Spangled Banner or would they change it to America the Beautiful?

The Patriot Act

2010-02-26T11:31:00.000-08:00

Today, Congress will send a bill to extend parts of the controversial Patriot Act to Pres. Obama. Without passing the legislation, provisions of the Patriot Act will expire this Sunday.

Some say the Patriot Act provides the government with necessary tools for the fight against terrorism, both domestically and internationally. Others say the Patriot Act violates civil liberties.

This topic presents an excellent opportunity to instill the habits of active citizenship in your students. First, have your students get informed. You can have your students read more about this story here on our Constitution Newswire, and conduct additional research on the Patriot Act.

Then, have your students check out the bill for themselves. Reading the bill (in whole or in parts you pre-select) can also be used as a media literacy activity where students can see if what they are reading in the news is similar to what they find in the bill. You can search the bill and track the legislative process directly from our website at www.constitutioncenter.org/action.

Your students can then deliberate the issue in class, citing what they've learned about the legislation and the Constitution. For information on how to conduct a successful deliberation in your class, visit the newly redesigned Exchange website.

Finally, return to the Citizen's Help Desk to have your students write the president and their members of Congress to tell them what they think of the legislation and why.

The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson

2010-02-24T12:24:00.000-08:00

February 24 marks the 142nd anniversary of the date on which the United States House of Representatives passed articles of impeachment of President Andrew Johnson. This marked the first time (out of only two in our country’s history) that this particular check on presidential power contained in the Constitution was tested. America's Founding Fathers had a deep fear of executive power, which stemmed from their experience with what they deemed the tyrannical rule of the English monarchy. They had included several checks on the president when they wrote the Constitution, and impeachment was seen as perhaps the last resort in checking presidential tyranny.

But what exactly is impeachment? Have your students read Article II, Section 4 of the Constitution, which explains when a president maybe impeached, and Article 1, Section 2.

Once they understand the process, students can consider the impeachment of President Johnson, which occurred amidst an atmosphere of bitter political struggle between the Radical Republicans who controlled Congress and Democrat Johnson, who opposed the Radicals' desire to inflict a harsh program of Reconstruction on the South. (Johnson was a United States Senator from Tennesee in 1861 but remained loyal to the Union when his state seceded that year.)

Johnson was formally impeached in the House of Representatives on February 24, 1868, in an indictment of eleven articles for alleged “high crimes and misdemeanors.” The House’s main charge was that President Johnson violated the Tenure of Office Act when he replaced Edwin M. Stanton as Secretary of War with Lorenzo Thomas. The Tenure of Office Act, passed in 1867, provided that the president could not remove anyone from office who had been confirmed by the Senate without the consent of the Senate. Radical Republicans had passed the law over Johnson's veto in 1867, in the hope that Johnson would violate the act by trying to remove unilaterally the Radical Stanton from his cabinet post.

The impeachment trial began on March 5, 1868 with Supreme Court Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase presiding. President Johnson was acquitted on May 16, by a very close vote – only one shy of the number required for conviction.

Have your students review the cases of both the prosecution and the defense. How would your students have voted if they had been in the Senate? It mightbe interesting to hold a mock impeachment trial in your classroom.

Does Jury Duty Violate the Thirteenth Amendment?

2010-02-22T08:17:00.000-08:00

"The term 'involuntary servitude' was intended to cover those forms of compulsory labor akin to African slavery which, in practical operation, would tend to produce like undesirable results."
- Justice McReynolds’ majority opinion in Butler v. Perry (1916)

It has been argued that mandatory national service violates the 13th Amendment’s prohibition against “involuntary servitude.” Proponents of mandatory national service have said that it strengthens America’s civil society and directly involves citizens in their democracy.

The controversy over mandatory national service has been argued in school hallways, the halls of Congress, and the chambers of the Supreme Court since the nation's founding. Usually the debate has centered on military conscription and the draft, but it has also dealt with civilian conscription by the government.

It has been argued that the 13th Amendment bans any form of mandatory service including jury duty, but that opinion has been countered by the need for mandatory jury duty in order to secure another individual right guaranteed by the Constitution: the right to a trial by jury under the 6th and 7th Amendments.

Is mandatory jury duty necessary to ensure that juries are a representative sample of the citizenry? Or should juries be comprised of citizen-volunteers? What are the consequences of having mandatory jury duty and volunteer jury duty? Why does our Constitution mandate trials by jury? How can we balance the need for citizens to serve their nation on the one hand, and individual freedom on the other?

During The Exchange from 12:30 to 1:30 PM on March 18th, high school students from across the nation will try to answer these questions and more during a real time video conference when they deliberate the question: “Should a year of national service be required for all Americans?” All modes of national service--voluntary, mandatory, civilian and military--will be discussed at our student roundtable.

Join the conversation by visiting The Exchange website to learn how to participate in the live interactive video conference, take our nationwide Web Poll, or contact your elected representatives and tell them how you feel about this important national issue.

The Confederate Constitution vs. The United States Constitution

2010-02-19T12:41:00.000-08:00

On February 22, 1862, Jefferson Davis was formally inaugurated as the first President of the Confederate States of America (he had been made provisional president a year before). The new Confederate Constitution provided that Davis would serve a single six-year term as president. This was a change from the United States Constitution, which originally allowed its president to serve an unlimited number of four-year terms.

The Confederate Constitution was indeed modeled on the United States Constitution, but it contained several crucial changes of wording, which reflected southerners' perceived flaws in the original Constitution of 1787. These differences help explain why southern leaders had taken the drastic step of leading their states out of the Union.

Have your students compare the Confederate Constitution to the United States Constitution. Specifically, have your students look at the following sections of the two frames of government: the Preamble; Article I, section 1; Article I, section 7; Article I, section 8; Article I, section 9; Article IV, section 2; Article V. Have them discuss why the Confederate delegates made the changes in wording to the United States Constitution. What do these changes indicate about the political philosophy of the South in contrast to that of the North?

Think Summer!

2010-02-18T10:04:00.000-08:00

With much of the country still recovering from Snowmaggedon, we encourage you to think warm thoughts and considering spending a week of your summer with us!

Classroom teachers have just under two weeks left to apply for our Summer Teacher Institutes, and we don't want you to miss this remarkable opportunity. This year's topics are:

A Revolution in Government: Philadelphia, American Independence and the Constitution, 1765-1791

America's Constitution and the World
*New topic!

Changing the Constitution,
*This institute is offered simultaneously on both the East and West coasts, and will take advantage of the National Constitution Center's unique collections and exhibits, as well as the resources of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library & Foundation.

We hope you consider applying to one or more of our institutes. If accepted, you will receive a stipend of more than $1000 to attend.

Please visit www.constitutioncenter.org/summer to apply today!

SIDE NOTE:
Also, for our local educators, we are holding a FREE Educator Open House on February 24, 2010 from 4-7pm at the National Constitution Center. All teachers, community educators and professors are welcome to attend this fun and informative night, and will have a chance to see the world debut of the Ancient Rome & America exhibition. Click here for more information.

The Year-Long Road to Recovery

2010-02-17T08:41:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow marks the one-year anniversary of the passage of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, signed by President Obama in an effort to address the worst economic crisis the United States has seen since the Great Depression. Since its inception, the plan--an almost 800-billion-dollar package meant to jump-start the economy by saving and creating jobs--has been highly controversial. Proponents of the act contend that by cutting income taxes for certain individuals, giving money to states and large businesses, extending unemployment benefits, and commissioning public works projects, the act will stimulate the economy. They believe that America must spend its way out of the recession.

Opponents of the act have asserted that spending at this high level is incredibly irresponsible, as it increases the government's budget deficits and burdens future generations with a huge amount of debt. They also argue that government spending will only serve to worsen economic conditions, and that what is needed is fiscal restraint and tax relief for all individuals and businesses.

Each side seems to have conflicting data supporting its position, with the White House reporting a dramatic increase in job creation and preservation, and watchdog groups reporting that the stimulus money has not done nearly enough good to justify the cost.

Ask your students to take a look and decide for themselves. They can access the details of the Recovery Act and can also look at the website of a watchdog group. Once your students understand the basic principles of the plan, stage a deliberation in your class in which students discuss the merits and drawbacks of th Recovery Act.

Students might also compare the government's response to the current crisis with previous administrations' responses to American economic crises, such as the Great Depression. Students could also assess the success of similar large-scale government spending programs like the New Deal of the 1930s and the Great Society programs of the 1960s.

How the Twelfth Amendment might have saved Alexander Hamilton's life!

2010-02-16T07:21:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow, February 17, will be the 209th anniversary of the tie-breaking decision in the election of 1800, between Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr. This election, only the fourth in America’s history, had far reaching outcomes and ultimately changed the way elections in our country work.

In 1800, Thomas Jefferson ran against John Adams for the Presidency. According to the original version of Article II of the Constitution, whoever got the most number of votes in the Electoral College became president, while whoever came in second became vice president. When the Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution, they did so in the hope that America would not have political parties. But parties formed anyway, the first two being the Democratic-Republicans and the Federalists.

This “first party system” caused electoral problems in 1796 when John Adams, a Federalist, became president, and Thomas Jefferson, a Democratic-Republican, became his vice president. The two clashed over how they thought the country should be run. In 1800, Jefferson ran against Adams and hoped to secure Aaron Burr, also a Democratic-Republican, as his vice president. When the Electoral College casts its votes, however, there was a tie between Jefferson and Burr.

Do you students know what happens when there is a tie among candidates in the Electoral College? Have your students read Article II, section 1 of the Constitution, which stipulates that in the event of a tie, the House of Representatives decides who will be president.

But back to the election of 1800 – after much debate and struggle, and ironically with the help of his longtime nemesis Alexander Hamilton, Jefferson was elected president by the House of Representatives, with Burr becoming vice president. The first vote in the House of Representatives was held on February 17, 1801.

The 1800 election testified to the fact that political parties were to be a feature of American politics despite the Founders’ wishes. In the wake of the contentious election, there was a movement to adjust the Constitution to take account of this reality. The Twelfth Amendment, ratified on June 15, 1804, stipulated that the Electoral College would cast separate ballots for the president and vice president, thus making a tie between candidates much less likely.

Another outcome of this important election was to ignite enmity between Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton, which ultimately resulted in the duel between the two men on July 11, 1804, in which Burr shot and killed Hamilton, less that a month after the ratification of the Twelfth Amendment. Had the Twelfth Amendment’s language been part of the original Constitution, might this duel have been avoided?

Washington's Birthday/Presidents' Day

2010-02-15T05:59:00.000-08:00

Today, February 15, the nation recognizes the contributions of. . . well, one or more of our presidents, depending on where you live and what guidelines--federal, state, or commercial--you choose to follow.

In the late nineteenth century, the United States Congress recognized George Washington's Birthday (which is actually February 22) as an official federal holiday. In the twentieth century, there was a push--including by business--to rename the holiday "Presidents' Day," in honor either of Washington and Abraham Lincoln (whose birthday is February 12) or of all the presidents.

Today, the federal holiday is still officially deemed "Washington's Birthday," but several states recognize other presidents on this day, and many Americans commonly refer to the day as "Presidents' Day" (or "President's Day," or "Presidents Day").

No matter which president(s) you celebrate today, it is a good time to reflect on which presidents were the greatest. Rating the presidents is a favorite pastime of historians and great fun for anyone interested in American history.

Ask your students to imagine that erosion caused by weather has caused the carvings of the presidents on Mount Rushmore--Washington, Thomas Jefferson, Theodore Roosevelt, and Lincoln--to wear away. Your students are tasked with recommending which four presidents' images should be newly carved into the stone.

Break the students up into groups and ask them to develop criteria for judging the presidents. You might want to use the criteria used by recent surveys, such as the C-SPAN survey. Alternatively, as another survey has suggested, perhaps the criteria for judging presidents should simply be how well they maintained peace, prosperity, and liberty for Americans. The Wall Street Journal 's 2005 presidential ranking results can be found here. Try not to prejudice your students by revealing the results of these polls until they have completed this activity.

Same-Sex Marriage deliberation

2010-01-29T11:50:00.000-08:00

“Marriage is one of our community’s most rewarding and cherished institutions.”
- Goodridge v. Dept. of Public Health (2003)

Students from California, Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania and Virginia came together for a video conference to deliberate the question, “Should same-sex couples have the right to marry?” during The Exchange, which is the National Constitution Center’s national student program that enables young people discuss current constitutional and political issues with their peers.

The students looked at the controversies over judicial or legislative remedies to the question of same-sex marriage, the possibility that same-sex marriage could harm American society as well as the possible effects of legalized same-sex marriage on private institutions, like the Boy Scouts and the Catholic Church.

Students on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate were exposed to differing points of view in a respectful and thoughtful way that allowed them to understand the perspectives of others even if they did not agree on whether same-sex couples should be allowed to marry.

Constitutional Connections
The Full Faith and Credit Clause in Article IV, Section 1 of the Constitution has been cited by some advocates of same-sex marriage as proof that the Defense of Marriage act of 1996 (DOMA) is unconstitutional. Critics of this argument say the Full Faith and Credit Clause gives Congress the right to control the "effect" of the agreements that fall under it, thus Congress can define the manner and effect of the judgments.

The Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment have also been cited by supporters of same-sex marriage as guaranteeing Americans a fundamental right to marry. Some opponents of same-sex marriage counter that the 14th Amendment does not grant homosexuals the right to marry because it only protects those belonging to a “suspect class,” which is a status that has not been granted to homosexuals by the courts.

In Your Classroom
In addition to a live nationwide webcast with high school students from around the country, The Exchange includes a free classroom poster, which contains a lesson designed to promote classroom deliberation. If you would like a classroom sized poster from this or a past Exchange, send an email to TheExchange@constitutioncenter.org or go to The Exchange web site. You can also go to The Exchange web site and take our nationwide Web Poll .

On Thursday, March 18, The Exchange will focus on the issue of national service as students deliberate the question, “Should a year of national service be required for all Americans?” Teachers who would like their students to participate in The Exchange video conference or learn more about the program should contact Jason Allen at jallen@constitutioncenter.org .