1. CH2 Defining and Debating America’s Founding Ideals

2. Bell Ringer What Is America???
What are the ideals that United States was founded on?
Who wrote the declaration of Independance?
Are those Ideals still alive today?

4. Equality
Equality is the ideal situation where all people are treated the same way, and valued equally.
Jefferson says that these rights are “self evident.” What does self-evident mean?
Social classes have existed throughout history. Social classes existed in the USA when Jefferson wrote this.
Name an example you can think of where equality did not exist.

5. Rights
Rights are powers and privileges granted to people either by an agreement among themselves or by law.
Jefferson wrote of unalienable rights: rights so basic that they could never be taken away.
Jefferson got this idea from John Locke. He said that people had natural rights just from being born, and that they were life, liberty, and property.
Why did Jefferson change “property,” to “pursuit of happiness”? (He wasn’t concerned with plagiarism.

6. Liberty Liberty is essentially the same thing as freedom.
The American colonies fought a war for liberty. (True) Did the American colonies fight a war only for liberty?
Why is Liberty a hard thing to fight for?

7. Opportunity is the chance for people to pursue their hopes and dreams.
Page Smith argues that, “The kings and potentates, the powers and principalities of this world [would not] have thought of including “happiness” among the rights of a people… except for a select and fortunate few.”
Why else might Jefferson not included the right to own land?

8. Democracy
Democracy is a system of government founded on the simple principal that the power to rule comes from the consent of the governed
Jefferson, as well as other colonist, did not want a monarchy or a dictatorship. Why?
A democracy means that everyone, on some level, has a say with what happens in the country. This is the concept of voting.
Is a democracy perfect?

9. ESSAY Outline an Essay Intro: Hook, and Main Idea Body 1 Body 2 Body 3
Fact 1, 2 sentences explanation
Fact 2, 2 sentences explanation
Body 2
Body 3
Conclusion: No new Information, driving home the point of the paper.
Have American’s lived up to the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence?