Defining and Debating America’s Founding Ideals

 As you can see, this is how you should take your notes in class this year.  Set up your paper like this.  Write questions on the left hand side of the paper.  Write the answers to those questions to the right.

 Then, write a summary at the bottom of the page.

 When I am introducing new material to you, you should be listening, not speaking.  Please treat your classmates with the utmost respect.

 Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?  When was it signed? (Month, day, year)  Where was it signed?  WHY was it written in the first place?

 Thomas Jefferson is the author of the Declaration of Independence.  He wrote it to set forth a vision of a new nation based on ideals.

 Ideals – a principle or standard of perfection that we are always trying to achieve.  What are some of the ideals that you are trying to achieve this year?  In the future?

 “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. --That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the Governed”.  --Thomas Jefferson, Declaration of Independence, 1776

 In your groups, what do you think that this passage means?

 When Jefferson wrote the Declaration of Independence, people were not being treated equally.  People were divided into different groups, castes, or social classes.  Are people treated equally today?  Have things changed from the time when Jefferson wrote this document?

 Jefferson mentions that everyone was treated equally, but failed to mention slavery in the Declaration of Independence.  Around 500,000 slaves existed in the colonies in  Where was their equality?

 Women were viewed as inferior to men in nearly every way.  They were not allowed to hold property, vote, or voice their opinions publicly.  Where was their equality?

 In your groups, consider the following questions:  1. Is equality an achievable goal in America?  2. If so, how best might it be achieved?

 The idea that people have certain rights seemed obvious to most people back in  Rights - powers or privileges granted to people by law.  They believed that they had certain rights, like a trial by jury or to be taxed with permission.  What are some other rights that you think that you have?

 Jefferson built his concept of unalienable rights from an English philosopher named John Locke.  Locke came up with a concept of natural rights, or rights that a person has at birth.  They are: life, liberty, and property.

 Liberty meant different things to the colonists.  For some, liberty mean political liberty.  For others, liberty mean the opposite of slavery.

 In your groups, who was John Locke?  What is the difference between rights and liberty?

 A big difference between Locke and Jefferson:  Locke: Life, liberty, and property  Jefferson: Life liberty, and THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS.  Jefferson believed that America was a place of endless opportunity.  Opportunity –The chance for people to pursue their hopes and dreams.

 In your groups, create a list of reasons that people have wanted to come to America.  Would those reasons fit Jefferson’s ideal of the pursuit of happiness? Why or why not?

 Democracy - a system of government founded on the principle that the power to rule comes from the consent of the governed.  It is not a monarchy, where rule is passed down by family members.  It is also not a dictatorship, where political power is gained by force.

 Who would speak for the governed?  Could democracy work in a country spread out over 1,000 miles?  What do you think?

 The current legal voting age is 18. Do you think that this is fair? Why or why not?  Can democracy work if large numbers of the American population do not vote?  Why do so many Americans choose not to make their voices heard?