9/12 Introduction

Class Recap:
What is government?
-"Monopoly on the legitimate use of force" -Max Weber
What kind of government do we have in the US?
What is democracy?
Limitations of democracy:
-Conflict/tension
-Who gets to vote?
-Is the population intelligent/informed enough to make good choices?
-The 51% problem. How do you keep the majority from oppressing minorities?
-How do you make important decisions quickly and efficiently?
What does "freedom" mean?
-Freedom from... (Civil Liberties)
Freedom of speech
The right to bear arms
Freedom of religion
Etc.
-Freedom to... (Civil Rights)
Public Education
Social Security
Voting rights
Etc.
Partisan vs. Ideological
-In this class will we strive to be non-partisan, but instead to explore ideologies

Vocabulary:
Government: An institution with a monopoly on the legitimate use of force within a society.
Democracy: A political system where the government is granted its power from some form of voting process by its citizens.
Civil Rights: Claims on the government to provide a basic right to all citizens.
Civil Liberties: Claims on the government to protect a citizens ability to do certain things.
Command Economy: A society where all businesses are run by the government.
Free Market Economy: A society where businesses are run by private citizens, and government is not involved.

Homework:
Next week we will begin talking about the founding of the US Government. To prepare for class I'm asking you to read the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. To give you some context, "the Declaration of Independence" is the document, written by Thomas Jefferson in 1776, that established the United States as a country, separate from England. Though it helps to show the ideology of the earliest founders, it didn't actually explain what kind of government this new country would have. After this, when the Revolutionary War was over, the founders wrote a document called "the Articles of Confederation" (which we will discuss in class). This document set up a government that had too little power to get any of its jobs done effectively, so in 1787 a group got together to rework the structure of the government, and, over the course of two years, they came up with the US Constitution. The Bill of Rights is a list of ten amendments (additions to the Constitution written afterward) designed to keep the powers of the federal government from getting too big.
When you read these documents try and imagine what reasons the founders had for each idea that comes up. What problems were they anticipating? What fears did they have?
Also, I'm having you read a short article by Christine Musser that will help you understand the debate that went on around the country when the Constitution was first presented.

Read the Declaration of Independence:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html

Read the US Constitution: http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.html

Read the Bill of Rights:
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript.html

*If you are struggling to understand the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, try looking at this site that explains each section in simpler language:
http://www.usconstitution.net/constquick.html

Read Christine Musser's "Writing the United States Constitution: Restructuring A New Country Accustomed to Kingdom Rule," at:
http://christinemusser.suite101.com/writing-the-united-states-constitution-a120577

Write 250-500 words in response to the question, "Why is it important to limit the power of a democratic government?" Don't worry about writing anything especially well structured or brilliant. I just want you to get some thoughts down on paper. I will read each of them and respond with some of my thoughts (but I definitely won't judge them or grade them). Please email the writing assignment to me by 9:00pm, Sunday the 18th.

If you have any questions, you can leave a comment on this post, email me at dylanhglenn@gmail.com, or call me anytime before 10:00pm at 215-756-5181.

Good luck. I'll see you next Monday,

Dylan Glenn