Lesson Plan
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Lesson Preview
After the American colonies finally won their
freedom from England, they faced the task of creating a new government. They
needed to formulate a plan that would keep the problems of the past from
repeating themselves. They needed to have a safe and reliable system for
creating and enforcing new laws that would protect the liberties of the people.
The government of the United States was the first of its kind. It was modeled on
ancient principles of democracy and balanced by the system of a free republic.
In this lesson we will explore the philosophies that influenced the nation’s
founders as they sought to create this new government.
When you have completed this lesson, you will be able to
analyze the influence of ancient Greek, Roman, English, and leading European political thinkers on the development of American government,
discuss the character of American democracy and its promise and perils as described by Alexis de Tocqueville,
explain how the U.S. Constitution reflects a balance between the classical republican concern with promotion of the public good and the classical liberal concern with protecting individual rights,
discuss how the basic premises of liberal constitutionalism and democracy are joined in the Declaration of Independence as "self-evident truths,"
explain how the founding fathers' realistic view of human nature led directly to the establishment of a constitutional system that limited the power of the governors and the governed,
describe the systems of separated and shared powers, the role of organized interests, checks and balances, the importance of an independent judiciary, enumerated powers, rule of law, federalism, and civilian control of the military, and
understand that the Bill of Rights limits the
powers of the federal government and state governments.
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B. J. Subbiondo © 2004