Discussion Summaries -- TAH Seminar – January 12, 2004
Main Ideas – Constitution
 Concept of Union
 Voice of the nation not individual states
 Improvement of existing government
 Concept of “more perfect”
 Need for a strong national government
 Importance of “We the people”
 The purpose of government
Main Ideas – Declaration of Independence
 Disagreement about lack of (non) representation
 All men are created equal
 Life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
 Organized government for safety and happiness
 Consent of the governed
 Natural rights come from God, not the King
 Three parts of Declaration of Independence
 People’s right to alter the government
 Power of government comes from the people
 Complaints/grievances
 Pledge of the signers
 Powers of a government
 Small “u” united States (as an adjective)
 Negative powers of government
Vocabulary -- Constitution
 Welfare
 Posterity
 Tranquility
 Ordained
 Liberty
 Justice
 Preamble
 Defense
 insure
Vocabulary – Declaration of Independence
 unanimous
 unalienable
 tyranny
 usurpations
 despotism
 dissolution
 domestic
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transient
self-evident
petition
“property”
MAIN IDEAS OF DOCUMENTS: BY GRADE LEVEL
Grade 4:
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Who are the contributors? (Especially Virginians)
Disagreements over non-representation
Consent of the governed
House of Burgess connection to Virginia
Main outcome or result of the Declaration of Independence
Enumeration of the complaints and grievances
Concept of a Union
Form of the document was a letter
Grade 6:
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List of grievances
Disagreement and lack of representation
God-given rights – life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness
Power of government comes from the people
Right to change government
Concept of Union vs. individual states
Middle School:
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Blessings of liberty
Japanese internment
Sedition Act
All men are created equal
Do the Amendments fulfill that promise?
Consent of the governed
Idea of general welfare compared to notions of welfare in the 20th century
Justice with regard to Civil Rights
Purposes of government
High School:
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Philosophy and goals of government
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Summarize the ideas of the Declaration of Independence
Philosophies of what led up to the construction of the Declaration of
Independence
Consent of government
Importance of Virginians
Commitment of the Founders
Other acts of British tyranny that connect to events prior to signing of document
e.g. Irish rebellion
Why was it a written document?
Responsibilities of living in a free society vs. Jeffersonian notions of happiness
Structure of the document – its syntax, language, spelling, grammar