Unit 2: The Constitution – Lesson 5
Title
Skill
Activity
Claims/Warrants
Procedure
Timing/Pacing
Notes

Follow-Up Activity
Text
Government without Tyranny
Structuring a Complex Argument
Standard Soapbox
 Federalism is the US Constitution’s best guard against tyranny.
 Separation of powers is…
 Checks and balances are...
Standard Soapbox
 Students need to understand the Constitution as a whole and the
ideas of federalism, separation of powers, and checks and balances.
 The activity should take about 10-20 minutes, depending on how
complex speakers are required to make their arguments.
Consider having students synthesize all the ideas generated during this
activity by writing an essay in which they cite all three aspects of the
Constitution—federalism, separation of powers, and checks and
balances—as evidence that the document guards effectively against
tyranny. Of course, they might also argue the opposite.
Essay Pre-Writing (see “notes” above)
A standard textbook entry on the subject will suffice, but many
students will benefit from reading the actual text of the Constitution
and/or certain of the Federalist Papers (e.g., #47, #51, and #1788).
Boston Debate League © 2012
Name:_____________________________________ Class: __________ Date:______________
Structured Argument Soapbox
Background Information:
 Question: What was the US Constitution’s best guard against tyranny?
1) Claim
Claim:
___________ the US Constitution’s best guard against tyranny.
(Federalism, Separation of powers, Checks and balances)
2) Requirements for 3 Warrants
 Content:
 Text and Analysis
 Possible Counterargument
 Response to Counterargument
3) Preparing the speech
Warrant 1
Warrant 2
Warrant 3
Boston Debate League © 2012