Graham Key of Liberty

We covered more of the amendments last week--11, 12, 13 and 14--to be exact. Make sure you fill out your Constitution journal for these amendments, and memorize a brief summation of what each amendment is about: for example, Amendement 11 says that citizens of one state can't sue another state. (A little bird told me that you have a cheat sheet in your binder! 😉)  Also, good work prepping for the debate on banning misinformation on social media. I know the question seemed a bit confusing by the way it was worded, but it was a good lesson on the importance of understanding the question before you try to answer it! This is a very hot cultural and political topic right now, so I hope you all learned something interesting from your research! ASSIGNMENTS: WRITING: What would life be like without the Constitution?   Think about this and discuss it with your parents. Also, remember some of the books we've read, especially Freedom Factor and Red Scarf Girl to help inspire some idea...

Last week we read through and discussed the Bill of Rights--the first ten amendments to the Constitution. It seems kind of funny that the Constitution had to be amended before many states would ratify it, but that just goes to show how important these rights were to the states. Speaking of rights...we also learned that the Bill of Rights is a list of negative rights, meaning the amendments are written to explain what Congress cannot do to the people, not what the people can do.  Remember the difference between an article and amendment: that can trip you up. Also, be sure to write the first ten amendments in your Constitution journal and commit them to memory so you can be prepared to DOMINATE at the Constitution Bowl! (Aaand because it's good to know your rights as a citizen, too!)  Here's a good video on the first amendment: ASSIGNMENTS: WRITING: Debate prep! Come to class with a minimum of 2 full pages of notes and statements defending your position on the following to...

Great job on the debate this week, y'all! I was very impressed at how well-prepared you guys were, especially since this was your first debate. I think the feedback that Bro. Manwaring gave you was very helpful, too, and I hope you will use his suggestions to improve your strategy for the next debate in two weeks! This week we discussed the supremacy of the Constitution, and why it is so essential to our liberty that our nation operates under the rule of law, and not the law of rulers. The Constitution must be the supreme law of the land, so that when all else fails, even the weakest members of our society can be confident that their rights will be preserved and defended. Even though it may not seem like it, the supremacy clause (Art. 6, Sec. 2) actually acts as a constraint--or check--on the federal government. If a state challenges a federal statute, that statute must be confirmed to have been "made in pursuance" of the Constitution and the laws of the United States, an...

Last week we reviewed the two ways the Founding Fathers provided for us to change the Constitution. As stated in the Declaration of Independence, "Governments long established should not be changed for light or transient causes," but the Founders were intelligent, experienced men who understood that life always changes, which meant that our needs and desires as a nation would likely change as well. Though they didn't make the amendment process easy, they did want to enable the American people to adjust and update the Constitution to fit our needs...with well-informed and careful consideration, of course! Please read Article V and write down the two methods for amending the Constitution in your Constitution Journal, if you haven't already done so. Make sure you know where to find the amendment process, as well. This will be a question at the Constitution Bowl; I guarantee it! For a quick refresher of what we discussed in class, watch the video below: Make sure you ch...

Last week we began our discussion with the difference between a republic and a democracy, then we took a brief history detour to find out why so many people wrongly refer to our country as a democracy--we found out that we can thank socialism for that little bit of confusion!  Thomas Jefferson said, "Democracy is 51% of the people taking away the rights of the other 49%." This is why our founders gave us a representative form of government--a republic--in which every voice can be heard and considered.  Where true democracy does work in our country is on the foundational level--in families, churches, social groups, even some small-town communities. As responsible citizens, we must strengthen these foundational units of our society by living lives of private and public virtue, involving ourselves in our neighborhoods and communities, and participating in civic activities. If we fail to do our part on the local level, we risk forfeiting our liberty to those who are all too will...

United States Supreme Court Justices Last week we reviewed Article 3 of the US Constitution; all about the Judicial Branch. We learned that: Congress has the power to create lower courts to lighten the case load of the Supreme Court,  the Supreme Court has both original and appellate jurisdiction, depending on the type of case, judges are appointed by the US president for life (as long as they behave themselves), but their appointments must be approved by the Senate,  thanks to the the decision in the most influential court case in US history, Marbury v. Madison, the Supreme Court has the power of Judicial Review, or the power to review all laws and statutes for compliance with the Constitution, and there are no real checks on the Supreme Court, as there are for the other two branches of government, except for impeachment. Thomas Jefferson was very wary of the potential of the Supreme Court to gradually usurp power from the executive and legislative branches of government. In ...