Semester 2 Week 2: Interplanetary Convention for Peace

Founding Fathers hard at work on the Constitution: lots of debating and negotiating going on here!

    

This week we imagined what it must have been like for our Founding Fathers to have to design a new government from scratch for our fledgling country, by simulating a hypothetical situation--an Interplanetary Convention of delegates from very different planets, coming together to create one central government. The delegates drew upon their knowledge of existing governments to try to create something that everyone could agree on. The most difficult part, it seemed, was compromising individual planets' interests for the benefit of the whole group. As we read Fifty-Five Fathers, we will see that our founders experienced these same conflicts as well. Take note of these conflicts and compromises as you read, so you can be prepared for the book discussion.  


ASSIGNMENTS:

Constitution Journal: Article 1, Sections 3 & 4

Writing: What did you learn about the founders and the creation of our government from the simulation? What did you learn about yourself? How are you going to change because of the simulation? (Questions specifically about yourself can be answered in first-person.)

***Remember to place the heading (name, date, class) in the upper right corner of the page, add a title, then the full question, then the body of your essay. You should still have a full page of text, so your papers should end up being at minimum two printed pages.

Reading: Fifty Five Fathers due March 10th. There will be donuts for those who have completed the book and who have written notes, comments and questions to share in the discussion, which will be led by Katie, Savanna and Shayla.

Hero Reports: Next week is your last week to choose a hero to report on. If you don't have one selected, I will assign one to you. Your hero needs to be a famous American (from the past or present) who is known for promoting the American values of freedom and liberty. Below are the heroes already taken:
  • Elizabeth Schuyler Hamilton - Lacey
  • Alexander Hamilton - Michael
  • John Laurens - Skyler
  • Harriet Tubman - Shayla
  • Martin Luther King, Jr. - Noah
  • Benjamin Franklin - Gavin
Vote on the Liberty Bowl! Send me a quick email to vote on whether you want to compete against an older family member or another Key of Liberty class for our Liberty Bowl. I need to send out information and get arrangements made asap!


CANDY TRIVIA:

What is the Three-Fifths Compromise, and where is it found in the Constitution?



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