Unit #3 Review
AP US HISTORY
ELMORE
FALL 2007
UNIT THREE: THE BIRTH OF A NEW COUNTRY
The US Constitution is one of the most influential documents in the history of modern governance. The system of government established by the writers of this document not only reflected and helped to ensure the hopes and desires of many citizens of the newly independent American state, but, perhaps more importantly, this system has served as a dramatic symbol for those people throughout the world who have struggled against tyranny and oppression ever since. This document has also served as a model for the creation of new governments over the past two hundred years. Nevertheless, some scholars, including Howard Zinn and Charles Beard, who wrote An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution, contend that this document is not the democratic mantra that its supporters proclaim it to be. These critics argue that the Constitution was designed primarily to protect the economic interests of the aristocracy, not only from the tyranny of the government, but also from the political pressures of the lower classes. They point to the ideas of the separation of powers, federalism, and checks and balances as being primarily ways in which the elites of American society could insulate themselves from the will of the common people rather than efforts to protect against tyrannical government. These scholars also look to the writings of James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton in The Federalist Papers to support their contentions. Finally, they look to the actions of some of the founding fathers, like Washington, Hamilton, Adams, and even Jefferson to find support for this theory. During this unit, we will examine this evidence in order to assess the validity of this theory as compared to the more traditional views of most Americans. As always, finding the truth requires a delicate balance of inquisitiveness, interpretation, speculation, and appreciation for subtlety. There are seldom
ELMORE
FALL 2007
UNIT THREE: THE BIRTH OF A NEW COUNTRY
The US Constitution is one of the most influential documents in the history of modern governance. The system of government established by the writers of this document not only reflected and helped to ensure the hopes and desires of many citizens of the newly independent American state, but, perhaps more importantly, this system has served as a dramatic symbol for those people throughout the world who have struggled against tyranny and oppression ever since. This document has also served as a model for the creation of new governments over the past two hundred years. Nevertheless, some scholars, including Howard Zinn and Charles Beard, who wrote An Economic Interpretation of the Constitution, contend that this document is not the democratic mantra that its supporters proclaim it to be. These critics argue that the Constitution was designed primarily to protect the economic interests of the aristocracy, not only from the tyranny of the government, but also from the political pressures of the lower classes. They point to the ideas of the separation of powers, federalism, and checks and balances as being primarily ways in which the elites of American society could insulate themselves from the will of the common people rather than efforts to protect against tyrannical government. These scholars also look to the writings of James Madison, John Jay, and Alexander Hamilton in The Federalist Papers to support their contentions. Finally, they look to the actions of some of the founding fathers, like Washington, Hamilton, Adams, and even Jefferson to find support for this theory. During this unit, we will examine this evidence in order to assess the validity of this theory as compared to the more traditional views of most Americans. As always, finding the truth requires a delicate balance of inquisitiveness, interpretation, speculation, and appreciation for subtlety. There are seldom