Foundations of a Nation
"You can't be a full participant in our democracy if you don't know our history."
-David McCullough (Author of John Adams and 1776)
"A Bill of Rights is what the people are entitled to against every government, and what no just government should refuse, or rest on inference."
-Thomas Jefferson
What to Expect
Before we dive into our founding fathers, the Revolutionary War, and the structures of our government, we will look at the colonization of America in the mid-1600's and its economy. By observing the colonies, we get a glimpse of what life will look like in the new world for the next 240 years leading up to the Civil War.
After our Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War, our new country needed a structure of government to govern these "Americans." We will look at the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the three levels and branches of our government, and how those branches are able to "check" each other to keep one from gaining more power over the other. The last thing we'll look at is what it means to be a citizen and the difference between civic duty and civic responsibility.