The homework video is (CLICK ON THE LINK!): http://www.pbs.org/tpt/constitution-usa-peter-sagal/watch/a-more-perfect-union/Your assignment is to watch 10-15 minutes of the program (the last 15 or somewhere in the middle is best).
Then write two or three conflicts the states and federal government have.
NOTES FOR TEACHING CLASS:
Separation of powers FRIDAY
Checks and balances
Enumeration of powers
SHOW A CLIP FROM “A MORE PERFECT UNION” WHERE THERE IS ARGUING FOR AND AGAINST THESE. HAVE STUDENTS ORGANIZE “FOR” AND “AGAINST” COLUMNS
Lesson:
SEPARATION OF POWERS:
OBJECT LESSON: TUG OF WAR. “STATES” ON ONE END, “FEDERAL” ON OTHER END. STUDENTS HAVE A COMPETITION TO SEE WHO WINS. AFTER EACH COMPETITION, TEACH THEM SOMETHING NEW ABOUT SEPARATION OF POWERS.
Havesting Marijuana in California
Everything is in violation of Federal Law.
California vs USA - pay taxes - deserving of the death penalty
Shooting - gun owners 27 guns for each family in Montana. Fights regulation of firearms. Congress regulating of commerce clause. Believe he can make and sell his guns in Montana, federal government shouldn’t have power to stop him from selling his guns in the state. Believes fed. govt. is too powerful. Fed govt. shouldn’t be master, and the states be the servants. Should leave states alone.
States lead ideas like in a labaratory: Women’s votes. Mitt Romney ACA. Nevada Marriage Laws Gambling other states have own agency. Nevada prostitution not illegal.
Water Hoover Dam Federal Govt./Great Depression (25% unemployment)/Country on verge of revolution/ The New Deal/pumped money into economy. Started massive employment projects/ People needed jobs./ Louisiana Purchase/ Purchase of Alaska/ threat to personal freedom?
FDIC/SS/etc.
Each state is its own nation connected by a “treaty”, or the “Articles of Confederation” or “League of Friendship”. Needed ⅔ of states in agreement. Not common to agree.
Constitution proposes an indivisible union. Why? Georgia and Mass. so different. 1000 miles apart. Different religions. If we proposed genuine unity for the whole world with one president today. Today it would work only if the Martians came.
The founding fathers were called together to fix the Articles of Confederation. Independence Hall. Framed the constitution.
Slave/Free, Small/Big, House - population, Each state has two representatives, New Constitution had articles had 3 types of gove.
Lincoln’s opposition to slavery caused the South to succeed. He declared it unconstitutional. 750,000 dead. Slavery of abolished. Federalism was victorious. Tug of war over power
Eisenhower / Federal govt. vs. State to give students rights to non-segregated schools. I came to go to this school. The governor wouldn’t let me because of my color. The president and the supreme court had said the governor was unconstitutional. The federal govt. did the right thing.
do we go to the federal govt. to solve every problem? We want to use the biggest tool possible.
BRING TOOLS AND HAVE STUDENTS HOW TO SOLVE IT USING HAMMER VS SCREWDRIVER…
Govt. can be too big, too intrusive. Roscoe, the farmer, couldn’t grow his own wheat for his own cows because he wouldn’t buy wheat and other farmers would do the same and it would cause a ripple effect. The national ruling took away the state’s power to decide for people in their state.
Golden Gate Bridge was state built. It joined a federal road with a federal park.
We’re not motivated to save energy or save money or not make pollution. States should choose the level. But, the smog drifts from one place to another...to affect others.
Tension might be part of the constitution. Arguing is an American tradition. Somehow it works. They didn’t promise a “Perfect Union, but a More Perfect Union.
CHECKS AND BALANCES
ENUMERATION OF POWERS
What does the term, “Vote with Their Feet” mean? It means states would compete with each other to keep taxes low, to draw people into their state. People could move to whichever state government they preferred. Federal govt. would do what helped “all the people”.
