Lecture
Seminar
The history of the United States between 1775 and 1791 marks a period of monumental events, resulting in the creation of remarkable documents concerning the U.S. system of governance and the national security process.
To place the current process of national security in perspective, it is useful to review the dynamic thinking during those early critical years: the views of the signers of the Declaration of Independence regarding unalienable rights, and government with the consent of the governed; the experiences of the Framers of the Constitution with an oppressive king during the colonial period, and an ineffective legislature under the Articles of Confederation; the views of the authors of the Federalist Papers on factions and the role of government; and, the thoughts of many individuals associated with the Declaration, the Constitution, and the Federalist Papers on human nature, freedom, and democratic institutions.
Topic Objectives.
- To understand the political, social, and military context in which the Constitution was written, and to appreciate the differences of opinion among the Framers.
- To analyze the political principles shaping the Constitution and the original intent of its advocates.
Questions for Consideration.
- What problems were the Framers of the Constitution trying to solve and what dangers were they trying to avoid?
- How did the Framers envision the role of government, and how diverse were their individual opinions?
- Did the Framers envision that different political parties might often control the legislative and executive branches? Would they have approved of partisan government?
Required Readings.
* Christopher Collier and James Lincoln Collier, Decision in Philadelphia: The Constitutional Convention of 1787 (New York: Random House, 1986), chs. 1, 2, 6, 8, 13, 14, 22 and Appendix A. (Student Issue)
* Declaration of Independence. (Reprint)
* U.S. Constitution. (Reprint)
* The Federalist Papers, Numbers 4, 10, 26, 48, 51, and 64. (Student Issue)
* Herbert J. Storing, ed., The Complete Anti-Federalist (Chicago: The University of Chicago Press, 1982), pp. 24-31. (Reprint)
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