Our American Voice- 2
Lesson 2-1: The American Dream
- Think about what the American Dream means to you. Discuss out loud.
- Look at these quotes with your team
QUOTE A:“...all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”
QUOTE B: “...that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is . . . a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be . . . recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the . .. circumstances of birth or position.”
QUOTE C: "…to every man, regardless of his birth, his shining, golden opportunity ….the right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him." - Read quotes individually, underlining or highlighting important or meaningful words. List three words highlighted on board.
- Groups then read each quote together and discuss thoughts and feelings about them.
- Next, read where the quotes come from
QUOTE A:“...all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” FROM THE - U.S. Declaration of Independence.
QUOTE B: “...that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is . . . a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be . . . recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the . .. circumstances of birth or position.” FROM - Adams, James Truslow. Epic of America. New York: Little Brown, 1931.
QUOTE C: "…to every man, regardless of his birth, his shining, golden opportunity ….the right to live, to work, to be himself, and to become whatever thing his manhood and his vision can combine to make him." - Discuss the quotes now....possible answers: All Americans have the opportunity to pursue their dreams. It does not matter how much money they have or who their parents were.
- CLICK ON THIS LINK---> http://oavspace.ouramericanvoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/American-Dream-Images.pdf
- Look for an image you find interesting. Think about what kind of American Dream the image presents.
- Record ideas in binder.
- Look at the images here--->http://oavspace.ouramericanvoice.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/Wall-of-Dreams-Participant-Handout.pdf
- Discuss the quotes in small groups, highlighting important or meaningful words.
- Teams share their thoughts with the whole group. Record on chart paper or chalk/whiteboard words mentioned.
- Create your own quote about what the American Dream means to you!
Lesson 2-2 Preamble Power
Investigate ways the Preamble sets the stage for establishing rights and responsibilities of the nations’ citizens. 1. Analyze our school mission, what does it mean? "Inspire, Integrity, Dedication and Respect" 2. Read the Preamble (IN RED) What is the Preamble? The Preamble is the opening statement to the United States Constitution. The preamble explains the reasons why the Framers of the Constitution made our government a republic. By doing this, the founding fathers replaced the Articles of Confederation. The Preamble along with the rest of the Constitution was written over a period of about 6 weeks. The Preamble helped explain why the Constitution was written. However, it is not the law. Text of the Preamble The preamble of the United States Constitution is the following: “We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.” Understanding the Preamble The Preamble can be broken down into many important phrases. All of these phrases are very important for understanding the purpose of the United States Constitution. We the people: This phrase means all the citizens of the United States of America. Even though the Constitution was written up by some of the most well-educated men of the new country, the rights given under the document were given to all American citizens. In order to form a more perfect union: The previous government was based on the Articles of Confederation, which were very limited. When the Framers wrote this, they felt that they were making new government that would be a better way to govern the country. Establish justice: The reasons why there was Revolution against England were still important to the American citizens, so they wanted to make sure that they would have justice under the Constitution. Insure domestic tranquility: One of the main reasons why the Constitutional Convention was held was because of Shays’ Rebellion. This was an uprising of farmers in Massachusetts against the state for having to repay war debts. Citizens were worried with the keeping peace within the country’s borders. Provide for the common defense: There was still a change of being attacked by other countries. No individual state had the power to defend itself against attacks. Because of this, the Framers knew that it was important for the states to defend the nation together. Promote the general welfare: This phrase meant that the well-being of the citizens would be taken care of as well as possible by the Federal government. Secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity: The point of this phrase in the Preamble, and the constitution as a whole was to help protect the country’s hard-earned rights for liberty, unjust laws, and freedom from a tyrannical government. Ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America: This last phrase of the Preamble is a powerful statement saying that the people made this document, and the people give the country its power. 3. What is the preamble stating? Create your own Thinking Triangle (to the right) with a partner and fill out the answers of what the preamble is actually saying. 4. Look at the photo to the right. Use the Picture vs. Preamble graphic organizer on the right, identify specific evidence that correlates to each part of the Preamble. Team 1 Photo Team 2 Photo Team 3 Photo Team 4 Photo Team 5 Photo Team 6 Photo
5. Assessment
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2-3 Power to the People
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2-4: Power to the People
OverviewReview the amendments and their impact on citizens’ rights.
OverviewReview the amendments and their impact on citizens’ rights.
- Open a discussion of the Amendments:
- One reason the U.S. Constitution has lasted so long is because it can be changed, or amended. The first 10 amendments, or changes, to the Constitution were made shortly after the document itself was ratified, or agreed to, by all the states. These 10 amendments are known as the Bill of Rights. Over the years there have so far been 27 amendments to the Constitution.
- These changes included
-Ending slavery (13thAmendment).
-Guaranteeing citizenship to people born in the United States (14th Amendment).
Three amendments gave more than male citizens of at least 21 years of age the right to vote:
-African-American men (15th Amendment in 1870)
-Women (19th Amendment in 1920)
-Young adults ages 18-20 (26th Amendment in 1971).
In order to propose an amendment, two-thirds of the members of Congress must agree to the amendment. Once proposed, three-quarters of the states must ratify, or approve, the amendment before it can become a law and be added to the Constitution.
- Review participant notes from the discussion of rules and rights at home and/or in the classroom from Core Principle 1 Activity.
- Ask participants to consider which rules they might want to change or which rights they might want to expand. Are any that two-thirds of participants can agree on? If so, can they persuade more people (75%) to support the change? Reflect on the process of making an amendment with the following questions:
- What did you need to consider before proposing a change? What methods might you use to convince someone that a change is needed?
2-5: Stand up and Vote
Create a timeline placing these in order of which the right to vote
Create a timeline placing these in order of which the right to vote
- White men
- White men with property
- Black men
- 18 year olds
- White women