YOU WILL NEED TO CREATE A DOCUMENT FOR YOUR
RESPONSES TO THE QUESTIONS AND PLACE IN YOUR USGP
ASSIGNMENT FOLDER. LABEL IT THIS WAY: Your Last Name, First
Initial/ REACTION 3
USGP REACTION #3!
DUE
WEDNESDAY
22 OCTOBER
50 POINTS
Remember the
ON-TIME GRADE!
WHO ARE WE?
SET-UP
In Unit 3 we are going exploring the AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE from a few different angles. How do people
operate within our political system? What does it mean to be CONSERVATIVE? What does it mean to be
LIBERAL? Where do you stand politically at this point in your life? These are questions that will frame our next
couple of week of class.
One important aspect of our political culture, of course, is that we are very DIVERSE. I have made the case to
you in class that the framers of our government were brilliant people. It must also be said, however, that they
had two major flaws that impacted our history for all time – their inability to crush slavery at the outset of our
political history and their treatment of the indigenous people of North America. We cannot change the past –
we cannot change what people did before we were born. We can, however, control our own attitudes in 2014
and beyond!
The election of President Obama in 2008 and his re-election in 2012 continue to prompt discussion of race in
America. By 2050, when you are in your middle 50s, the population of the United States will be majority nonwhite. Will we still be discussing race then? Or will we have moved beyond those discussions? It is hard to
predict, but it is apparent from our history that we have struggled with this topic over the past two centuries.
While much of this will seem familiar to you, there is much to learn and think about when it comes to race and
society! This is an important thing to reflect on as we move into the future!
Some of this work can be completed in class, but you will need to spend some time on it outside of class. YOU
WILL BE UTILIZING CIVITAS (our handbook) and THE 22 GREAT DOCUMENTS, BOTH OF WHICH ARE LINKED
UNDER “CLASS ORGANIZATION” ON THE USGP HOME-PAGE. You will have hard-copy access to the DOCUMENTS
in class also (let me know if you have internet access problems outside of school!).
PART 1: SUMMARIZING THE UNIT 3 VOCABULARY (there are 9 of them)
1.
Provide a ONE SENTENCE SUMMARY of the Vocab Terms for this unit: THE PUBLIC GOOD, FREEDOM
AND RESPONSIBILITY (one concept), POLITICAL SOCIALIZATION, CIVIC DIALOGUE, LIBERALPROGRESSIVE VIEW OF GOVERNMENT, CONSERVATIVE LIBERTARIAN VIEW OF GOVERNMENT, THIRDWAY POLITICS, THE ELECTION PROCESS, and IDENTITY POLITICS. (Insert a table for this if helpful!)
PART 2: SLAVERY IN AMERICAN HISTORY
2.
3.
4.
Turn to page 5 in The Great Documents. What was the “European Doctrine of Discovery?” Why do you
think Europeans assumed they could control the lands they were “discovering?” (short answer)
Note EXHIBIT 3 (The Northwest Ordinance). You and I live in an area of the country once known as the
Northwest Territory (later the “Old Northwest”). Read Articles 3 and 6 of the Northwest Ordinance.
What did the law say about the Native people and their land? And, what did the law say about slavery
in this part of the country? (short answer, address both questions)
Read EITHER Exhibit 4 (Madison) or Exhibit 5 (Franklin) and write 2 SENTENCES that summarizes the
main idea of the passage.
5.
Note Exhibit 6 (Frederick Douglass). Frederick Douglass was perhaps the most important black leader in
th
America in the Civil War period (middle 1800s). His 4 of July Speech from 1852 is considered a
landmark in our history (great speech = great person, great argument, great moment). Read the two
excerpts and RESPOND:
a. What is he saying about the founders of our government in the first paragraph?
b. Summarize in 1 or 2 sentences what he is saying about slavery in paragraph 2.
PART 3: NATIVE AMERICAN REMOVALS IN AMERICAN HISTORY
6.
The Ho-chunk people once controlled a land area that today is roughly the northern third of Illinois and
the southern third of Wisconsin. READ EXHIBIT 7 (Little Elk). Look back again at the explanation I
provided on page 5 concerning the European Doctrine of Discovery. DO TWO THINGS HERE: first,
pretend that you are Little Elk and explain why you believe this land is yours; then, assume you are a
non-native person coming into this area – why do you believe you have a right to the land? (This
answer should be between 50-100 words)
BEFORE COMPLETING #7, READ EXHIBIT 8 (Jackson on Indian Removal)
7.
There were people in the American government at the time native removals were taking place who
pointed out that the removal policy was wrong. READ EXHIBIT 9 (Frelinghuysen) and summarize TWO
ARGUMENTS that he makes as to why the negative treatment of American Indian people was wrong. In
addition, how would Frelinghuysen react to Andrew Jackson (note Exhibit 8)? (This answer should be at
least 100 words).
PART 4: THE OBAMA EFFECT ON AMERICAN POLITICAL CULTURE
8.
You have the advantage of attending a school that is multi-racial. As a final part of this exercise, I have
included a speech by Barack Obama that he made in March of 2008 that is considered historic. After
you have read the speech, do three things:
a. First, based on what you’re reading, would you identify President Obama as a LIBERAL or a
CONSERVATIVE? (This is an application question from our work on that in class). Justify your answer
with at least ONE STATEMENT from the speech that supports your view on that. REMEMBER MY
SCREEN-CAST DEFINING LIBERAL AND CONSERVATIVE – Unit 3 links, USGP Research Page.
b. Second, have a discussion with one person (preferably outside this class) about President Obama.
Discuss whether or not you believe his election changed the way we look at “race” in America. Identify
who you talked with and summarize the conversation. Be honest. (a solid paragraph)
c. Third, starting with paragraph 18, SELECT ONE PARAGRAPH that you believe is one that every resident
of Jackson County should read and think about, and explain your choice. (This answer needs to be at
least 150 words).
CIVITAS AND THE
DOCUMENT SET ARE
AVAILABLE ON-LINE AT THE
USGP CLASS WEB PAGE
UNDER CLASS
ORGANIZATION!