Weber Reads the Founders

Teachers' Workshop, 2011

• From the New York Times: Resources for Teaching the Constitution
• From the National Archives: Teaching with Documents
• From the National Constitution Center: Resources for Educators
• From the National Council for Social Science: Resources for Teaching the Constitution
• Interactive Constitution from the National Constitution Center

• American Memory has created a Constitution Primary Source Set

• A large library of primary documents is available from the Constitution Society
• The Avalon Project from Yale University is a huge collection of primary documents in history, law, and diplomacy

Readings: 

• Founding America, Documents from  the Revolution to the Bill of Rights, by Jack Rakove
• A description of colonial governments (from the U.S. State department)
•  Time Line of the Road to Revolution (from PBS)
• Time Line of English Colonies 1700 to 1763 (from the History Place)
• Pertinent primary documents from US History.Com
• Chronology of the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers (from the Constitution Society)
• The Address and Reasons of Dissent of the Minority of the Convention of Pennsylvania
  to Their Constituents
• Letter from E. Gerry to S. Adams opposing the Constitution

Summaries:

• 1787 Constitution
• Bill of Rights
• Additional Amendments

Issues:

• Mercantilism -- the economic system driving European expansion -- sets up colonies.
• Salutary or benign neglect describes the relationship of England to her colonies.
• Loyalists
• Systems of Governance
• Theory of Inalienable Rights
• Purpose of Government
• Federalism
• Slavery and the Constitution
• Women and the American Revolution