Foundations of American Government

Foundations of American Government

Chapter two covers the founding of the United States, which includes the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United States. These documents are still relevant to understanding American government today. The Articles of Confederation, while no longer a governing document, provides a historic background to the division and sometimes still conflicting interests of the State and National governments. As you read chapter two, you should read these three important documents (Declaration of Independence, Articles of Confederation, and Constitution). The documents are all located in the textbook. After reading the documents answer the following questions in your essay.
Federalist or Anti-Federalists – Please watch the video Empire of Reason, as you evaluate the arguments for and against the Constitution and analyze how those arguments from 200 years ago apply to the United States today.

https://vimeo.com/231093077 (Empire of Reason)

http://faculty.polytechnic.org/gfeldmeth/chart.fed.pdf

https://www.gilderlehrman.org/history-resources/teaching-resource/differences-between-federalists-and-antifederalists

Anti-Federalists vs. the Federalists – Briefly define the competing interests of the federalists and anti-federalists.
Identify one argument from each side stated in the video and explain the importance of this concern then and now. Please be specific in your identifications and applications.
Which position (federalist or anti-federalist) do you find more persuasive and why?
What did the United States gain from this debate and what questions have remained?