Am Civ 2009

AN AMERICAN CIVICS STUDY GUIDE
UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY VII
AMERICAN CIVICS:
AN OWNER’S MANUAL (American History and Civics)
(updated 2009)
by
Steven David Horwich
Copyright 2009
Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

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AMERICAN CIVICS:
AN OWNER’S MANUAL, AMERICAN HISTORY AND CIVICS
The student will need:

A DVD and VHS player
Several pens and pencils
An Atlas, and maps of the world. A globe.
Access to DVDs or tapes of:

-The Documentary 500 Nations, with Kevin Costner
(Link provided to this film in the course)
-1776
-Mr. Smith Goes to Washington (Link provided to this
film in the course)
-The Best Years of Our Lives
-Separate But Equal (starring Sidney Poitier)
The purpose of this course is to acquaint the student with the history and workings
of the American Government, and the intentions of the men who founded the
country.
The student is to do each step thoroughly, and in sequence. The student should
complete a lesson per day. The course should take approximately 150-200 hours of
study, including reviews for tests, and testing. There are 98 lessons, averaging an
hour-1 ½ hours per lesson, with the exception of four extended lessons. There are
ten tests. All essays are to be kept by the student in their workbooks.
NOTE: THE TEACHER’S GUIDE, TEN TESTS, AND THE TEN TEST ANSWER
GUIDES FOLLOW THE COURSE IN THIS DOCUMENT.

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PART ONE- AMERICA BEFORE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
LESSON # 1:
1. LOCATE: on a map, globe or the Internet:
Europe
The United States of America
England
Spain
France
Italy
2. FULLY UNDERSTAND THE WORDS:
Monarchies – Nations ruled over by a king or queen.
Seafarer – A sailor; a person who travels the seas, often.
Beck – Short for beckon, or to summon into one’s presence.
Conscripted – Drafted, even against one’s wishes, into the nation’s military.
3. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND:
ON EUROPE BEFORE AMERICA
Europe was made up of relatively new monarchies, before the discovery of the
American continents by the Italian seafarer, Columbus, working for the Spanish in
1492. Most of these nations (England, France, Spain) had only existed as such for
several hundred years, at most. The families that ruled these nations were
dynasties, generally handing down to the King’s eldest surviving son the crown.
There were many violent civil wars to determine who should rule these nations, and
many violent wars between the nations. Europe was very much an armed and ready
battleground.
Each nation’s “national religion” was determined by the King who happened to be
reigning at that moment. If the old King was a Catholic, then generally the entire
nation was expected to be Catholic. Those who were not Catholics were usually
expected to leave, or were persecuted. Then, if the next King who came in was a
Protestant (a branch of Christianity that had left the Catholic Church to form their

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own religions, like Lutherans and Methodists), everyone in that country was now
expected to be or become a Protestant of the correct faith.
The rich in these early monarchies grew extremely rich, but were always at the beck
and call of their King. The King basically owned the nation and all its resources.
Each nation had a large class of skilled workers, who ran businesses and created
products of various kinds. These were comparatively well-to-do. Then, each nation
had a large class of unskilled workers, and “serfs”, or farmers working for a Lord,
and stuck forever on his lands. These people spent lives of hard work and little
comfort or joy.
Any male could be conscripted by the local Lord into his nation’s army, at any time.
Science and art were experiencing a rebirth, and Europe was just waking up to the
possibility of a world and a universe outside its borders. The Dark, or Medieval
Age, where only the Church maintained any real learning or education, was just
passing, and England was discovering itself as a social, military and intellectual
power.
Given the heavy competition between Kings and nations, and within countries for
power, political winds changed constantly, and a man supporting one hopeful for
the throne might find himself dead when another man took over. There was little
political stability in most nations, just as religions in power could change overnight.
With the discovery of two entire continents…half a world, the opportunity for the
accumulation of great wealth (by killing and stealing from Native Americans), of
hard work turning into new colonies and farms (by stealing land from the Native
Americans), and of creating entirely new industries, was irresistible to the hungry
and powerful of Europe. It was irresistible, as well, to those seeking religious
stability, freedom from harsh monarchs, and escape from constant European wars.
Farming families saw rare opportunity. Once America was “discovered”, its
eventual colonization and conquering by England, France, and Spain was inevitable.
4. DRAW: what sort of restrictions there were on religious beliefs and practices in
Europe, that made some Europeans want to leave Europe.
5. DRAW: why Europeans would seek Political refuge in the Americas.
6. DRAW: the opportunities presented to Europeans by the New World, to do well

financially.

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LESSON # 2:
1. LOCATE: on a map, globe or the Internet:
North America
Central America
South America
India
China
Mexico
Peru
Trade Route – A path one may travel from one place to another, in order to
safely, easily exchange goods.
Mythologies – Belief systems, built around many stories, usually about

great and powerful “gods” and heroes, and monsters.
Immunity – The ability to resist disease and infection.
ON AMERICA BEFORE THE EUROPEANS
The Americas were huge continents, populated by many groups of “Indians” long
before Columbus blundered his way into “discovering” them. (Remember,
Columbus was looking for a trade route to India and China. That’s why he named
Native American’s “Indians”. He thought he was in India.)
Many of these tribes grew into civilizations, with complicated structures of their
own. The best known were in Central and South America. The Mayans, who lived
in and around Mexico, and the Incas, from Peru, were the two largest nations of
Native Indians. Between them, they invented calendars, star charts, basketball,
built huge pyramids, had complicated mythologies, and contained within their
sphere of influence hundreds of thousands of natives.
However, the settlers who encountered “Indians” in North America found peace-
loving, generous groups, small “tribes” who welcomed the strange, pale-skinned
newcomers, sharing their knowledge of the land and its ways. The Natives taught
the European settlers about corn, hunting in the forest, a hundred survival points.
Their thanks was to eventually catch most of Europe’s many diseases, for which the

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natives had no resistance or immunity. The majority of natives on both continents

were either killed by various plagues, or slaughtered by gold-hungry conquerors,
particularly the Spanish. (You will learn much more about the native Indians and
how they have been treated by Europeans, later on this course.)
4. EXERCISE:
What gave Europeans the right to take America from the Indians?
List three reasons they had the right. List three reasons they did not.
5. EXERCISE:
Some 400 years after Europeans started taking America away from
the Indians, do the descendents of those European settlers still owe
a debt to the Indians? Did they ever? If they do, how should the
debt be handled at this time? (Paying for damages done to a group’s
ancestors is called “Reparations”.) 50 words.

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LESSON # 3:
1. LOCATE: On a map, globe or the Internet:
Portugal
Boston, Massachusetts
Boston Harbor
Navy – The collected ships and ocean-going military equipment, men and
women of a nation, and its chain of command. (A chain of command
is a list, top to bottom, of who is charge of who, who has the right to
issue orders, and who is expected to follow those orders.)
Taxation – The collecting of a percentage of each citizens income, inside a

nation, by the government and for the purpose of paying for the
functions of government, and the programs that government
creates and operates.
License – A document, providing a person or group the right to do something

specific, and generally issued by a government, company, or the
owner of something. A license is a form of contract.
AMERICA BEFORE THE REVOLUTION
North America had been colonized largely by the British. The French also had
some interest in North America, but for various reasons including a superior navy,
it was the British who settled North America, and the Spanish and Portuguese who
settled Central and South America.
The colonies had prospered remarkably in the over 250 years since Columbus
discovered the continent. European nations were feasting on the productivity of the
Americas. North America had undreamed of amounts of resources, and the crops
grown there were feeding much of the world (as they often do today). Land was
plentiful, and the Indians were easily pushed or paid off. The population of each of
the thirteen colonies in British America had grown mightily.
These colonies were licensed and operated by “the crown”. In other words, they
were essentially owned by the King of England. The King at the time of the
Revolution was George III (King George the Third). It is well-documented that

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George III was insane. Certainly, his treatment of the vast wealth and peoples of
America proved him insane, as you will study in the Declaration of Independence,
later.
One of the crimes George committed against America was his taxation of Americans
and American goods. Taxation itself is not necessarily a crime. It is the way nations
pay their bills. However, George’s taxes were excessive, and at no time did he
confer with any American about their effect of the colonies. The colonists protested
against “taxation without representation”, but George simply raised the taxes again.
These taxes took many forms. One of them was a “stamp act”, a law passed in 1765,
taxing every legal document contract, license, publication, and even decks of playing
cards in North America. This did not go over well with the American colonies,
which had been developing their own identity and personality over the centuries
they’d been in America. George seemed to fail to realize that these “colonists”
simply were not British anymore. Regardless, he certainly did not treat them as he
had other British citizens. He sank their ships, captured their sailors, and forced
these prisoners join His Majesty’s navy. He even taxed sugar.
When he placed a heavy tax on tea (everyone’s favorite drink back then), the
rebellion began. Disguised as Indians, many American “patriots” (believers in a
nation and what it stands for, who are willing to do whatever is needed to protect
their nation) dressed as American Indians, boarded a ship filled with tea, and threw
all the precious leaf into Boston Harbor. This was called, rather humorously, the
“Boston Tea Party”.

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George III claimed he had to tax the colonies to pay for his expensive European
wars. But as the colonists barely looked at themselves as part of the British Empire,
they became increasingly unwilling to pay the bill. As George removed right after
right, he guaranteed the first rebellion of a colony in history, against its mother
country.
4. DRAW: The relationship between England and America, before the

Revolutionary War.
5. EXERCISE:
How would you feel if someone thousands of miles away informed
you that you would have to give them a lot of money? How would you
react? 50 words.
6. EXERCISE:
Do some research. Ask your parents if they pay taxes. Find out how
much. Find out roughly what percentage of their money is paid in taxes,
and make sure you include such taxes as “sales tax” on items such as
gasoline, etc. Get a rough number. Then, ask them how they feel
about paying taxes. Ask them what they think their tax money is
spent on by the government. Ask them if they think the money is well
spent, giving it to the government. 100 words or more on what you found.

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LESSON # 4:
1. DRAW: what is “taxation without representation”?
2. DRAW: What was “The Stamp Act”?
3. DRAW: the Boston Tea Party.
4. EXERCISE:
If you had been the King of England, and your nation was desperate
for money, what would you have done to raise it? Would you have
taxed the colonies without their consent? Come up with at least three
ways you could have earned the colonies respect and help, and avoided
a revolution, and still have paid the British Empire’s bills.

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LESSON # 5:
The Delaware River

Trenton, New Jersey
Paris, France
Mount Vernon, Virginia
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Monticello, Virginia
Canada
Florida
Russia
Participant – A person involved in some activity.
Colossus – A giant statue.
Peace Treaty – An agreement in writing, made between two or more nations

previously at war, which terminates (ends) that war.
President – The most powerful individual in the United States’ government.

(Much more, later.)
Vice President – The man selected to become president if anything should

happen to the president which would prevent him from
fulfilling his duties.
Almanac – (Spelled “Almanack”, long ago) A yearly publication containing

such things as weather forecasts, tide tables (showing when and
where high and low tides would occur), and other useful
information.
Notorious – Well known for unfavorable reasons.
Secretary of the Treasury – A high position in the United States government,

responsible for the finances of the nation.

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Continental Congress – A group of American patriots who met to determine

how best to fight and win a war for freedom against
the British, and then how to govern the nation. Just
being a member would have meant execution, if the
United States had lost their war for independence.
Legislation – Laws; the creation of laws.
Constitution – A document which states the beliefs, and methods by which a

nation shall exist operate.
Secretary of State – A high position in American government, responsible for

the United States’ relationships with other nations.
Napoleon – Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Great French military leader

who attempted to conquer much of the world. (You’ll study him
in a later course, at length.)
Impress – To force someone to serve in the military.
Latin America – Central and South America.
Agitate – To attempt to create interest, passion and action in others for a

cause, through the written and spoken word.
ON THE GREAT AMERICAN PATRIOTS
America came to exist as a nation thanks to a group of remarkable individuals, who

shared a vision. They believed that these Colonies should be free of England. They
believed that the land, America, could be a safe haven for religious worship and
political beliefs of all kinds. They had a great experiment in mind, where
individuals might be free to pursue their lives without a King. They intended a
nation where those in charge were elected by the people, and responsible to the
people, a land ruled by laws that were fair and treated all men equally. These men
felt that the dream was worth a war. As Thomas Jefferson, one of the stars of this
story, once said; “A little rebellion is a good thing now and then”.
Here is a simple breakdown of the accomplishments of some of America’s founding

fathers:
SAMUEL ADAMS- An active participant in the politics of Boston, Sam Adams was
one of the leaders of the Revolution. He organized the protests against the Stamp
Act, and founded an organization called the Sons of Liberty.

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Sam Adams authored many papers, protesting British acts. He helped create the
organization that allowed the colonies to work together to push the British out of
America. Samuel Adams worked closely with John Adams (his second cousin) and
John Hancock to organize Americans into active resistance of British rule.
JOHN ADAMS- The man who would become the first Vice President, and the
second President of the United States, John Adams was perhaps the most vocal and
determined representative of freedom of all the founding fathers.
A fine lawyer, he helped shape the thinking of a nation forming itself in a manner
never tried before. Becoming a member of the Continental Congress (the group
that signed the Declaration of Independence), Adam’s speeches in favor of freedom
enflamed the nation. Thomas Jefferson called Adams “The Colossus (“giant”) of

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Freedom”. Adams helped write the Declaration of Independence, fought furiously

for its unanimous approval, and when it was signed (actually on July 3, 1776),
declared “the most memorable Epoch in the History of America has begun.” He
helped run the war from Congress. Then he was sent to France to represent
America. This was shortly followed by an assignment, drafting (writing) the peace
treaty with the British that would officially end the war, The Treaty of Paris. He
worked for several years with Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin developing
relationships for the new nation with powerful European countries, guaranteeing
the baby country’s survival. Upon his return, he was quickly elected as the first
Vice President. Besides his remarkable career, Adams loving (and frustrated)
letters back and forth to his wife, Abigail, during the years of danger and war, are
legendary. His reputation was that of an honest and good man of high intelligence,
who spent his life to help free and establish a nation.
GEORGE WASHINGTON- George Washington was a simple farmer, who wound

up leading the Continental army to victory in the Revolutionary War, and then
served as the nation’s first President. He is known as the “Father of his Country”.
Vastly outnumbered during the war, he employed clever and sometimes desperate
strategies. His most famous was the crossing of the Delaware River in the dead of
winter, to capture Trenton, New Jersey. After roughly three years of war, he
brilliantly defeated British General Cornwallis, in the Yorktown Campaign (a
planned series of strategies and battles), and won the war. His popularity and his
general unwillingness to be a “king” made him an easy choice as the nation’s first
President. His Presidency was difficult. The nation was experiencing the pains of
birth, and there were many disagreements about how the government should
operate. The most heated debates were about the fiscal (money, financial) life of the
nation, and Washington supported Alexander Hamilton’s ideas for a national bank,
and a series of taxes to fund the government. Jefferson was opposed to these
approaches. Later, when the French (who had aided Washington in the war,

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through their great General, Lafayette), went to war with the British, Washington
refused to aid the French, claiming the nation needed decent relationships with all
nations if it was to survive. Jefferson hated him for this. By the time he left office,
the government, finances, and international relationships of the new nation were
well established. George Washington retired to his beloved farm on Mount Vernon,
in Virginia. The nation’s capital is named for him.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN- Inventor, writer, patriot…Ben Franklin is one of the

great geniuses of American history.
He invented the Franklin stove (used throughout the Western world), and through
his famous experiment tying a key onto a kite and sending the kite up into a
lightning storm, “discovered” that lightning was electricity. If he’d done nothing
else, he would be celebrated. He wrote and published perhaps the most beloved and
useful book of his day, “Poor Richard’s Almanack”, a collection of witty sayings,
and information invaluable to farmers and seamen alike. Franklin operated his
own newspaper from an early age, which he called The Pennsylvania Gazette. He
was Philadelphia’s postmaster and, by age 42, had retired comfortably, a highly
accomplished man, and notorious lover of young women. But moist importantly,
Franklin was a tireless writer, speaker, and peacemaker amongst those who wished
to be free of England…even though his own son was the British Governor of his
home state. Franklin, perhaps more than any man, secured the aid of the French in
the Revolutionary War. He represented the American Colonies in Paris with great
intellect, purpose, and wit. It was Franklin who helped the British, through secret
contacts, to finally surrender the war. He was perhaps America’s greatest
ambassador to Europe.
ALEXANDER HAMILTON- Hamilton, the author of most of the Federalist Papers,

upon which much of today’s political thought in America is based, is one of the men
who most effected what America was to become.

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As the first Secretary of the Treasury, he secured America’s financial future quickly
and expertly. He first came to George Washington’s attention as a fierce and highly
organized officer in the fight for freedom. Hamilton rose to the position of
Washington’s personal aide, a post he held for four years. Elected to the
Continental Congress in 1782, he offered perhaps the strongest arguments for a
strong central government. But it was the Federalist Papers, some 85 essays of
which he authored 55 or so, that shaped much of what the new nation would
become. As the first Secretary of the Treasury, he stabilized the economy, and
started the national Bank, the Bank of the United States. His brilliant financial
strategies boomed American business overseas, particularly in commerce with
Britain, which terrified Jefferson, Madison, and others who did not believe in a
strong alliance with Britain. After he left government, he remained actively
opposed to John Adams’s Presidency. At the next election, he was even more
opposed to Aaron Burr, who was running against Jefferson, whom Hamilton also
despised. Still, fearing Burr more, Hamilton supported Jefferson. This enraged
Burr, who challenged Hamilton to a duel. Burr murdered Hamilton during this
duel.
THOMAS JEFFERSON- Like Franklin, Jefferson was a man of extraordinary

accomplishments.

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An architect, he designed his still famous and beautiful estate at Monticello,

Virginia. He played the violin. He founded a great University in Virginia. It was
Jefferson who probably first promoted the idea, largely influenced by various
European philosophers and writers, that a colonist did not have to obey the King,
that such obedience should be up to the colonist. It was Jefferson who authored the
Declaration of Independence, a first of its kind in history, and a document that
made him famous throughout the world. It was his unusual belief that every man
was born with certain natural rights that set him apart from the other great
thinkers of his day…and which shaped much of what America was to become.
Jefferson constantly tried to place additional freedoms at the front of legislation. He
even tried to get a passage into the Declaration of Independence, freeing all
American slaves, though he himself owned slaves. But this was rejected furiously by
the Southern States, an unfortunate and short-sighted act that made an eventual
Civil War inevitable. Jefferson served in Europe with Adams and Franklin, with
others, attempting to get the French to support the American cause. John Adams’s
Vice President, Jefferson later served for eight years as the nation’s third President.
He was a believer in the principles of freedom of thought, of action, and the
necessity of education. Jefferson, perhaps more than any man, shaped the young
nation into what it was to become.
PATRICK HENRY- The greatest orator (speaker) in favor of the American

Revolution.
One of the first American politicians to attack British rule, he was among the first to
call the nation to battle, and caused thousands to enter the war with his immortal
words: “Give me liberty, or give me death.” Henry hated the idea of a strong
central government, and supported the rights of states to remain independently
governed.
JAMES MADISON- The fourth President, James Madison was the principal author
of the Constitution.

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Active in politics from an early age, he served on several governing bodies in

Virginia, voting for independence when the time came, and helping to draft his
state’s constitution. Madison’s contribution to the Federalist Papers still shapes
our thinking on America, today. He became a leader in Congress, was a fierce and
remarkably intelligent debater, and argued in favor of a strong, central government.
When Jefferson became President, he moved his strong supporter, Madison, into the
office of Secretary of State. It was Madison who handled the negotiations that
allowed America to approximately double in size, with the Louisiana Purchase, a
huge purchase of land from the French. (See the following map.)
As Napoleon tried to conquer Europe, Madison became President. England was, at

that time, again capturing American ships and impressing American sailors into her
navy against their will. Madison took the United States once again into war against
England. During this war, Washington D.C. was taken by the British, and Madison
and his famous wife, Dolly, fled. Soon after this, Madison led the U.S. to final
victory over the British. (The leader of the American troops was Andrew Jackson,
later President of the U.S.)

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JAMES MONROE- The fifth President of the United States, Monroe was perhaps
the greatest architect of foreign policy (how America deals with other nations) in
American history.
He studied law as a young man under Thomas Jefferson, who was then governor of
Virginia. Working closely with Madison and Jefferson, these three men created
changes in the nation for over 50 years. Monroe served in the Virginia State
legislature, and then served in the Continental Congress. He was opposed to the
new Constitution. He then served as a Senator from Virginia, and then as the U.S.
minister to France. He was a part of the delegation that met with Napoleon,
attempting to buy New Orleans, and much surprised when the French offered the
Americans the entire Louisiana Territory. When Madison became President, he
made Monroe his Secretary of State. He also served as Secretary of War during the
War of 1812. Monroe easily won the Presidency in 1816. Working closely with his
brilliant Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams (the next President, and John
Adam’s remarkable son), he stabilized relations with Canada, opened up the West
through various treaties, purchased Florida from Spain, and limited Russia from
assuming control of the West Coast. His triumph was perhaps the Monroe
Doctrine, a document which pledged America’s support of the newly independent
Latin American nations, recently freed from Spain. This was the beginning of a
hemispheric (having to do with ½ of the world) viewpoint for America.
JOHN HANCOCK- The first President of the Continental Congress, it was

Hancock’s difficult job to take a collection of the most brilliant and contentious
(tending to argue a lot) men in America, and form a unity that would lead to an
independent America.

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He was first man to sign the Declaration of Independence, a large and unmistakable
signature guaranteeing he would be hanged if the British won the war. Hancock,
through brilliance and hard work, became the most successful businessman in
Boston. Joining the protest against the Stamp Act, and other similar British moves,
he became known to other patriots. When his ship, The Liberty, was seized by the
British, there were many protests. John Adams himself defended Hancock in court,
and the charges against Hancock were dropped. Aligned closely with Samuel
Adams, Hancock became a guiding figure in the debate for freedom.
THOMAS PAINE- Paine was born in England in 1737. But never was a man more
of an “American”.
His essay, Common Sense, written in 1776, did more to shape public opinion about
independence and revolution than any other writing. (You’ll read some of it, soon.)
This was an amazing accomplishment for a man who, at the suggestion of Benjamin
Franklin, did not come to America until 1774. During the war, Paine continued to
agitate in favor of Freedom, in a series of pamphlets called The Crisis. Paine was a
born agitator (a person who encourages revolution and change through the written
and spoken word). After the war, he returned to England, and published The

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Rights of Man, in which he defended the French Revolution. Kicked out of

England, he moved to France, where he served in the National Convention, after the
revolution. He finally returned to America, dying there in 1802.
4. DRAW: what Sam Adams did to help start the war against England.
5. DRAW: What John Adams did to help start the war against England.
6. DRAW: What George Washington did to help start the war against England.
7. DRAW: What Benjamin Franklin did to help start the war against England.
8. DRAW: What Alexander Hamilton did to help start the war against England.

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LESSON # 6:
1. DRAW: What Thomas Jefferson did to help start the war against England.
2. DRAW: What Patrick Henry did to help start the war against England.
3. DRAW: What James Madison did to help start the war against England.
4. DRAW: What James Monroe did to help start the war against England.
5. DRAW: What John Hancock did to help start the war against England.
6. DRAW: What Thomas Paine did to help start the war against England.

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LESSON # 7:
Confounded- Confused, mixed up with each other.
Distinction- Noticeable difference.
Whereas- “But in fact”.
Origins- Starting points, beginnings.
Former- The first on the list above.
Latter- The last on the list above.
Intercourse- Exchange between peoples.
Patron- One who supports the efforts of others.
Intolerable- Cannot be lived with.
Calamities- Disasters.
Reflecting- Looking at the facts, considering the facts.
Means- What one needs to function or survive.
Bowers- Lovely walkways with flowers.
Paradise- Heaven, a place where life is perfect.
Impulses- Drives, desires, urges to act.
Conscience- One’s own sense of right and wrong.
Wear- Short for “wear out”, become old and beat up and useless.
Furnish- Provide.
Prudence- Good common sense, logical pro-survival action.
Unanswerably- It cannot be argued.

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Preferable- Better, to be preferred or desired above others of its type.
Sequestered- Locked away, to be all by itself, without influence from outside.
Motives- Reasons and ideas which call for action.
Thereto- “To that place” or “To that action”.
Perpetual- Constant and unending.
Solitude- The condition of being alone.
Tolerable- Livable, acceptable.
“Felled his timber”- “Cut down his tree”.
Nay- No.
Gravitating- Having to do with gravity, the force that pulls and

holds things together.
Emigrants- People who move into a nation.
Reciprocal- Exchanged by all sides, traded fairly by both.
Supersede- Become more powerful or effective than.
Obligations- Duties, jobs, assignments.
Impregnable- Unable to be entered or damaged in any way.
Vice- Evil acts.
Surmount- To conquer, to rise above.
Emigration- Having to do with Emigrants, and their moving into a nation.
Remissness- Laziness, avoidance of the needed effort, a mistake.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: the excerpt from Thomas Paine’s book,
Common Sense.
SOME writers have so confounded society with government, as to leave little or no

distinction between them; whereas they are not only different, but have different
origins. Society is produced by our wants, and government by our wickedness; the

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former promotes our happiness Positively by uniting our affections, the latter
negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other
creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher.
Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a
necessary evil in its worst state an in tolerable one; for when we suffer, or are
exposed to the same miseries by a government, which we might expect in a country
without government, our calamities is heightened by reflecting that we furnish the
means by which we suffer! Government, like dress, is the badge of lost innocence;
the palaces of kings are built on the ruins of the bowers of paradise. For were the
impulses of conscience Wear, uniform, and irresistibly obeyed, man would need no
other lawgiver; but that not being the case, he finds it necessary to surrender up a
part of his property to furnish means for the protection of the rest; and this he is
induced to do by the same prudence which in every other case advises him out of
two evils to choose the least. Wherefore, security being the true design and end of
government, it unanswerably follows that whatever form thereof appears most
likely to ensure it to us, with the least expense and greatest benefit, is preferable to
all others.
In order to gain a clear and just idea of the design and end of government, let us
suppose a small number of persons settled in some sequestered part of the earth,
unconnected with the rest, they will then represent the first peopling of any country,
or of the world. In this state of natural liberty, society will be their first thought. A
thousand motives will excite them thereto, the strength of one man is so unequal to
his wants, and his mind so unfitted for perpetual solitude, that he is soon obliged to
seek assistance and relief of another, who in his turn requires the same. Four or five
united would be able to raise a tolerable dwelling in the midst of a wilderness, but
one man might labor out the common period of life without accomplishing any
thing; when he had felled his timber he could not remove it, nor erect it after it was
removed; hunger in the mean time would urge him from his work, and every
different want call him a different way. Disease, nay even misfortune would be
death, for though neither might be mortal, yet either would disable him from living,
and reduce him to a state in which he might rather be said to perish than to die.
Thus necessity, like a gravitating power, would soon form our newly arrived
emigrants into society, the reciprocal blessings of which, would supersede, and
render the obligations of law and government unnecessary while they remained
perfectly just to each other; but as nothing but heaven is impregnable to vice, it will
unavoidably happen, that in proportion as they surmount the first difficulties of
emigration, which bound them together in a common cause, they will begin to relax
in their duty and attachment to each other; and this remissness, will point out the
necessity, of establishing some form of government to supply the defect of moral
virtue.

26
LESSON # 8:
1. DRAW: What Thomas Paine thinks of governments.
2. DRAW: The reasons Paine says governments may be needed.
3. EXERCISE:
Do you think governments are needed by men? What would life be
like if there were no governments? What problems might immediately
occur if your government stopped existing tomorrow? What might
improve? Would you rather have a government, or not, and why?
100 words.
(The student now takes Test # 1.)

27
PART TWO- THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
LESSON # 9:
(A long lesson, about 3 hours, due to the film.)
Subject – An individual under the authority and power of a ruler.
Death Warrant – An official document, issued by a government, making

it legal for a person to be put to death, due to some
act committed by the individual.
ON AMERICA AT THE TIME OF

THE SIGNING OF THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
It’s most important to understand that what the American colonies did had never
been done before in the history of the world. A member of the “British Empire”,
Americans decided that they had little in common with the English, other than a
language that was rapidly changing to fit their needs. King George III was beating
the colonies down with ridiculous taxes and acts of cruelty that were impossible to
ignore.
There was little doubt that the Colonies had reason to protest. But a statement,
such as the Declaration of Independence, that a subject to a royal crown was no
longer a subject of that crown, but was to be considered a free and independent
state…this had never been done before.
It is also important to understand that every man who worked on the writing of the
Declaration of Independence, every man who signed it, every man who became
known for his part in the revolution, was signing their own death warrant if the
British won the war. The Colonies were still considered a part of the British
Empire, as far as the British were concerned. The revolution, had the British won,
would be portrayed in the history books as treason.
With this in mind, you should understand how dangerous, how “revolutionary” the
Declaration of Independence was.

28
Massachusetts
Rhode Island
Germany
Massachusetts Bay
Framingham, Massachusetts
Bunker Hill, Boston, Massachusetts
New Hampshire
Declaration- A public announcement.
Independence- Freedom from others, or the need of others or of things.
Thirteen Colonies- The states which united to combat England during the
American Revolutionary War.
Congress- 1) A group in agreement and discussion; 2) The Senate

and the House of Representatives, in the United States.
Liberty- The freedom to move and act as a person wishes, without outside
restrictions.
Law Firm - A group of lawyers who form a corporation.
Gulled – Having been tricked or cheated easily.
Cullied – Fooled, cheated.
Blockade – To set up a military barrier around an area which is under

attack, so nothing can get in or out.
Open Debate – Intense discussion within a group about an issue.
Cataclysmic – Huge and disastrous.
Resolve – To decide something through a vote.
Fetid – To smell bad.
Dysentery – A disorder of the intestines, usually caused by inflammation,

resulting in pain, diarrhea, and occasional passage of blood.

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Smallpox – An easily caught and often fatal disease, now largely extinct.
Saltpeter – A combination of various chemicals (sodium nitrate, sodium

chloride) used in the making of gunpowder, an explosive
substance used in guns, cannon, etc.
Posterity – Future generations.
Botticelli – (1444-1510) Great Italian painter, whose most famous work is the
birth of Venus. Venus is the Roman Goddess of beauty and love.
Olive Branch – A symbol of peace.
Reconciliation – When two or more parties who have been in disagreement

are brought together again.
Obnoxious – Very annoying, irritating.
Delegation – The official representatives of a ruler, nation, organization or

state.
House of Burgesses – The lower house of the Virginia Legislature. (A

legislature is a part of the government which, as a
group, creates laws.)
Commander-In-Chief - The President of the United States, in his position

as the head of all American military forces.
Resolution – A formal statement of an opinion or decision, placed before a

Congress for their approval.
5. WATCH: The movie musical 1776, 0:00-19:00. (The end of the song, “The Lees
of Virginia”. Richard Henry Lee rides off.)
6. EXERCISE:
Explain how, if someone is disliked, they might have a hard time convincing
others to do something, even if it’s the right thing to do. 50 words or more.

30
7 . LOCATE: On a map, globe or the Internet:
Georgia (state, in America)

North Carolina
South Carolina
Jamaica
New Jersey
New York (state)
Halifax, Nova Scotia (Canada)
Hudson Valley (New York state)
Connecticut
New England (Northeast United States)
The South (South East United States, generally bordering the Atlantic
Ocean)
Concord, Massachusetts
Lexington, Massachusetts
Custodian – The caretaker for a certain building.
Rum – An alcoholic drink made from molasses or sugar cane.
Theology – The study of religion.
Soufflé – A French baked dish, made with eggs and other items.
Gangway – An aisle between seating sections.
Gout – A painful inflammation of the joints.
Popinjay – A vain, talkative person.
Quietude – The condition of peace and silence.
Therapeutic – Having a beneficial effect on one’s health and well-being.
“Flap” – Slang, for mouth.
Dispatch – An official, written message, intended to be delivered quickly.
Commissary – A place where military personnel can secure or buy food.
Quartermaster – The person in a military organization responsible for

food, clothing and equipment.

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Annals – Official, written records of events.
Dissipation – Indulgence in “sinful” acts which waste one’s energy.
Absolved – Forgiven.
Postponement – To put something off until later.
“The necessary” – Slang, for the bathroom.
Privy – Another name for a toilet.
Anarchist – A person who works to create confusion and chaos, in an effort

to overthrow the current government.
Grievances – Official complaints.
Spawned – To have given birth to a thing.
Abstain – To not become involved in an act.
Concord, Lexington – Two cities in Massachusetts where early battles in

the American Revolutionary war took place.
Compensate – 1) To make up for the harm or damages one has done; 2) To

pay for something one is purchasing.
Incendiary – Upsetting, literally “tending to start fires”.
Demagogue – A leader who appeals to his followers feelings, in as opposed to

their reason.
“Call the question” – To demand a vote on an issue before Congress.
Unanimous – With the agreement of all.
Carry – In voting, to get an issues “passed”, to earn its acceptance and

have the “yes” or “yea” votes be enough that it becomes law.
“The mark of Cain” – From a story in the book of Genesis in the Old
Testament. Cain is the son of Adam and Eve, the
first man and woman. He is the first murderer, killing
his brother, Abel. God places a mark on his forehead,
so that for all time, the world will know him.

32
Ditto – “The same as already stated.”
Assent – To agree or approve of something.
Explicit – Fully and clearly expressed.
Adjourn – To end a meeting of a group.
Defer – To allow another to state their opinion, or to act before you do.
Extemporania – Statements and writings improvised, created quickly and

with little thought.
Mania – An extreme passion.
Etiquette – Proper and accepted behavior.
Participle – A type of verb (action word) which can also act as an adjective
(a word which describes an action.)
Predicate – The part of a sentence stating what has occurred, such as

Bill ate the tomato.
Diplomat – A person who is a specialist in relationships between groups or

nations, and represents the interests of his own nation in
dealings and negotiations with others.
Composition – The way a written piece is constructed.
Felicity – Ease and expertise.
Virility – Manliness, the ability to have sex and children in a man.
“Cupid’s Grove” – Cupid was the Greek god of love. His “grove” are
trees under which he parties.
Combustibility - The quality of being able to catch fire and explode.
Homicide – Murder.
9. WATCH: 1776, 19:00-1:07:10, ending at the end of “But, Mr. Adams”.

33
10. EXERCISE:
As you can see, there was a real debate between what rights states should
individually have, and what rights the national government should have. A state
is more aware of its people’s lives and needs, as it is a smaller area than a nation.
Name three things a state would better be able to govern than a nation.

34
LESSON # 10:
(A long lesson, about 3 hours, due to the film.)
Braintree, Massachusetts
Dover, Rhode Island
New Brunswick, New Jersey
Subordination – The state of being under someone else’s authority or control.
Endearment – An expression of affection.
Irony – A statement intended to be taken for exactly the opposite of what is

said.
Cloister – A secluded place, generally intended for religious worship, shut off
from the world.
Celibate – Without sexual acts.
Abbey – A monastery.
Effusion – Overwhelming outpouring of feeling.
Bawdy – Tending to be wild and sexual.
Volume – A large book.
Bounty – A treasure.
Statesman – A person who represents his nation, and who specializes in

negotiation and fair dealings.
Architect – A person who designs buildings.
Elegy – A song or poem composed in memory of someone who has died.
“Twixt – Archaic (old) language, “between two things.”
Yeast - A substance used in the baking of bread, and in alcoholic beverages.

35
Regiment – A large military group.
Plato – (427 B.C.-347 B.C.) Great Greek philosopher.
Epidemic – A rapidly spreading, terrible disease.
Precedence – Examples that have already occurred of an action or idea.
Torpid – Virtually asleep.
Hygiene – The science which promotes health, such as washing one’s body,
brushing teeth, etc.
“The French Disease” – Slang for Venereal disease, a sexually transmitted

infection.
Redcoats – British soldiers, who wore long, red coats into battle.
Serenity – Peace and quiet.
Hosanna – An expression of praise and adoration to God.
“The Right” – The conservative element in politics; those people who do not
want things to change.
“The left” – The liberal element in politics; those people who wish for things
to change, usually significantly.
Endowered – Provided with wealth, or positive attributes.
Minuet – A type of waltz (music and dance).
Hessian – German mercenary (for hire) soldiers at the time of the

Revolution.
Regulars – A soldier who is a part of an army.
“Half-cocked” – Not entirely prepared.
Gavotte – A type of music and dance.
Lucid – Clear and rational.
3. WATCH: 1776, 1:07:10-1:47:42 (end of “Mamma, Look Sharp”.)

36
4. EXERCISE:
Why should a government consist of people from the right and the left, those
who want things to stay as they are, and those who wish for change? 50 words
or more.
Watertown, Massachusetts.
Annapolis, Maryland
Scotland
Ivory Coast, Africa
Guinea (Historically, western and equatorial Africa)
Jamaica
Antigua
Barbados
Angola, Africa
Charleston, South Carolina
Manhattan Island, New York
Brooklyn Heights, New York
Harvard University (Massachusetts)
William and Mary College (Near Richmond, Virginia)
Impel – To urge someone to do something.
Self-Evident – Obviously true and without the need of explanation.
Inalienable – Cannot be removed.
Ragtag – Shaggy, messy,
Midwives – Women who assist in birthing babies, though they are untrained
in the medical profession.
Incubator – A machine where the temperature is kept warm, where eggs

are placed until they hatch.
Alterations – Changes made.
Deletions – Things removed from a document.
Amendments – Additional clauses (ideas, fully stated) to a contract,

document, or law.

37
“The Supreme Being” – God.
Divine Providence – Luck, as provided by God.
Unprincipled – Lacking morals, or a sense of right and wrong, in one’s

actions.
Antagonizing – Tending to make others angry and upset.
August – Worthy of respect.
Apoplexy – An uncontrolled fit of rage and anger.
Constrained – Held back, withheld.
Incited – To have caused others to act in a way one wishes, through one’s
actions and words and examples.
Shilling, Pound – British money.
Ledger – A document showing all expenses and income for an individual

or business, listed item by item.
“Prime” – Of the first quality.
Laden – Weighed down heavily with something.
Triangle Trade – The fact that, at the time of the American Revolution, the
Northern States regularly sent ships to Africa to capture
native Africans, selling them into slavery in exchange for
molasses and sugar cane, in order to turn these substances
into Rum, an alcoholic drink.
Stinketh – Archaic, for “smells bad”.
Jeopardize – To place something or someone at risk.
Mortgaged – To have borrowed money from a lender, such as a bank, on

the basis of the value of one’s house.
Annihilation – Complete destruction.
Synagogue – A place where Jewish people pray.

38
“The Rubicon” - A river in Northern Italy. “Crossing the Rubicon” is slang,

taken from when Julius Caesar (100-44 B.C.) led his troops
out of the north, crossing South into Italy to invade Rome.
It means to take a step one cannot reverse, to commit one’s
self to a course of action with no going back.
Rue – To feel grief or sadness over something which has occurred.
Purgatory – The place, in Christian belief, between Heaven and Hell.
Ravishing – Of extreme beauty.
Edmund Burke – (1729-1797) Irish-born British politician and author.
Demigods – Minor gods.
Polled – To take a vote, in this case, individual by individual, and aloud.
Nonentity – 1) One who does not exist. 2) One of very little importance.
Adopted – (In law) Accepted and agreed upon.
Skiff – A type of flat-bottomed boat with a pointed prow (front) and

squared stern (back).
7. WATCH: 1776, 1:47:42-end.
8. EXERCISE:
Did the Northern states have the right to demand the end of slavery, so long as
their ships were capturing and selling slaves? Why or why not? 50 words or
more.
9. EXERCISE:
Franklin says “Those who would give up a little liberty to attain safety, deserve
neither liberty or safety”. Explain why surrendering one’s rights cannot lead
to long-term freedom or safety. 50 words or more.
10. EXERCISE:
Adams says there are two types who have value, those with commitments, and
those who require the commitment of others. Why are having commitments,
ideas and causes we believe in, so important? 50 words or more.

39
11. EXERCISE:
Hancock says “We’re about to brave the storm in a skiff made of paper”. The
paper he refers to is the Declaration of Independence. Yet, though made of
paper, hundreds of years later, the United States is the most powerful nation on
Earth. What makes the idea of personal freedom so powerful? 100 words or
more.

40
LESSON # 11:
Course- Path, the way something is traveling.
Bands- Items that hold other items together.
Station- One’s importance and position in life.
Entitle- To be deserving of a thing.
Endowed- Gifted, given (as a gift).
Instituted- Created and started.
Abolish- Eliminate completely.
Prudence- Good judgment and caution.
Dictate- To issue orders that must be obeyed.
Transient- Easily and often changing, changeable, here today and

gone tomorrow, not permanent.
Hath- Ancient English for “has”.
Shewn- Ancient English for “shown”.
Disposed- Likely, tending toward, tending to invite.
Usurpations- The stealing of privileges without the right to do so.
Pursuing- Chasing after.
Invariably- Always the same, every time.
Evinces- Serves as evidence or proof.

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2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Declaration of Independence, from

the start, to the end of the fifth
paragraph, stopping at: “…new Guards
for their future security.”
The Declaration of Independence of the Thirteen Colonies

In CONGRESS, July 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America,

When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to
dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume
among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of
Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of
mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the
separation.
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that 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. That to secure these rights,
Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent
of the governed. That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of
these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new
Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in
such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness.
Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be
changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn,
that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right
themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same
object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it
is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their
future security.
3. EXERCISE;
The Declaration of Independence was written by Thomas Jefferson.
One of Mr. Jefferson’s more famous quotes is “A little rebellion now
and then is a good thing.” Why would rebellion be a good thing?
What would have to happen in your country to make a rebellion
by the people necessary? Can you imagine what your government
would have to do? List three things your government might do that
would make the people wish to rebel.

42
4. DRAW: the reason Jefferson gives for writing the Declaration of

Independence. Who is he trying to impress?
5. DRAW: why it would be important to impress the people of the

world with the rightness of the American cause.
6. EXERCISE:
Jefferson says “…all men are created equal.” What does he mean by
this? Are we all of equal size? Equal strength? Equal intelligence?
DRAW three ways men are not created equal.
7. EXERCISE:
Now DRAW five rights that all men should have equally.

43
LESSON # 12:
1. EXERCISE:
How could you more clearly and accurately state what Mr. Jefferson
meant by “…all men are created equal”? Do so in your own words.
2. EXERCISE:
Do you believe men have rights that cannot be removed from them?
What can you never take away from a man, no matter what you do
to him? List three things.
3. EXERCISE:
Mr. Jefferson says that all people should have the rights of “Life,
Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.” Let’s take these one at a
time. In what ways are you free to enjoy your life? What rights
do you presently enjoy in living life? List five such rights.
Now, list three ways your life is restricted by others, in which

you are not free to “live”.

44
LESSON # 13:
1. EXERCISE:
In what ways do you enjoy liberty, the freedom to move about as
you wish, acting as you see fit? List five.
Now, list three ways your liberty is restricted by others.
2. EXERCISE:
What do you consider “happiness” to be? What makes you happy?
List ten things that make you happy.
Now, list five ways your happiness can be (or is) stopped by others.
3. EXERCISE:
Do you think a person should have the right to “life, liberty, and the
pursuit of happiness” at the expense of another person’s life,
liberty or happiness? Why or why not? 50 words.
4. EXERCISE:
When would it be okay to take away someone else’s “inalienable”
rights? How about a murderer? Should he have the right to
pursue happiness, or have the right to move about as he pleases?
List three types of people you believe should have their “inalienable”
rights removed, or write down why you believe no one’s rights
should ever be removed.
5. EXERCISE:
How would you rewrite the phrase “among these (rights) are Life, Liberty,
and the pursuit of Happiness”? How could you account for murderers?
Would you rewrite this phrase? Why or why not? 50 words.

45
LESSON # 14:
Sufferance- Tolerance endurance of pain.
Constrains- Forces into action, demands action.
Candid- Honest, direct.
Assent- Agreement.
Pressing- Urgent, immediate.
Relinquish- To give up a thing, to surrender it.
Inestimable- Of greater value than can be figured out.
Depository- A place where records are stored.
Fatiguing- Tiring, making tired.
Compliance- Obedience and agreement.
Dissolutions- The breaking apart of complex things into their smaller parts.
Annihilation- Utter destruction.
Convulsions- Upheavals, violent changes.
Obstructing- Standing in the way of, stopping or slowing down.
Naturalization- The process where a foreigner is made officially

a new citizen of the nation he’s moved into.
Appropriations- To take things for one’s own use, away from others.
Administration- The organizing of how to do something.
Judiciary- Having to do with courts of law, judges, and the working of the
law.
Tenure- The length of time a person holds a job or office.
Hither- An ancient word for “Here, to this place”.

46
Substance- What one needs in order to live.
Legislatures- Groups who write laws for a country.
Mock Trial- A pretend trial, dishonest and bogus.
Imposing- Forcing acceptance and compliance.
Offences- Crimes.
Render- To turn a thing into something new.
Charters- Official documents establishing the existence of a

business, state, or other such group.
Abdicated- To give away the right to something, to surrender an office or

post.
Mercenary- A soldier who fights only for pay.
Perfidy- Treachery, deceit, lies.
Constrained- Forced into unwanted action.
Bear Arms- To take up weapons and fight.
Brethren- Family, brothers.
Excited- Caused into motion.
Insurrections- Rebellions, uprisings.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: the next part of The Declaration of

Independence, from “Such has been
the patient sufferance…” to “…all ages,
sexes and conditions.”
Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity
which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of
the present King of Great Britain [George III] is a history of repeated injuries and
usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny
over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

47
He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public
good.
He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing

importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained,
and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.
He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of
people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the
Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.
He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and

distant from the depository of their public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing
them into compliance with his measures.
He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly

firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.
He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected;
whereby the Legislative powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the
People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the meantime exposed to all
the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.
He has endeavored to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose
obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to
encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations
of Lands.
He has obstructed the Administration of Justice, by refusing his Assent to Laws for
establishing Judiciary powers.
He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone, for the tenure of their offices, and
the amount and payment of their salaries.
He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to
harass our people, and eat out their substance.
He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies, without the consent of
our legislatures.
He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil
power.
He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our

constitution and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of
pretended Legislation:

48
• For protecting them by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders
which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:
• For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:
• For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:
• For depriving us in many cases of the benefits of Trial by Jury:
• For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:
• For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province,
establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries
so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the
same absolute rule into these Colonies:
• For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and
altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:
• For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with
power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.
He has abdicated Government here by declaring us out of his Protection and waging
War against us.
He has plundered our seas, ravaged our Coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the
lives of our people.
He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to complete the

works of death, desolation and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of
cruelty and perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally
unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.
He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms
against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or
to fall themselves by their Hands.
He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavored to bring on
the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages, whose known rule of
warfare is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

49
LESSON # 15:
(A long lesson, 2-4 hours.)
1. DRAW: each of the Declaration’s complaints against George III:
He withheld his agreement with much-needed laws.
He did not allow the people fair representation in government.
He made meetings of American governments almost impossible to attend.
He dissolved governmental groups for opposing him.
After dissolving governmental groups, he refused to have new

representatives elected.
He’s forced the people to create and defend their own ideas of law.
He’s prevented other people from coming to the Colonies.
He’s withheld power from American courts.
He sent officials by the hundreds over from England.
He kept during peace time a ready army in America.
He made the military senior to (having power over) the local governments.
He gave foreigners the right of law.
He protected murderers with phony trials.
He cut off America from trading with the world.
He imposed taxes against the people’s wishes.
He deprived people of due process of law and a fair trial.
He shipped people out of America to be put on trail for phony crimes he

made up.
He abolished British law in Canada, creating a government there

of his own choosing, and enlarging that “province” so that it could
enforce his rule of the Colonies.

50
He eliminated their charters, their right to exist, and their most loved laws.
He started a war with the colonies.
He sank the Colonists ships, attacked seaside cities, burnt down

these cities and destroyed the lives of the people living there.
He transported huge armies of Mercenaries, soldiers who fight

for pay, to finish destroying the colonies.
He forced American sailors captured at sea to become British

soldiers, and to fight against Americans.
He incited the American Indians to attack the colonies.

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LESSON # 16:
1. EXERCISE:
Pick the three complaints above you think are the most serious, and
explain why you selected these three.
2. EXERCISE:
What would be wrong with forcing the people to make up and enforce
their own laws. (We’re talking about every individual making up his
own idea of the laws that should be obeyed, and then enforcing those
laws in any way they see fit.) 50 words.
3. EXERCISE:
Locate, if you can, one place where the document attacks the British
people, other than King George III. Are there any such attacks?
Why would Jefferson have chosen to avoid attacking the British
people, instead attacking only King George? Name three reactions
he might have hoped this would cause.

52
LESSON # 17:
Oppressions- Tortures, torments, attempts to lessen and demean.
Petitioned- Officially requested.
Redress- Compensation, fair payment.
Magnanimity- Noble-spiritedness, generosity.
Conjured- To place a spell on a thing, to depend on the power of

a thing to have an expected effect.
Kindred- Having to do with a sense of family.
Disavow- To turn away from, to reject.
Correspondence- Communication, generally written, like letters.
Consanguinity- Having been descended from the same family.
Acquiesce- Give up, surrender.
Appealing- Praying.
The Supreme Judge of the World- God.
Rectitude- Righteousness, strong moral integrity.
Absolved- Forgiven, allowed to walk away from agreements.
Allegiance- Friendship and service.
British Crown- The King of England.
Levy- To raise an army, or declare war.
Conclude- To organize and negotiate to a finished result.
Commerce- Business, anything having to do with business and money.
Reliance- Dependence, surety.

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Divine Providence- The decisions and the will of God.
Mutually- Together, all as one.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: the rest of the Declaration of

Independence, from “In every stage of
these Oppressions…” to the end.
In every stage of these Oppressions we have Petitioned for Redress in the most
humble terms. Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury.
A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant,
is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.
Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren.
• We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to

extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us.
• We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and
settlement here.
• We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have
conjured them by the ties of our common kindred to disavow these
usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and
correspondence.
They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must,
therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold
them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.
We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General

Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude
of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by the authority of the good People of these
Colonies, solemnly publish and declare.
That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent
States; that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown,
and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is and
ought to be totally dissolved;
and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude
Peace, contract Alliances, establish Commerce,
and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do.

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And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of
Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes, and
our sacred Honor.
The signers of the Declaration represented the new States as follows:
New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton
Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samual Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry
Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery
Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott
New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris
New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham
Clark
Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer,
James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross
Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean
Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton
Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas
Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton
North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn
South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

55
Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton
3. DRAW: why you think Jefferson calls the British people “our British brethren.”
4. EXERCISE:
No colony on Earth had ever before declared their independence, as did the
signers of the Declaration. Every man who signed was signing his life away if
the British won the war. Would you have signed? What causes do you believe
might be worth dying for? Are there any? 50 words or more.
5. EXERCISE:
List three things in the Declaration of Independence you totally agree with, and
say why.

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LESSON # 18:
1. EXERCISE:
Find one thing in the Declaration of Independence you do not agree
with, and say why.
2. DRAW: if you were George III, what would your reaction might be to this
document. (Remember, he was insane.)
3. DRAW: if you were a British citizen, what your reaction might be to

this document.
The student now takes Test # 2

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PART THREE – THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
LESSON # 19:
England
France
Long Island, N.Y.
Saratoga, N.Y.
Valley Forge, Pennsylvania
Princeton, New Jersey
Trenton, New Jersey
Disputes – Disagreements.
ON THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
There were 13 original colonies, each of which became a state upon the end of the
revolutionary war. These were New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island,
Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia,
North Carolina, South Carolina and Georgia.
Each state sent many representatives to the “Continental Congress”, the

organization that represented the American Colonies and their revolution. The
most brilliant men in America filled the Congressional chambers. These included
Samuel and John Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, and many others.
Keeping peace and working towards agreements between so many active and
intense minds was the job of John Hancock, President of the Congress. And the
Congress was ultimately responsible for the success or failure of the war.
The head of the army was George Washington. The Continental Army lost many,
many battles. The revolutionary war was fought in the fields and streets of the
colonies themselves, so no house, no farm, no business was left untouched by the
war.

58
The Continental Congress and Army had very little funding or help, at the start.
Eventually, other nations, particularly the French, joined in the American fight for
freedom, mostly because the British were the mortal enemy of the French.
Here are the major events of the American Revolution:
1) In 1759, small arguments and disputes started to occur. “Americans”, a word

rarely used because most “Americans” considered themselves British, were
opposed to the British army’s right to break into homes and shops. They were
opposed to British judicial (law) practices that treated them as second class
citizens. They were opposed to the regulation of paper money by the British.
2) The British Parliament (their legislative, or law-making branch) placed a series

of taxes on America, for the first time. They taxed everything from sugar and
molasses (“The Sugar Act”) to stamps, which were required on all legal
documents (The “Stamp Act”) . Then came “The Quartering Act”, allowing
British troops to be housed and fed at American expense, and in American’s
homes. The cry went up that this was “taxation without representation.”
3) Then came The Townshend Acts, a series of taxes pushed forward by the
British Exchequer (Secretary of the Treasury), Charles Townshend. Taxes
on paper, paint, glass, even tea were levied against Americans.
4) The British troops, known as “redcoats” because of their long red coats,
committed a terrible mistake with the Boston Massacre, in 1770. Many
Bostonians (people of Boston) were killed because the Redcoats couldn’t
control their trigger fingers.
5) The Tea Act of 1773 so angered the people of Boston that many patriots
dressed up as “Indians”, and during “The Boston Tea Party”, boarded a
British ship and threw 340 chests of tea overboard.
6) Parliament got their revenge with the Intolerable (unbearable, cannot be

tolerated) Act. They closed the port of Boston, took control of the government,
insisted that their own officials could commit any crime and be tried not in
America, but in England (making it impossible for an American to accuse a
British official of a crime), and quartering troops in Bostonian houses.
7) As a result, all the states sent representatives to the First Continental Congress,
in Philadelphia, in September 1774. The Continental Congress officially
denounced the actions of the British.
8) Over 3,000 British troops were sent to Boston. They started to take guns and
other weapons away from people living outside Boston. This resulted in the first
battles of the Revolutionary War. On April 19, 1775, the people of Lexington
and Concord, Massachusetts, fought back. Almost half of the British soldiers

59
present were killed, the heaviest losses they would experience in the war.
9) The Second Continental Congress selected George Washington to lead the

states into war, and the Commander and Chief of the Continental Army.
10) The Americans had the advantage of many men, fighting for their own homes
on their own soil. They had few resources, little organization, and the state’s
individual legislatures often refused to cooperate with the Continental
Congress. But the British were fighting a war 3,000 miles from home, and their
“supply lines” (the roads or waterways used to get food and needed supplies to
the troops) were too far spread apart.
11) The American cause was inflamed by the writings of Paine, and finally, the
Declaration of Independence.
12) For the first year, neither side had much success. Britain spread the war
throughout the states, and into Canada. In August, 1776, the British, with
over 30,000 troops, and 70 warships, attacked New York, in order to capture
its all-important port. Washington lost Long Island, but kept attacking the
backside of the British Army, a form of battle they were unaccustomed to,
as they’d essentially been trained to always march forward. Washington got
the British out of New York, but was then pursued by the massive British
army. Washington and his army retreated (ran away) over the Delaware
River into Pennsylvania, on Dec. 7, 1776.
13) The British foolishly split their army in half and, refusing to fight in winter,
sent half their men to New York City and other local towns. Washington
crossed the frozen Delaware with his men, and captured the British garrison
(an armed area) at Trenton, New Jersey. A week later, he captured Princeton,
New Jersey.
14) The British, with a huge army, attacked again, coming down from Canada.
But their two generals, Howe and Burgoyne, could not agree on a plan,
and split the strength of the army, attacking Philadelphia and the North
in an uncoordinated manner. Burgoyne did not feel the Americans could
offer much resistance, so he moved slowly South. This allowed the American
army to build up again. (By this time in the war, which was to last over eight
years, the British were also hiring German Mercenaries to fight for them.)
When the British finally arrived at the American army’s position, the
Continental army was ready. The British army under Burgoyne, outfought
and out-thought, surrendered at Saratoga, on October 17, 1777.
15) General Howe of the British was meanwhile taking Philadelphia. Washington
rapidly moved his army there. During the night of October 4, Washington
raided a Pennsylvania Garrison held by German soldiers.

60
16) In 1778, the French joined the war against the British, encouraged by all the
trouble America was giving their hated enemies.
17) The Americans wintered at Valley Forge, where they suffered bitterly
in the freezing cold, with little in food or supplies.
In the Spring came reinforcements, and supplies. France entered the war. The
British left Philadelphia and focused all their attention on New York.
Washington met the British at Monmouth (June 28, 1778). No one won.
18) For three years, Washington watched the British who hovered outside
New York.
19) Because they could not take the North, the British finally focused on the
American South. Georgia, unprepared, was quickly defeated.
20) In 1779, fighting at the border of Georgia and South Carolina produced
no clear victory for either side.

61
21) The British sent troops from New York down to South Carolina in 1780.
On May 12, they took Charleston.
22) American General Greene, with the third American Army, harassed British
General Cornwallis in South Carolina, with a series of rapid attacks. After
a series of defeats at the hands of much smaller American armies, Cornwallis
retreated to Virginia, with Greene destroying British posts in the South.
23) Cornwallis united with the American traitor, General Benedict Arnold,
in Virginia. Trapped, French and American forces blocked (blockaded)
the Virginia Peninsula, making it impossible for Cornwallis to bring in
new troops or supplies. He surrendered on Oct. 19, 1781, effectively
ending the war.
-----
4. DRAW: what George Washington and his troops did at the Delaware River.
5. EXERCISE:
Can a single battle win a war? In what ways could a battle you won,
that your nation had no chance of winning, change the course of a
war. Write down three ways it would help.
6. DRAW: the way British troops marched into war, and the way American troops
fought, that would have given Americans some advantage.
7. EXERCISE:
If you were fighting on your own land, for your own family and home,
what advantages would you have over an enemy attacking you from
another land? Write down three advantages.
8. DRAW: how foreigners helped the colonies win their independence.

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LESSON # 20:
Paris, France
Trinity- In Christianity, God; his son, Jesus; and the Holy Ghost, or spirit.
Beneficial- Helpful, constructive.
Intercourse- A relationship.
Reciprocal- Fair for both sides, fair exchange.
Perpetual- Eternal.
Reconciliation- The act of making up with an enemy, making

friends after having been temporarily enemies.
Articles- The sections of a official document, each usually taking

up a single issue.
Tenor- The overall feel of things, the mood.
Provisional- Not permanent, yet to be proven as workable.
Britannic- Having to do with Britain.
Commissioner- A government official.
Late- Recently, but no longer.
Esqr.- Short for “Esquire”, a title of honor.
Plenipotentiary- Given full power to make agreements and to

act, representing a government.
Versailles- The palace of the French King.
Congress- The Senate and House of Representatives.
Chief Justice- The head or leader of judges.

63
Treaty- A written agreement between two or more nations.
Delegate- An elected representative of the people.
Definitive- The final and ultimate version of a thing.
3. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Paris Peace Treaty of 1783, the
preamble, stopping at Article 1.
In the name of the most holy and undivided Trinity.
It having pleased the Divine Providence to dispose the hearts of the most serene and
most potent Prince George the Third, by the grace of God, king of Great Britain,
France, and Ireland, defender of the faith, duke of Brunswick and Lunebourg, arch-
treasurer and prince elector of the Holy Roman Empire etc., and of the United
States of America, to forget all past misunderstandings and differences that have
unhappily interrupted the good correspondence and friendship which they mutually
wish to restore, and to establish such a beneficial and satisfactory intercourse,
between the two countries upon the ground of reciprocal advantages and mutual
convenience as may promote and secure to both perpetual peace and harmony; and
having for this desirable end already laid the foundation of peace and reconciliation
by the Provisional Articles signed at Paris on the 30th of November 1782, by the
commissioners empowered on each part, which articles were agreed to be inserted
in and constitute the Treaty of Peace proposed to be concluded between the Crown
of Great Britain and the said United States, but which treaty was not to be
concluded until terms of peace should be agreed upon between Great Britain and
France and his Britannic Majesty should be ready to conclude such treaty
accordingly; and the treaty between Great Britain and France having since been
concluded, his Britannic Majesty and the United States of America, in order to
carry into full effect the Provisional Articles above mentioned, according to the
tenor thereof, have constituted and appointed, that is to say his Britannic Majesty
on his part, David Hartley, Esqr., member of the Parliament of Great Britain, and
the said United States on their part, John Adams, Esqr., late a commissioner of the
United States of America at the court of Versailles, late delegate in Congress from
the state of Massachusetts, and chief justice of the said state, and minister
plenipotentiary of the said United States to their high mightinesses the States
General of the United Netherlands; Benjamin Franklin, Esqr., late delegate in
Congress from the state of Pennsylvania, president of the convention of the said
state, and minister plenipotentiary from the United States of America at the court of
Versailles; John Jay, Esqr., late president of Congress and chief justice of the state
of New York, and minister plenipotentiary from the said United States at the court
of Madrid; to be plenipotentiaries for the concluding and signing the present
definitive treaty; who after having reciprocally communicated their respective full
powers have agreed upon and confirmed the following articles.

64
4. DRAW: who represented the United States on this treaty.
5. DRAW: why the men who authored the agreement might choose to call the
Revolutionary War and problems leading up to it “misunderstandings
and differences”.
6. DRAW: the differences in the way King George III is described in the Peace
Treaty, and the Declaration of Independence.

65
LESSON # 21:
Britannic – Of, or having to do with Britain.
Heirs- One’s children.
Propriety- Legal ownership of a thing.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Paris Peace Treaty, Article 1.
Article 1:
His Britannic Majesty acknowledges the said United States, viz., New Hampshire,
Massachusetts Bay, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, Connecticut, New
York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South
Carolina and Georgia, to be free sovereign and independent states, that he treats
with them as such, and for himself, his heirs, and successors, relinquishes all claims
to the government, propriety, and territorial rights of the same and every part
thereof.
3. DRAW: in what ways this article sounds as if King George personally

owned the colonies, and has now “given up title” on them.
Disputes- Disagreements, arguments.
Boundaries- Limits, points where a thing begins and/or ends.
Communication- (as it’s used) a point where a thing may be

accessed or entered.
Thence- Ancient word for “and from here to (another place)”.
Thereof- Ancient word, “from a specific reason or cause”.
Heretofore- Ancient word, “up to now”.

66
5. READ AND DRAW: Article 2 of the Paris Treaty, doing a DRAW on a good
map of America of each boundary mentioned.
Article 2:
And that all disputes which might arise in future on the subject of the boundaries of
the said United States may be prevented, it is hereby agreed and declared, that the
following are and shall be their boundaries, viz.; from the northwest angle of Nova
Scotia, viz., that angle which is formed by a line drawn due north from the source of
St. Croix River to the highlands; along the said highlands which divide those rivers
that empty themselves into the river St. Lawrence, from those which fall into the
Atlantic Ocean, to the northwesternmost head of Connecticut River; thence down
along the middle of that river to the forty-fifth degree of north latitude; from thence
by a line due west on said latitude until it strikes the river Iroquois or Cataraquy;
thence along the middle of said river into Lake Ontario; through the middle of said
lake until it strikes the communication by water between that lake and Lake Erie;
thence along the middle of said communication into Lake Erie, through the middle
of said lake until it arrives at the water communication between that lake and Lake
Huron; thence along the middle of said water communication into Lake Huron,
thence through the middle of said lake to the water communication between that
lake and Lake Superior; thence through Lake Superior northward of the Isles
Royal and Phelipeaux to the Long Lake; thence through the middle of said Long
Lake and the water communication between it and the Lake of the Woods, to the
said Lake of the Woods; thence through the said lake to the most northwesternmost
point thereof, and from thence on a due west course to the river Mississippi; thence
by a line to be drawn along the middle of the said river Mississippi until it shall
intersect the northernmost part of the thirty-first degree of north latitude, South, by
a line to be drawn due east from the determination of the line last mentioned in the
latitude of thirty-one degrees of the equator, to the middle of the river Apalachicola
or Catahouche; thence along the middle thereof to its junction with the Flint River,
thence straight to the head of Saint Mary's River; and thence down along the middle
of Saint Mary's River to the Atlantic Ocean; east, by a line to be drawn along the
middle of the river Saint Croix, from its mouth in the Bay of Fundy to its source,
and from its source directly north to the aforesaid highlands which divide the rivers
that fall into the Atlantic Ocean from those which fall into the river Saint Lawrence;
comprehending all islands within twenty leagues of any part of the shores of the
United States, and lying between lines to be drawn due east from the points where
the aforesaid boundaries between Nova Scotia on the one part and East Florida on
the other shall, respectively, touch the Bay of Fundy and the Atlantic Ocean,
excepting such islands as now are or heretofore have been within the limits of the
said province of Nova Scotia.

67
6. EXERCISE:
How many of the boundaries established in this treaty are still American
boundaries. How many are not? Why do you think this is so?
Has America kept this agreement? Do you think it should have?
Why or why not. 100 words.

68
LESSON # 22:
1. FULLY UNDERSTAND THE WORDS
Unmolested- Not bothered or endangered.
Grand Bank- An area of ocean near Newfoundland, north of the

United States, an area famous for its fishing.
Cure- To prepare meat or fish for storage.
Dominions- The lands one owns or controls.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: from The Paris Treaty, Article 3.
Article 3:
It is agreed that the people of the United States shall continue to enjoy unmolested
the right to take fish of every kind on the Grand Bank and on all the other banks of
Newfoundland, also in the Gulf of Saint Lawrence and at all other places in the sea,
where the inhabitants of both countries used at any time heretofore to fish. And also
that the inhabitants of the United States shall have liberty to take fish of every kind
on such part of the coast of Newfoundland as British fishermen shall use, (but not to
dry or cure the same on that island) and also on the coasts, bays and creeks of all
other of his Brittanic Majesty's dominions in America; and that the American
fishermen shall have liberty to dry and cure fish in any of the unsettled bays,
harbors, and creeks of Nova Scotia, Magdalen Islands, and Labrador, so long as the
same shall remain unsettled, but so soon as the same or either of them shall be
settled, it shall not be lawful for the said fishermen to dry or cure fish at such
settlement without a previous agreement for that purpose with the inhabitants,
proprietors, or possessors of the ground.
3. DRAW: why fishing rights were important to both nations.
Creditors- Someone who is owed money.
Impediment- Things that stand in the way of progress, “stops”.
Bona Fide- Legitimate, proven to be true or real.

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Contracted- Agreed to in written form.
Restitution- Restoring of rights, money, or things to the rightful

owner, or paying them for what was destroyed of theirs.
Confiscated- Taken away by the authorities.
Endeavors- Attempts.
Revision- The altering or updating of an idea, or document.
Conciliation- The bringing together of former enemies in peace.
Prevail- Triumph, win, be victorious.
Prosecution- The legal pursuit in the courts of someone’s guilt,

or in favor of someone’s rights.
5. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: Articles 4 and 5, in the Paris Treaty.
Article 4:
It is agreed that creditors on either side shall meet with no lawful impediment to the
recovery of the full value in sterling money of all bona fide debts heretofore
contracted.
Article 5:
It is agreed that Congress shall earnestly recommend it to the legislatures of the

respective states to provide for the restitution of all estates, rights, and properties,
which have been confiscated belonging to real British subjects; and also of the
estates, rights, and properties of persons resident in districts in the possession on his
Majesty's arms and who have not borne arms against the said United States. And
that persons of any other description shall have free liberty to go to any part or
parts of any of the thirteen United States and therein to remain twelve months
unmolested in their endeavors to obtain the restitution of such of their estates,
rights, and properties as may have been confiscated; and that Congress shall also
earnestly recommend to the several states a reconsideration and revision of all acts
or laws regarding the premises, so as to render the said laws or acts perfectly
consistent not only with justice and equity but with that spirit of conciliation which
on the return of the blessings of peace should universally prevail. And that Congress
shall also earnestly recommend to the several states that the estates, rights, and
properties, of such last mentioned persons shall be restored to them, they refunding
to any persons who may be now in possession the bona fide price (where any has

70
been given) which such persons may have paid on purchasing any of the said lands,
rights, or properties since the confiscation.
And it is agreed that all persons who have any interest in confiscated lands, either
by debts, marriage settlements, or otherwise, shall meet with no lawful impediment
in the prosecution of their just rights.
6. DRAW: why such an effort is made to guarantee that everyone will

be able to keep their property and goods.

71
LESSON # 23:
Confinement- Imprisonment, to be placed in prison.
Ratification- The official approval of a document by a government, or by the

people.
Hostilities- Acts of violence, attacks.
Cease- Stop.
Artillery- Large weapons, like cannons.
Forthwith- Ancient word for “immediately and from this time forward”.
Restored- To have a thing returned to its original condition.
Compensation- Pay for what is damaged, or what is owed.
Expedited- Finished quickly.
Whereof- Ancient word for “of or about a thing”.
Seals of our arms- The official stamp on a document, representing

an important person, nation, or king.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: Articles 6-10 of the Paris Treaty.
Article 6:
That there shall be no future confiscations made nor any prosecutions commenced
against any person or persons for, or by reason of, the part which he or they may
have taken in the present war, and that no person shall on that account suffer any
future loss or damage, either in his person, liberty, or property; and that those who
may be in confinement on such charges at the time of the ratification of the treaty in
America shall be immediately set at liberty, and the prosecutions so commenced be
discontinued.

72
Article 7:
There shall be a firm and perpetual peace between his Brittanic Majesty and the
said states, and between the subjects of the one and the citizens of the other,
wherefore all hostilities both by sea and land shall from henceforth cease. All
prisoners on both sides shall be set at liberty, and his Brittanic Majesty shall with all
convenient speed, and without causing any destruction, or carrying away any
Negroes or other property of the American inhabitants, withdraw all his armies,
garrisons, and fleets from the said United States, and from every post, place, and
harbor within the same; leaving in all fortifications, the American artillery that may
be therein; and shall also order and cause all archives, records, deeds, and papers
belonging to any of the said states, or their citizens, which in the course of the war
may have fallen into the hands of his officers, to be forthwith restored and delivered
to the proper states and persons to whom they belong.
Article 8:
The navigation of the river Mississippi, from its source to the ocean, shall forever
remain free and open to the subjects of Great Britain and the citizens of the United
States.
Article 9:
In case it should so happen that any place or territory belonging to Great Britain or
to the United States should have been conquered by the arms of either from the
other before the arrival of the said Provisional Articles in America, it is agreed that
the same shall be restored without difficulty and without requiring any
compensation.
Article 10:
The solemn ratifications of the present treaty expedited in good and due form shall
be exchanged between the contracting parties in the space of six months or sooner, if
possible, to be computed from the day of the signatures of the present treaty.
----
In witness whereof we the undersigned, their ministers plenipotentiary, have in their

name and in virtue of our full powers, signed with our hands the present definitive
treaty and caused the seals of our arms to be affixed thereto.
Done at Paris, this third day of September in the year of our Lord, one thousand
seven hundred and eighty-three.
----

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3. DRAW: why it was important that King George agree to remove all
of his armies and weapons from American lands.
4. DRAW: how much time was given for this agreement to be ratified.
5. EXERCISE:
After reading this agreement, do you think this document is enough to
guarantee peace between America and England? Why or why not?
50 words.
(The student now takes test # 3

74
PART FOUR – THE CONSTITUTION
LESSON # 24:
Supremacy – Of, or having to do with extreme and unchallenged power.
Executive – A person in charge of a group.
Branch – A part of a larger group, as a branch of a tree is born from its

trunk.
Legislative – Having to do with the writing of laws.
Judicial – Having to do with courts, judges, and the practice and

enforcement of laws.
ON THE HISTORY OF THE CONSTITUTION

OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA,
AND CHECKS AND BALANCES
Throughout history attempts have been made to create governments that were more
available and responsible to the people. Greek democracy is perhaps the first well
known example of an attempt to give the people a vote in their own future. But even
the ancient Sumerians had a famous Code of Law, an attempt to have all the people
know what their rights were. Even in England, long before the American
Constitution, there had been an agreement made involving the rights of British
Citizens and their King, known as the Magna Charta.
In America, however, the primary concern was that whichever form of government
was created, it not invest all its power in one person, a king-like figure of
supremacy. With that in mind, the authors of the Constitution of the United States
created a system of “checks and balances”. Checks and balances means that one
object of power can stop or slow down another, and the same would be true the
other way.
With this in mind, the government of the U.S. was designed to have three branches,
each one checking and balancing the others, each with its own set of powers and
restraints. These are:

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The Executive Branch- The President, Vice President, the President’s staff and
the “cabinet”, a set of experts, each one in charge of a
certain national activity, such as “Defense”, or “the
Environment”.
The Legislative Branch- The Congress, which is made up of the Senate and the
House of Representatives. A “legislator” is someone
who writes or creates laws.
The Judicial Branch- The Supreme Court, and all lesser courts.
Each branch has the power to stop the others, though that power is defined
carefully, and is hard to use. The idea was that if, for instance, the President could
“veto” (say “no”) to a new law which Congress proposes, he could stop that law.
But Congress could then “override” (outvote) the Presidential veto with a new vote
of their own, where a high percentage of the Congress agreed. The Supreme Court
could also “strike down” (eliminate or kill) a new law if the judges of the court
(there are 12) found the law to be “Unconstitutional”, or in disagreement with the
Constitution.
The bottom line is that the entire shape and philosophy of American Government
and U.S. law is determined by the Constitution of the United States. It is the
supreme document in America, determining precisely what the government, each
branch of the government, and what individual citizens are and are not allowed to
do.
The document was written essentially by lawyers, with James Madison having
perhaps the largest say on its contents. It was then approved by representatives
from each state, and then by each state legislature. (Remember, each state has its
own Executive, Legislative and Judicial Branch of government, and is a smaller
reflection of the National Government.) Accordingly, the original “Articles” (large
sections, each covering a certain area of concern for the nation) is heavy on concern
for legal rights and limits.
Constitution- A document designed to create the political and

governmental structure of a nation.
Tranquility- Peace.
General Welfare- How everyone is prospering or not prospering,

how we’re all doing, overall.

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Justice- Fair and equal treatment and rights.
Posterity- The future, one’s children and their children.
Ordain- Order to be so.
Legislative- Having to do with the creation and writing of laws.
Composed- Made up of, consisting of.
Qualifications- Specific skills or requirements of a person that he must have

or do, before he’s allowed to have or do the next thing.
Electors- Voters, people who participate in the voting process.
Requisite- Required.
Attained- Arrived at.
Apportioned- Handed out fairly and equally.
“Bound to service”- Having to do with indentured servants,

people who agreed to work almost as slaves
for a master craftsman, for a period of time,
often to learn how to do their craft.
Respective- Different for each person concerned.
Enumeration- Listing of individuals, counting of individuals.
Subsequent- Following in time and order.
Vacancies- Openings, available posts, jobs, or buildings.
Executive- Having to do with the leader or head of an organization.
Writs-A written, legal order.
Speaker- The head of the House, and third in line for the
Presidency, after the President and Vice President.
Impeachment- The act of accusing an official of having committed a crime.

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4. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: from The Constitution, the Preamble,

and Article I, section 1, and section 2.
The Constitution of the

United States of America
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish
justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, 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.
Article I
Section 1.
All legislative powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United
States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.
Section 2.
The House of Representatives shall be composed of members chosen every second
year by the people of the several states, and the electors in each state shall have the
qualifications requisite for electors of the most numerous branch of the state
legislature.
No person shall be a Representative who shall not have attained to the age of twenty
five years, and been seven years a citizen of the United States, and who shall not,
when elected, be an inhabitant of that state in which he shall be chosen.
Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several states
which may be included within this union, according to their respective numbers,
which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including
those bound to service for a term of years, and excluding Indians not taxed, three
fifths of all other Persons. The actual Enumeration shall be made within three years
after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States, and within every
subsequent term of ten years, in such manner as they shall by law direct. The
number of Representatives shall not exceed one for every thirty thousand, but each
state shall have at least one Representative; and until such enumeration shall be
made, the state of New Hampshire shall be entitled to choose three, Massachusetts
eight, Rhode Island and Providence Plantations one, Connecticut five, New York
six, New Jersey four, Pennsylvania eight, Delaware one, Maryland six, Virginia ten,
North Carolina five, South Carolina five, and Georgia three.
When vacancies happen in the Representation from any state, the executive
authority thereof shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies.
The House of Representatives shall choose their speaker and other officers; and
shall have the sole power of impeachment.

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5. DRAW: the reasons the Constitution was written:
To form a more perfect union.

To establish justice.
To insure domestic tranquility.
To provide for the common defense.
To promote the general welfare.
To secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity.

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LESSON # 25:
1. EXERCISE:
Are the reasons given above enough to run a nation by? Should there
be any other reasons listed there to write a Constitution? Should
religion be considered? Has it been considered there? How about
the expansion? Should the Constitution talk about the nations right
to conquer other nations? Can you think of anything important they
missed in this opening statement. If so, make your own list. If not,
explain why you feel everything was well covered.
2. EXERCISE:
For each point below, list three ways your nation has succeeded
in creating the desired result.

3. EXERCISE:
For each point below, list three ways your nation has failed in creating the
desired result.


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LESSON # 26:
1. DRAW: who has the power to write new laws.
2. DRAW: how often a member of the House is “chosen” (elected) from

each house district.
3. DRAW: each requirement to be a member of the House of Representatives:
25 years of age.
A citizen of the U.S. for at least seven years.
Must be an inhabitant of the state represented.
4. DRAW: how Indians are counted as part of the population. (They

are not counted.)
5. EXERCISE:
Is everyone counted as a voter in Section 2? Who is excluded? What
exactly is 3/5ths of a person? What’s wrong with this system for
counting people (called a “census”)? 50 words or more.
6. DRAW: who selects the Speaker of the House.

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LESSON # 27:
Consequence- As a result of, because of.
Vacated- Sent away, removed.
Expiration- The end or death of a thing.
Resignation- When a person willingly quits their job.
Pro Tempore- (pronounced “Pro Tehm”) At the present time, but

not permanent. A temporary solution.
Exercise- To be actively doing a specific function.
Affirmation- The act of swearing to be truthful.
Chief Justice- The head of the most powerful legal court in America, The
Supreme Court.
Convicted- Found to be guilty.
Concurrence- Agreement, assent.
Liable- To be held accountable or responsible for things done.
Indictment- To be accused of breaking the law, and to be

brought before the court for trial.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: from The Constitution, Article I,

section 3.
Section 3.
The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state,
chosen by the legislature thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.
Immediately after they shall be assembled in consequence of the first election, they
shall be divided as equally as may be into three classes. The seats of the Senators of
the first class shall be vacated at the expiration of the second year, of the second
class at the expiration of the fourth year, and the third class at the expiration of the
sixth year, so that one third may be chosen every second year; and if vacancies

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happen by resignation, or otherwise, during the recess of the legislature of any state,
the executive thereof may make temporary appointments until the next meeting of
the legislature, which shall then fill such vacancies.
No person shall be a Senator who shall not have attained to the age of thirty years,
and been nine years a citizen of the United States and who shall not, when elected,
be an inhabitant of that state for which he shall be chosen.
The Vice President of the United States shall be President of the Senate, but shall
have no vote, unless they be equally divided.
The Senate shall choose their other officers, and also a President pro tempore, in the
absence of the Vice President, or when he shall exercise the office of President of the
United States.
The Senate shall have the sole power to try all impeachments. When sitting for that
purpose, they shall be on oath or affirmation. When the President of the United
States is tried, the Chief Justice shall preside: And no person shall be convicted
without the concurrence of two thirds of the members present.
Judgment in cases of impeachment shall not extend further than to removal from
office, and disqualification to hold and enjoy any office of honor, trust or profit
under the United States: but the party convicted shall nevertheless be liable and
subject to indictment, trial, judgment and punishment, according to law.
3. DRAW: the requirements to be a member of the Senate:
Thirty years of age.

Nine years a citizen of the U.S.
Must be an inhabitant of the state represented.
4. DRAW: what percentage of the Senate is re-elected each two years.
5. EXERCISE:
The length of time of a Senator’s service is six years, once elected.
A member of the House of Representatives (“Congressman”) serves
two years. Give three reasons why you think the authors of the
Constitution chose to provide Senators longer terms of office.
6. DRAW: how many Senators are elected, per state.

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7. EXERCISE:
As there are 50 states (as of 2003), how many senators would there be in the
senate?

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LESSON # 28:
1. DRAW: if there is a tie in the Senate, who gets to make the tie-breaking vote?
2. DRAW: who is the president of the Senate?
3. DRAW: how many Senators must agree on a conviction.
4. EXERCISE:
In the article, it says that if a Senator cannot finish his term for any
reason (death, illness, whatever), “the executive” would make a temporary
appointment until the next election. By this it seems as if their saying the
governor of the state the Senator represents would select a replacement.
Give three reasons why the state wouldn’t just hold another election.
5. DRAW: after the Senate finds someone guilty and removes them from
office, what additionally can happen to the guilty party.
6. EXERCISE:
A state’s delegation to the House of Representatives can consist of many
Congresspersons. That same state will always have two Senators, and the
Senate will always be much smaller than the House. Would a Senator
or a Congressperson be more likely to have an influence on the Congress,
and why. 50 words or more.

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LESSON # 29:
Prescribed- To lay down rules in a written manner.
Alter- Change.
Regulations- Rules, laws.
Assemble- Get together in one place.
Appoint- To officially select.
Majority- More than ½ of a group.
Quorum- The number of people needed for voting and any

other actions taken to be official.
Adjourn- Leave.
Compel- Force.
Proceedings- Actions, methods, what is done and how it’s done.
Expel- Kick out.
Journal- A diary, a running record from one person’s point of

view of what has occurred.
Yeas and neas- Yes and no votes.
Compensation- Pay.
Ascertained- To find something out with certainty.
Treasury- The collected money (an other valuable resources) of

any company or nation.
Felony- A serious crime.
Breach- A breaking of.
Civil- Having to do with the running of a nation.

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Emoluments- Payments for work that’s been done.

sections 4, 5, and 6.
Section 4.
The times, places and manner of holding elections for Senators and Representatives,
shall be prescribed in each state by the legislature thereof; but the Congress may at
any time by law make or alter such regulations, except as to the places of choosing
Senators.
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall be
on the first Monday in December, unless they shall by law appoint a different day.
Section 5.
Each House shall be the judge of the elections, returns and qualifications of its own
members, and a majority of each shall constitute a quorum to do business; but a
smaller number may adjourn from day to day, and may be authorized to compel the
attendance of absent members, in such manner, and under such penalties as each
House may provide.
Each House may determine the rules of its proceedings, punish its members for
disorderly behavior, and, with the concurrence of two thirds, expel a member.
Each House shall keep a journal of its proceedings, and from time to time publish
the same, excepting such parts as may in their judgment require secrecy; and the
yeas and nays of the members of either House on any question shall, at the desire of
one fifth of those present, be entered on the journal.
Neither House, during the session of Congress, shall, without the consent of the
other, adjourn for more than three days, nor to any other place than that in which
the two Houses shall be sitting.
Section 6.
The Senators and Representatives shall receive a compensation for their services, to
be ascertained by law, and paid out of the treasury of the United States. They shall
in all cases, except treason, felony and breach of the peace, be privileged from arrest
during their attendance at the session of their respective Houses, and in going to and
returning from the same; and for any speech or debate in either House, they shall
not be questioned in any other place.
No Senator or Representative shall, during the time for which he was elected, be
appointed to any civil office under the authority of the United States, which shall
have been created, or the emoluments whereof shall have been increased during

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such time: and no person holding any office under the United States, shall be a
member of either House during his continuance in office.
3. DRAW: who decides when elections for the Senate and Congress are to take
place.
4. DRAW: how often Congress must assemble.
5. DRAW: the date on which Congress must first assemble each year.
6. DRAW: who decides for the Senate whether an election has been
held fairly, and the results are fair.
7. DRAW: who punishes a Congressperson who is disorderly.
8. EXERCISE:
If the Senate and House each punish their own members who are
“disorderly”, what’s to stop the entire Congress from being
“disorderly”? Name three reasons order would still be kept.
9. EXERCISE:
If you and ten of your friends were in a room together to play a
game, and there was no “adult supervision”, would the game be
played fairly? Would it even get played? Name 10 things that
could go wrong.
10. EXERCISE:
If Congresspersons make the laws, and the laws will determine what
a Congressperson is to be paid, what’s to stop them from paying
themselves huge salaries? Name three things that would stop
them from doing this.

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LESSON # 30:
Bills- Proposed laws, in writing.
Revenue- Money.
Amendments- Changes or additions to a document.
Originated- Started.
Likewise- In the same way or manner.
Excepted- Not included.
Resolution- A formal expression of an opinion.
Adjournment- Ending off, leaving, ending a meeting.

section 7.
Section 7.
All bills for raising revenue shall originate in the House of Representatives; but the
Senate may propose or concur with amendments as on other Bills.
Every bill which shall have passed the House of Representatives and the Senate,
shall, before it become a law, be presented to the President of the United States; if he
approve he shall sign it, but if not he shall return it, with his objections to that
House in which it shall have originated, who shall enter the objections at large on
their journal, and proceed to reconsider it. If after such reconsideration two thirds
of that House shall agree to pass the bill, it shall be sent, together with the
objections, to the other House, by which it shall likewise be reconsidered, and if
approved by two thirds of that House, it shall become a law. But in all such cases the
votes of both Houses shall be determined by yeas and nays, and the names of the
persons voting for and against the bill shall be entered on the journal of each House
respectively. If any bill shall not be returned by the President within ten days
(Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the same shall be a
law, in like manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their adjournment
prevent its return, in which case it shall not be a law.
Every order, resolution, or vote to which the concurrence of the Senate and House
of Representatives may be necessary (except on a question of adjournment) shall be

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presented to the President of the United States; and before the same shall take
effect, shall be approved by him, or being disapproved by him, shall be repassed by
two thirds of the Senate and House of Representatives, according to the rules and
limitations prescribed in the case of a bill.
3. DRAW: in which part of Congress Bills must start.
4. DRAW: what happens when the President approves of a Bill.
5. DRAW: what happens when the President does not approve of a

Bill, but instead “vetoes” (gives his “no” vote) it.
6. DRAW: what happens when the President does not either veto or
approve of a law, and a day goes by (except Sunday.)
7. DRAW: what Congress can do to pass a Bill, even if the President vetoes it.

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LESSON # 31:
Imposts- Taxes on goods brought into a country from outside.
Duties- A tax on goods, especially imports and exports.
Excises- Taxes on goods to be sold domestically.
Uniform- The same, identical.
Credit- A person, company, or nation’s borrowing power, the

amount of money they are capable of borrowing.
Naturalization- The process of becoming a legal citizen.
Bankruptcy- Going broke, to be without money.
Counterfeiting- The making of false money.
Securities- Documents that are worth money.
Tribunals- Courts, generally run by three judges.
Marque- Official permission from a government to capture enemy ships.
Appropriation- Money set aside for a specific purpose.
Militia- An army of soldiers who are also civilians.
Exclusive- Sole, to be the only one with ownership or a given right.
Cession- To give up something.
Magazines- Places where weapons are stored.
Foregoing- Ancient word for “the list above, what came before”.

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section 8.
Section 8.
The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes, duties, imposts and excises,
to pay the debts and provide for the common defense and general welfare of the
United States; but all duties, imposts and excises shall be uniform throughout the
United States;
To borrow money on the credit of the United States;
To regulate commerce with foreign nations, and among the several states, and with
the Indian tribes;
To establish a uniform rule of naturalization, and uniform laws on the subject of

bankruptcies throughout the United States;
To coin money, regulate the value thereof, and of foreign coin, and fix the standard
of weights and measures;
To provide for the punishment of counterfeiting the securities and current coin of
the United States;
To establish post offices and post roads;
To promote the progress of science and useful arts, by securing for limited times to
authors and inventors the exclusive right to their respective writings and
discoveries;
To constitute tribunals inferior to the Supreme Court;
To define and punish piracies and felonies committed on the high seas, and offenses
against the law of nations;
To declare war, grant letters of marque and reprisal, and make rules concerning
captures on land and water;
To raise and support armies, but no appropriation of money to that use shall be for
a longer term than two years;
To provide and maintain a navy;
To make rules for the government and regulation of the land and naval forces;
To provide for calling forth the militia to execute the laws of the union, suppress
insurrections and repel invasions;

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To provide for organizing, arming, and disciplining, the militia, and for governing
such part of them as may be employed in the service of the United States, reserving
to the states respectively, the appointment of the officers, and the authority of
training the militia according to the discipline prescribed by Congress;
To exercise exclusive legislation in all cases whatsoever, over such District (not
exceeding ten miles square) as may, by cession of particular states, and the
acceptance of Congress, become the seat of the government of the United States, and
to exercise like authority over all places purchased by the consent of the legislature
of the state in which the same shall be, for the erection of forts, magazines, arsenals,
dockyards, and other needful buildings;--And
To make all laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into execution
the foregoing powers, and all other powers vested by this Constitution in the
government of the United States, or in any department or officer thereof.
3. DRAW: each of the rights issued to Congress in Article I, section 8:
To tax goods and sales.

To pay debts.
To borrow money.
To regulate business.
To establish rules of naturalization.
To establish laws on bankruptcy.
To coin money and determine its value.
To punish counterfeiters.
To establish a postal service.
To build roads.
To promote science and art.
To issue copyrights and patents. (A copyright protects
the rights of an author, patents protect the rights
of an inventor.)
To create lower courts of law.
To make laws and enforce them regarding piracy.
To declare war.
To raise an army.
To create and maintain a navy.
To create a draft, enlisting civilians as needed.
To train a militia.
To control their own area of the nation, and build
military establishments there, as needed.
To create any law needed to do all the above.

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4. EXERCISE:
In Section 8, have they covered everything a nation would need to survive?
What’s missing? Think of three things needed by a nation and not covered.
How about education? Slavery? The environment? Be specific.

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LESSON # 32:
Importation- To bring something or someone into a nation.
Writ of Habeas Corpus- The legal document demanding that

someone appear in court.
Attainder- The removal of a person’s rights or property once

they have been convicted of murder or treason.
Ex Post Facto- Having to do with events that have happened in

the past, retroactive.
Capitation- A fixed tax per person, where each person pays the
same amount of tax.
Preference- Bias, special treatment.
Expenditures- Monies spent.
Title of nobility- Like “Duke”, “Lord”, or “King”.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Article I, section 9.
Section 9.
The migration or importation of such persons as any of the states now existing shall
think proper to admit, shall not be prohibited by the Congress prior to the year one
thousand eight hundred and eight, but a tax or duty may be imposed on such
importation, not exceeding ten dollars for each person.
The privilege of the writ of habeas corpus shall not be suspended, unless when in
cases of rebellion or invasion the public safety may require it.
No bill of attainder or ex post facto Law shall be passed.
No capitation, or other direct, tax shall be laid, unless in proportion to the census or
enumeration herein before directed to be taken.
No tax or duty shall be laid on articles exported from any state.

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No preference shall be given by any regulation of commerce or revenue to the ports

of one state over those of another: nor shall vessels bound to, or from, one state, be
obliged to enter, clear or pay duties in another.
No money shall be drawn from the treasury, but in consequence of appropriations

made by law; and a regular statement and account of receipts and expenditures of
all public money shall be published from time to time.
No title of nobility shall be granted by the United States: and no person holding any
office of profit or trust under them, shall, without the consent of the Congress,
accept of any present, emolument, office, or title, of any kind whatever, from any
king, prince, or foreign state.
3. DRAW: why it is important that no money be taken from the

national treasury by anyone, unless there is a clear
record of where the money went.
4. DRAW: where the money in our National Treasury comes from.

(Remember all those taxes and duties they’re creating?)
5. EXERCISE:
Do you think a government should be allowed to tax people, to take
their money? What services or functions does a government serve
that should be “paid” for? List three.
6. EXERCISE:
What should a government never spend your money on? What
would you never want the government to decide to spend your
money on. What do you disagree with, that your government
spends money on. Do some research, talk to some people about
what the government spends money on that may not be to your
liking. List three.

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7. EXERCISE:
Why was it important that no one in the United States be given a
title of nobility? Why do you think we haven’t got a “king”, even
though nearly every nation in civilized history before America
had either a King, emperor, or czar (Caesar). What would the
American people have thought if Congress placed a King over the
country, even though we had just fought a war to be free of a
King. (Remember the Declaration of Independence, and the Paris
Peace Treaty?) 50 words or more.

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LESSON # 33:
Tonnage- The weight of valuable items being shipped somewhere for sale.
Imminent- Immediate, right now.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Article I, Section 10.
Section 10.
No state shall enter into any treaty, alliance, or confederation; grant letters of
marque and reprisal; coin money; emit bills of credit; make anything but gold and
silver coin a tender in payment of debts; pass any bill of attainder, ex post facto law,
or law impairing the obligation of contracts, or grant any title of nobility.
No state shall, without the consent of the Congress, lay any imposts or duties on
imports or exports, except what may be absolutely necessary for executing it's
inspection laws: and the net produce of all duties and imposts, laid by any state on
imports or exports, shall be for the use of the treasury of the United States; and all
such laws shall be subject to the revision and control of the Congress.
No state shall, without the consent of Congress, lay any duty of tonnage, keep
troops, or ships of war in time of peace, enter into any agreement or compact with
another state, or with a foreign power, or engage in war, unless actually invaded, or
in such imminent danger as will not admit of delay.
3. DRAW: why the Constitution is so careful to limit individual States and their
rights.
4. EXERCISE:
What would happen if every state in the United States made its
own money? Its own way of measuring things? What would happen
if each state had its own army? 50 words or more.
The student takes test # 4

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LESSON # 34:
Vested- To have the rights to a thing.
Certify- To guarantee that something is as it should be.
Natural Born- Born in this country.
Resignation- The act of resigning, or quitting, from a job.
Discharge- To carry out, to do a thing.
Electors- Representatives from each state, who vote in what is

called “The Electoral College”. They represent the
voters of their state, and vote in the way the voters
in their state voted. It is the Electoral College which
actually elects the President.
Devolve- To move down the hierarchy, to go to the next lower position or

man.
Diminished- Made less.
Execution- The complete doing of a job.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Article II, Section 1.
Article II
Section 1.
The executive power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.
He shall hold his office during the term of four years, and, together with the Vice
President, chosen for the same term, be elected, as follows:
Each state shall appoint, in such manner as the Legislature thereof may direct, a
number of electors, equal to the whole number of Senators and Representatives to
which the State may be entitled in the Congress: but no Senator or Representative,
or person holding an office of trust or profit under the United States, shall be
appointed an elector.
The electors shall meet in their respective states, and vote by ballot for two persons,
of whom one at least shall not be an inhabitant of the same state with themselves.

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And they shall make a list of all the persons voted for, and of the number of votes
for each; which list they shall sign and certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the
government of the United States, directed to the President of the Senate. The
President of the Senate shall, in the presence of the Senate and House of
Representatives, open all the certificates, and the votes shall then be counted. The
person having the greatest number of votes shall be the President, if such number be
a majority of the whole number of electors appointed; and if there be more than one
who have such majority, and have an equal number of votes, then the House of
Representatives shall immediately choose by ballot one of them for President; and if
no person have a majority, then from the five highest on the list the said House shall
in like manner choose the President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be
taken by States, the representation from each state having one vote; A quorum for
this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two thirds of the states,
and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice. In every case, after the
choice of the President, the person having the greatest number of votes of the
electors shall be the Vice President. But if there should remain two or more who
have equal votes, the Senate shall choose from them by ballot the Vice President.
The Congress may determine the time of choosing the electors, and the day on
which they shall give their votes; which day shall be the same throughout the United
States.
No person except a natural born citizen, or a citizen of the United States, at the time
of the adoption of this Constitution, shall be eligible to the office of President;
neither shall any person be eligible to that office who shall not have attained to the
age of thirty five years, and been fourteen Years a resident within the United States.
In case of the removal of the President from office, or of his death, resignation, or
inability to discharge the powers and duties of the said office, the same shall devolve
on the Vice President, and the Congress may by law provide for the case of removal,
death, resignation or inability, both of the President and Vice President, declaring
what officer shall then act as President, and such officer shall act accordingly, until
the disability be removed, or a President shall be elected.
The President shall, at stated times, receive for his services, a compensation, which
shall neither be increased nor diminished during the period for which he shall have
been elected, and he shall not receive within that period any other emolument from
the United States, or any of them.
Before he enter on the execution of his office, he shall take the following oath or
affirmation:--"I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the office
of President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect
and defend the Constitution of the United States."

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3. DRAW: how the Electoral College works.
4. EXERCISE:
A member of the Electoral College is selected to vote exactly as
the voters in his State have, during their election. In some states,
if a candidate gets a majority of the “popular vote” (the vote
of the people, during an election in which they vote, which is called a
“general election”), he gets all that state’s electoral votes. In some
states, each candidate receives the percentage of electoral votes
that he received in the general election. Which of these two
systems (the one being used is determined by each state) do
you think represents the people better, and why? 50 words or more.
5. DRAW: the difference between a “general election” and an

“electoral college” election. Who votes in each?
6. DRAW: why a Senator or Congressman cannot serve on the electoral college.

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LESSON # 35:
1. EXERCISE:
Is there anything in the constitution to stop an Electoral College
from voting in someone the people have not voted for? There
seem to be no legal restraints. Read the section again. 50 words or more.
2. DRAW: per this Section, the requirements to be President:
A natural born citizen or citizen to the U.S. at the time of the adoption
of the Constitution.
At least 35 years of age.
At least 14 years a resident of the U.S.
3. DRAW: who becomes the President, if the President dies, become

disabled, resigns, or for any reason cannot do his job.
4. DRAW: who decides who’ll be President if both the President and

Vice President are unable to do their jobs.
5. EXERCISE:
Get a Bible. Place your hand on it, and read aloud the oath the
President Elect (a President who has been elected, but has not yet
taken over the job) takes at his inauguration. (An “inauguration”
is the official ceremony where the President Elect becomes the
President.) How does it feel? What do you think of the promise
the President is required to make? What would you add or take
away from this oath, and why. 50 words or more.

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LESSON # 36:
Commander In Chief- The leader or head of a military force.
Pardon- An official pardon for a crime, letting someone out

of penalties that may go with a crime permitted.
Concur- Agree.
Reprieve- The same as a pardon, but it’s temporary, for a given period of
time.
Nominate- To suggest a person for a certain job.
Ambassadors- Official representatives of a country who are sent

to other countries.
Recess- A period of inactivity.
Consideration- Thought, a concerned review or look at a thing.
Measures- Actions.
Expedient- Timely and needed, needed to be done now.
Convene- Cause to be brought together in one place.
Bribery- The acceptance of favors by an official, in exchange

for favors the official offers, illegally.
Misdemeanors- Minot crimes.
“State of the Union”- the condition of the nation, how the country is doing.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Article II, Section 2,

3 and 4.
Section 2.
The President shall be commander in chief of the Army and Navy of the United
States, and of the militia of the several states, when called into the actual service of
the United States; he may require the opinion, in writing, of the principal officer in

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each of the executive departments, upon any subject relating to the duties of their
respective offices, and he shall have power to grant reprieves and pardons for
offenses against the United States, except in cases of impeachment.
He shall have power, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to make
treaties, provided two thirds of the Senators present concur; and he shall nominate,
and by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, shall appoint ambassadors,
other public ministers and consuls, judges of the Supreme Court, and all other
officers of the United States, whose appointments are not herein otherwise provided
for, and which shall be established by law: but the Congress may by law vest the
appointment of such inferior officers, as they think proper, in the President alone, in
the courts of law, or in the heads of departments.
The President shall have power to fill up all vacancies that may happen during the
recess of the Senate, by granting commissions which shall expire at the end of their
next session.
Section 3.
He shall from time to time give to the Congress information of the state of the union,
and recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary
and expedient; he may, on extraordinary occasions, convene both Houses, or either
of them, and in case of disagreement between them, with respect to the time of
adjournment, he may adjourn them to such time as he shall think proper; he shall
receive ambassadors and other public ministers; he shall take care that the laws be
faithfully executed, and shall commission all the officers of the United States.
Section 4.
The President, Vice President and all civil officers of the United States, shall be
removed from office on impeachment for, and conviction of, treason, bribery, or
other high crimes and misdemeanors.
3. DRAW: each of the President’s powers:
Commander and Chief of the Army and Navy.

May grant pardons and reprieves.
May make treaties.
May nominate and appoint ambassadors, judges of the Supreme
Court, and other officials.
May form commissions.
Give a “State of the Union” report to Congress.
May force Congress to meet, and stay in session.
May receive representatives of other nations.
May make certain the laws are followed.

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LESSON # 37:
1. EXERCISE:
Are these the powers you thought the President of the United
States had? Did you believe he had more powers? What would
those have been? Should the President have more powers?
Which powers should the President have that he doesn’t? In
what ways is the Constitution making certain the President
never becomes a King? 100 words.
2. EXERCISE:
Come up with five situations where the President would use his
assigned powers.
3. EXERCISE:
Come up with five situations where the President would not have
the power to act, without the approval of the Congress.

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LESSON # 38:
Judicial- Having to do with courts, and the law.
Supreme- The ultimate, the most, the highest.
Inferior- Lesser, of less importance or power.
Arising- Coming up.
Consuls- A government official who works in other countries.
Admiralty- Having to do with Admirals (the leaders of navies)

and their area of authority.
Maritime- Having to do with the sea and ships.
Jurisdiction- The area where one has authority or power.
Controversies- Disagreements.
Party- Someone or something involved in an agreement, dis-

agreement, or any other transaction.
Subjects- Citizens of nations with Kings or Emperors.
Appellate- Having the jurisdiction to hear “appeals”. (An appeal

occurs when someone disagrees with the decision made
in a legal trial, and wants to have the trial done over
in a court with more authority.)
Jury- A group of one’s “peers”, or equals, who observe a legal

trial, and then based on what they’ve seen, decide the
guilt or innocence of the person being accused of a crime.
Committed- Done, an action done.
Levying- To raise an army in order to fight a war.
Overt- A thing done, clearly and obviously done.

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Corruption- The changing of a thing to make it less whole, or evil.
Forfeiture- Legally losing the right of a thing, or its ownership.
Attainted- To have had something taken away.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution; Article III, Sections

1,2, and 3.
Article III
Section 1.
The judicial power of the United States, shall be vested in one Supreme Court, and
in such inferior courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.
The judges, both of the supreme and inferior courts, shall hold their offices during
good behaviour, and shall, at stated times, receive for their services, a compensation,
which shall not be diminished during their continuance in office.
Section 2.
The judicial power shall extend to all cases, in law and equity, arising under this
Constitution, the laws of the United States, and treaties made, or which shall be
made, under their authority;--to all cases affecting ambassadors, other public
ministers and consuls;--to all cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction;--to
controversies to which the United States shall be a party;--to controversies between
two or more states;--between a state and citizens of another state;-- between citizens
of different states;--between citizens of the same state claiming lands under grants of
different states, and between a state, or the citizens thereof, and foreign states,
citizens or subjects.
In all cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers and consuls, and those in
which a state shall be party, the Supreme Court shall have original jurisdiction. In
all the other cases before mentioned, the Supreme Court shall have appellate
jurisdiction, both as to law and fact, with such exceptions, and under such
regulations as the Congress shall make.
The trial of all crimes, except in cases of impeachment, shall be by jury; and such
trial shall be held in the state where the said crimes shall have been committed; but
when not committed within any state, the trial shall be at such place or places as the
Congress may by law have directed.
Section 3.
Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying war against them, or
in adhering to their enemies, giving them aid and comfort. No person shall be

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convicted of treason unless on the testimony of two witnesses to the same overt act,
or on confession in open court.
The Congress shall have power to declare the punishment of treason, but no
attainder of treason shall work corruption of blood, or forfeiture except during the
life of the person attainted.
3. DRAW: how long a judge is to hold office. (“During good behavior.”)
4. DRAW: the sort of cases that are to come before the judiciary:
All cases, in law and equity (fairness in dealings), arising

under the Constitution…
…The laws of the United States…
…And treaties made…
…All cases affecting ambassadors, other public ministers
and consuls…
…All cases of admiralty and maritime jurisdiction…
…Controversies to which the United States shall be a
party”…(as when someone sues the government.)
…Controversies between two or more states…
…Between a state and citizens of another state…

…Between citizens of different states…
…Between citizens of the same state claiming lands
grants of different states…
…Between a state, or the citizens thereof (belonging to),
and foreign states, citizens or subjects.

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LESSON # 39:
1. DRAW: the cases in which the Supreme Court has first, or “original”
jurisdiction.
2. DRAW: what an Appellate case would be.
3. DRAW: exactly what “Treason” is, per the Constitution.
4. DRAW: How many witnesses there must be for a person to be

convicted of treason.
5. EXERCISE:
There are nine Supreme Court Judges. They are called “Supreme
Court Justices”. Sometimes they are called the “Nine Old Men”,
because they serve for life. The leader of these Justices is the Chief
Justice. Why do you think there are nine? (They all must attend
each trial, and decide together on the verdict. A verdict is the
decision of “guilty” or “not guilty”.) Why an odd number? How
would this prevent a deadlock? Why so many justices?
Why not more justices? 50 words or more.

109
LESSON # 40:
1. EXERCISE:
When a Supreme Court Justice retires or can no longer serve, the
President suggests a replacement to Congress for approval. Give
three reasons why this is considered one of the President’s most
important powers. (Remember, the Supreme Court decides what
is or is not Constitutional or legal in America, and each member
serves for life.)
2. EXERCISE:
Give three reasons a member of Congress might reject or accept
a Presidential nominee to the Supreme Court. (And remember,
Judges have political and social beliefs, like everyone. They either
agree or disagree with important issues, just like you.)
3. EXERCISE:
A Supreme Court Judge has the job of making certain that any
law brought before the court adheres to the Constitution. The
Constitution you’re studying is a Supreme Court Judge’s “Bible”.
Based on what you’ve read in the Constitution so far, find three
important things happening in the United States right now, and
decide if each one is legal. Write up 50 words on why each event
is either legal or illegal. (This is what a judge does when he “writes
an ‘Opinion’”, or a legal statement of why he decided the way he
did on a certain case.

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LESSON # 41:
Prescribe- To lay down a rule.
Immunities- Protections against laws or rules.
Delivered Up- Handed over.
Construed- Interpreted, assumed to mean.
Dispose- The get rid of or throw away.
Republican form of government- A Republic.
Prejudice- To bias in some way.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Article IV, sections

1,2, 3, and 4.
Article IV
Section 1.
Full faith and credit shall be given in each state to the public acts, records, and
judicial proceedings of every other state. And the Congress may by general laws
prescribe the manner in which such acts, records, and proceedings shall be proved,
and the effect thereof.
Section 2.
The citizens of each state shall be entitled to all privileges and immunities of citizens
in the several states.
A person charged in any state with treason, felony, or other crime, who shall flee
from justice, and be found in another state, shall on demand of the executive
authority of the state from which he fled, be delivered up, to be removed to the state
having jurisdiction of the crime.
No person held to service or labor in one state, under the laws thereof, escaping into
another, shall, in consequence of any law or regulation therein, be discharged from
such service or labor, but shall be delivered up on claim of the party to whom such
service or labor may be due.

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Section 3.
New states may be admitted by the Congress into this union; but no new states shall
be formed or erected within the jurisdiction of any other state; nor any state be
formed by the junction of two or more states, or parts of states, without the consent
of the legislatures of the states concerned as well as of the Congress.
The Congress shall have power to dispose of and make all needful rules and
regulations respecting the territory or other property belonging to the United
States; and nothing in this Constitution shall be so construed as to prejudice any
claims of the United States, or of any particular state.
Section 4.
The United States shall guarantee to every state in this union a republican form of
government, and shall protect each of them against invasion; and on application of
the legislature, or of the executive (when the legislature cannot be convened) against
domestic violence.
3. DRAW: per Section 1, which rights change from state to state.
4. DRAW: the right of extradition. (Extradition is when a person

who has committed a crime is caught in a state or nation
other than where the crime was committed, and is then
sent for trial to the state he’s accused in.
5. DRAW: who has the right to allow new states into the union.
6. DRAW: who is responsible for defending each state.
7. EXERCISE:
Why would it be important that anything done in one state count in
the other states? What would it be like if each state ignored the laws
and the rules of every other state? How would this make a lie out
of the name of our nation? 50 words or more.

112
LESSON # 42:
1. EXERCISE:
Originally there were 13 states in the union. How many are there now? Find
out.
2. EXERCISE:
Find out the last five states allowed into the union, and what years
they were let in. When was your state admitted into the union? Find out.
3. EXERCISE:
How big do you think the United States should be? How many states
should be allowed in? Should conquered nations or “protectorates”
become states? Why or why not? 50 words or more.

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LESSON # 43:
Amendments- Changes or additions.
Proposing- Suggesting, offering for approval.
Application- A written request or proposal.
Legislatures- Governmental groups that create laws. (Local

legislatures would be each state’s Senate and House.)
Convention- A large meeting of people with the same interests.
Mode- A method, a way of doing something.
Suffrage- The right to vote.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Article V.
Article V
The Congress, whenever two thirds of both houses shall deem it necessary, shall
propose amendments to this Constitution, or, on the application of the legislatures
of two thirds of the several states, shall call a convention for proposing amendments,
which, in either case, shall be valid to all intents and purposes, as part of this
Constitution, when ratified by the legislatures of three fourths of the several states,
or by conventions in three fourths thereof, as the one or the other mode of
ratification may be proposed by the Congress; provided that no amendment which
may be made prior to the year one thousand eight hundred and eight shall in any
manner affect the first and fourth clauses in the ninth section of the first article; and
that no state, without its consent, shall be deprived of its equal suffrage in the
Senate.
3. DRAW: who can amend (change) the Constitution.
4. DRAW: the percentage of voters in Congress needed to pass an Amendment.
5. EXERCISE:
Why do you think the percentage needed to add something to the
Constitution is so high? Give three reasons.

114
6. EXERCISE:
Let’s say the Congress passed a law saying there would be no more
Presidents. Which branch of the government would then have to
decide if the law was “Constitutional”, or legal per the Constitution.

115
LESSON # 44:
Engagements- Agreements to do a thing.
Confederation- The organization of states that existed before the

country became the United States of America.
Pursuance- The process of doing something in the correct order,

as expected or required.
Contrary- Conflicting, not in agreement.
Notwithstanding- Ancient word, meaning “not counting,

without meaning or force.”
Affirmation- A promise, made aloud. An oath.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Article VI.
Article VI
All debts contracted and engagements entered into, before the adoption of this
Constitution, shall be as valid against the United States under this Constitution, as
under the Confederation.
This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in
pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the
authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges
in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any
State to the contrary notwithstanding.
The Senators and Representatives before mentioned, and the members of the
several state legislatures, and all executive and judicial officers, both of the United
States and of the several states, shall be bound by oath or affirmation, to support
this Constitution; but no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to
any office or public trust under the United States.
3. EXERCISE:
Why is it important, in a land largely filled with people who came
here to be free to worship any religion they wanted, to have no test
of religion before a person makes a promise (an oath)? 50 words or more.

116
4. EXERCISE:
Do you think it’s important that a person accepting a job in the
government take an oath? What is to stop them from breaking
their promise? Do government officials sometimes break their
promises? Is there a better thing they could do than “promise”
to do their job? If so, what would that be? 50 words or more.

117
LESSON # 45:
Sufficient- Good enough to get the job done.
Unanimous- With 100% agreement, without disagreement.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Article VII.
Article VII
The ratification of the conventions of nine states, shall be sufficient for the
establishment of this Constitution between the states so ratifying the same.
Done in convention by the unanimous consent of the states present the seventeenth
day of September in the year of our Lord one thousand seven hundred and eighty
seven and of the independence of the United States of America the twelfth. In
witness whereof We have hereunto subscribed our Names,
G. Washington - Presidt. and deputy from Virginia

New
John Langdon, Nicholas Gilman
Hampshire:
Massachusetts: Nathaniel Gorham, Rufus King
Connecticut: Wm. Saml. Johnson, Roger Sherman
New York: Alexander Hamilton
New Jersey: Wil. Livingston, David Brearly, Wm. Paterson, Jona. Dayton
B. Franklin, Thomas Mifflin, Robt. Morris, Geo. Clymer, Thos.
Pennsylvania:
FitzSimons, Jared Ingersoll, James Wilson, Gouv Morris
Geo. Read, Gunning Bedford jr, John Dickinson, Richard Bassett,
Delaware:
Jaco. Broom
Maryland: James McHenry, Dan of St Thos. Jenifer, Danl Carroll
Virginia: John Blair, James Madison Jr.
North
Wm. Blount, Richd. Dobbs Spaight, Hu Williamson
Carolina:
J. Rutledge, Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, Charles Pinckney,
South Carolina:
Pierce Butler
Georgia: William Few, Abr Baldwin
The Student takes test # 5

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LESSON # 46:
Respecting- Having to do with.
Prohibiting- Making illegal, not allowing.
Abridging- Shortening, making less of.
Grievances- Complaints.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment I.
Amendment I (1791)
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting
the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the
right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a
redress of grievances.
3: DRAW: The rights protected in the First Amendment:
Freedom to practice one’s religion.

Freedom of Speech.
Freedom of the Press.
The right of peaceable assembly.
4. EXERCISE:
The first 10 Amendments to the Constitution, all added in 1791,
are called “The Bill of Rights”. The first amendment is one
of the most important. Why would it be important for the
government to not establish a state religion? 50 words or more.
5. EXERCISE:
It says in the first amendment that the government cannot
abridge (in any way limit) freedom of speech? Does this give
a person the right to tell lies? Yes or no, and why? 50 words or more.

119
6. EXERCISE:
In the first amendment, the freedom of the press (newspapers,
publishers, writers, etc.) is guaranteed. Does this give the press
the right to lie? Yes or no, and why? 50 words or more.

120
LESSON # 47:
1. EXERCISE:
Rewrite the first amendment, the section guaranteeing free speech.
Write it in a way you believe will protect a person’s rights to state
any fact or opinion they wish, but if they willfully lie and hurt
or damage someone else, they can be brought to court. Can this be
done? How clear is your amendment. Have you protected the
right of the individual to have opinions opposed to the government?
At least 100 words.
2. EXERCISE:
Rewrite the first amendment, the section guaranteeing freedom of the
Press. Write it in a way you believe will protect a writer’s right to state
any fact or opinion they wish, but if they willfully lie and hurt
or damage someone else, they can be brought to court. Can this be
done? How clear is your amendment. Have you protected the
right of the individual to have opinions opposed to the government?
At least 100 words.
3. EXERCISE:
Get a newspaper. Locate five uses of the First Amendment, both in the
stories being covered, and in the fact of the paper’s existence. (Pay special
attentions to articles in the paper that are critical of the government.)
4. EXERCISE:
Make a list of ten things you do not like about America. Share it with
at least two friends or teachers. At the end of the list, write about how you are
using your first amendment rights to write and share this list.

121
LESSON # 48:
Regulated- Controlled.
Bear- To carry.
Infringed- To have failed to follow the law, to intrude on someone’s rights.
Quartered- Housed, officially posted in a certain place.
Effects- One’s personal belongings, like clothing and jewelry.
Searches- looking through a person’s property for something.
Seizures- The taking away of someone’s property, or their arrest.
Warrants- Legal documents allowing a search or seizure.
Probable Cause- A high likelihood that one is guilty of a crime,

based on already visible or obvious evidence.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendments II, III

and IV.
Amendment II (1791)
A well regulated militia, being necessary to the security of a free state, the right of
the people to keep and bear arms, shall not be infringed.
Amendment III (1791)

No soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of
the owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law.
Amendment IV (1791)
The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects,
against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no warrants
shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and
particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be
seized.

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3. DRAW: the right guaranteed by Amendment II, particularly

the right of the people to keep and bear arms.
4. DRAW: The right guaranteed in Amendment III.
5. DRAW: the right guaranteed in Amendment IV.
6. EXERCISE:
Does Amendment II give someone the right to carry a machine gun
down the street? Why or why not? How about a tank? Why or why
not? More importantly, do you think a person should have the
right to own and carry any weapon they wish? How about a nuclear
bomb? 100 words.

123
LESSON # 49:
1. EXERCISE:
Rewrite Amendment II so that a person can keep a gun in his house
as he sees fit to protect his family, but may not have an “assault” or
military weapon. Can this be done?
2. EXERCISE:
Find at least three people who own weapons. Ask them why they
own a weapon, and when do they carry it with them.
3. EXERCISE:
Locate an organization in favor of weapon’s ownership, like the
NRA (National Rifleman’s Association.) Secure from them a
written explanation of their point of view, and read it.
4. EXERCISE:
Locate an organization in favor of strong gun control, or of no
gun ownership. Secure from them a written explanation of their
point of view and read it.
5. EXERCISE:
List three reasons why it’s good to have the right to own guns. List
three reasons why it’s bad. Decide for yourself what you think. Are
there certain situations, certain jobs, certain parts of town where
people should own guns. Or not. Or should everyone own a gun?
100 words.

124
LESSON # 50:
1. EXERCISE:
How would you feel if the army stuck three soldiers in your house
and told you to house and feed them for three months? 50 words or more.
2. EXERCISE:
How would you feel if a policeman came to your door, and without
any permission, started tearing your house apart looking for
proof of a crime he says you’ve committed, but without telling you
the crime? What if this happened every day for a year? Would
you feel like you lived in “the land of the free”? Shouldn’t the
police have the right to look anywhere for proof of guilt?
Why or why not. 100 words.

125
LESSON # 51:
1. EXERCISE:
After the World Trade Center was destroyed in 2001, a group
of laws were passed, entitled “The Patriot Act”. These allow your
rights to be abridged as far as search and seizure are concerned.
If you look like a terrorist from the Middle East in any way (this is
called “racial profiling”) you can be arrested without charge, and
imprisoned without a lawyer. Is this Constitutional? (It is not.)
Quote the sections of the Constitution this violates, and give
a 50 word argument against the “Patriot Act”. Then, list three
reasons why law makers passed this law, in your opinion.

126
LESSON # 52:
Capital Crime- A crime which is serious enough for the death

penalty to be applied. (Death Penalty- to be
put to death by the state for a crime committed.)
Jeopardy- Immediate danger.
Due Process- The normal proceeding of the law.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment V.
Amendment V (1791)
No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless
on a presentment or indictment of a grand jury, except in cases arising in the land
or naval forces, or in the militia, when in actual service in time of war or public
danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offense to be twice put in
jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness
against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of
law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation.
3. DRAW: the rights guaranteed in the fifth amendment:
A person cannot be imprisoned without first being

accused of a crime.
A person cannot be tried more than once for the same

offense. (This is called “Double Jeopardy”.)
A person cannot be made to give testimony against

himself when on trial. (When a person refuses to testify
against himself, or say anything that might damage his
case, it’s called “Taking the Fifth”, or in other words,
standing of their fifth amendment rights.)
Private property cannot be taken by the government

without fair payment to the owner.

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LESSON # 53:
1. EXERCISE:
Is the Double Jeopardy law a good thing? What if a person is found
innocent of murder and released, and then new evidence is found
proving he is guilty beyond any doubt? Rewrite this part of the
Amendment to allow a better result in such a case.
2. EXERCISE:
List three reasons one could support the Double Jeopardy law.
3. EXERCISE:
How do you feel about Double Jeopardy? What would be the right
way to handle this, or is it already handled well? 50 words or more.
4. EXERCISE:
Should a person be allowed not to answer questions in court, if the
answers to those questions show him as guilty? Why or why not?
Give three reasons he should be able to not answer the questions
asked. Then give three reasons he should have to answer.
5. EXERCISE:
When should a government be allowed to pay you for your house
and kick you out? When they’re building roads or highways that
your house is in the way of? When they’re building military
bases? Never? When would it be okay, and why? 50 words or more.

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LESSON # 54:
Prosecutions- The legal attempt to prove someone’s guilt.
Accused- The person in a trial whom, it is claimed, committed

a crime.
Accuser- The person claiming a crime was committed.
Impartial- Not biased, without an opinion of the guilt or

innocence of the accused.
Ascertained- Determined, figured out.
Compulsory- Required.
Obtaining- Securing, getting hold of.
Counsel- An attorney (lawyer).
Preserved- Kept, maintained, held in force.
Bail- Money paid to the court for the temporary release of the
Accused, before he is found either guilty or innocent.
Excessive- Too much.
Imposed- Forced upon.
Cruel and Unusual Punishment - Torture or punishment deemed inhumane,

or unfair, given the charges or the crime
committed.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendments VI, VII

and VIII.
Amendment VI (1791)
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public
trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been
committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be
informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the

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witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his
favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Amendment VII (1791)

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars,
the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be
otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules
of the common law.
Amendment VIII (1791)

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and
unusual punishments inflicted.
3. DRAW: the rights guaranteed by Amendments VI, VII and VIII:
The right to a speedy trial.

The right to a trial by an impartial jury.
The right to a trial where the crime was supposedly committed.
The right to know what one is accused of.
The right to confront one’s accuser.
The right to have witnesses available for the accused.
The right to an attorney.
The right to trial by jury in lesser cases.
The right to reasonable bail.
The right to not be tortured, or to be cruelly punished for a crime
committed.

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LESSON # 55:
1. EXERCISE:
Why is the right to a speedy trial important? What happens to a
person’s life while they stand accused of a terrible crime? Why
would it be important for the accused and the accuser to “get it
over with?” 50 words or more.
2. EXERCISE:
Is there such a thing as an “impartial jury”. If a jury has 12 people
in it, is it even possible that none of them walk in the door with
opinions about crime in general? If you were a lawyer defending
a person on trial for murder, what questions would you ask
possible jurors to see if they were impartial? List five questions
you’d ask each possible juror.
3. EXERCISE:
Talk to at least five adults. Ask each of them if they have an opinion
about the Death Penalty, what it is, and why they feel the way they
do. As they answer, decide if any of them would qualify as
“impartial” jurists in a murder trial.
4. EXERCISE:
Why is it important to know who your accuser is? How would you
feel if you were kicked out of school for “a crime you committed”,
only no one would tell you what crime, or who was accusing you?
50 words or more.

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LESSON # 56:
1. EXERCISE:
What would happen if anyone could accuse anyone else of anything
they wanted, and no one would ever know who made the accusations?
Would there be a lot of false accusations? Would the courts be
flooded with false cases? Or would people behave responsibly?
What do you think, and why. 50 words.
2. DRAW: three reasons why a person accused of a crime should

not represent himself in the trial, but should instead get a lawyer.
3. EXERCISE:
You decide. What would be “cruel and unusual punishment” for
a person who committed the following crimes: (25 words for each
crime describing a type of punishment that would be cruel or
unusual.)
Murder.
Theft of a car.
Theft of an apple.
The accidental shooting and killing of a cat.
4. EXERCISE:
You decide. What would be a fair punishment for a person who
committed the following crimes. (25 words each.)
Murder.
Theft of a car.
Theft of an apple.
The accidental shooting and killing of a cat.

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LESSON # 57:
Enumeration- naming of particular entries in a list.
Disparage- Put down, insult, make less of.
Delegated- Assigned, given to someone specifically.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendments IX and

X.
Amendment IX (1791)
The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to
deny or disparage others retained by the people.
Amendment X (1791)
The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited
by it to the states, are reserved to the states respectively, or to the people.
3. EXERCISE:
Why do you think these first ten amendments were added to the
Constitution, all at once? Overall, what does the Bill of Rights
protect? Are these important rights? Should people have these
rights? Are there any rights offered in the Bill of Rights that people
abuse? That they just shouldn’t have? Why or why not? 100 words.

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LESSON # 58:
Suit- Lawsuit, an attempt to sue someone or something for

money owed, or for damages done.
Commenced- Started.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XI.
Amendment XI (1798)
The judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit
in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by
citizens of another state, or by citizens or subjects of any foreign state.
3. EXERCISE:
Why would the legal powers of the U.S. not cover lawsuits against
states, started by citizens of other states or countries? Where might
these trials be held? Is there an “International” court or set of
laws? If so, where is this court. If not, should there be such a
court? 50 words or more.
Ballot- A piece of paper on which is the name of candidates for

office, and a way to indicate who you are voting for.
Distinct- Clear, easily understood.
Transmit- To send a thing to another place.
Ineligible- Not eligible, not having the requirements to accept or do a job.
5. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XII.
Amendment XII (1804)

The electors shall meet in their respective states and vote by ballot for President and
Vice-President, one of whom, at least, shall not be an inhabitant of the same state
with themselves; they shall name in their ballots the person voted for as President,
and in distinct ballots the person voted for as Vice-President, and they shall make

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distinct lists of all persons voted for as President, and of all persons voted for as
Vice-President, and of the number of votes for each, which lists they shall sign and
certify, and transmit sealed to the seat of the government of the United States,
directed to the President of the Senate;--The President of the Senate shall, in the
presence of the Senate and House of Representatives, open all the certificates and
the votes shall then be counted;--the person having the greatest number of votes for
President, shall be the President, if such number be a majority of the whole number
of electors appointed; and if no person have such majority, then from the persons
having the highest numbers not exceeding three on the list of those voted for as
President, the House of Representatives shall choose immediately, by ballot, the
President. But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the
representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall
consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all
the states shall be necessary to a choice. And if the House of Representatives shall
not choose a President whenever the right of choice shall devolve upon them, before
the fourth day of March next following, then the Vice-President shall act as
President, as in the case of the death or other constitutional disability of the
President. The person having the greatest number of votes as Vice-President, shall
be the Vice-President, if such number be a majority of the whole number of electors
appointed, and if no person have a majority, then from the two highest numbers on
the list, the Senate shall choose the Vice-President; a quorum for the purpose shall
consist of two-thirds of the whole number of Senators, and a majority of the whole
number shall be necessary to a choice. But no person constitutionally ineligible to
the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.
6. EXERCISE:
Before this amendment, in 1804, the man who received the second
most votes for President became Vice President. This meant the
President’s most successful rival (enemy) was his Vice President.
This Amendment allows voters to vote for a Vice President, which
would be the person running with the winning president, and his
supporter. Give three reasons why this would be an improvement.

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LESSON # 59:
Slavery- The buying, selling, and treatment of human beings as

if they were property.
Servitude- The condition of slavery.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XIII
Amendment XIII (1865)
Section 1.
Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime
whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United
States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
Section 2.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
3. EXERCISE:
The Civil War was fought, and the 13th Amendment written, to
end the use of slavery in the United States. The Southern States
used slaves to operate huge plantations, just as the Greeks and
Romans had before them. It was the feeling of the Southern
States that they could not flourish or do well without slaves.
Is slavery ever justified? Would it ever be acceptable to take
a human beings freedoms away from him? Especially in a nation
which came into being as an experiment in human freedoms. Give
three ways that the owning of slaves might help a nation.
4. EXERCISE:
List at least ten reasons Slavery would be unacceptable.

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5. EXERCISE:
Many famous men in the United States, including Thomas Jefferson,
had slaves. Jefferson tried to end slavery when he authored the
Declaration of Independence, but the Southern States refused to
support the document until Slavery was protected. How would you
feel if your ability to survive was dependant on slaves? Could you
support the end of slavery then? 50 words or more.
6. EXERCISE:
There are many definitions for the word “slavery”. One is “a person
who works very hard for little or no pay.” Are there people like that
in your country, today? If so, name five jobs where people could be
considered slaves.

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LESSON # 60:
Reside- Live.
Insurrection- Rebellion.
Pensions- The money paid a person who has held a job for a
long time, after they have retired or left the job.
Bounties- Money paid for a specific service done, such as the

hunting down of a wanted criminal.
Suppressing- Stopping, putting down.
Obligation- A long-term debt, money which must be paid.
Emancipation- Freedom from slavery.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: the Constitution, Amendment XIV.
Amendment XIV (1868)
Section 1.
All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction
thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No
state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities
of citizens of the United States; nor shall any state deprive any person of life, liberty,
or property, without due process of law; nor deny to any person within its
jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws.
Section 2.
Representatives shall be apportioned among the several states according to their
respective numbers, counting the whole number of persons in each state, excluding
Indians not taxed. But when the right to vote at any election for the choice of
electors for President and Vice President of the United States, Representatives in
Congress, the executive and judicial officers of a state, or the members of the
legislature thereof, is denied to any of the male inhabitants of such state, being
twenty-one years of age, and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged,
except for participation in rebellion, or other crime, the basis of representation
therein shall be reduced in the proportion which the number of such male citizens
shall bear to the whole number of male citizens twenty-one years of age in such
state.

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Section 3.
No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President
and Vice President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or
under any state, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or
as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any state legislature, or as an
executive or judicial officer of any state, to support the Constitution of the United
States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid
or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each
House, remove such disability.
Section 4.
The validity of the public debt of the United States, authorized by law, including
debts incurred for payment of pensions and bounties for services in suppressing
insurrection or rebellion, shall not be questioned. But neither the United States nor
any state shall assume or pay any debt or obligation incurred in aid of insurrection
or rebellion against the United States, or any claim for the loss or emancipation of
any slave; but all such debts, obligations and claims shall be held illegal and void.
Section 5.
The Congress shall have power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions
of this article.
3. DRAW: the minimum voting age, in 1868.
4. DRAW: the gender (sex) of all voters, in 1868.
5. EXERCISE:
After the Civil War and Emancipation of the slaves, Southern
States continued to persecute African Americans with , among other
methods, unfair laws and unequal treatment in the courts. Section 1
of Amendment XIV attempts to deal with this problem. Write five
“laws” that are designed to limit, restrict, or damage a certain
type of person, because of their appearance or religion.
6. EXERCISE:
One way that African Americans were persecuted in the South
was the limiting of their ability to vote, through many “laws”. Do
some research. Find out what percentage of voters in the last
Presidential election were black, and approximately how many
voters that would represent.

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7. EXERCISE:
Section 3 prevents high ranking Confederates (members of the
South who fought to keep slavery) from taking public office,
unless approved by 2/3 of each House of Congress. Was this
a good thing to do in a country that barely survived a massive
civil war, in which millions died? Should the Congress have
welcomed the South back into the union openly? Should there
have been restrictions until the South proved itself as members
of the Union? What would you have done? 50 words or more.

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LESSON # 61:
1. EXERCISE:
Section 4 says that the U.S. will not pay for the debt which the
South built in fighting the Civil War. Should they have taken
on these debts? Should they have welcomed the South back
in that way? Why or why not? 50 words or more.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XV.
Amendment XV (1870)
Section 1.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by
the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of
servitude.
Section 2.
The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
3. EXERCISE:
Name five ways a person could have their rights denied, that would be
hard to prove as illegal. (For instance, not allowing an African
American to sit in your restaurant because “there just aren’t any
tables open”, when in fact half the place is empty.)
Incomes- Money made.
Apportionment- The breaking down of how much tax should

be paid, based on population. (i.e.- if Utah had
10% of the population, they should pay 10% of
tax collected, even if that state only made 2% of
the income that year.)
Census- The counting of a population, or particulars about that population.

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5. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XVI.
Amendment XVI (1913)

The Congress shall have power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever
source derived, without apportionment among the several states, and without
regard to any census of enumeration
6. DRAW: how apportionment in taxation is done.
7. DRAW: what would be unfair about apportioned taxes.

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LESSON # 62:
1. EXERCISE:
Amendment XVI is the beginning of what we call an “Income Tax”.
This is a tax on the money one earns during the year. A percentage
of the money one makes is taken by the government, to be spent as
Congress sees fit. Does Congress know how you want your money
spent, or what you care about? Do they know how to spend your
money better than you? Should the needs of the nation allow
Congress to take some of your money? Someone must pay for
national defense (a military), roads, and public hospitals. What
do you think? Is there a better way than Income Tax? Why or
why not? 50 words or more.
2. DRAW:
There are a lot of different ideas as to how Income Tax should be
figured. here are a few. DRAW each.:
On a rising scale: The more money you make, the higher

percentage of your income you pay. The
idea being that the rich have far more money
than the poor, and so can afford a higher tax.
A problem with this is that it acts as a
reason for people to not be productive or
creative. Why work harder and create more
product when the extra money you make will
be taken away as Income Tax?
A flat rate- Everyone pays the same percentage of their income,

say 10%. This may seem fair, but a problem with a
Flat Tax is that the poor can ill-afford to loose that
10%, which may be the money they’re using to feed
and house themselves, whereas the rich can easily
afford it, because it’s a small percentage of their income
which was far more than they needed to survive.
Sales tax- Every state sets a “sales tax”, an additional amount of

money you pay when you buy almost any object. (As
of 2,003, we pay both Income and Sales tax.) The
advantage to a Sales Tax replacing an Income Tax
is that those who can afford to buy a lot of things will
pay the most tax. A disadvantage is that it acts as a
deterrent (a “stop”) on the economy, as fewer people
will be able to buy fewer things, so less and less money

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gets spent, and the business and money “cycles” slow

down.
No tax- Many people feel that a tax should be illegal, and that the
government should operate on a much smaller bases,
providing far fewer services, and relying on businesses
(known as “the Private Sector”) to pay for things like
needed roads, etc. The obvious problems include the
fact that businesses are “self-interested”. They generally
don’t care about much other than their own profit.
Additionally, the government would have to “charge”
for the use of roads, hospitals, the police, and the poor
would not have access to these.

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LESSON # 63:
1. EXERCISE:
Of the four taxation methods above, which would you prefer, and
why? How would you get around the problems your chosen method
creates? 50 words or more.
2. EXERCISE:
Do some research. Find at least ten items the government presently
pays for. Include National Defense, Education, Medical, and
Administrative services.
3. EXERCISE:
What do you think your government should pay for? What should
they not pay for? What should be the responsibility of the citizen
to pay for? Make a list of at least 5 things the government pays
for that they should pay for, and explain why. Then list at least
three things they should not pay for, and explain why.
4. EXERCISE:
Invent your own method for the government to pay for selected
services.
5. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Article XVII.
Amendment XVII (1913)

The Senate of the United States shall be composed of two Senators from each state,
elected by the people thereof, for six years; and each Senator shall have one vote.
The electors in each state shall have the qualifications requisite for electors of the
most numerous branch of the state legislatures.
When vacancies happen in the representation of any state in the Senate, the
executive authority of such state shall issue writs of election to fill such vacancies:
Provided, that the legislature of any state may empower the executive thereof to
make temporary appointments until the people fill the vacancies by election as the
legislature may direct.
This amendment shall not be so construed as to affect the election or term of any
Senator chosen before it becomes valid as part of the Constitution.

145
6. DRAW: if a Senator cannot finish his term of office, who decides

who will become the new Senator.

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LESSON # 64:
Intoxicating- Capable of making a person drunk, unreasonable,

irresponsible.
Importation- The act of bringing something into an area from another area.
Exportation- The act of sending something to an area from another area.
Beverage- A drink, drinks.
Concurrent- At the same time.
Imperative- Not working, not empowered.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XVIII.
Amendment XVIII (1919)
Section 1.
After one year from the ratification of this article the manufacture, sale, or
transportation of intoxicating liquors within, the importation thereof into, or the
exportation thereof from the United States and all territory subject to the
jurisdiction thereof for beverage purposes is hereby prohibited.
Section 2.
The Congress and the several states shall have concurrent power to enforce this
article by appropriate legislation.
Section 3.
This article shall be inoperative unless it shall have been ratified as an amendment
to the Constitution by the legislatures of the several states, as provided in the
Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the states
by the Congress.
3. EXERCISE:
Have you ever seen someone drunk? Are they a danger to others?
Contact the organization MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Drivers).
Get some of their literature and read it.

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4. EXERCISE:
This amendment started “Prohibition”, a period of time when
the making, transporting, selling or drinking of alcohol was
made illegal. Is this a good idea? Can you tell people what they
can or can’t do with their bodies? Is drinking a “victimless crime”,
meaning the only one hurt by it is the drinker himself? Or do
others get hurt, like families of drinkers, or people driving in the
car that a drunken person runs into? (This same discussion goes
on today, and includes whether the use of “recreational” drugs like
Marijuana should be made legal.) Do you believe the law should
determine whether a person can drink alcohol or do drugs? Why
or why not? 50 words or more.

148
LESSON # 65:
1. EXERCISE:
Can you really stop people from making and using alcohol? (Alcohol
can be made with almost any fruit or vegetable, and a little time.)
Give three reasons this law was doomed to fail.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XIX.
Amendment XIX (1920)

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by
the United States or by any state on account of sex.
Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.
3. DRAW: the right granted in this amendment.
4. EXERCISE:
Do some research. Find out how many women there are in the U.S.,
and how many men. What percentage of the population are women?
5. EXERCISE:
What possible excuse could there have been for not allowing Women’s
Suffrage (the right for women to vote) until 1920? Give three possible excuses.

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LESSON # 66:
Term- The length of time a person holds a certain post or job.
“In Office”- Having that particular job.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XX.
Amendment XX (1933)
Section 1.
The terms of the President and Vice President shall end at noon on the 20th day of
January, and the terms of Senators and Representatives at noon on the 3d day of
January, of the years in which such terms would have ended if this article had not
been ratified; and the terms of their successors shall then begin.
Section 2.
The Congress shall assemble at least once in every year, and such meeting shall
begin at noon on the 3d day of January, unless they shall by law appoint a different
day.
Section 3.
If, at the time fixed for the beginning of the term of the President, the President elect
shall have died, the Vice President elect shall become President. If a President shall
not have been chosen before the time fixed for the beginning of his term, or if the
President elect shall have failed to qualify, then the Vice President elect shall act as
President until a President shall have qualified; and the Congress may by law
provide for the case wherein neither a President elect nor a Vice President elect
shall have qualified, declaring who shall then act as President, or the manner in
which one who is to act shall be selected, and such person shall act accordingly until
a President or Vice President shall have qualified.
Section 4.
The Congress may by law provide for the case of the death of any of the persons
from whom the House of Representatives may choose a President whenever the
right of choice shall have devolved upon them, and for the case of the death of any of
the persons from whom the Senate may choose a Vice President whenever the right
of choice shall have devolved upon them.
Section 5.
Sections 1 and 2 shall take effect on the 15th day of October following the
ratification of this article.

150
Section 6.
to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states within
seven years from the date of its submission.
3. LOCATE: on a calendar the date when the present President’s term will end.
4. LOCATE: on a calendar the date when Congress must next meet.
5. DRAW: what happens if, at the start of a President’s term, he’s died.
Repealed- To have removed or eliminated a law.
7. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XXI.
Amendment XXI (1933)
Section 1.
The eighteenth article of amendment to the Constitution of the United States is
hereby repealed.
Section 2.
The transportation or importation into any state, territory, or possession of the
United States for delivery or use therein of intoxicating liquors, in violation of the
laws thereof, is hereby prohibited.
Section 3.
to the Constitution by conventions in the several states, as provided in the
Constitution, within seven years from the date of the submission hereof to the states
by the Congress.
8. DRAW: what right was returned to the people that had been taken
away by an earlier amendment of the Constitution.

151
9. EXERCISE:
What sort of pressure was Congress under to allow people to drink
again. (For one thing, alcohol was being sold by “gangsters”,
criminals who were organized, and would kill anyone who tried to
stop them. One of the most famous was Al Capone.) List three
reasons why you think the 18th Amendment was repealed.

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LESSON # 67:
Remainder- The period of time still left (remaining) in a term.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XXII.
Amendment XXII (1951)
Section 1.
No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice, and no
person who has held the office of President, or acted as President, for more than two
years of a term to which some other person was elected President shall be elected to
the office of the President more than once. But this article shall not apply to any
person holding the office of President when this article was proposed by the
Congress, and shall not prevent any person who may be holding the office of
President, or acting as President, during the term within which this article becomes
operative from holding the office of President or acting as President during the
remainder of such term.
Section 2.
to the Constitution by the legislatures of three-fourths of the several states within
seven years from the date of its submission to the states by the Congress.
3. EXERCISE:
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (F.D.R.) had served four terms in a row,
during the 1930’s and 1940’s, through the American Depression (a
period of great poverty and unemployment) and World War II (against
the Nazis and Hitler.) He had been elected to serve as President for
16 years. Congress wrote this amendment to make certain no man
held the office that long again. Did they do the right thing? If the
country had a beloved president, and the country was doing very well
under his or her Presidency, why should the country be forced to
change Presidents? If something works, why fix it? Give three reasons
why no person should be President more than 8 years, and three reasons
why this makes no sense.

153
4. EXERCISE:
Do you think a person should be allowed to serve as President so
long as the people elect that person into office? (Senators and
Congressmen serve as many times as they’re elected. Supreme
Court Judges serve for life.) Your decision and why. 25 words.

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LESSON # 68:
District- An area that is self-governed, but not a state.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XXIII
Amendment XXIII (1961)
Section 1.
The District constituting the seat of government of the United States shall appoint in
such manner as the Congress may direct:
A number of electors of President and Vice President equal to the whole number of
Senators and Representatives in Congress to which the District would be entitled if
it were a state, but in no event more than the least populous state; they shall be in
addition to those appointed by the states, but they shall be considered, for the
purposes of the election of President and Vice President, to be electors appointed by
a state; and they shall meet in the District and perform such duties as provided by
the twelfth article of amendment.
Section 2.
3. EXERCISE:
This Amendment gave the District of Columbia, where the nation
is run from, representation in the Electoral College. Locate the
District of Columbia (D.C.) on a map of the United States.
Primary Election- A first election to narrow the group of available

candidates.

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5. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XXIV.
Amendment XXIV (1964)
Section 1.
The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for
President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for
Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the
United States or any state by reason of failure to pay any poll tax or other tax.
Section 2.
6. EXERCISE:
During the 1960s, there were areas in the South still attempting to
stop African Americans from voting, by the charge of a “poll tax”,
a tax for the right to vote. Hadn’t these rights already been
guaranteed earlier in the Constitution? Locate the Amendments
guaranteeing these voters their rights (remember the women!), and
write a 50 word argument why Amendment XXIV should not have
been necessary, if earlier amendments were being enforced.
Inability- The lack of ability to do something. Incapacity.
Acting- Temporarily doing the job of.
8. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XXV.
Amendment XXV (1967)
Section 1.
In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the
Vice President shall become President.
Section 2.
Whenever there is a vacancy in the office of the Vice President, the President shall
nominate a Vice President who shall take office upon confirmation by a majority
vote of both Houses of Congress.

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Section 3.
Whenever the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate and
the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that he is unable
to discharge the powers and duties of his office, and until he transmits to them a
written declaration to the contrary, such powers and duties shall be discharged by
the Vice President as Acting President.
Section 4.
Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the
executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide,
transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge
the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the
powers and duties of the office as Acting President.
Thereafter, when the President transmits to the President pro tempore of the Senate
and the Speaker of the House of Representatives his written declaration that no
inability exists, he shall resume the powers and duties of his office unless the Vice
President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive department
or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit within four days to
the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of
Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge
the powers and duties of his office. Thereupon Congress shall decide the issue,
assembling within forty-eight hours for that purpose if not in session. If the
Congress, within twenty-one days after receipt of the latter written declaration, or,
if Congress is not in session, within twenty-one days after Congress is required to
assemble, determines by two-thirds vote of both Houses that the President is unable
to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall continue to
discharge the same as Acting President; otherwise, the President shall resume the
powers and duties of his office.
9. EXERCISE:
List three ways a President might become temporarily unable to do
his job, but come back later to pick it up again.
10. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XXVI.
Amendment XXVI (1971)
Section 1.
The right of citizens of the United States, who are 18 years of age or older, to vote,
shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of age.

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11. DRAW: as of 1971, the legal voting age in the United States.

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LESSON # 69:
Varying- Changing, altering.
Intervened- Stepped in the way of, occurred first.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: The Constitution, Amendment XXVII.
Amendment XXVII (1992)

No law varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and
Representatives shall take effect until an election of Representatives shall have
intervened.
3. EXERCISE:
Why would the Congress create a law stating they could not give
themselves a raise in pay until an election had occurred first? What
were they worried that the country would think of them? 25 words.
4. EXERCISE:
Is the Constitution a good document? What, overall, does it do well?
What does it do poorly? Which rights are protected by it, and which
rights are not? 100 words.
The student now takes test # 7

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PART FIVE - THE FEDERALIST PAPERS
LESSON # 70:
Federalist – A person who believes in a strong, central government.
Pseudonym – A false name one occasionally uses, particularly authors.
ON THE FEDERALIST PAPERS
The Federalist Papers, sometimes known as “The Federalist”, are a series of 85

essays. Each one is signed with the pseudonym (a not-real name) of “Publius”,
indicating they were written from the point of view of the “public”, or common
man, and with a “republic” in mind, like Rome’s. Rome, prior to the Caesars,
elected representatives to represent the people in their government. This is the sort
of government the American patriots had in mind in starting their new nation, a
Democratic Republic, one where everyone (who they considered qualified…) would
have an equal vote, and elect representatives to serve their needs in government.
The world has seen many, many different types of governments in the 5,000 years
plus of the history of civilization. It was the American founding father’s intent to
create a government that would not have a “king”, “tyrant”, or any single man who
would dictate laws and orders to the nation. But exactly how that government could
be structured to protect everyone’s rights and freedoms was a matter of great
debate between some of the most brilliant individuals who have ever lived.
The Federalist Papers were published in 1787 and 1788. They were published in
several newspapers in New York, and were an attempt to convince New York voters
to accept and ratify (officially accept) the Constitution of the United States. In other
words, they act as an argument in favor of our constitution.
Three men wrote these essays. There is much disagreement as to exactly who wrote
several of the essays. But we know that Alexander Hamilton wrote the majority of
them, around 52. James Madison is believed to have authored around 28, and John
Jay (1745-1829), the first Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, around five. These
essays detail the exact intent of the founding fathers. They spell out what was meant
by each of the original articles in the Constitution, and what the desired result of
adopting the document as law should be.

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Strangely enough, New York voters did not at first ratify the Constitution, so it
could be said that “Publius” failed in his mission. But these essays still speak to us
today, pointing out what the creators of this nation intended and hoped for.
Extent- The size of a thing, its limits.
Bulwark- A defensive wall.
Subverted- Undermined and changed in evil ways.
Antidote- The cure for a poison.
Faction- The splitting up of a group into small groups with disagreements.
Symptoms- Signs of a problem or disease. Coughing is a symptom that one

has a cold.
Inquiries- Questions and investigations.
Adversaries- Enemies.
Availing- Making use of.
Prevailing- The thing that is winning today.
Practicable- useable, workable.
Difficulties- Problems.
Solid- Real, true, provable.
Refuted- Proven to be wrong.
Preceding- Those who came earlier.
Prevalence- The condition of being all over the place, everywhere.
Confounding- Confusing.
Democracy- A form of government where each individual has

a direct say in government.

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Republic- A form of government where people elect representatives

to represent their needs in government.
Adverted- Brought to everyone’s attention.
Artifice- A clever trick.
Absolute Monarchy- A government run by a King, whose every word is law.
Limited Monarchy- A government where a King has some limits on his

power.
Palliate- To reduce the severity of a crime, and make it seem

like less of a crime.
Compass- Range, area covered.
Fallacy- Lie or falsehood.
Lamented- Cried over.
Efficacy- Workability, effectiveness.
Chargeable- Able to be given a specific responsibility.
4. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: Federalist No. 14, up to page 2,

“…in the neighborhood of Congress”
Objections to the Proposed Constitution From Extent of Territory Answered

From the New York Packet.
Friday, November 30, 1787.
Author: James Madison
To the People of the State of New York:
WE HAVE seen the necessity of the Union, as our bulwark against foreign danger,
as the conservator of peace among ourselves, as the guardian of our commerce and
other common interests, as the only substitute for those military establishments
which have subverted the liberties of the Old World, and as the proper antidote for
the diseases of faction, which have proved fatal to other popular governments, and
of which alarming symptoms have been betrayed by our own. All that remains,
within this branch of our inquiries, is to take notice of an objection that may be
drawn from the great extent of country which the Union embraces. A few
observations on this subject will be the more proper, as it is perceived that the

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adversaries of the new Constitution are availing themselves of the prevailing

prejudice with regard to the practicable sphere of republican administration, in
order to supply, by imaginary difficulties, the want of those solid objections which
they endeavor in vain to find.
The error which limits republican government to a narrow district has been
unfolded and refuted in preceding papers. I remark here only that it seems to owe
its rise and prevalence chiefly to the confounding of a republic with a democracy,
applying to the former reasonings drawn from the nature of the latter. The true
distinction between these forms was also adverted to on a former occasion. It is, that
in a democracy, the people meet and exercise the government in person; in a
republic, they assemble and administer it by their representatives and agents. A
democracy, consequently, will be confined to a small spot. A republic may be
extended over a large region.
To this accidental source of the error may be added the artifice of some celebrated
authors, whose writings have had a great share in forming the modern standard of
political opinions. Being subjects either of an absolute or limited monarchy, they
have endeavored to heighten the advantages, or palliate the evils of those forms, by
placing in comparison the vices and defects of the republican, and by citing as
specimens of the latter the turbulent democracies of ancient Greece and modern
Italy. Under the confusion of names, it has been an easy task to transfer to a
republic observations applicable to a democracy only; and among others, the
observation that it can never be established but among a small number of people,
living within a small compass of territory.
Such a fallacy may have been the less perceived, as most of the popular governments
of antiquity were of the democratic species; and even in modern Europe, to which
we owe the great principle of representation, no example is seen of a government
wholly popular, and founded, at the same time, wholly on that principle. If Europe
has the merit of discovering this great mechanical power in government, by the
simple agency of which the will of the largest political body may be concentred, and
its force directed to any object which the public good requires, America can claim
the merit of making the discovery the basis of unmixed and extensive republics. It is
only to be lamented that any of her citizens should wish to deprive her of the
additional merit of displaying its full efficacy in the establishment of the
comprehensive system now under her consideration.
As the natural limit of a democracy is that distance from the central point which
will just permit the most remote citizens to assemble as often as their public
functions demand, and will include no greater number than can join in those
functions; so the natural limit of a republic is that distance from the centre which
will barely allow the representatives to meet as often as may be necessary for the
administration of public affairs. Can it be said that the limits of the United States
exceed this distance? It will not be said by those who recollect that the Atlantic coast
is the longest side of the Union, that during the term of thirteen years, the

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representatives of the States have been almost continually assembled, and that the
members from the most distant States are not chargeable with greater intermissions
of attendance than those from the States in the neighborhood of Congress.
5. DRAW: the difference between a Democracy and a Republic.
6. EXERCISE:
Is the U.S. presently a Democracy or a Republic, and why. 50 words or more.
7. DRAW: who Madison accuses of lying to the people about what a

Republic is, and why it “would not” work.
8. DRAW: Madison’s proof that representatives from all the states

would not have a problem attending meetings of Congress.

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LESSON # 71:
Jurisdiction- Area of authority.
Enumerated- Named items on a list of items.
Attained- Achieved, gotten, arrived at.
Provisions- Plans and actions made to accomplish a goal, or in

order to survive.
Subordinate- Under the power of a greater power.
Compelled- Forced into action.
Self-preservation- The need felt by an individual (or group) to survive.
Reinstate- To return someone or something to its original

position of power or authority.
Federal- Having to do with the entire country.
Practicable- Doable, able to be done.
Bosoms- Chests, as in the chest on a human body.
Remarked- Stated, spoken.
Intercourse- Exchange, communication.
Facilitated- Aided, made easier, assisted.
Accommodations- Rooms and food and other things that make living easier.
Meliorated- Made better, improved.
Beneficence- Generous kindness.
Frontier- The edge of civilization.
Inducement- An idea or object that makes a person want to do

a specific thing. A reason to act.

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Contiguous- Continuous, connected.
Derive- To receive, to get something out of an effort or thing.
Equilibrium- Balance.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: Federalist No. 14, page 3, starting

with “In the first place…”, and ending
at the bottom of the page.
In the first place it is to be remembered that the general government is not to be

charged with the whole power of making and administering laws. Its jurisdiction is
limited to certain enumerated objects, which concern all the members of the
republic, but which are not to be attained by the separate provisions of any. The
subordinate governments, which can extend their care to all those other subjects
which can be separately provided for, will retain their due authority and activity.
Were it proposed by the plan of the convention to abolish the governments of the
particular States, its adversaries would have some ground for their objection;
though it would not be difficult to show that if they were abolished the general
government would be compelled, by the principle of self-preservation, to reinstate
them in their proper jurisdiction.
A second observation to be made is that the immediate object of the federal

Constitution is to secure the union of the thirteen primitive States, which we know
to be practicable; and to add to them such other States as may arise in their own
bosoms, or in their neighborhoods, which we cannot doubt to be equally practicable.
The arrangements that may be necessary for those angles and fractions of our
territory which lie on our northwestern frontier, must be left to those whom further
discoveries and experience will render more equal to the task.
Let it be remarked, in the third place, that the intercourse throughout the Union
will be facilitated by new improvements. Roads will everywhere be shortened, and
kept in better order; accommodations for travelers will be multiplied and
meliorated; an interior navigation on our eastern side will be opened throughout, or
nearly throughout, the whole extent of the thirteen States. The communication
between the Western and Atlantic districts, and between different parts of each, will
be rendered more and more easy by those numerous canals with which the
beneficence of nature has intersected our country, and which art finds it so little
difficult to connect and complete.
A fourth and still more important consideration is, that as almost every State will,
on one side or other, be a frontier, and will thus find, in regard to its safety, an
inducement to make some sacrifices for the sake of the general protection; so the
States which lie at the greatest distance from the heart of the Union, and which, of
course, may partake least of the ordinary circulation of its benefits, will be at the

166
same time immediately contiguous to foreign nations, and will consequently stand,
on particular occasions, in greatest need of its strength and resources. It may be
inconvenient for Georgia, or the States forming our western or northeastern
borders, to send their representatives to the seat of government; but they would find
it more so to struggle alone against an invading enemy, or even to support alone the
whole expense of those precautions which may be dictated by the neighborhood of
continual danger. If they should derive less benefit, therefore, from the Union in
some respects than the less distant States, they will derive greater benefit from it in
other respects, and thus the proper equilibrium will be maintained throughout.
3. DRAW: each of the reasons Madison feels the Republic and the
union will be a good thing, from this page:
Local governments will take care of local problems.
The nation can expand and add new states.
Travel and communication between states will improve.
The overall protection of the nation will become

possible, including at the frontiers.

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LESSON # 72:
Submit- To offer a thing for approval.
Considerations- Concerns and thoughts.
Formidable- Difficult to confront or handle.
Founded- Based on.
Perilous- Dangerous.
Advocates- Those who argue in favor or something.
Hearken- Listen to, pay attention to.
Petulantly- With a whine, with a constant complaint.
Novelty- Something unusual or strange. Something odd.
Projectors- People who predict the future.
Rashly- Too quickly and without thought for the consequences.
Unhallowed- Unreligious, not sacred.
Kindred- Family, brotherly, having to do with family.
Rendering- Ripping something apart.
Conveys- Communicates, or transports from one place to another.
Mingled- Mixed.
Consecrate- To make holy in the eyes of God.
Whilst- Ancient way to say “while” or “at the same time”.
Veneration- Worship.
Indebted- In debt, owing.
Melancholy- A condition like unhappiness.

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Misguided- Deluded, believing the wrong information.
Incumbent- Necessary, an obligation.
Perpetuate- To keep something alive and operating.
Erred- To have made mistakes.
Deliberate- Consider, think about.
Publius- The name that was signed at the end of each Federalist Paper.
2. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: Federalist No. 14, final section.
I submit to you, my fellow-citizens, these considerations, in full confidence that the

good sense which has so often marked your decisions will allow them their due
weight and effect; and that you will never suffer difficulties, however formidable in
appearance, or however fashionable the error on which they may be founded, to
drive you into the gloomy and perilous scene into which the advocates for disunion
would conduct you. Hearken not to the unnatural voice which tells you that the
people of America, knit together as they are by so many cords of affection, can no
longer live together as members of the same family; can no longer continue the
mutual guardians of their mutual happiness; can no longer be fellow citizens of one
great, respectable, and flourishing empire. Hearken not to the voice which
petulantly tells you that the form of government recommended for your adoption is
a novelty in the political world; that it has never yet had a place in the theories of
the wildest projectors; that it rashly attempts what it is impossible to accomplish.
No, my countrymen, shut your ears against this unhallowed language. Shut your
hearts against the poison which it conveys; the kindred blood which flows in the
veins of American citizens, the mingled blood which they have shed in defense of
their sacred rights, consecrate their Union, and excite horror at the idea of their
becoming aliens, rivals, enemies. And if novelties are to be shunned, believe me, the
most alarming of all novelties, the most wild of all projects, the most rash of all
attempts, is that of rendering us in pieces, in order to preserve our liberties and
promote our happiness. But why is the experiment of an extended republic to be
rejected, merely because it may comprise what is new? Is it not the glory of the
people of America, that, whilst they have paid a decent regard to the opinions of
former times and other nations, they have not suffered a blind veneration for
antiquity, for custom, or for names, to overrule the suggestions of their own good
sense, the knowledge of their own situation, and the lessons of their own experience?
To this manly spirit, posterity will be indebted for the possession, and the world for
the example, of the numerous innovations displayed on the American theatre, in
favor of private rights and public happiness. Had no important step been taken by
the leaders of the Revolution for which a precedent could not be discovered, no
government established of which an exact model did not present itself, the people of

169
the United States might, at this moment have been numbered among the melancholy
victims of misguided councils, must at best have been laboring under the weight of
some of those forms which have crushed the liberties of the rest of mankind.
Happily for America, happily, we trust, for the whole human race, they pursued a
new and more noble course. They accomplished a revolution which has no parallel
in the annals of human society. They reared the fabrics of governments which have
no model on the face of the globe. They formed the design of a great Confederacy,
which it is incumbent on their successors to improve and perpetuate. If their works
betray imperfections, we wonder at the fewness of them. If they erred most in the
structure of the Union, this was the work most difficult to be executed; this is the
work which has be new modelled by the act of your convention, and it is that act on
which you are now to deliberate and to decide.
PUBLIUS.
3. EXERCISE:
Are you convinced by Federalist No. 14? Would you vote in favor
of the Constitution after reading this? Why or why not. 50 words or more.
4. EXERCISE:
What else might Madison have written to encourage the acceptance
of a Republic. What would you tell people back then, that you know
now, about why they should accept the system of a republic? Do
so. Convince them in 50 words.

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PART SIX – MORE ON THE U.S. GOVERNMENT-CHECKS AND BALANCES
LESSON # 73:
Budget – The money one plans to have, what it will be spent on.
Veto – The power, by a single “nay” or “no” vote, to send an issue that has
been brought up to defeat.
Discretionary – Available to do with as one pleases.
Impeached – The act of having officially accused an official of a crime.
Voluntary – An act done of one’s own free will.
“Stand” – Remain as is, in force and unchanged.
Unconstitutional – Not in agreement or accord with the Constitution of a

given nation, and hence, not a part of the law of that
nation.
Lawsuit – An action brought before a court, in order to address a wrong

or grievance.
“The Press” – All public media, including newspapers, radio, TV, etc.
MORE ON THE U.S. GOVERNMENT-

ON CHECKS AND BALANCES
Again, here are the three branches of American government:
The Executive Branch- The President, Vice President, the President’s staff and
the “cabinet”, a set of experts, each one in charge of a
specific national activity, such as “Defense”, or “the
Environment”.
The Legislative Branch- The Congress, which is made up of the Senate and the
House of Representatives. A “legislator” is someone
who writes or creates laws.

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The Judicial Branch- The Supreme Court, and all lesser courts.
As you know from your study of the Constitution, there are many ways each branch
“checks” the others. Checks and balances is The system of government where one
branch can stop or slow the progress of the other branches, acting as a kind of
“safeguard” on any one person or branch getting too much power. Here are a few
checks and balances built into the United States’ government:
The Congress approves the national budget, even though it’s proposed by the
President.
The President has his own “discretionary funds”. (“Discretionary” means “as you
wish, do what you want with it”.) If Congress refuses funding to a project or
program which the President believes in, he can in part fund it through his
discretionary funds.
The President recommends new Supreme Court Justices, and members to his
cabinet. The Congress can strike down these candidates.
The President can veto any law Congress sends to his desk. Congress can
“override” the President’s veto with enough votes from its members.
Congress can put a President on trial for misconduct of various sorts. This can start
with a “censure”, an official “slap on the wrist”. Then, a President might be
“impeached” (accused of a crime) by Congress. Congress can remove a President
from office under extreme situations.
The President can always go directly to the ultimate “check” on any elected official,
the people, if he disagrees with what Congress is doing. The people can “recall” any
elected official they are unhappy with, in an election.
Neither the Executive nor legislative Branch can remove a sitting Supreme Court
Judge, as they serve for life, or until voluntary retirement. However, to become a
Supreme Court Justice, the President must nominate you, and the Congress
approve of you.
The Judiciary can strike down any law Congress proposes and even passes, simply
by the Supreme Court finding the law “unconstitutional”.
Congress writes the laws which the Supreme Court must interpret and function
through. Congress could even conceivably change the nature of the supreme Court
by changing the Constitution, say making it thirty Supreme Court Justices, instead
of the current twelve. The Supreme Court would then determine if this new law was
“Constitutional”, in which case the law would “stand”, or strike it down.

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The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court is the person who swears in the new
President, at his inauguration.
The checks and balances in America are even more detailed than those between the
three main branches of government. America has always had multiple political
parties. These have had many names, like the “Whigs”, “Tories”, “Democrats”,
“Republicans”, and “Green” parties. These parties compete for control of the
government, promising the voters various things in the hope of winning their votes
and support. They accordingly act as checks and balances for each other.
Individual citizens can check each other through use of the Judiciary. Lawsuits (a
legal case where one person or organization sues another for whatever reason) have
always been plentiful (many) in the U.S.
The Press is supposed to keep an eye on the doings of our government and report to
the people, acting as yet another check on government.
The system is intended to make action difficult. It is intended to prevent any one
person or branch from gaining total power, and has worked (more or less) from the
beginning.
3. DRAW: each of the three branches of government.
4. DRAW: three ways the Legislative Branch can check the Executive Branch.
5. DRAW: three ways the Judiciary can check the Legislative Branch.
6. DRAW: one important way the Executive Branch effects the Judiciary
Branch.

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LESSON # 74:
1. DRAW: one important way the Judiciary can effect the Executive Branch.
2. DRAW: three ways the Executive Branch effects the Legislative Branch.
3. DRAW: three ways the Legislative Branch effects the Judiciary.
4. DRAW: how one political party can check the other party in Congress.
5. DRAW: how one Senator can check the rest of the Senate.

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LESSON # 75:
(A long lesson, 3-4 hours, due to the film.)
Washington, D.C.
Fictitious – Of a false, or contrived (made up) nature; not true.
“Having Kittens” – Slang, for “being very nervous”.
Deficiency Bill – A bill which provides money for items in the national
budget which are not sufficiently funded.
Scion – A child of.
Obscure – Unclear.
“Dummy names” – Phony names.
“Stooge” – Slang for a person who works for someone in a very subservient
manner, particularly in organized crime.
Crackpot – Someone who is insane, with a “broken skull”.
Callously – Without much feeling or sympathy.
“Deuce” – Slang for the devil.
“Pickle” – Slang, for a difficult situation.
“Twerp” – Slang, for someone unimportant, or disgusting.
Prattle – Useless talk, or “chatter”.
Simpleton – A not very intelligent person.
Ballyhoo – Noise, uproar.
Curry – To prepare carefully.

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Syndicate – A group of related individuals or companies.
Intimidation – To threaten, or force another to do what one wishes through

threat.
High Heels – A type of bottom of a woman’s shoes, which elevate the height
of the woman considerably.
“Low Gear” – The operating mode of an engine moving slowly, slang for
“one not moving very fast”.
The Capitol Dome – The building in which Congress meets.
“Brain” – Slang, for hitting someone in the head.
“1 if by land, 2 if by sea” – A reference to great American patriot Paul

Revere (1735-1818), who warned the colonists of
the approaching British forces during the
American Revolution, warned himself by a signal
in a church belfry, made of lanterns, one lantern
if they came by land, two if by sea.
Daniel Boone – (1324-1820) American frontier hero.
“All in” – Slang, for exhausted.
“8 to 5” – having to do with gambling, a bet in which the odds are 8 against

and 5 for.
“Plastered” – Slang, for drunk.
Correspondents – Reporters for newspapers, etc.
Sober – Not drunk.
Convene – To officially meet.
Mount Vernon – A mountain in Virginia, home of George Washington.
“Ax to Grind” – Slang, for a pet cause or peeve.
“Dough” – Slang, for money.
Bonus – extra money paid an employee, beyond the agreed-upon salary.

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Daniel Webster – (1782-1852) Famed American Congressman and Senator,

who fought to maintain the Union prior to the Civil War.
“Keep Your left Up” – A boxing term, slang for “defend yourself, watch
out!”
3. WATCH: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 0:00-37:08, ending with “Keep

your left up”.
(A link to the whole film)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-
897129633961255565&ei=hsAVSsmmL5y4qAOLreiqCw&q=Mr.+Smith+Goes+To+
Washington&hl=en&emb=1&client=firefox-a
“In Committee” - A term when used in regards of Congress means that

an issue or bill is being considered by a small, selected
group of Congressmen or Senators, prior to its being
considered by the entire House or Senate.
Credentials - Papers proving one’s position or legitimacy.
Chaplain – A member of the Clergy (church) who performs religious

services for an institution, organization, or the military.
Beseech – Beg, plead.
Journal – The official, written record of an activity.
Quorum – The number within a group which must be present for

business to be done by that group.
“I suggest the absence of a Quorum” – The statement made by a member of

the Senate, requesting the presence of
enough Senators to conduct business.
Designate – A person selected for an official post, who has not yet been
installed into that post or office.
Ascertain – To discover with certainty.
Versatile – Capable of many diverse skills or functions.
Sideshow – Part of a circus or carnival, a show, usually filled with “freaks”.

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Evasion – The act of avoiding something.
Discharge – To fully accomplish or complete a thing.
Tarzan – A fictitious character, created by Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875-

1950), American writer. Tarzan was a man raised in the African
jungle, and hence, wild.
Pilate – Pontius Pilate, the Roman who, per the New Testament, sent Jesus
Christ to his crucifixion.
Ideals – Great ideas of how people should live, how life should be.
“Light Into” – Slang, for “to attack” something.
Steering Committee – The small group, as in the Senate, who decide what
issues will be taken up, and when.
Stymied – Stopped, totally confused and halted.
Vivisection – The cutting open of a still-living animal.
Adjourn – To officially end a session or meeting.
Commence – Start.
“Don Quixote” – A fictional character, created by the Spanish author

Cervantes (1547-1616). Quixote is a man who goes mad,
touring the neighborhood as a “knight”, righting wrongs.
Enacted – Officially made into law.
U.S. Treasury – The branch of government responsible for the finances of

the nation.
Adjacent – Immediately next to.
Crank – A crazy person.
Preserve – Fruit, cooked with sugar and jarred.
Manicure – The cutting of one’s nails and cuticles.
Bitters – A type of alcoholic drink.

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“Got the Jump On” – Slang, for “having gotten a start before the others”.
“Good Egg” – Slang, for a basically good person.
“Sappy” – Slang, for silly, foolish, overly emotional.
“Blind Alley” – Slang, for a path that suddenly ends without escape, a
“dead end”.
“Ritzy” – Slang, from the “Ritz Hotel”, meaning “wealthy-looking, fancy”.
Graft – The dishonest, often illegal use of one’s position of authority or

power, in order to personally profit.
“Manna from Heaven” – A reference from the Old Testament. Moses led the
Jews out of Egypt (in “Exodus”), but once in the
desert, there is not food. God sends manna (bread)
from heaven for the Jews to eat.
Steamroller – A large machine, a truck with a huge, heavy roller (long wheel)
at its front, which flattens everything it passes over.
Rubbers – Rain boots.
Federal Grants – Money, provided by the federal (national) government, to

various organizations, for specific purposes.
“Play Ball” – Slang, for “to go along, do what one is told”.
5. WATCH: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 37:08-1:22:08.

6. EXERCISE:
Jefferson Smith says “Liberty is too precious a thing to be buried in books.”
What he means is it must be experienced to be understood. In what ways do
you get to experience liberty in your life? Three examples.

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Appropriations – The setting aside of designated monies for specific

purposes.
Fiscal Year – A year, looked upon from the viewpoint of finances and
financial transactions.
Yield – To surrender, to make way for another.
“The floor” – When a person is given the right to speak during an official
meeting or assembly, it’s said they “hold the floor”.
Suspend – To interrupt, to pause.
Inquiry – An official attempt to secure information about an issue.
Galleries – Balconies, elevated seating sections overlooking a chamber.
“Lowdown” – Slang, for the factual information.
“Jalopy” – Slang, for an old or broken-down car.
Deed – A document which proves one owns a certain area or building.
Forged – Illegally imitated, as in a signature.
Frame - To conceive, or design.
Expulsion – To be removed from, or kicked out of.
Hunch – A vague sense one might have about the truth of something.
“Hooey” – Slang, for “nonsense”.
“Suckers” – Slang, for people easily fooled.
“Cockeyed” – Slang, for “unable to see things as they are”; crazy.
Guillotine – A large machine with a large blade at the top, which is made
to chop off a human being’s head.
“Batty” – Slang, for “crazy”.
“Shenanigans” – Slang, for mischievous or destructive actions.

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Doomsday – The concept that, someday, the world will come to an end.
Falsified – Made up and not true or factual.
Imputed – Credited as a part of one’s personality or being.
Brazen – Without shame or modesty.
“Kingdom Come” – Slang, for doomsday, the day God’s kingdom comes
to Earth, in Christianity.
Effrontery – Brazen boldness.
Public Works – Large construction jobs, intended to benefit the people,

such as roads, bridges, or parks.
Filibuster – A period of time, during a session of Congress, when an

individual member of Congress talks as long as possible, in
order to slow or stop an action he or she disapproves of.
Sergeant At Arms – An officer, appointed to keep order for an organization.
“Call to Quorum” – The official summoning of members of the House to

attend proceedings, demanding at least a quorum be
present.
David & Goliath – A reference to the Old Testament tale of the first Hebrew
King, David, who as a child, confronted and killed a
gigantic representative of his people’s enemies, Goliath.
Allegedly – Having been asserted before there is any proof.
Telegraphs – An electronic form of communication used in the 1900s,

resulting in a written communication.
“Yokel” – Slang, for ‘an idiot”, usually from a farm.
Hoi Polloi – Greek, for the common people.
“Two watt radio station” – A reference to radio stations with very little
power to broadcast.
Envoy – An official representative of a nation.
Raft – A whole lot of a thing.

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“Licked” – Slang, for “beaten, having lost”.
8. WATCH: Mr. Smith Goes to Washington, 1:22:08-end.

9. EXERCISE:
How is this movie an example of how an individual, in a democracy, is free
to communicate, even when no one may agree with him? Do you have this
freedom? If so, how does it get used? 50 words or more.

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LESSON # 76:
(A long lesson, 3 hours, due to assignment.)
1. WATCH: on C-Span, or some version of local cable or dish TV,

Congress in Session (live, if possible) for two hours.

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LESSON # 77:
1. EXERCISE:
How did you feel about your Congress, watching them work? How
much did they get done? Did they seem active, involved, or
concerned? What issues were they interested in? Did these issues
interest you? 50 words or more.
2. EXERCISE:
Are checks and balances good? Would it be better if people who are
experts in certain areas were allowed to just do what they thought
was right. Lawmakers make laws, courts offer judgments based on
existing laws, and administrators administrate with no one looking
over their shoulders. Offer three reasons why there should be no
checks and balances. How would government be able to do things
faster, easier, and with less expense without checks and balances?
3. EXERCISE:
Offer five reasons why checks and balances are a good thing in
American government.

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PART SEVEN – THE PROCESS OF ELECTION
LESSON # 78:
Resident – A person who lives in a particular location.
Private Sector – The activities of a nation, excluding (outside of)

government.
Candidate – A person who wishes to be considered for public office by

those who will be making the selection. This can include an
already elected official who is allowed to select who he wants
in a lower office, or the voters, in an elective process.
Campaign – An organized (usually) effort by the candidate and many others

working with the candidate to get him or her elected.
Electioneering – The fact of working actively for a candidate to get them

elected.
Polling Place – The location where voters go to cast their votes. (Also called
a “poll”.)
THE PROCESS OF BECOMING A CANDIDATE
Anyone who is at least the right age, and a resident for long enough, can run for
nearly any office in America.
Originally, the idea was that a person would serve in office for a short time, and
then return to “private” life, or life in the “private sector”. (This means “not
government”.) But today, there are many “career politicians”, people who spend
their lives running for and holding various offices.
To run, one must register, as you are about to study. To register for an election as a
“candidate” (a person running for office”), one must first qualify. Each election is
different, and the qualifications needed are different for different offices.
First, one would decide to run. One would find out how, in his state or area, one
registers to run. One would do the needed steps, and register. The candidate would

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raise money, and “campaign”. Campaigning is the process where a candidate lets
the public know who he is and what he stands for, so people who agree with him can
vote for him (or her). One usually campaigns right up to the day of election. Then,
everyone votes. (There is no “electioneering” or campaigning allowed near voting
places, called “polls”.) The votes are counted, a winner announced.
Qualifications- The things one must either be or have done first

in order to be allowed to do something.
§- A symbol, for “section”, the part of the Article or law

that they are referring to. As in “Art. (Article) II, §
(Section) 1. (This is generally followed by a number in
parenthesis, like (5), which tells you in which paragraph
you’ll find the exact quote they’re referring to.
So Art. II, §1(5) means Article II, Section 1, paragraph
5 (of the Constitution, in this case.)
Petitions- Official and written requests.
Circulating- Moving a thing around from person to person.
Advocated- Argued in favor of.
Criteria- The requirements, the area that must be studied,

or the steps that must be completed.
Viable- Able to survive, able to stay alive.
Opinion Polls- A way of determining how the public feels about

a thing. Many people are asked questions about
the person or object in question. (Such as: “Would
you vote for John Doe for President. Yes? No?
Undecided?”) Their answers are added up and the
percentages figured out. (Such as: “10% said yes,
80% said no, 10% were undecided.”)
Surveys- Very similar to polls.
Delete- Remove, eliminate.
Election Code- A group of laws regulating elections and how they’re done.

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Steering Committee- A group of people who decide how some large

activity will be run.
Duly- Officially and legally.
Circulators- People moving a petition around.
Chairperson- The leader of a committee.
4. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: the Information Sheet of Qualifications

and Requirements: PRESIDENTIAL
CANDIDATE QUALIFICATION
PROCEDURES, pages 1-2.
Information Sheet of Qualifications and Requirements

PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE QUALIFICATION PROCEDURES
MARCH 7, 2000 PRIMARY ELECTION
DEMOCRATIC PARTY
I. QUALIFICATIONS
The candidate must:
A. Be a natural-born citizen of the United States

B. Be at least 35 years of age, and
C. Be a resident of the United States at least 14 years.
US Constitution, Art. II, §1(5)
II. REQUIREMENTS
There are two basic methods by which a person may have his or her name placed on
the ballot as a presidential candidate in the March 7, 2000 Presidential Primary
Election:
1. by the Secretary of State as a generally-recognized candidate, or

2. by circulating nomination petitions.
A. Generally-Recognized Candidates
1. The Secretary of State announces the names of individuals he has determined to

be generally advocated for or recognized throughout the United States or California
as actively seeking the nomination of the Democratic Party for President. Elections
Code §6041
a. Criteria for determining "generally-recognized" candidates include, but are not

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limited to:
(1) Qualification for federal matching funds from the Federal Election
Commission;
(2) Appearing on ballots for President in primary elections in other states;
(3) Extensive coverage by the news media as viable candidates;
(4) Inclusion in national or statewide public opinion polls and surveys.
2. The Secretary of State must make this determination by November 8, 1999 and
publicly announce it. §6041
3. Following this announcement, the Secretary of State may add presidential

candidates to the selection but may not delete any candidate unless the candidate
withdraws in accordance with the provisions of Elections Code §6042. The last day to
withdraw is January 3, 2000. §§6041, 6042
B. Circulation of Nomination Petitions for Candidates Not Selected by the Secretary

of State or Uncommitted Delegations
1. Any candidate not selected by the Secretary of State or any uncommitted

delegation desiring to be placed on the presidential primary ballot shall have
nomination papers circulated on behalf of the candidacy. §6061
2. To qualify for placement on the presidential primary election ballot, the

nomination papers of the candidate or uncommitted delegation must be signed by
registered Democrats equal in number to not less than 1 percent, or 500, whichever is
fewer, of the number of persons registered as members of the Democratic Party as of
October 24, 1999 in each congressional district. §6061
3. Each signer of a nomination paper may sign only one paper. The signer shall
declare his or her intention to support the candidate or delegation named on the
nomination paper. §6104
4. Each section of the nomination paper shall be delivered to the elections official of
the county where the signer resides and is a voter and where the petition was
circulated. §§6101, 6108
5. The period for circulating these petitions is November 8, 1999 through December
23, 1999. §6122
6. The last day to file nomination papers with the county elections official is
December 23, 1999. §6122

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7. Appointment of Circulators -- The steering committee, or its duly authorized

representatives, may appoint circulators to circulate nomination papers. §§6082, 6120
a) Circulators shall be voters and shall serve within the county in which the
circulators reside. §6121
b) The form on which the circulators are appointed shall be filed with the elections
official of the county in which the circulators reside at or before the time the
nomination paper of the candidate is left with the county elections official for
examination. §6120
c) Additional circulators may be appointed in the same manner as the original

circulators were appointed. §6120
8. By January 8, 2000, the Secretary of State shall prepare a certified list containing
the name of each candidate who is entitled to be voted for on the ballot at the
presidential primary, and the name of each chairperson of a steering committee of an
uncommitted delegation who is to be voted for on the same ballot. §6180
III. APPOINTMENT OF STEERING COMMITTEES
A. Each selected candidate, unselected candidate, and uncommitted delegation is

required to appoint a seven-member steering committee and shall appoint one of the
members to serve as chairperson. §6080
B. The chairperson of the steering committee, by December 13, 1999, shall file with
the Secretary of State a statement containing the names and addresses of the members
of the committee. §6081
C. For other duties and responsibilities of the steering committee and/or the
chairperson of the steering committee, refer to §§ 6082 - 6087 of the California
Elections Code.
IV. GENERAL INFORMATION
A. The California Elections Code contains various requirements, which must be met
by anyone planning to run as a presidential candidate in the Democratic Party.
Prospective candidates and delegates should review these laws well in advance of the
March 7, 2000 Primary Election. For further information, the candidate is advised to
consult California Elections Code §§ 6000 et. seq. This code is available on the
Internet at the Legislative Counsel's site: http://www.leginfo.ca.gov/calaw.html.
B. Prospective candidates and delegates should contact the California Democratic

Party at 911-20th Street, Sacramento, CA 95814 for additional duties and
responsibilities not specified in the Elections Code or items not filed with the Secretary

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of State or county elections officials.
C. The Elections Division of the Secretary of State's Office does not provide forms for
presidential candidates. The candidate is directed to the California Elections Code
sections cited above for information about what is required on such forms.
D. Because of the requirements of the Federal Election Campaign Act, As Amended,

a candidate for President should contact the Federal Election Commission (999 E
Street NW, Washington, D.C. 20463 or toll-free phone number 1-800-424-9530) for a
copy of the Act and related regulations which govern the filing requirements for
reporting campaign contributions and expenditures, and the forms on which to file
such disclosure information.
E. Although unlikely at this time, the California Legislature may still amend the laws
pertaining to candidates running in the March 2000 Presidential Primary. Therefore,
it is important for candidates to confirm the validity of the foregoing information in
November of 1999.
F. Write-in Candidates: Any person who believes his/her name may be written in on a
ballot as a candidate for President shall file an endorsement of write-in candidacy
with the Secretary of State not later than February 15, 2000. See Elections Code
§§6240 and 6241.
G. This material is for general information only and does not have the force and
effect of law, regulation or rule. In case of conflict, the law, regulation or rule will
apply. The candidate should obtain the most up-to-date information available because
of possible changes in law or procedures since publication of this information.
5. DRAW: the steps one takes to become a candidate for the Presidency:
1. Either be declared a Candidate by the Secretary of

State, or
2. Circulate a petition in each Congressional District, getting

at least 1% of the registered voters in your party to
sign.
3. This means you must have a Committee and Committee

Leader to support you, in place.
4. Turn in your papers, demonstrating your intent to run,

and all needed petitions by the deadline.

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LESSON # 79:
1. EXERCISE:
Is this system too complicated? Complicated enough? Should just
anyone be allowed to run for office in any way they see fit? What
do you think, and why? 50 words or more.
2. EXERCISE:
Could you improve the system one uses to become a candidate for
office? Why or why not, and how? 50 words or more.
3. EXERCISE:
Create a poll. Ask ten people the following questions:
“Do you like Chocolate or vanilla better?”
“Would you vote for Santa Claus for President? Yes? No?
Undecided?”
“Do you believe that Elvis is still alive?”
Add up your answers and express them in the form of percentages.
For instance: “50% like chocolate(5 votes), 50 % vanilla (5 votes).
40% Yes on Santa (4 votes), 60 % no (6 votes), no undecided.”

191
LESSON # 80:
Primaries – Primary Elections. The first in a series of elections, intended to

“narrow the field” of candidates. Only the top few vote-getters
in each party, after a Primary election are allowed to continue to
run for that office, representing their party.
Convention – A huge “meeting” of representatives of a given political party,

in order to determine policy for the party, and candidates for
office.
Issues – Those “problems” or ideas which are considered important to the

voters.
CAMPAIGNING FOR OFFICE
If you were running for office, and once you registered as a candidate successfully,
you would then “campaign”. This involves doing anything and everything you can
think of (that is legal) to get people to vote for you. Some campaigns, like
Presidential campaigns, go for more than a year. Presidential Candidates have to
survive “Primary Elections”. These are early elections to weed out the candidates
who won’t have much of a chance, and to decide which candidate will represent
each major party. Then each party (Democrats, Republicans, etc.) will have a
“Convention”, a major meeting where they officially nominate their candidate for
President.
There are several things a candidate must almost always do:
1) Raise $$$$$$. It’s VERY expensive to run for office! The bigger the
office, the more money will be needed. Presidential campaigns spend tens of
millions.
2) Know the issues. Issues are topics ore subjects people are interested in, things
that are important to voters, like “how much in tax do I have to pay”, and
“what about the environment”, or “how will you help my business thrive?”
A candidate has to know a lot about a lot of issues, because people will ask!
3) Debate. Debates are “controlled arguments” with other candidates, done in

front of the public. Usually a debate has a “moderator” or two, people who
ask the questions, and control who gets to talk, and when. These debates are

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often televised if the office being tried for is big enough.
4) Promote. TV ads, newspaper ads, appearances on TV shows, radio interviews,

walking around the neighborhood and just shaking hands. Whatever it takes.
5) Get friends and families involved. The public wants to know everything about
a candidate. They want to see spouses and kids, to see if the candidate is a
decent parent, much less a good “parent” for the nation.
Running for office is a huge decision which affects the life of the candidate in
uncounted ways, as well as the lives of those around the candidate. One should run
because one has great ideas and commitment and concern for his city, state or
nation.
3. EXERCISE:
Do some research. You’ll probably need the internet for this.
Locate five ways candidates promoted themselves in the last
presidential election. (Since Presidential campaigns now last
far more than a year, it’s possible there’s one going on now.
Look at TV and the newspapers, for advertisements, debates, whatever.)
4. EXERCISE:
At the writing of this course, there was a lot of talk in the U.S.
about “election reform”. Candidates are presently allowed to raise
as much money as they want and as they can, to run for office.
This gives wealthy candidates, or candidates with wealthy friends
and corporate allies a huge advantage. Is this fair or as things
should be? Should available money to spend of campaigning be
a factor in who becomes President? Some people want to limit
the amount that can be spent on any campaign. Some want the
media (TV, radio, newspapers, etc.) to give each candidate free
and “equal time”, so the candidates won’t need money to promote.
Is that the “duty” of the media in America? Or is requiring that
TV networks and such give up money-making time unconstitutional.
What would you do to make elections more fair? Or are they fair
now? 100 words on what you would do, and why.
The student takes Test # 9

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PART EIGHT – THE FLAG AND THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
LESSON # 81:
1. FULLY UNDERSTAND THE WORD:
Flag – A generally large piece of material, designed with symbols and colors,
intended to be “flown” on a high pole, representing (as a symbol)
a group or nation.
THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN FLAG
Nations have had flags for thousands of years. America’s flag has gone through
many changes over the centuries. The first American flag was pieced together by a
seamstress named Betsy Ross. This flag was called the Grand Union, and was first
flown over the headquarters of the Continental Army on January 1, 1776. George
Washington probably designed the flag.
As the U.S. has added states, the flag has changed. Presently, it’s the most complex
flag in the world, requiring 64 pieces of fabric to construct it. It has 13 red and
white stripes, for the thirteen original colonies, and one star for each of the 50 states,
on a blue field. Red is often used on a flag to symbolize the human blood of the
founders who fought to bring a nation into existence. White can represent the
purity of the nation’s intent, or even it’s one-ness with God. Supposedly George
Washington said of the flag: “We take the stars from heaven, the red from our
mother country (England), separate it by white in stripes, thus showing that we have
separated from her.”
Every year, on June 14, the U.S. celebrates a holiday called “Flag Day”, in honor of
the flag and the sacrifices it stands for.
3. LOCATE: a modern American Flag. Count the stars and stripes.
4. EXERCISE:
How could the flag be improved to better represent what America
believes, and what it is? How would you change it? Do a drawing
and improve the Flag.

194
5. EXERCISE:
Do some research. On what date of each year is “Flag Day”, the
day we are supposed to honor our flag? Should we have a “flag
day”? Why honor a piece of material? 25 words on why or why not.

195
LESSON # 82:
Pledge- A promise, a vow, intended never to be broken.
Allegiance- The idea that one belongs to a group and will support
the survival and well-being of that group.
Flag- A symbol, usually made of cloth or similar material, of a group.
Indivisible- Unable to be broken up into smaller parts.
Liberty- Freedom.
Justice- Fairness in dealings with others, a fair result.
2. DRAW: the meaning of each line:
“I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America,”
“And to the Republic for which it stands.”
“One nation, under God,”
“Indivisible,”
“With Liberty and Justice for all.”

196
LESSON # 83:
1. EXERCISE:
A “pledge” is a vow, a promise that should never be broken. Should
a country teach children a “pledge”? Give two reasons why they
should, and two why they should not. Then decide for yourself
if it’s a good idea, and say why you so decided.
2. EXERCISE:
There are Americans who do not believe in God. Is it right to make
a child who does not believe in God swear to “one nation, under
God”? How could this be changed to be more workable in a nation
containing many and very different religions? Write your own idea
down as to how to change this part of the Pledge of Allegiance.

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PART NINE – AMERICAN HOLIDAYS
LESSON # 84:
ON THE FOURTH OF JULY
Even though the Declaration of Independence was signed on the third of July,
American’s celebrate its signing on the fourth. This day is also called
“Independence Day”. It is a celebration of America declaring itself a free and
independent nation, separate from England. It is generally celebrated by the
government closing all institutions like schools and post offices. People have picnics,
out the flag in front of their house, and attend fireworks displays.
2. DRAW: the reason we celebrate the Fourth of July.
3. EXERCISE:
Come up with another, perhaps better way to honor the fathers
of the country, than fireworks and a day off school. Make it
something to do with Adams, Jefferson, Washington, and the
others who created this country. 50 words or more.
ON THANKSGIVING
Thanksgiving is another “legal holiday”, and the government closes down all its
branches. It is celebrated in the United States on the fourth Thursday of each
November. (In Canada, it is celebrated on the second Monday of October.) Most
families collect and share a “feast” of turkey and other foods. Many people watch
televised football games.
Thanksgiving was first celebrated by the Pilgrims, early settlers to America who
came to Colonial New England (the North Eastern part of the United States) in the
early 17th century. It was at first (1621 A.D., in Plymouth Colony, Massachusetts) a
celebration of the harvest, and of the mutual effort made by native Americans and
settlers to share what they knew and what they had, to improve their ability to
survive. The Indians had shared corn and other local crops with the settlers.
President Abraham Lincoln placed the holiday on the last Thursday in November.

198
5. DRAW: why we celebrate Thanksgiving.
6. EXERCISE:
What could we do to celebrate this holiday, which we don’t do?
How could we honor the native Americans who helped the early
European colonists survive in the “new world”? (Is wasn’t “new”
to the native Americans.) Make some suggestions. 50 words.

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LESSON # 85:
PRESIDENT’S DAY
According to the Federal Government, the holiday celebrated on the third Monday
in February is still Washington’s Birthday (Feb. 22), a national holiday originally
established to honor the first President. However, as Abraham Lincoln’s birthday is
just 10 days away (Feb. 12), and as he is considered by many the greatest of
American Presidents, certain states combined the two holidays. (They used to be
celebrated separately. Putting them together eliminates one “holiday” where the
government shuts down its institutions.)
President Chester Arthur made Washington’s Birthday an official holiday in 1885.
President Lincoln freed the slaves, and ran the “Union”, or the anti-slavery states,
through the Civil War. He was assassinated by an actor named John Wilkes Booth,
shortly after the war ended. President Lincoln, a lawyer from the Midwest, is
generally credited with seeing the nation through its worst inner strife, and keeping
the country intact. One of his greatest speeches (there were many) was at
Gettysburg, spoken on November 19th, 1863, after a grim and massive battle where
many Southern and Northern American killed each other. The country was very
near falling apart, and morale was very low in the North.
Address- A speech.
Score- Twenty years.
Conceived- Born, originated.
Endure- Survive.
Fitting- Right, appropriate.
Consecrate- To make something holy in the eyes of men and God.
Hallow- To make a thing holy.
Detract- To take away from.
Note- Remember, recall, pay attention to.

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Devotion- Commitment to and love for.
Perish- Die.
3. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new
nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are
created equal.
Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation
so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battle-field of
that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place
for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting
and proper that we should do this.
But, in a larger sense, we can not dedicate -- we can not consecrate -- we can not
hallow -- this ground. The brave men, living and dead, who struggled here, have
consecrated it, far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little
note, nor long remember what we say here, but it can never forget what they did
here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which
they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here
dedicated to the great task remaining before us -- that from these honored dead we
take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of
devotion -- that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain --
that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom -- and that
government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the
earth.
4. EXERCISE:
Give three reasons why President Lincoln would have wanted to
give the Gettysburg Address to the nation, in the middle of the
Civil War, and immediately after a terrible battle.
5. DRAW: how we celebrate our past presidents.

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6. EXERCISE:
Should there be a President’s Day? Should it just celebrate
the birthdays of Washington and Lincoln (as there used to be
two such holidays)? How about the other great presidents?
How could we improve the meaning and celebration of our
Presidents? Come up with five suggestions.

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LESSON # 86:
(A long lesson, 4 hours, due to the film.)
1. LOCATE: on a map of America: Kansas
Veteran – A person who has fought in and survived a war.
Armistice – A truce, a temporary cessation (pause) in fighting.
VETERAN’S DAY
Veteran’s Day is observed on November 11 of each year. November 11, in 1919, was
the last day in World War I, a huge and terrible war involving most of Europe,
America, and parts of the rest of the world. The day was originally called
“Armistice Day”, which was what the end of the war was called. It received that
name in 1926, through Congress.
In 1953, in Kansas, people started calling the holiday “Veteran’s Day” in honor of
the Veterans in their town. (A “Veteran” is anyone who has served in the military,
and is no longer serving for any reason.) In ’54, Congress officially changed the
name of the observance to Veteran’s Day. It is celebrated in remembrance of the
men and women who fought in our nation’s wars, and also a celebration of peace. It
was once celebrated with parades and the like, but there are very few such
celebrations today.
4: LOCATE: On a map, globe or the Internet:
Boone City, Iowa

Denver, Colorado
San Francisco, California
Seattle, Washington
Detroit, Michigan
Cleveland, Ohio
Texas
Portland, Oregon
Hiroshima, Japan
The Philippine Islands

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Flattop – An aircraft carrier, a huge ship with a “flat top”, from which
planes can land or take off.
Bombardier – The airman on a plane responsible for dropping bombs.
Rehabilitate – To restore a thing to an earlier and better condition.
“Swell” – Slang, for “terrific”.
“Hit a beach” – To attack a fortified, armed beach from the water, via
boats.
Barrack – Sleeping quarters for military personnel.
Samurai – Medieval Japanese warriors.
Hiroshima – A city in Japan, which was struck by the first nuclear bomb
ever employed.
Atomic Energy – Energy derived from the splitting apart of the atom into
its component parts.
Physics – The science and study of the interaction of energy and matter.
Jet Propulsion – The pushing forward or up if a large airborne object, such

as a plane or missile, by the intense and rapid pushing out
of air, or other particles, using an engine.
Radar – A scientific device which shows any motion taking place in the
sky.
Domestic Science – Also called “housekeeping”, having to do with the study

of caring for a house, cooking, caring for clothing, etc.
Home Front – The people in the home country, during a war.
Civilians – All people not in the military.
Backwash – The result of an event.
War Boom – The expansion of an economy (things bought and sold, money
made) that occurs because of production made necessary by
a war.

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Unemployment – A measure of the percentage of people who could have a

job, but do not.
General MacArthur – Douglas MacArthur (1880-1964).
Disability – A physical, mental, or emotional inability to do something others

can normally do.
“Bail Out” – To leap from a plane (with a parachute).
6. WATCH: The Best Years of Our Lives, 0:00-53:48.
Paris, France
Düsseldorf, Germany
Berlin, Germany
The South Pacific Ocean
Iwo Jima (an island in the Northwest Pacific)
Okinawa (an island southwest of Japan)
“17s”; “24s” – B-17s, B-24s, types of warplanes.
“Stinking” – Slang, for “drunk”.
Soda Fountain – A place, found in certain stores in the 1940s-today,

where one may get ice cream. A person who serves ice
cream and soft drinks is called a “soda jerk”.
Altitude – The height a thing is at, measured from the ground.
Velocity – The speed at which an object is moving.
Mass Production – The making of many, many exact copies of an item, to

sell them.
Compounded – Added, one to the other.
Procurement – The gathering of needed objects, usually for a military

organization or group.
Trust Company – A type of bank.

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Ruinous – Capable of destroying something.
Sound – Secure, stable, predictable and safe.
Black Market – The people and places where illegal objects may be bought
and sold.
“Snappy” – Slang, for attractive and up-to-date.
“Goofy” – Slang, for kind of stupid or crazy.
Surmise – To make a guess.
GI Loan – Money, lent to a person who was or is enlisted in the armed forces.
Seabees – A member of the U.S. Navy who helps build bases and shore
facilities.
Mines – Bombs, buried below ground, which explode when stepped on.
Collateral – Things of value which one owns, and which one may use to
prove one’s “worth”, in order to get a loan.
Security – Objects of value which one makes available to a person lending

them money, in case they default (fail to pay off the loan).
Sharecropper – A farmer who does not own his land, and who farms it and
and gives a large percentage of the raised product to the
land owner.
“Old Mr. Whiskers” – Slang for the United State’s government, known
affectionately as “Uncle Sam”, pictured as a white
haired, whickered, old, strong man dressed in red,
white and blue.
Appraised – When an object (or place) has its value computed.
Depositors – People who leave their money in a bank.
Citadel – A fortress.
Initiative – The quality some people have of being daring, of being willing
to experiment and take risks in order to accomplish something.
“Get down to brass tacks” – Slang, for cutting directly to what is important
and basic.

206
“Hardening of the arteries”- Arteries are the large veins which carry blood
to and from the heart. A “hardening” of these
veins occurs often with old age, and slows or
stops the flow of blood to the heart, which can
lead to death.
“Wolves” – Slang for men who overtly (openly) pursue sex with women.
“On the carpet” – Slang, for being placed in a position where one must
face others and answer questions.
Victorian – Having to do with the prim, proper manners of England, during

the period Queen Victoria ruled.
“Heel” – Slang, for a bad man.
Nazis – Members of the political party in Germany that started World War
II.
“Limeys” – Slang, for the British people.
“Reds” – Slang for “Communists”, particularly Russian Communists.
Radicals – People with very different motives and ideas than the average.
Aromatic Spirits of Ammonia – Smelling salts, a combination of substances

whose scent can help bring someone who is
unconscious back to consciousness.
“Flipped” – Slang, for “gone insane”.
Citation – An official commendation.
K-Rations – Food and goods given to American soldiers on the battlefield

during World War II.
Prefabricated – Manufactured (built) in advance, in pieces which can be

put together easily.
Matrimony – The state of marriage.
Asunder – Into separate pieces.
Troth – A promise.

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9. WATCH: The Best Years of Our Lives, 53:48 - end.
10. EXERCISE:
Describe in 100 words or more how you think going to war, and killing others
in a war, and others trying to kill you, might change a person and his ideas
of the world. Also describe how it might be hard for such a person to simply
return to normal life.
11. EXERCISE:
Name three reasons why those who fight for your nation and way of life do
deserve respect.
12. DRAW: how we celebrate Veteran’s Day.
13. EXERCISE:
Should there be a Veteran’s Day? Why or why not? How could
we improve the way we celebrate this holiday to make it more
meaningful? 50 words or more.

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LESSON # 87:
(A long lesson, due to film. About 2 hours.)
Civil Rights – 1) Those inherent rights every person should have, and would
generally wish to have. 2) Those rights granted an individual
by a society.
Segregation – The act of separating one group from another, on the basis
of race, color, or some other pretext.
NAACP – The National Association for the Advancement of Colored

People, an organization which protects and fights for the
rights of African (“Black”) Americans.
We are about to study Martin Luther King Day. This holiday was created to honor
Martin Luther King, Jr., a man who worked to create equal rights for all, in the
United States. These rights are called your “Civil Rights”. Before studying the
holiday named for Dr. King, you’re going to study a little of the background behind
his life, and what he inherited.
At the end of the Civil War, the 13th amendment to the Constitution emancipated
(freed) the “slaves”. However, it was not in any way specific on what would happen
next. Several years later, the 14th Amendment established the right of every
American to “equal treatment under the law”. This amendment was created largely
to protect African-Americans, who found they had almost no rights, immediately
after “being freed”. But amendments are one thing, and men’s actions are another.
Throughout America, particularly in the Southern states, “Blacks” found
themselves segregated. Segregation is the process of isolating or separating a group
from others, on the basis of race, color, or some other pretext. They were
segregated as to where they could live, what restaurants, hotels, and businesses they
could use, what sort of jobs they could hold, where they were allowed to go to
school.
In the 1950s, organizations like the NAACP, armed with the law and a clear sense of
right and wrong, went to legal battle for the rights of all Americans to not be
segregated. They, in fact, fought for Desegregation, or an end to segregation. This
resulted in a law, popularly known as “Separate But Equal” to be struck down, a
law that said that so long as Black and White Children’s schools were “equal” in
quality, they should be kept separated.

209
The fight for desegregation spread to businesses and buses, into every institution
imaginable. Rosa Parks (1913-2005) was on a bus in Montgomery Alabama, when a
white man insisted she move to the back of the bus and surrender her seat. Her
refusal started a “Civil Rights Movement”, of which Dr. King, along with others
such as Malcolm X ((1925-1965), the Reverend Ralph Abernathy (1926-1990) and
the Reverend Jesse Jackson (1941 -) were (or are) also leaders.
You’re now going to watch a film which will show you the battle in the courts to
desegregate the schools of the nation. It was led by the great jurist, Thurgood
Marshall (1908-1993), who eventually became a judge on the Supreme Court. What
the film does not show you is the tragedy to follow. Desegregation of Southern
schools took many years, and required occasional military intervention to enforce.
This is an issue that goes to the very heart of what America is supposed to be…a
land of law, and of equal opportunity for all born here.
Montgomery, Alabama
Clarendon County, South Carolina
Summertown, South Carolina
Texas
Washington, D.C. (District of Columbia)
Virginia
New York State
Baltimore, Maryland
Ohio
Topeka, Kansas
“Nigger” – Slang, a derogatory, insulting way to indicate that a person

is African American, or of African descent.
Discrimination – The act of preferring one type or group over another.
“Jim Crow” – The systematic practice of discrimination and segregation,

practiced in the U.S. South against African Americans.
Petition – An official document requesting action of some sort, and signed by

those who wish to see the change done.
District Line – The imaginary line, established by government, where one

area of authority ends and another starts.

210
Technicality – A small, fine or legal point which has to do with the way
a thing is technically supposed to be done, but has nothing
to do with right or wrong.
Legal Defense Fund – The organization in the NAACP which collects money
and support for that groups legal efforts.
Tenant Farmers – Farmers who do not own the land they live on, but
instead work the land, and provide the owner or
“landlord” a large part of what is grown as payment.
Test Case – A legal proceeding, in court, which uses the particulars of the
case being tried, to question the validity of a law.
Graduate School – Upper level education for those who have completed
basic college, and plan to highly specialize.
Public School – Schools paid for with tax money, and made available to all
students in their area.
KKK- The “Ku Klux Klan”, a group of White Supremacists (people who
believe that the Aryan, white, Christian is superior to all others),
found mainly in the American South, who supported their argument
with lynchings (the hanging of Blacks and others), burnings, the
placing of burning crosses of the lawns of their enemies, etc. They
notably did most of their “business” at night, and still exist (in
far smaller numbers) today.
“Loose Cannon” – A person who acts on his own, without consulting others,
even those in his own group.
Integrate – To take two or more previously separate things, and put them
together in a harmonious, workable manner.
Brief – A legal document, provided by a lawyer to the court and judge in a

case, explaining the lawyers case, and the legal arguments which will
be made.
Deprivation – The keeping of something vital or needed away from those

who need it.
Statue – A law, enacted by the legislature.
Social Psychologist – An “expert” in the relationships of social groups,

individuals, and their interactions.

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Preference – To provide one person or group more opportunity than others.
Self-Esteem – The value one places on themselves and their actions.
5. WATCH: Separate But Equal, part I, 0:00-57:47
6. EXERCISE:
In 50 words or more, explain how two separate schools, no matter how much
money may be spent or attempt made to make them “equal”, cannot be equal.
7. EXERCISE:
In 50 words or more, explain how telling a child about democracy, and the idea
that we all have equal rights, and then showing a child that certain other people
are “inferior”, is destructive and confusing.

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LESSON # 88:
(A long lesson, due to film. About 2 hours.)

Indiana
Prince Edward, Virginia
Delaware
Appropriation – The assigning of available money to certain goals

and purposes, by the government.
Allocated – The same as “appropriation”.
Ratio – The amount of one thing compared to the amount of a larger

thing.
Exclusion – The separating out and removing, or refusal to let in,

certain people or things, from a group.
Dissent – Disagreement. A judge’s “dissent” is an official disagreement with

the decision made by other judges sitting on the same trial.
Eradicated – Completely eliminated.
Appeal – To disagree with a court’s finding in a trial, and insist the case be
heard again by a higher court. (The highest court is the Supreme
Court.)
Constituency – Those people an elected or selected representative represents.
Plenary – Complete, unlimited.
Repudiate – To reject the “truth” of something.
Emancipation Proclamation – The official statement, made by Abraham

Lincoln, freeing the slaves.
Caste System – A wide-spread, agreed-upon organization of people into

types, some with more rights than others.
Eugene Debs – (1855-1926) American labor leader.

213
Alger Hiss – (1904-1996) American public official, accused of espionage

(spying on the U.S. on behalf of another nation).
Robert Oppenheimer – (1902-1967) American Physicist (a scientist who

specializes in physics), who led the team which
invented the Atomic Bomb.
Dwight D. Eisenhower – (1890-1969) Great American General, President of

the United States from 1953-1961.
Richard Nixon – (1913-19994) Eisenhower’s Vice President, President

himself from 1969-1974.
Nobel Peace Prize – An award presented once a year to the person who, it is
believed, contributed the most to world peace.
Ralph Bunch – (1904-1971) The first African-American winner of the Nobel

Peace Prize, an American diplomat.
W.E.B. DuBois – (1868-1963) Great African-American author and

philosopher, an early and brilliant Civil Rights activist.
Solicitor General – The chief law officer in many states.
et al – Latin, for “and others”.
Relegated – Assigned to a poor or obscure place.
Uphold – To maintain something in force which already exists.
Gerrymander – To divide an area into unfair voting districts, in order to give

a certain political group an unfair advantage.
3. WATCH: Separate But Equal, part I, 57:47 – part II, 22:24, “…and they’ll
never get home”.
4. EXERCISE:
Is right and wrong more important than the law? In 50 words or more,
explain which is more important, and why.
Inauguration – The official swearing-into office of a public official.

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Brethren – “Brothers”.
Blinders – An object placed on a racehorse’s head, which prevents the horse

to see to either side, allowing a view of only straight ahead. In
slang, it means “to see only what one wishes to see”.
Precedents – In the law, earlier rulings about a certain issue.
General Patton – George Patton (1885-1945), American General.
Tale, Harvard – Very expensive, important Universities, called “Ivy League”

Universities.
Overturn – To reverse the ruling in a case from a lower court.
Abolitionists – Those opposed to slavery.
Appellants – A person who appeals to a higher court, regarding a decision

they disagreed with in a lower court.
“Sackcloth and ashes” – Clothes and ashes intended to show that a person
has sinned and is doing penance (making up for
their sin through suffering.)
Aesop’s Fables – Stories written by ancient Greek, Aesop, each about

animals, and each with a “moral”, or message.
Entreat – Beg, plead.
Rebuttal – A response or argument against what has already been stated.
Tempus Fugut – Latin for “Time marches on”, things change.
Libertarian – A person who believes that individual rights should be more

important than the group’s rights.
Conciliation – To bring two or more opposed parties together through

appeasement, negotiation, or by other means.
Manassas – A city in NE Virginia, where a major battle of the American

Civil War took place.
Bull Run – A stream in Virginia where a major battle of the American

Civil War took place.
“Jerries” – Slang for a German soldier.

215
Carl Sandburg – (1878-1967) Great American poet and author.
Hurley Burley – Slang, taken from Shakespeare’s play, Macbeth, meaning

“the noise and fury of life”.
Jurist – One experienced and expert in the law, particularly a judge.
Krytocracy – Government by Jurists.
Walter Reed – A medical facility and hospital in Washington D.C.
Mortality – Death.
Impede – To stop or slow the forward motion of something.
Unanimously – With everyone who is involved agreeing.
6. EXERCISE:
Is “the best often the enemy of the good”? Should we not try for the best
society, the best civilization we can have, even if it’s at the cost of some
pain? Or should we settle for the “good”? Your opinion. 100 words or more.

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LESSON # 89:
1. LOCATE: on a map of the United States:
Selma, Alabama
Memphis, Tennessee
ON MARTIN LUTHER KING JR. DAY
Martin Luther King Jr. (1929-1968) was an African American, and a Clergyman (a
minister). He was perhaps the greatest spokesman for the Civil Rights movement of
the 1950’s and 1960’s. This movement tried to deal with the unfair treatment of
African Americans in nearly every aspect of life, particularly in the American
South. At that time, an African American could not sit at the front of a bus, go to
school with other Americans, or even eat at many restaurants or use public
bathrooms. These were just a few of the outward signs of a civic disease called
bigotry.
The Reverend King always promoted the idea that peaceful resistance was the
answer to the problem. He modeled himself to some extent after Mahatma Gandhi,
the great Indian (India) leader who freed India of British rule largely through
peaceful resistance. King stood as an example of the best America had to offer, an
intelligent and powerful man demanding that we find ways to live up to our
Constitution, and treat every American with the same dignity, and rights. Through
his efforts, and those of others in the Civil Rights Movement, the country’s attention
was largely focused on this problem, and things started to change. He led the fight
for the right to sit anywhere on a bus, in Montgomery, Alabama. There, the world
discovered a great speaker and mind at work. Working tirelessly, he created
organizations, raised funds, and spoke about the need for change.
Many Americans did not want change. These hated King, and his life was
understood to be in danger. But he continued to speak to massive audiences
throughout the nation. In 1963, a massive march on Washington D.C. was made,
protesting in favor of civil rights and equal opportunity for jobs. There, Reverend
King delivered one of the most important speeches in American history, his “I Have
A Dream” speech, which you are about to study. Doctor King led many marches.
The best known was perhaps in Selma, Alabama, in 1965. In that year the
President, Lyndon Johnson, suspended (got rid of) “literacy tests” that were being
required in parts of the country, which were being used to prevent African
American’s from voting. The Selma marches brought national attention to this new
law, and help empower it.

217
King then focused on economic issues. he supported the black garbage workers,
striking in Memphis, Tennessee, in 1968. He was assassinated there, on April 4. In
1969, an escaped white convict, James Earl Ray, pleaded guilty to the murder.
Later on, he said he did not do it.
On January 20, 1986, the first national observance of Doctor King’s birthday
officially took place. It is both a celebration of his life, and a reminder that we must,
as Americans, continue to fight for every person’s rights, until we are all free.
Lincoln Memorial- A statue and building, put up as a tribute

to Abraham Lincoln, in Washington D.C.
Symbolic- Representative, meaning more to us than it’s physical existence.
Emancipation Proclamation- The document Lincoln authored

and signed which freed the slaves in America.
Momentous- Very important, history-making.
Manacles- Heavy handcuffs, chains.
Segregation- The act of separating people and treating them

differently, because of their skin color, religion,
or some other group they belong to.
Discrimination- The act of treating a group of people as

“inferior”, because of their beliefs, appearance,
or groups they belong to.
Languishing- Suffering.
Exile- One who does not belonged, or who is kicked out of a

group or nation.
Dramatize- To make physically visible and unavoidable.
Appalling- Terrible, disgusting, very bad.
Condition- The state of a thing, how it is.
“Cash a check”- A check is a piece of paper given to one person

from another, representing money that the
owner of the check can get out of a bank.

218
Architects- Designers.
Promissory Note- A document stating that one person owes another

money, goods, or labor.
Heir- A person who will inherit his parent’s possessions.
Defaulted- Failed to keep an agreement.
Insofar- As far as, concerning.
Bad Check- A worthless check, one worth no money.
“Insufficient Funds”- What is stamped on a check when the money

that it’s supposed to represent is not
actually available in the account.
Bankrupt- Broke.
Tranquilizing- Something that puts a person to sleep.
Gradualism- The idea that we have lots of time to do a thing, and

so we should so it slowly and in small steps.
Desolate- Lifeless.
Racial- Having to do with “race”, or types of people, as defined

by their heritage, and their skin color.
Fatal- An act leading to death.
Sweltering- Very hot.
Invigorating- Life-giving.
“Blow off steam”- To handle the fact one’s angry with a little
harmless activity.
Militancy- The tendency toward war, or determined action.
Evidenced- Physically visible and proven.
Inextricably- Unable to be separated.
Lodging- A place to live or temporarily stay.

219
Mobility- The ability to move from place to place.
Redemptive- Acts that clean up our souls, and which redeem us

from our mistakes and “sins”.
Ghettos- Poor parts of big cities with poor housing and living
conditions, areas where certain “types” of people are
forced to live as a form of segregation.
Creed- A statement of one’s beliefs.
Transformed- Completely changed.
Interposition- The act of stopping or interrupting something.
Nullification- The fact of eliminating or erasing something, as

if it had never existed.
Exalted- Considered holy, raised up high in the eyes of God.
Symphony- A great work of complicated music.
Prodigious- Very large.
4. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND: Martin Luther King, Jr.’s speech of

August 28th, 1963, delivered in
Washington D.C., known as “I Have
A Dream”.
Five score years ago, a great American, in whose symbolic shadow we stand signed
the Emancipation Proclamation. This momentous decree came as a great beacon
light of hope to millions of Negro slaves who had been seared in the flames of
withering injustice. It came as a joyous daybreak to end the long night of captivity.
But one hundred years later, we must face the tragic fact that the Negro is still not
free.
One hundred years later, the life of the Negro is still sadly crippled by the manacles
of segregation and the chains of discrimination. One hundred years later, the Negro
lives on a lonely island of poverty in the midst of a vast ocean of material prosperity.
One hundred years later, the Negro is still languishing in the corners of American
society and finds himself an exile in his own land.
So we have come here today to dramatize an appalling condition. In a sense we have

come to our nation's capital to cash a check. When the architects of our republic
wrote the magnificent words of the Constitution and the Declaration of

220
Independence, they were signing a promissory note to which every American was to
fall heir.
This note was a promise that all men would be guaranteed the inalienable rights of
life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It is obvious today that America has
defaulted on this promissory note insofar as her citizens of color are concerned.
Instead of honoring this sacred obligation, America has given the Negro people a
bad check which has come back marked "insufficient funds." But we refuse to
believe that the bank of justice is bankrupt. We refuse to believe that there are
insufficient funds in the great vaults of opportunity of this nation.
So we have come to cash this check -- a check that will give us upon demand the
riches of freedom and the security of justice. We have also come to this hallowed
spot to remind America of the fierce urgency of now. This is no time to engage in the
luxury of cooling off or to take the tranquilizing drug of gradualism. Now is the time
to rise from the dark and desolate valley of segregation to the sunlit path of racial
justice. Now is the time to open the doors of opportunity to all of God's children.
Now is the time to lift our nation from the quicksands of racial injustice to the solid
rock of brotherhood.
It would be fatal for the nation to overlook the urgency of the moment and to
underestimate the determination of the Negro. This sweltering summer of the
Negro's legitimate discontent will not pass until there is an invigorating autumn of
freedom and equality. Nineteen sixty-three is not an end, but a beginning. Those
who hope that the Negro needed to blow off steam and will now be content will have
a rude awakening if the nation returns to business as usual. There will be neither
rest nor tranquility in America until the Negro is granted his citizenship rights.
The whirlwinds of revolt will continue to shake the foundations of our nation until
the bright day of justice emerges. But there is something that I must say to my
people who stand on the warm threshold which leads into the palace of justice. In
the process of gaining our rightful place we must not be guilty of wrongful deeds.
Let us not seek to satisfy our thirst for freedom by drinking from the cup of
bitterness and hatred.
We must forever conduct our struggle on the high plane of dignity and discipline.
we must not allow our creative protest to degenerate into physical violence. Again
and again we must rise to the majestic heights of meeting physical force with soul
force.
The marvelous new militancy which has engulfed the Negro community must not
lead us to distrust of all white people, for many of our white brothers, as evidenced
by their presence here today, have come to realize that their destiny is tied up with
our destiny and their freedom is inextricably bound to our freedom.

221
We cannot walk alone. And as we walk, we must make the pledge that we shall
march ahead. We cannot turn back. There are those who are asking the devotees of
civil rights, "When will you be satisfied?" we can never be satisfied as long as our
bodies, heavy with the fatigue of travel, cannot gain lodging in the motels of the
highways and the hotels of the cities. We cannot be satisfied as long as the Negro's
basic mobility is from a smaller ghetto to a larger one. We can never be satisfied as
long as a Negro in Mississippi cannot vote and a Negro in New York believes he has
nothing for which to vote. No, no, we are not satisfied, and we will not be satisfied
until justice rolls down like waters and righteousness like a mighty stream.
I am not unmindful that some of you have come here out of great trials and
tribulations. Some of you have come fresh from narrow cells. Some of you have
come from areas where your quest for freedom left you battered by the storms of
persecution and staggered by the winds of police brutality. You have been the
veterans of creative suffering. Continue to work with the faith that unearned
suffering is redemptive.
Go back to Mississippi, go back to Alabama, go back to Georgia, go back to

Louisiana, go back to the slums and ghettos of our northern cities, knowing that
somehow this situation can and will be changed. Let us not wallow in the valley of
despair. I say to you today, my friends, that in spite of the difficulties and
frustrations of the moment, I still have a dream. It is a dream deeply rooted in the
American dream.
I have a dream that one day this nation will rise up and live out the true meaning of
its creed: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men are created equal." I
have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and
the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at a table of
brotherhood. I have a dream that one day even the state of Mississippi, a desert
state, sweltering with the heat of injustice and oppression, will be transformed into
an oasis of freedom and justice. I have a dream that my four children will one day
live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the
content of their character. I have a dream today.
I have a dream that one day the state of Alabama, whose governor's lips are
presently dripping with the words of interposition and nullification, will be
transformed into a situation where little black boys and black girls will be able to
join hands with little white boys and white girls and walk together as sisters and
brothers. I have a dream today. I have a dream that one day every valley shall be
exalted, every hill and mountain shall be made low, the rough places will be made
plain, and the crooked places will be made straight, and the glory of the Lord shall
be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together. This is our hope. This is the faith with
which I return to the South. With this faith we will be able to hew out of the
mountain of despair a stone of hope. With this faith we will be able to transform the
jangling discords of our nation into a beautiful symphony of brotherhood. With this

222
faith we will be able to work together, to pray together, to struggle together, to go to

jail together, to stand up for freedom together, knowing that we will be free one day.
This will be the day when all of God's children will be able to sing with a new
meaning, "My country, 'tis of thee, sweet land of liberty, of thee I sing. Land where
my fathers died, land of the pilgrim's pride, from every mountainside, let freedom
ring." And if America is to be a great nation, this must become true. So let freedom
ring from the prodigious hilltops of New Hampshire. Let freedom ring from the
mighty mountains of New York. Let freedom ring from the heightening Alleghenies
of Pennsylvania! Let freedom ring from the snowcapped Rockies of Colorado! Let
freedom ring from the curvaceous peaks of California! But not only that; let
freedom ring from Stone Mountain of Georgia! Let freedom ring from Lookout
Mountain of Tennessee! Let freedom ring from every hill and every molehill of
Mississippi. From every mountainside, let freedom ring.
When we let freedom ring, when we let it ring from every village and every hamlet,
from every state and every city, we will be able to speed up that day when all of
God's children, black men and white men, Jews and Gentiles, Protestants and
Catholics, will be able to join hands and sing in the words of the old Negro spiritual,
"Free at last! free at last! thank God Almighty, we are free at last!"
Now watch the speech on one of these links:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1732754907698549493&ei=Z9UVSrCWM
In-
qAOArqy7Cw&q=Martin+Luther+King+I+Have+A+Dream&hl=en&emb=1&clien
t=firefox-a
5. DRAW: what Mr. King means when he says “Free at last! Free
at last! Thank God almighty, we are free at last!”
6. EXERCISE:
Name five ways a person can become or be a “slave”, or have their
rights taken away, without being called a slave.
7. EXERCISE;
Look at your own life. Are there any rights you should have that
your government has taken away? Are you free to do as you see
fit, to pursue you life and happiness. Name three ways you are not
“free at last”.

223
8. EXERCISE:
Should we celebrate Martin Luther King’s Birthday? Yes or no, and
why. How could we make this celebration more meaningful?
50 words or more.

224
LESSON # 90:
ON LABOR DAY AND MEMORIAL DAY
Labor Day is celebrated to honor the workers of America. It is held on the first
Monday in September, and is a legal holiday, closing the government down. It was
started in 1882 by the Knights of Labor, in New York City. In 1884, they held the
first Labor Day parade. Other states started to observe the holiday, and in 1894,
Congress made it a legal, national day of recognition.
Memorial Day is a day of remembrance, held in honor of America’s fallen armed

forces personnel, during our many wars. Many people decorate gravestones of
departed military with flags and flowers. It was first observed on May 30, 1868, to
remember Civil War dead. It is celebrated on different dates in different states.
2. DRAW: why we celebrate Memorial Day.
3. DRAW: the difference between Memorial Day and Veteran’s

Day.
4. DRAW: why we celebrate Labor Day.

225
PART TEN - THE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN INDIANS,

FROM THEIR POINT OF VIEW
LESSON # 91:
North and South America

Canada
Albuquerque, New Mexico (U.S.)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Cincinnati, Ohio
St Louis, Missouri
Honduras (South America)
Guatemala (South America)
Mexico
Central America (The strip of land and countries between the United
States, and the top of South America)
Indian – A native inhabitant of North or South America, from the bottom

of South America, to the top of Canada in the North.
Kevin Costner – An American actor in the late 1900s-early 2000s, who has
made many successful movies.
Boarding Schools – A school where a child not only studies, but lives.
Dormitory – A room where many people may live and sleep.
Reservation – An area of land set aside by the United States government, in

which to re-locate (move against their will) American Indian
tribes. Most reservation lands were dead and barren, and
very undesirable.
7th Cavalry – A group of soldiers mounted on horses.
Pneumonia – A serious respiratory (having to do with the bodies ability to

breath and use air) disease, from which one may die.
Confiscating – When a government officially takes something (to “seize”

something”).

226
Rapid-Repeating Rifle – A rifle capable of firing many rounds (bullets)

consecutively and without much pause between
rounds.
“The People” – How many native American tribes referred to themselves.
Tenacious – Tending to finish what one starts, no matter what.
Game – Any animal one may hunt.
Reservoir – A large natural or man-made pond or lake used to store water.
Intimately – Having to do with closeness in relationships.
Visionary – Able to imagine a better future.
Graded – Slanted at an angle up and down.
Forefathers – A person who, in an earlier generation, contributed to the

a place in some way.
Resonance – Rich or significant emotions or meanings.
Presumption – Behavior or attitude which is bold and arrogant (feeling an

exaggerated sense of one’s own value and importance.)
Know – To have had sexual relations with a person.
Avaricious – Greedy, tending to collect or own all one can.
Subsistence – Bare survival.
Mediate – To act as the middle man in a negotiation, and to bring about an

agreement or settlement.
Daub and Wattle – Made of poles, twigs of branches (wattle) and covered in
an adhesive (sticky) substance like mud or plaster (daub).
Sedentary – Tending to stay still in one place.
Bayou – 1) A sluggish, slow moving stream 2) A moving body of water such

as a creek or small river which feeds into a larger body of water.
Man-Hours – The added-up amount of hours spent on a job by all the people
who worked on that job. (Example – If ten people each
worked 1 hour on a job, the “man hours” would be 10 hours.)

227
Effigy – A crude man-made figure (like a dummy) meant to represent a

person who is hated.
3. WATCH: 500 Nations, Part I, from 0:00-45:06. (Use this link if available)
(The first hour and 32 minutes)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6736846601041698993&ei=G7wVSqjDGq
CwqAP1_vHJCw&q=500+Nations&hl=en&client=firefox-a
4. EXERCISE:
The Mayas had large buildings, astronomy (science), religion, cities, a calendar
and a system of writing. They had a centralized government, a military and
ruled a huge area of land and people. What more would they have needed to
have, or how would they have needed to be “different”, for the Europeans to
accept them and leave them alone? Would any changes have made them safe
from the Europeans Your opinion, in 50 words or more.
Mexico City (Mexico)

The Gulf of Mexico
Spain
The Pacific Ocean (west of Central America and Mexico)
Unparalleled – Without equal; better than all the rest.
Quetzal – A central American bird with brilliantly colored green and

red feathers.
Prophetic – Tending to predict what will happen in the future.
Cycles – Periods of time in which specific events often repeat.
Wall Street – A street in New York city, where much of America’s business
interests are found, including the Dow Jones stock market, an
organization which makes it possible for millions of people to
invest money in thousands of companies.
Benchmark – A standard by which other things are measured.

228
Adversity – Opposition; anything which may prevent one from achieving

their goal.
Resilience – An ability to recover quickly from injury, failure, or illness, and

to “keep going”.
Complied – To have done what one was ordered to do.
Annihilated – Completely destroyed; murdered to the last person.
Obtained – To have gotten a hold of or secured possession of something.
Causeway – A raised roadway built across water.
Bolt – A large roll of cloth.
Aviary – A large enclosure which holds birds.
Duality – Having; or having to do with two different and usually opposite

qualities. (Examples – A person who is both “good” and “bad”
has a personality containing a duality.)
Fertility – The ability to become pregnant with child, or to create life.
Incorporate – To make use of something as part of an effort or creation.
Metropolis – Any large city.
Conquistador – Spanish conquerors in the Americas, after Columbus.
Chafing – To be annoyed or irritated.
Yoke – A frame, usually made of wood, made to rest across a person’s

shoulders, and hold a load to carry on each end.
“Held In Check” – Slang for “stopped; not allowed to move forward”.
Tumult – Loud noises and disorder.
Diplomatic – Having to do with the discussions and meetings between

representatives of nations, attempting to create peaceful
agreements.
Diadems – Crowns, worn as a sign of royalty.
Recounted – To have stated in words or writing a story again.

229
Smallpox – A very serious disease, often fatal.
Stench – A strong smell or stink.
Kinsmen – Relatives.
Leveled – Completely destroyed and flattened to the ground.
Vermillion – A bright red.
Iridescent – Brilliant and colorful in appearance.
7. WATCH: 500 Nations, part I, 45:06- end.
(The first hour and 32 minutes)

8. EXERCISE:
Look at your own civilization as if it could not be defeated, and ask yourself
“who could shake the foundations of heaven”? Who could come along and
destroy your civilization? Name at least three nations or force. (Don’t
ignore what happen to the South American Indians!)

230
LESSON # 92:
The Caribbean Sea

Haiti (an island in the Caribbean)
The Dominican Republic (an island in the Caribbean)
Tampa Bay, Florida
Calamities – Disasters.
Devastations – Massive areas which have been utterly destroyed.
Diligence – Determined care and effort.
Tiara – A jeweled crown-like semi-circular object worn by women.
Contingent – Dependant upon circumstances.
Docile – Yielding to others, willing to be led.
Flotilla – A fleet of small ships.
Garrison – A permanent military post.
Paramount – The top; of the most importance.
Debauched – Morally corrupted.
Insurgents – People rebelling against the established authority.
Millennia – A thousand years.
Personification – A person or thing which represents an idea. (Example-

The flag of a nation personifies that nation.)
Bounty – Treasure.
Provisions – Needed supplies like food and water.
Highwaymen – Robbers who attack travelers on the road.

231
Adulterer – A married person who has sexual relations with someone other
than their spouse (husband or wife).
Belied – To have lied, or misrepresented a thing.
Chronicler – A person who writes down the story or history of a place

or person.
Castilians – The people of central and northern Spain.
Transfixed – Made motionless as when one is terrified and can’t move.
Passively – Tending to accept things without objection.
League – 4.8 kilometers.
Indiscriminately – Done without any evaluation or judgment.
Anthropologist – A person who studies the beginnings of civilizations

and of the human species.
3. WATCH: 500 Nations, Part II, 0:00-31:19.
(The next hour and 33 minutes)

7238998877178314161&ei=G7wVSqjDGqCwqAP1_vHJCw&q=500+Nations&hl=en
&client=firefox-a
4. EXERCISE:
Christopher Columbus is always described as a hero in the West. From
the view of a native American, was Columbus a hero? Why or why not?
50 words or more.

232
Columbia, South Carolina (US)

Mobile, Tennessee (US)
The Mississippi River
Louisiana
Texas
Moundville, Alabama
Plymouth, Massachusetts
England
France
Baffin Island
The Atlantic Ocean
Washington, D.C.
Chesapeake Bay (near Maryland and Virginia)
Massachusetts Bay
Mistress – A woman in a position of authority or control.
Morose – Depressed.
Contemplatively – Thoughtfully; engaged in deep thought.
Gullet – The throat.
Replenishing – To fill or complete a thing again, as in “replenishing a

glass of water”.
Vagabond – A person without a permanent home who moves from place

to place.
Infamy – Fame for being evil.
Cavaliers- A mounted knight or soldier.
Fife – A type of small, high-pitched flute.
Aftermath – The consequences of a major event or disaster.
Chicken Pox – A very contagious disease, usually caught by children.
Mumps – A very contagious disease, usually caught by children.

233
Whooping Cough – A contagious respiratory disease characterized by

spasms of coughing.
Kayak – A boat built by Eskimos, a tribe of native Americans living in

the extreme cold of North America.
Euphoria – A sense of great joy and well-being.
Caribou – Large reindeer native to North America.
Estuaries – Places where ocean water and fresh water on shore meet.
Confederacy – An agreed-upon alignment of two or more groups.
Charismatic – Having to do with the power of a person’s charm and

magnetism.
Coronation – The official crowing of a king or queen.
Infusion – The fact of a new element being injected or added into another.
Carcasses- Dead bodies.
Unabated – Not slowed or stopped in any way.
Indoctrinated – Taught the beliefs of a certain group.
Litter – A flat piece of material, often mounted on a simple frame, used

to transport an injured or dead person.
“Stem The Tide” – Slang, for “To stop something.”
Constrained – Made to do something through the use of force.
Zealous – Filled with great passion and commitment.
Sabbath – The day in Judaism (Friday night-Saturday), or Christianity

(Sunday) when men are supposed to rest.
Forays – Sudden military raids.
Orchestrated – Carefully planned and organized.
Hysteria – Uncontrolled emotion such as panic or terror.
Demoralized – Very depressed; feeling like effort is useless.

234
Wigwams – Native American “houses” commonly shaped like cones, covered

in animal skins or bark.
7. WATCH: 500 Nations, Part II, 31:20-end.
(The next hour and 33 minutes)

7238998877178314161&ei=G7wVSqjDGqCwqAP1_vHJCw&q=500+Nations&hl=en
&client=firefox-a
8. EXERCISE:
The King of the Indians John Smith confronted, Wampanoag, asked “why
would you take by force what you may have quietly by love?” Can you think
of an answer? If so, write it down. If not, explain why not. 50 words or
more.
9. EXERCISE:
King Philip fought a war for religious freedom against Europeans who had
settled in North America in order to have religious freedom. What does this
tell you about Europeans at that time? 50 words or more.
10. EXERCISE:
In what ways could current native Americans be a “conscience for society”?
Name three ways.

235
LESSON # 93:
Charleston, South Carolina (U.S.)

The West Indies (Between North and South America, and separating the
Atlantic Ocean and Caribbean islands.)
Jamaica
Barbados
The Ohio River Valley
The Great Lakes (between Canada and the U.S.)
Detroit, Michigan (U.S.)
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania (U.S.)
Entrepreneurs – People who start new businesses, taking the risk of doing so.
Acceded – The have given one’s consent; to have agreed to a contract or

agreement.
Felt – Fabric, made of matted and compressed animal fibers such as wool
or fur.
Lucrative – Profitable; tending to create a lot of income.
Fallow – Inactive; a field which has been plowed, but not seeded.
Fowling – Hunting or trapping wild birds.
Adherence – Attachment or devotion.
Scourge – 1) A means or method of creating destruction.

2) A whip, used to inflict punishment.
Deliberate – Intentional and with purpose.
Pernicious – Tending to cause great harm or damage.
Surveyor – A person who measures land area and height.
Middle Men – People who buy from a manufacturer (the person who actually
creates or builds a product), and sells the purchased goods to
others.

236
Gale – A windy storm.
Commodity – Any item which can be created, caught, built or grown, and
then sold o others for a profit.
Servitude – Slavery.
Branding – The marking of an animal’s body to identify it as the property of

its owner.
Encroachment – To take another’s rights or property slowly and in a sly

or sneaky manner.
Parceling – The giving away in pieces of something large, like land.
Affinity – A sense of physical or emotional closeness with another.
Notorious – Famous for being bad.
Accord – A settlement or compromise.
Prevail – To win against all opponents.
Germ Warfare – The use of bacteria and viruses (very small life forms
which are harmful to human beings if they interact with a
human body) as a weapon in war.
Stratagem – A clever military maneuver intended to surprise the enemy.
Inoculate – To give a person a shot, with medication which creates an

immunity to a specific disease.
Extirpate – To destroy a thing totally, removing any sign it ever existed.
Execrable – Hateful and very bad.
Implanted – To insert or embed something into a larger entity. (Example –

A bee can “implant” its stinger in your body.)
3. WATCH: 500 Nations, Part III, 0:00-27:53
(Part III, the next hour and 34 minutes of the series.)


237
4. DRAW: How alcohol helped destroy the American Indians.
5. DRAW: How disease helped destroy the Indians of the Americas.
6. EXERCISE:
Explain how the fact that American Indians did not understand the concept of
individual ownership of land contributed to their fall. 50 words or more.

238
LESSON # 94:
New York State (U.S.)

Albany, New York
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (U.S.)
The Appalachian Mountains (U.S.)
Toledo, Ohio
Peoria, Illinois (U.S.)
Chicago, Illinois
Kentucky (U.S.)
Indiana (U.S.)
The Wabash River (U.S.)
The Tippecanoe River (U.S.)
Georgia (U.S.)
2. FULLY UNDERSTAND THE WORD;
Clans – Parts of tribes who have common ancestors.
Neutrality – Not selecting a side to support in a disagreement or war, but

instead choosing to remain uninvolved.
Consultation – A meeting at which advise is sought and given.
Detour – An indirect course to get to a place.
Quarrelsome – Tending to look for fights and arguments to get into.
Pacify – To ease another’s anger.
“Red Man” – What the world often called the American Indian, due to the
presumed color of the Indian’s skin.
Unanimously – With no disagreement.
Autumnal – Having to do with the autumn (fall), and that period of the year.
Implicit – Implied or understood, though not stated.
Volatile – Capable of exploding.
Deter – To slow or stop a thing.

239
Superintendent – A person who is “in charge” of a place or activity.
Assimilate – To “fit in”; to become unrecognizable from the surroundings.
Auction – A public sale where goods are sold to the highest bidder (the
person offering the most money).
Emulating – To pattern one’s actions after someone else who is respected

or admired.
Advocacy – The act of arguing in favor of an idea or person.
Repose – To lie down, to rest.
Forestall – To delay or slow a thing by taking action before it starts.
Vagrants – One who wanders from place to place without a home or

way to make money.
Petitioned – To have written a formal request for relief from a grievance

to a person with authority.
Lawsuit – To go to court and “sue” another for any damages that have
been done, in an attempt to receive money for those damages.
Insensible – Unaware.
Anticipation – A state of expectation, of excitement or fear about something

one is waiting to happen.
Jurisdiction – The area of a certain person or organization’s authority.
Lottery – A contest in which every “player” receives a number or token of

some sort, and then numbers or tokens are drawn randomly to
determine who wins.
Cession – Surrendering, usually land.
Ceded – Surrendering possessions.
Ratified – Officially approved.
Stockades – A defensive barrier made of strong, often pointed posts

planted like a wall into the ground.

240
Convoy – 1) A protective force, such as a fleet or cavalry, which accompanies

someone in need of protection. 2) The act of accompanying, in
order to protect.
3. WATCH: 500 Nations, Part III, 27:53-end.
(Part III, the next hour and 34 minutes of the series.)

4. EXERCISE:
The first North American democracy were the Iroquois Indians. Why do you
think Americans are not usually taught this as part of their history studies?
50 words or more.
5. DRAW: the American government’s policy of “Assimilation”, and how it

was intended to change the American Indian.
6. DRAW: what the “Trail of Tears” was like.

241
LESSON # 95:
California (U.S.)
Santa Barbara, California
The Rocky Mountains (Western North America)
Pike’s Peak, Colorado
West Point, New York
Denver, Colorado
Oklahoma (U.S.)
Kansas (U.S.)
Huntsville, Texas
Little Bighorn River, Montana (U.S.)
Black Hills (South Dakota and Wyoming, U.S.)
Canada
Oregon (U.S.)
Portland, Oregon
Idaho (U.S.)
Yellowstone National Park (Montana and Wyoming)
Washington State (Western U.S.)
Arizona (U.S.)
Florida (U.S.)
Diverse – Differing and distinct from one another.
Lassoed – Caught by a rope tied into a type of hoop, called a “lasso”.
Interpreter – A person who translates one language into another.
Tanning – To convert animal skin into leather.
“The Lash” – To whip someone.
Genocidal – Intending to wipe out or destroy an entire race of humans.
Secularized – To transfer a thing from Church ownership or power, to

the ownership or power of private citizens or government.
Neophyte – A beginner, someone new to an endeavor.
Immigration – To enter or settle in a country where one is not native.

242
Vigilante – A person who “takes the law into his own hands”, hunting
and killing those he feels are undesirable.
“Open Season” – Slang for a period of time when it is legal or acceptable

to hunt a certain type of game or enemy.
Fabricating – Lying; making it up.
Scalp – The skin covering the top of the human head.
Beleaguered – Harassed, attacked.
Barter – Trade, one item or service for another.
Meager – Not enough of a thing.
Rations – A fixed portion, usually of food.
Vexed – Annoyed, bothered.
Reflective – Thoughtful.
Reprisal – An act of force or violence, intended as revenge.
Punitive – Intended as a punishment for something done.
Asylum – A place offering safety.
Overture – An act, offer, or proposal which demonstrates a willingness

to negotiate along certain lines.
Accommodate – To do a favor or a service for someone which is helpful.
Guerilla War – A type of warfare in which a small group suddenly attacks

a larger group, and then retreat rapidly, wearing away the
larger group over many encounters.
Surmounted – To have overcome all opposition or obstacles.
3. WATCH: 500 Nations, Part IV, all of it.
(All of part 4 in linked below, 1 hour 34 minutes)

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=6018774573840432720&ei=dL8VSsvJCqG
yqAOZ1M3eCw&q=500+Nations+-+Part+4&hl=en&emb=1&client=firefox-a

243
4. DRAW: How the slaughter of the buffalos contributed to the end of the
American Plain Indians.
5. DRAW: How the American Gold Rush contributed to the end of the Indians.
6. EXERCISE:
Geronimo said “the sun looks down on me, a complete man”. What is a
“complete man”. What would be the qualities of a truly realized and
complete human being? 50 words or more.

244
PART ELEVEN - YOUR RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS AS A CITIZEN
LESSON # 96:
Obligations – Those things others expect one to do, in order to maintain

fair “exchange” between all parties.
The Bill of Rights – The first ten Amendments of the American Constitution.
YOUR RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS
As you’ve studied American Civics, you should have gotten a very good idea of what
your rights are, and what’s expected of you.
Your rights would certainly include all of the rights in the “Bill of Rights”, the first
ten Amendments in the Constitution. You have the right, per the constitution, to
pursue life, liberty, and happiness. You have legal rights, many of which are in the
Constitution. You have the right to vote. You have the right to change your
government, if you don’t like what its doing. You have the right to protest, aloud,
what your government is doing. You have far more rights, in fact, than citizens of
any nation in history prior to the United States.
Your obligations include the obvious ones; payment of taxes, following the laws of
the land, serving in the military if you’re drafted, serving in a jury if you’re
required to. But there are many more subtle obligations. These might include
keeping an eye on your government’s actions. In America, it is the people who
decides who serves, and what laws get passed, through their elected representatives.
If we don’t like what is being done, it is entirely up to the voters to change it.
In fact, if you look at each right, you will find that you also have a corresponding
responsibility. Freedom to vote means you have the responsibility to vote, and to
understand the issues and candidates so you can vote “intelligently”. Freedom of
the Press does not mean that the newspapers and TV news can print or say
whatever they want. It means they have the responsibility (when they actually are
doing their job, which is rare) to keep the people informed, without bias. Freedom f
speech does not allow you to say terrible things about anyone you want. It means
you have the right to speak the truth as you understand it, and to whomever you see

245
fit. But you better be sure you’re right when you speak, or you can be sued for
slander. (Slander is telling lies about someone.)
Each right comes with a responsibility of equal value. Without an understanding of

this fact, you can never really participate in the great, American experiment.
3. EXERCISE:
List ten rights you have as an American citizen.
4. EXERCISE;
List ten obligations you have as an American citizen. (Remember
taxes, laws, and voting!)
5. EXERCISE:
Are the rights you enjoy in America as a citizen valuable enough
that the obligations you must meet are worth the trouble? Why
or why not? 50 words or more.
6. EXERCISE:
What about America really works well? What do you like the
best about America? 100 words or more.
7. EXERCISE:
What do you think could be improved about America? Make a
list of five things.

246
LESSON # 97
1. EXERCISE:
Find out who your Senator is. Write him or her a letter stating what
you think America’s greatest problem is, quoting the Constitution to
back up your concern, and suggesting possible solutions. Ask your
Senator what he or she is doing to handle this problem. Make it a
well-written, well-typed letter and sign it. Send it to your Senator.
(Make certain you give your Senator your return address.)

247
LESSON # 98:
1. OPTIONAL EXERCISE:
If possible, set up a brief meeting with a local elected politician, anyone
from a County official, to a national officer, anyone you can get a
hold of. Thank them for meeting you, and ask them the following
questions:
1) What is the biggest problem facing America today?

2) How do you plan to handle that problem?
3) Why did you get into politics in the first place?
4) What is the best thing about American politics, in your
experience?
5) If you could change any one thing in our political system,
what would you change?
6) If you weren’t in politics, what would you have done with
your life?
Write down every answer. Thank the politician. Then write a

50 word essay on what you learned interviewing the politician.
The student takes test # 10
THE END
CONNECT THE THOUGHTS
AMERICA: WHAT IT IS AND HOW IT WORKS
NOTE: THE TEACHER’S GUIDE, TESTS AND ANSWER GUIDES FOLLOW

IN THIS DOCUMENT.
WHAT IS YOUR NEXT GREAT STEP THROUGH

HISTORY…?

248
UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY VIII
REVOLUTIONS AND NATIONS
The civilized world at the end of the 1700s experienced the greatest changes in
history! The American and French Revolutions forever ended the reign of Kings.
The Industrial Revolution introduced machines into everyday life, and people by the
millions left their farms to move into enormous cities, looking for work. The artistic
world struggled to keep up with the massive changes, introducing new and
wonderful kinds of art! A period of time one MUST understand to live in today’s
world!
START UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY VIII TODAY!
connectthethoughts.org

249
CONNECT THE THOUGHTS ™

TEACHER’S GUIDE
AMERICA:
AN OWNER’S MANUAL
revised 2009
by
Copyright 2009

250
UPPER SCHOOL PRE-HISTORY

The intention of this course is to provide the student of ages 12 on up with an
understanding of the United States, its history and operating basis.
The exercises are very simple, and the teacher’s main interest is in making certain
the student does everything thoroughly and in sequence, with a full understanding
of all words being defined.
A teacher’s job delivering this course consists of:
1) Making certain the teacher has carefully reviewed and understood the course.
2) Making certain each student is given a complete, unaltered study guide.
3) Making certain the needed materials are provided in the classroom.
4) Offering weekly targets to each student, so they have a goal. As we are going to
allow ½ semester of some ten weeks for completion of this course, we are
asking each student to do about 6 pages per week of this course, plus testing.
This should be easily accomplished in five hours or less of work per week.
(Sometimes, students will do this much work in a matter of an hour.) We suggest
scheduling Pre-History five times a week, for an 1 ½ hours each session.
5) Making certain each child completely understands all defined terms, and any
term not defined in the study guide, but used in the student’s studies.
6) Making certain every student completes every step, in sequence (except where
otherwise noted in the study guide.).
7) Making certain students do tests, exactly where they are indicated in the
study guide.
8) Making certain tests are properly assessed, and that the student then reviews any
missed or misunderstood materials before proceeding to the next part of his or
her studies.
9) Making certain the student completes the course rapidly, and with a thorough
understanding of the materials, and an ability to use them in his or her life.
10) Applying the remedies in this Teacher’s Guide, if a student should get stuck at
any point in the study guide, after making certain all the words read were
completely understood by the student. PLEASE NOTE that the exercises in
this course are intended to both increase available data AND skill. The “skill”
aspects of these drills are generally what is assisted in this teacher’s guide.

251
LIST OF UNUSUAL, NEEDED MATERIALS:
- This study guide, and all the added materials.

- The films -1776.
-The Best Years of Our Lives
-Separate But Equal (starring Sidney Poitier)
- A list of available government programs (ways they spend $.)

- Materials from Mothers Against Drunk Drivers (MADD)

252
EXPECTED RESULTS FROM CERTAIN EXERCISES,

AND WHAT THE TEACHER SHOULD KNOW
This course is an “owner’s manual” on the United States of America. The student
who completes this course honestly should thoroughly understand the intentions of
the founding fathers, the founding documents, our holidays, and how this country
should work.
(Generally, a student who gets stuck should look for words he did not fully
understand in the materials studied, and then review them.)

253
CONNECT THE THOUGHTS:

AMERICA
TEST # 1
AMERICA BEFORE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
1. What are Indians (in America)? 15. Which President established

America’s foreign policy for
2. What European Country settled the Western hemisphere?
most of North America?
16. Who was the first Secretary of the
3. What was “The Stamp Act”? Treasury?
4. What does “taxation without 17. Who did Aaron Burr murder?
representation” mean?
18. Who wrote Common Sense?
5. What was the Tea Act?
19. Who was the second President of
6. What was the Boston Tea Party? the U.S.?
7. Who was the King of England 20. What was the “Sugar Tax”?
during the Revolution?
8. Who was the head of the American

armies during the Revolution?
9. Who was the first President of the

U.S.?
10. Who was the author of the

Declaration of Independence?
11. Who was the main author of the

Constitution?
12. Who was the first President of the

Continental Congress?
13. Who invented the Franklin stove?
14. Who said “give me liberty or give

me death”?

254

AMERICA
TEST # 2
THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
1. What is a Declaration?
2. What is Independence?
3. What is Congress?
4-5. Name the two parts of Congress.
6. What does “unanimous” mean?
7. What does Inalienable mean?
8. What is Liberty?
9. When was the Declaration of Independence signed?

(A date.)
10. What is Sufferance?
11. What is Naturalization?
12. What does “Judiciary” mean?
13. What does “to bear arms” mean?
14. What is an Insurrection?
15-17- Name three complaints in the Declaration against King George III.
18. What are “Oppressions”?
19. What is Allegiance?
20. What is Divine Providence?

255
CONNECT THE THOUGHTS: AMERICA

TEST # 3
THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
1. On what continent was the Revolutionary War fought?
2. Name two major cities in the Northern part of the U.S. the British took over.
3. Who was the leader of the American armed forces in the revolution?
4. Name the British General whose surrender ended the war.
5. What is Reconciliation?
6. What does “Britannic” mean?
7. What does “provisional” mean?
8. What is the Peace Treaty of 1783.
9. Who was the British King when the Peace Treaty was signed?
10. What is a dispute?
11. What are Dominions?
12. What is a Creditor?
13. What is Restitution?
14. What happens if something is “Confiscated”?
15. What is “Conciliation”?
16. What is Ratification?
17. What are Hostilities?
18. What is Compensation?
19. What does “Bona Fide” mean?
20. What is a Revision?

256

AMERICA
TEST # 4
THE CONSTITUTION
1. What is a Constitution?
2. What is the “General Welfare”?
3. Define “Legislative”.
4. Who are Electors?
5. What is Enumeration?
6. What is a Writ?
7. What is The Speaker?
8. What is Impeachment?
9-11- Name three reasons the Constitution was written.
12. What does Vacated mean?
13. What does Pro Tempore mean?
14. What is the Chief Justice?
15. How old do you have to be to run for the Senate?
16. How many states are there in the United States?
17. Who gets the tie-breaking vote in the Senate?
18. What does “Appoint” mean?
19. What is a Majority?
20. What is a Quorum?
21. What are Yeas and Neas?

257
22. What is a Treasury?
23. What is a Felony?
24. What does “Civil” mean?
25. What is a Congressperson?
26. What are Bills (in the law)?
27. What are Amendments?
28. What is Revenue?
29. What is a Resolution?
30. What are Duties (taxes.)
31. What are Excises?
32. What is Bankruptcy?
33. What is an Appropriation?
34. What is a Militia?
35. What is a Magazine? (military use.)
36. What is Importation?
37. What is a Writ of Habeas Corpus?
38. What is an Attainder?
39. What does “Ex Post Facto” mean?
40. What are Expenditures?
41. Where does the government get most of its money from?
42. What does “Vested” mean?
43. What is a Resignation?

258
CONNECT THE THOUGHTS: AMERICA

TEST # 5
THE CONSTITUTION
1. How old must a person be to run 21. What is the “Bible” of a Supreme
for president? Court Justice (Judge)?
2. What is the Commander In Chief? 22. What are Immunities (in the law)?
3. What is a Pardon? 23. What is Extradition?
4. What is a Reprieve? 24. How many states were there in the

original Union?
5. What is an Ambassador?
25. What is a Convention?
6. What does it mean to “Convene”?
26. What percentage of Congress
7. What is the “State of the Union”? must approve of a new Amendment to
the Constitution?
8-10. List three of the President’s
powers. 27. What is an Oath?
11. What does “Supreme” mean? 28. Which Branch of government

writes the laws?
12. What is a Consul?
29. Which branch of government
13. What does “Jurisdiction” mean? makes certain the laws are followed,
by enforcing them?
14. What does “Maritime” mean?
30. Which Branch of government
15. What is an “Appellate Court”? makes sure the law is followed, once
someone is accused of a crime?
16. What is a Jury?
31. What is Suffrage?
17. What is Forfeiture?
32. Who proposes new Supreme
18. What is Treason, per the Court Justices?
Constitution?
33. Who must approve of newly
19. What is the Supreme Court? proposed Supreme Court Justices?
20. How many judges sit on the

Supreme Court?

259

AMERICA
TEST # 6
THE CONSTITUTION
1. What are Grievances?

24. What does “Compulsory” mean?
2-5. Name the four rights guaranteed
in the First Amendment. 25. What is a Counsel (in the law)?
6. What is the Bill of Rights? 26. What is Bail?
7. What does it mean to be 27-30. Name four of the rights your

“quartered” in the Constitution? guaranteed if you are arrested, under
Amendments VI, VII, and VIII.
8. What are Searches (in the law)?
31. What does “Delegated” mean?
9. What are Seizures (in the law)?
32. What would an “Impartial Jury”
10. What are Warrants? be?
11. What is Probable Cause? 33. What does “Cruel and unusual
punishment” mean?
12. What is the NRA?
13. What is The Patriot Act?
14. What is Racial Profiling?
15. What is a Capital Crime?
16. What is Due Process (in the law)?
17-20. Name the four rights

guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment.
21. What is Double Jeopardy (in the

law)?
22. What are Prosecutions?
23. What is an Accused?

260
AMERICA TEST# 7
THE CONSTITUTION
1. What is a suit (in the law)?

22. What is the District of Columbia?
2. What is a Ballot?
23. How many terms can a President
3. What does it mean to be serve in a row?
“Ineligible”?
24. Can a Vice President ever become
4. What is Slavery? President during the term of the
President he serves? Yes or no.
5. What was the Civil War?
6. What is a Pension?
7. What is Emancipation?
8. What is Income?
9. What is Apportionment?
10. What is a Census?
11-13. Name three forms of taxation.
15. What was Prohibition?
16. What is a Term (political)?
17. What happens to a law when it’s

“Repealed”?
18. What is a District?
19. Who was F.D.R.?
20. What is a Primary Election?
21. What does “Acting President”

mean?

261

AMERICA
TEST # 8
CHECKS AND BALANCES/ THE PROCESS OF ELECTION
1. What are “Checks and Balances”?
2-3. Name one way the Executive Branch effect each of the other two branches.
4-5. Name one way the Legislative Branch effects each of the other two branches.
6-7. Name one way the Judiciary branch effects each of the other two branches.
8-10. Describe the parts of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington that seemed like they were
based in the way things really are in the Senate.
11. What are Qualifications?
12. What is a Petition?
13. What is Criteria?
14. What is an Opinion Poll?
15. What is the Election Code?
16. What is a Steering Committee?
17. What is a Chairperson?
18-20. Name the four steps to becoming a candidate for the Presidency.

262

AMERICA
TEST # 9
THE FEDERALIST PAPERS
1. What are the Federalist Papers?
2. How many of them are there?
3-5. Name the three men who wrote them.
6. Why were the Federalist Papers written?
7. Did the authors succeed at their intended goal?
8. What does it mean to be “Subverted”?
9. What are Factions?
10. What are Inquiries?
11. What are Adversaries?
12. What is a Democracy?
13. What is a Republic?
14. What is an Absolute Monarchy?
15. What is a Limited Monarchy?
16. What is a Fallacy?
17. What does it mean to be “Subordinate”?
18. What does “Federal” mean?
19. What is a Frontier?
20. What is Equilibrium?
21. Who was “Publius”?

263

AMERICA TEST # 10:
1. What is a Pledge.
2. What is Allegiance.
3. What is a Flag.
4. What is the 4rth of July?
5. What is Thanksgiving?
6. Which two President’s birthdays are celebrated on President’s Day?
7. What is Veteran’s Day?
8. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?
9. What is Labor Day?
10. What is Memorial Day?

264
HISTORY VII TEST # 1 ANSWER GUIDE

AMERICA BEFORE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
1. What are Indians (in America)?

Native Americans. Pg 5 study guide
2. What European Country settled most of North America?

England. Pg 7 study guide
3. What was “The Stamp Act”?

A tax placed on Americans by England, before the Revolutionary war, requiring a
“stamp” be placed on a document for it to be legal. Pg 7 study guide
4. What does “taxation without representation” mean?

To be taxed without having any say on what you’re being taxed for, or how much
you’re being taxed. Pg 7 study guide
5. What was the Tea Act?

A tax on tea, and other commonly used items, placed on Americans prior to the
Revolution. Pg 7 study guide
6. What was the Boston Tea Party?

A rebellion against the Tea Tax in Boston, by American patriots who were dressed as
Indians. Pg 7 study guide
7. Who was the King of England during the Revolution?

King George III. Pg 7 study guide
8. Who was the head of the American armies during the Revolution?
George Washington. Pg 14 study guide
9. Who was the first President of the U.S.?

10. Who was the author of the Declaration of Independence?

Thomas Jefferson. Pg 16-17 study guide
11. Who was the main author of the Constitution?

James Madison. Pg 17-18 study guide
12. Who was the first President of the Continental Congress?

John Hancock. Pg 19-20 study guide
13. Who invented the Franklin stove?

Benjamin Franklin. pg 15 study guide

265
14. Who said “give me liberty or give me death”?

Patrick Henry. Pg 17 study guide
15. Which President established America’s foreign policy for

the Western hemisphere?
James Monroe. Pg 19 study guide.
16. Who was the first Secretary of the Treasury?

Alexander Hamilton. Pg 15-16 study guide.
17. Who did Aaron Burr murder?

Alexander Hamilton. Pg 16 study guide.
18. Who wrote Common Sense?

Thomas Paine. Pg 20-21 study guide
19. Who was the second President of the U.S.?

John Adams. Pg 13-14 study guide
20. What was the “Sugar Tax”?

A tax placed on sugar, by England, on Americans and before the Revolution.
Pg 8 study guide
HOW TO SCORE AND USE THIS TEST:
The student who gets 1-2 questions wrong reviews the correct answer, and then
moves on to the next section of study. The student who misses 3-4 questions reviews
the answers and restudies the materials the wrong answers were connected to,
before moving on, The student who misses 5 or more questions reviews all the
written materials (but does no Exercises), and retests before moving on.

266
HISTORY VII TEST # 2 ANSWER GUIDE

THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE
1. What is a Declaration?
A public announcement. Pg 28 study guide
2. What is Independence?
Freedom from others, or the need of other things. Pg 28 study guide
3. What is Congress?
1) A group in agreement and discussion; 2) The Senate and the House of
Representatives, in the U.S. Pg 28 study guide
4-5. Name the two parts of Congress.

The Senate, and the House of Representatives. Pg 28 study guide
6. What does “unanimous” mean?

Without a single vote against. Pg 31 study guide
7. What does Inalienable mean?

Inseparable, cannot be removed. Pg 36 study guide
8. What is Liberty?
The freedom to move and act as a person wishes, without outside restrictions.
Pg 28 study guide
9. When was the Declaration of Independence signed?

July 3, 1776. (July 4 is an acceptable answer, but is incorrect.) Various
10. What is Sufferance?

Tolerance, endurance to pain. Pg 45 study guide
11. What is Naturalization?

The process where a foreigner is officially made a new citizen of the nation he’s moved
into. Pg 45 study guide
12. What does “Judiciary” mean?

Having to do with judges, courts, and the law. Pg 45 study guide
13. What does “to bear arms” mean?

The right to own and carry weapons. Pg 46 study guide

267
14. What is an Insurrection?

Rebellions, uprisings. Pg 46 study guide
15-17- Name three complaints in the Declaration against King George III.
Pages 46-48 guide
18. What are “Oppressions”?

Torments, tortures, attempts to lessen and demean. Pg 52 study guide
19. What is Allegiance?

Friendship and service. Pg 52 study guide
20. What is Divine Providence?

The decisions and will of God. Pg 53 study guide

268
US HISTORY VII TEST # 3 ANSWER GUIDE

THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
1. On what continent was the Revolutionary War fought?

North America. Throughout course.
2. Name two major cities in the Northern part of the U.S. the British took over.
New York, Philadelphia, Trenton. Pgs 57-60 study guide.
3. Who was the leader of the American armed forces in the revolution?
4. Name the British General whose surrender ended the war.

Cornwallis. Pg 61 study guide
5. What is Reconciliation?
The act of making up with an enemy, making friends after having been temporarily
enemies. Pg 62 study guide
6. What does “Britannic” mean?

Having to do with Britain. Pg 62 study guide
7. What does “provisional” mean?

Not permanent, yet to be proven as workable. Pg 62 study guide
8. What is the Peace Treaty of 1783.

The treaty that officially ended the Revolutionary War. Pg 63 study guide
9. Who was the British King when the Peace Treaty was signed?
George III. Pg 63 study guide
10. What is a dispute?

A disagreement or argument. Pg 65 study guide
11. What are Dominions?

The lands one owns or controls. Pg 68 study guide
12. What is a Creditor?

Someone who is owed money. Pg 68 study guide
13. What is Restitution?

The restoring of rights, money, or things to the rightful owner, or paying them for what
was destroyed of theirs. Pg 69 study guide

269
14. What happens if something is “Confiscated”?

The government takes it away. Pg 69 study guide
15. What is “Conciliation”?

The bringing together of former enemies in peace. Pg 69 study guide
16. What is Ratification?

The official approval of a document by a government, or by the people.
Pg 71 study guide
17. What are Hostilities?

Acts of violence, attacks. Pg 71 study guide
18. What is Compensation?

Pay for what is damaged, or for what is owed. Pg 71study guide
19. What does “Bona Fide” mean?

Legitimate; proven to be real or true. Pg 68 study guide
20. What is a Revision?

The altering or updating of an idea or document. Pg 69 study guide

270

THE CONSTITUTION
1. What is a Constitution?
A document designed to create the political and governmental structure of a nation.
Pg 75 study guide
2. What is the “General Welfare”?

How everyone is prospering or not prospering, how we’re all doing overall.
Pg 75 study guide
3. Define “Legislative”.
Having to do with the creation and writing of laws. Pg 76 study guide
4. Who are Electors?

Voters, people who participate in the voting process. Pg 76 study guide
5. What is Enumeration?
The listing of individuals, or the counting of individuals. Pg 76 study guide
6. What is a Writ?
A written, legal order. Pg 76 study guide
7. What is The Speaker?

The leader of the House of Representatives. Pg 76 study guide
8. What is Impeachment?
The accusation of a crime made against a government official, particularly the
President. Pg 76 study guide
9-11- Name three reasons the Constitution was written.

Up to student. Pg 77 study guide.
12. What does Vacated mean?

Sent away, removed. Pg 81 study guide
13. What does Pro Tempore mean?

At the present time, but not permanent. A temporary position or solution.
Pg 81 study guide
14. What is the Chief Justice?

The leader of the Supreme Court. Pg 81 study guide

271
15. How old do you have to be to run for the Senate?

Thirty. Pg 82 study guide
16. How many states are there in the United States?

Fifty, in 2,009 A.D. Pg 83 study guide
17. Who gets the tie-breaking vote in the Senate?

The Vice President. Pg 82 study guide
18. What does “Appoint” mean?

To officially select. Pg 85 study guide
19. What is a Majority?

More than ½ of a vote or group. Pg 85 study guide
20. What is a Quorum?

The number of people needed for voting or any other actions taken to be official.
Pg 85 study guide
21. What are Yeas and Neas?

Yes and No votes. Pg 85 study guide
22. What is a Treasury?

The collected money and other resources of any company or nation. Pg 85 study guide
23. What is a Felony?

A serious crime. Pg 85 study guide
24. What does “Civil” mean?

Having to do with running a nation. Pg 85 study guide
25. What is a Congressperson?

A member of either the House of Representatives or the Senate. Throughout section
26. What are Bills (in the law)?

Proposed laws, in writing. Pg 88 study guide
27. What are Amendments?

Changes or additions to a document. Pg 88 study guide
28. What is Revenue?

Money. Income. Pg 88 study guide
29. What is a Resolution?

A formal expression of an opinion. Pg 88 study guide

272
30. What are Duties (taxes.)

A form of tax, usually on imports and exports. Pg 90 study guide
31. What are Excises?

Taxes on goods to be sold domestically. Pg 90 study guide
32. What is Bankruptcy?

Going broke, to be without money. Pg 90 study guide
33. What is an Appropriation?

Money set aside for a specific purpose. Pg 90 study guide
34. What is a Militia?

An army of soldiers who are also civilians. Pg 90 study guide
35. What is a Magazine? (military use.)

A place where weapons are stored. Pg 90 study guide

To bring something or someone into a nation. Pg 94 study guide
37. What is a Writ of Habeas Corpus?

The legal document demanding that someone appear in court. Pg 94 study guide
38. What is an Attainder?

The removal of a person’s rights or property once they have been convicted of murder
or treason. Pg 94 study guide
39. What does “Ex Post Facto” mean?

Having to do with events that have happened in the past, retroactive.
Pg 94 study guide
40. What are Expenditures?

Monies spent. Pg 94 study guide
41. Where does the government get most of its money from?
Taxation. Various
42. What is a Resignation?

The act of resigning, or quitting from a job. Pg 81 study guide

273

274

THE CONSTITUTION
1. How old must a person be to run for president?

35. Pg 99 study guide
2. What is the Commander In Chief?

The President, acting as head of the armed forces. Pg 102 study guide
3. What is a Pardon?
An official pardon for a crime, letting someone out of penalties that may go with a
crime. Pg 102 study guide
4. What is a Reprieve?
The same as a pardon, but it’s temporary. Pg 102 study guide
5. What is an Ambassador?
An official representative of a country who is sent to another country.
Pg 102 study guide
6. What does it mean to “Convene”?

To cause to be brought together in one place. Pg 102 study guide
7. What is the “State of the Union”?

The report the President give (in the form of a speech) to Congress, once a year.
Pg 102 study guide
8-10. List three of the President’s powers.

Pg 102-103 study guide
11. What does “Supreme” mean?

The ultimate, the most, the highest. Pg 105 study guide
12. What is a Consul?

A government official who works in other countries. Pg 105 study guide
13. What does “Jurisdiction” mean?

The area where one has authority or power. Pg 105 study guide
14. What does “Maritime” mean?

Having to do with the sea and ships. Pg 105 study guide

275
15. What is an “Appellate Court”?

A court one brings a case after one is unhappy with the way a trial came out. It’s an
“appeals” court. Pg 105 study guide
16. What is a Jury?

A group that is selected to sit in judgment of a peer, in a trial. Pg 105 study guide
17. What is Forfeiture?

Legally losing the right or ownership of a thing. Pg 106 study guide
18. What is Treason, per the Constitution?

Waging war, agreeing with or helping the enemy of the U.S. Pg 106-107 study guide
19. What is the Supreme Court?

The highest legal court in America. Pg 106 study guide
20. How many judges sit on the Supreme Court?

Twelve. Pg 108 study guide
21. What is the “Bible” of a Supreme Court Justice (Judge)?

The Constitution. Pg 109 study guide
22. What are Immunities (in the law)?

Protections against laws or rules. Pg 110 study guide
23. What is Extradition?

The returning of an accused criminal to the state or nation he escaped from.
Pg 111 study guide
24. How many states were there in the original Union?

Thirteen. Pg 112 study guide
25. What is a Convention?

A large meeting of people with the same interests. Pg 113 study guide
26. What percentage of Congress must approve of a new Amendment to the

Constitution?
2/3. Pg 113 study guide
27. What is an Oath?

A sworn promise made aloud. Pg 115 study guide
28. Which Branch of government writes the laws?

Congress. (The Legislative.) Pg 75 study guide

276
29. Which branch of government makes certain the laws are followed, by enforcing
them?
The Executive. Pg 75 study guide
30. Which Branch of government makes sure the law is followed, once someone is
accused of a crime?
The Judicial. Pg 75 study guide
31. What is Suffrage?

The right to vote. Pg 113 study guide
32. Who proposes new Supreme Court Justices?

The President. Pg 103 study guide
33. Who must approve of newly proposed Supreme Court Justices?

The Congress. Pg 103 study guide

277
AMERICA TEST # 6 ANSWER GUIDE

THE CONSTITUTION
1. What are Grievances?

Complaints. Pg 118 study guide
2-5. Name the four rights guaranteed in the First Amendment.

1) Freedom to practice one’s religion; 2) Freedom of Speech; 3) Freedom of the Press;
and 4) Freedom to Assemble. Pg 118 study guide
6. What is the Bill of Rights?

The first ten Amendments of the Constitution. Pg 118 study guide
7. What does it mean to be “quartered” in the Constitution?

Housed, or officially posted somewhere. Pg 121 study guide
8. What are Searches (in the law)?

Looking through someone’s property for a thing. Pg 121 study guide
9. What are Seizures (in the law)?

The taking of someone’s property, or their arrest. Pg 121 study guide
10. What are Warrants?

Legal documents allowing a search or seizure. Pg 121 study guide
11. What is Probable Cause?

A high likelihood that one is guilty of a crime, based on already visible or obvious
evidence. Pg 121 study guide
12. What is the NRA?

The National Rifleman’s Association, a pro-gun ownership group.
Pg 123 study guide
13. What is The Patriot Act?

A series of suppressive laws instituted by President George W. Bush after the
destruction of the Twin Towers. Pg 125 study guide
14. What is Racial Profiling?

Judging people by their appearance or their race, and treating them as members of a
generalized group instead of as individuals. Pg 125 study guide

278
15. What is a Capital Crime?

A crime which is serious enough for the death penalty to be applied.
Pg 126 study guide
16. What is Due Process (in the law)?

The normal proceeding of the law. Pg 126 study guide
17-20. Name the four rights guaranteed by the Fifth Amendment.

A person cannot be imprisoned without first being
accused of a crime.
A person cannot be tried more than once for the same

offense. (This is called “Double Jeopardy”.)
A person cannot be made to give testimony against

himself when on trial. (When a person refuses to testify
against himself, or say anything that might damage his
case, it’s called “Taking the Fifth”, or in other words,
standing of their fifth amendment rights.)
Private property cannot be taken by the government

without fair payment to the owner.
Pg 126 study guide
21. What is Double Jeopardy (in the law)?

The fact that once you are acquitted, you cannot be tried for the same crime again.
Pg 126 study guide
22. What are Prosecutions?

Legal attempts to prove someone’s guilt. Pg 128 study guide
23. What is an Accused?

The person in a trial whom, it is claimed, committed a crime. Pg 128 study guide
24. What does “Compulsory” mean?

Required. Pg 128 study guide
25. What is a Counsel (in the law)?

A lawyer (or attorney). Pg 128 study guide
26. What is Bail?

Money paid to the court for the temporary release of the Accused, before he is found
either guilty or innocent. Pg 128 study guide

279
27-30. Name four of the rights your guaranteed if you are arrested, under
Amendments VI, VII, and VIII.
Amendment VI (1791)
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public
trial, by an impartial jury of the state and district wherein the crime shall have been
committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be
informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the
witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his
favor, and to have the assistance of counsel for his defense.
Amendment VII (1791)

In suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars,
the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be
otherwise reexamined in any court of the United States, than according to the rules
of the common law.
Amendment VIII (1791)

Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and
unusual punishments inflicted.
Pg 128-129 study guide
31. What does “Delegated” mean?

Assigned, given to someone specifically. Pg 132 study guide
32. What would an “Impartial Jury” be?

A jury in which each member has no opinion of the accused, the crime, or the accuser
before the trial has started. Pg 128-129 study guide
33. What does “Cruel and unusual punishment” mean?

Torture or punishment deemed inhumane, or unfair, given the charges or the crime
committed. Pg 128 study guide

280

THE CONSTITUTION
1. What is a suit (in the law)?

A lawsuit, an attempt to sue someone or something for money owed or damages done.
Pg 133 study guide
2. What is a Ballot?
A piece of paper on which is the name of candidates for office, and a way to indicate
who you are voting for. Pg 133 study guide
3. What does it mean to be “Ineligible”?

Not eligible, not having the requirements to accept or do a job. Pg 133 study guide
4. What is Slavery?
The buying, selling, and treatment of human beings as if they were property.
Pg 135 study guide
5. What was the Civil War?

A war in America, fought by Americans against Americans, generally North vs. South,
to end slavery in America. Pg 135 study guide
6. What is a Pension?
The money paid a person who has held a job for a long time, after they have retired or
left that job. Pg 137 study guide
7. What is Emancipation?
Freedom from slavery. Pg 137 study guide
8. What is Income?
Money made. Pg 140 study guide
9. What is Apportionment?
The breaking down of how much tax should be paid, based on population.
Pg 140 study guide
10. What is a Census?

The counting of a population, or particulars about that population.
Pg 140 study guide
11-13. Name three forms of taxation.

Rising or gradated scale; A flat rate or Flat Tax; Sales Tax; No Tax.
Pg 142study guide

281

The act of bringing something into an area from another area. Pg 146 study guide
15. What was Prohibition?

A period of time when it was illegal to sale or drink alcohol in the U.S.
Pg 147 study guide
16. What is a Term (political)?

The period of time a person holds a political office. Pg 149 study guide
17. What happens to a law when it’s “Repealed”?

It is removed or erased. Pg 150 study guide
18. What is a District?

An area that is self-governed, but is not a state. Pg 154 study guide
19. Who was F.D.R.?

Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the President of the U.S. through WWII and the
Depression. Pg 152 study guide
20. What is a Primary Election?

A first election to narrow the group of available candidates. Pg 154 study guide
21. What does “Acting President” mean?

A person temporarily filling the post of President while the President is either unable to
serve, or is being replaced. Pg 155-156 study guide
22. What is the District of Columbia?

The location of Washington D.C., and it’s surrounding areas. Pg 154 study guide
23. How many terms can a President serve in a row?

Two. Pg 152 study guide
24. Can a Vice President ever become President during the term of the President he
serves? Yes or no.
Yes. If the President is unable to serve for any reason. Pg 155 study guide

CHECKS AND BALANCES/ THE PROCESS OF ELECTION
1. What are “Checks and Balances”?

The system of government where one branch can stop or slow the progress of the other
branches, acting as a kind of “safeguard” on any one person or branch getting too
much power. Pg 171 study guide
2-3. Name one way the Executive Branch affects each of the other two branches.
(See student’s answers. Many are possible. You may need to look over the
Constitution for the answer to this, and the next two questions.) Pg 171 study guide
4-5. Name one way the Legislative Branch effects each of the other two branches.
Pg 171 study guide
6-7. Name one way the Judiciary branch effects each of the other two branches.
Pg 171 study guide
8-10. Describe the parts of Mr. Smith Goes to Washington that seemed like they were
based in the way things really are in the Senate.
(The process of “filibuster”, where one Senator talks as long as he can, is certainly
possible. There are other answers as well, including the process of a Governor
replacing a Senator who cannot complete his term.) The movie, various materials
11. What are Qualifications?

The things that one must either be or have done first in order to be allowed to do
something.
Pg 185 study guide
12. What is a Petition?

An official written request. Pg 185 study guide
13. What is Criteria?

The requirements, the are that must be studied, or the steps that must be completed.
Pg 185 study guide
14. What is an Opinion Poll?

A way of determining how the public feels about a thing. Many people are asked
questions about the person or object in question. Their answers are added up and the
percentages figured out.
Pg 185 study guide

283
15. What is the Election Code?

A group of laws regulating elections and how they’re done. Pg 185 study guide
16. What is a Steering Committee?

A group of people who decide how some large activity will be run. Pg 186 study guide
17. What is a Chairperson?

The head of a committee. Pg 186 study guide

284
US HISTORY VII TEST# 9 Answer Guide

THE FEDERALIST PAPERS
1. What are the Federalist Papers?

A series of Essays written to convince New Yorkers to approve of the Constitution. Pg
159 study guide
2. How many of them are there?

85 Essays. Pg 159 study guide
3-5. Name the three men who wrote them.

Hamilton, Madison, Jay. Pg 159 study guide
6. Why were the Federalist Papers written?

(See #1 above.) Pg 159 study guide
7. Did the authors succeed at their intended goal?

No. New York did not ratify the Constitution. Pg 160 study guide
8. What does it mean to be “Subverted”?

To be undermined and changed in evil ways. Pg 160 study guide
9. What are Factions?

Small groups that have split away from a larger group, because of disagreements.
Pg 160 study guide
10. What are Inquiries?

Questions and investigations. Pg 160 study guide
11. What are Adversaries?

Enemies. Pg 160 study guide
12. What is a Democracy?

A form of government where everyone has an equal vote and a direct say in how things
will be done. Pg 160 study guide
13. What is a Republic?

A form of government where the people elect representatives to represent their needs in
government.
Pg 161 study guide
14. What is an Absolute Monarchy?

A form of government with a ruler who has unlimited power. Pg 161 study guide

285
15. What is a Limited Monarchy?

A form of government with a ruler with limited power. Pg 161 study guide
16. What is a Fallacy?

A lie or untruth. Pg 161 study guide
17. What does it mean to be “Subordinate”?

To be under the power of a greater power. Pg 161 study guide
18. What does “Federal” mean?

Having to do with the whole nation. Pg 164 study guide
19. What is a Frontier?

The edge of civilization. Pg 164 study guide
20. What is Equilibrium?

Balance. Pg 165 study guide
21. Who was “Publius”?

The phony name used at the end of each of the Federalist Papers. Pg 159-160 study
guide

286
1. What is a Pledge.
A promise, vow, intended never to be broken. Pg 195 study guide
2. What is Allegiance.
The idea that one belongs to a group and will support the survival and well-being of
that group.
Pg 195 study guide
3. What is a Flag.
A symbol, usually made of cloth or similar material, of a group. Pg 195 study guide
4. What is the 4rth of July?

The holiday celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence.
Pg 197 study guide
5. What is Thanksgiving?
The holiday, started by the Puritans, and celebrated with the American natives,
celebrating their mutual aid and survival, and the harvest. Pg 197 study guide
6. Which two President’s birthdays are celebrated on President’s Day?

Lincoln and Washington. Pg 199 study guide
7. What is Veteran’s Day?

A holiday celebrating all the men and women who have ever served in the armed
forces. Pg 202 study guide
8. Who was Martin Luther King, Jr.?

Perhaps the most important leader in the Civil Rights Movement in the 1950’s and
1960’s, a preacher who preached non-violence as the path to equality.
Pg 208 study guide
9. What is Labor Day?

A holiday celebrating the American worker. Pg 224 study guide
10. What is Memorial Day?

A holiday celebrating the end of WWI, and peace. Pg 224 study guide

287
The student who gets 1 question wrong reviews the correct answer, and then moves
on to the next section of study. The student who misses 2 questions reviews the
answers and restudies the materials the wrong answers were connected to, before
moving on, The student who misses 3 or more questions reviews all the written
materials (but does no Exercises), and retests before moving on.

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AN AMERICAN CIVICS STUDY GUIDE

UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY VII

Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

UPPER SCHOOL HISTORY VII

The student will need:

Access to DVDs or tapes of:

Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

PART ONE- AMERICA BEFORE THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE

1. LOCATE: on a map, globe or the Internet:

2. FULLY UNDERSTAND THE WORDS:

Monarchies – Nations ruled over by a king or queen.

Seafarer – A sailor; a person who travels the seas, often.

Beck – Short for beckon, or to summon into one’s presence.

3. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND:

ON EUROPE BEFORE AMERICA

Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

5. DRAW: why Europeans would seek Political refuge in the Americas.

6. DRAW: the opportunities presented to Europeans by the New World, to do well

Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

1. LOCATE: on a map, globe or the Internet:

2. FULLY UNDERSTAND THE WORDS:

Mythologies – Belief systems, built around many stories, usually about

Immunity – The ability to resist disease and infection.

3. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND:

ON AMERICA BEFORE THE EUROPEANS

Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

natives had no resistance or immunity. The majority of natives on both continents

Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

1. LOCATE: On a map, globe or the Internet:

2. FULLY UNDERSTAND THE WORDS:

Taxation – The collecting of a percentage of each citizens income, inside a

License – A document, providing a person or group the right to do something

3. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND:

AMERICA BEFORE THE REVOLUTION

Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

4. DRAW: The relationship between England and America, before the

Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

1. DRAW: what is “taxation without representation”?

2. DRAW: What was “The Stamp Act”?

3. DRAW: the Boston Tea Party.

Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

1. LOCATE: On a map, globe or the Internet:

The Delaware River

2. FULLY UNDERSTAND THE WORDS:

Participant – A person involved in some activity.

Colossus – A giant statue.

Peace Treaty – An agreement in writing, made between two or more nations

President – The most powerful individual in the United States’ government.

Vice President – The man selected to become president if anything should

Almanac – (Spelled “Almanack”, long ago) A yearly publication containing

Notorious – Well known for unfavorable reasons.

Secretary of the Treasury – A high position in the United States government,

Chuck Childers (order #416914) 7

Continental Congress – A group of American patriots who met to determine

Legislation – Laws; the creation of laws.

Constitution – A document which states the beliefs, and methods by which a

Secretary of State – A high position in American government, responsible for

Napoleon – Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) Great French military leader

Impress – To force someone to serve in the military.

Latin America – Central and South America.

Agitate – To attempt to create interest, passion and action in others for a

3. READ AND FULLY UNDERSTAND:

ON THE GREAT AMERICAN PATRIOTS