how do interpretations of the us constitution differ?

US Constitution in Action: Democracy & Sovereignty

Key Questions:• Which group or person is

‘sovereign’ in the US political system? Why?- Congress- President- People

• Which branch of government has the most power, despite the checks and balances? Why?- Legislative- Executive- Judiciary

Could you be a political analyst?

Think about the answers to these questions, discuss with your partner and

prepare to share your ideas.

Could the US be considered a pluralist

democracy?

Pluralist Democracy: a democracy in which there are multiple

centres of power

Enquiry Question:How do interpretations of the US Constitution differ?

Learning Objectives• To test our knowledge of the Constitution topic• To apply our understanding of the Constitution Topic to exam

questions• To deepen our understanding through an independent

investigation essay examining different interpretations of the US Constitution

End of Topic Test

Pass Mark = 18/25

Failure to achieve the pass mark will result

in re-taking the test in an after school

session.

• How effectively do the three branches of Federal government check each other? (15)

• To what extent is there disagreement about how effectively the Constitution protectsfreedom? (45)

Independent Investigation EssayAn Assessment of the US Constitution

To be in a position to tackle any questions on this topic, you need to have a strong understanding of the following:

• the thinking behind the Constitution - what the Founding Fathers aimed to achieve

• how the Constitution works - its key features, such as the system of checks and balances, and how it is amended

• the special significance of federalism as a mechanism to limit the power of the federal government - and how it has developed

• the specific rights protected in the Bill of Rights • the ideological viewpoints on the effectiveness of the Constitution

ALL of these are important for essays. You will ALWAYS be expected to demonstrate different perspectives on issues, as this is how synoptic

skills are tested.

TASK:• Read the different ideological viewpoints on the Constitution

(Conservatives, Liberals, Centrists and Challengers). Decide which ideological view point is the closest to your own ideological viewpoint.

• You are to produce an essay examining your ideological viewpoint of the Constitution. Use the information in the handout to help you think of areas you might like to investigate.

• This is the last task for your Constitution topic so you need to use all of the knowledge and skills you have gained to make a thorough assessment of the US Constitution.

Guiding Questions

• How does your ideological viewpoint interpret the intentions of the Founding Fathers?

• How do the key features of the constitution, the system of checks and balances, and the amendment process support and challenge your ideological viewpoint?

• Examine your ideological viewpoint's ideas about federalism? (e.g. anti-federalist? federalist?)

• In what ways does the Bill of Rights challenge and support your ideological viewpoint of the Constitution?

• How effective does your ideological viewpoint believe the constitution is?

• and FINALLY...From the questions you have addressed already in identifying the strengths and weaknesses of the constitution from your viewpoint, recommend 3 changes to the constitution that people who share you ideological viewpoint would like to see implemented. (This can be a piece of legislation, constitutional amendment, constitutional convention etc).

Essay Structure Guide

• Introduction (what ideological viewpoint are you? why? how does this viewpoint interpret the constitution?)

• Paragraph 1: Parts of the Constitution that support your viewpoint (e.g. features, checks and balances, amendment process)

• Paragraph 2: Parts of the Constitution that challenge your viewpoint (e.g. features, checks and balances, amendment process)

• Paragraph 3: Your viewpoint on federalism

• Paragraph 4: Your viewpoint and the Bill of Rights

• Paragraph 5: How effective is the constitution?

• Conclusion: Summarising arguments, and 3 ways to improve constitution.

how do interpretations of the us constitution differ?

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