We Didn't Start The Fire: Burning of D.C. (This is for the week starting February 8th)

One of the more interesting tidbits of the War of 1812 was the ransacking and arson of our nation's capital.

For this week's blog, read this account and this account of the incident. In the comment section, answer the following questions.

1) Why do you think the British not only attacked, but burned (attempted to burn down) D.C.?

2) Why do you think Dolley Madison felt it was important to save the portrait of George Washington before fleeing the White House? I mean, it was just a painting, right?

War Heroes: Oliver Hazard Perry

Have you ever heard someone say, in a joking way, "Danger? I'm not afraid of danger. Danger is my middle name." Well, in this case, danger is literally Oliver Hazard Perry's middle name. Use a thesaurus.

Anyway...for this week's blog Google the name Oliver Hazard Perry. Visit at least three different websites (not Wikipedia!!!) for your research. Be sure to include the websites you used in the comments section.

For the comments...

1) List ten interesting facts you found about OHP.

2) What is OHP's legacy in relation to the War of 1812 specifically?

Barbary Pirates: A Difficult Test in Jefferson's First Term

An often overlooked episode of American history involved North African pirates and our young navy. Jefferson's first term is often praised, and rightly so, for the Louisiana Purchase + the Lewis & Clark Expedition. However, his first four years were not all roses and ponies.

American merchants, constantly being harassed by European powers in the Atlantic, were now facing impassable waters north of Africa. Bribes were demanded. Threats were made. It was all very difficult.

Read these two links (one and two) and answer the following two questions in the comments section.

1) Describe the difficult situation we were put in by the Barbary Pirates.

2) How does the second link relate America's 19th century struggle with piracy to our 21st century struggle with terrorism?

Jefferson in the White House: Our Third President

Thomas Jefferson was just a different kind of cat. According to contemporary sources, his voice was high-pitched which made him very self-conscious. In fact, he would write out his State of the Union Addresses and have them read aloud to Congress rather than read them himself! He also would answer the door to the White House in his slippers. Could you imagine ringing the doorbell to the White House today and President Obama answering the door in his jammies?

Read this account of Jefferson in the White House. In the comments section, answer the following two questions:

1) What does Mrs. Smith's account of Jefferson in the White House teach you about the man?

2) Do you think the job of President is different today than it was when Jefferson was President?

George Washington: Man or Deity?

George Washington was our first president. You know this. Heck, Caedmon probably knows this. So, what's the big deal about Washington? Was he really that smart and great?

For this week's blog, you are going to read an eyewitness account of George Washington's inauguration and analyze a piece of art called "The Apotheosis of Washington" which is painted on the ceiling in the U.S. Capital Building. Be sure to read the accompanying explanation of the painting on that website.

For the comments section, please complete the following:
1-Write 50 words on your reaction to the inauguration story.  What do you think the "feeling in the air" was on that day?
2-Write 50 words on your reaction to the art.  What does this art say about how Americans view Washington?

Domestic Crisis: Washington + The Whiskey Rebellion

We left off with the creation of a new government, under the Constitution, and the election of our first president, George Washington. He was a war hero to the public and seen as a great leader, but he was not a politician. Our new country would face many new challenges in the first decade of existence, many of which we had no idea how to handle because it was all so new. One of the major domestic (which means happening in your own country) issues Washington faced was the Whiskey Rebellion.

The Whiskey Rebellion caused many controversies not yet seen for the young United States Watch this video for an excellent, and brief, overview of the conflict. Follow this link to go into detail about the Whiskey Rebellion. Use this link to read Washington's proclamation regarding the Whiskey Rebellion.

Answer these two questions for the comments this week.
1) How was the Whiskey Rebellion similar to the years leading up to the American Revolution?
2) Would the rebellion have had a different outcome if a weaker president had been in charge? (I don't mean weak physically like...Mr. Haston is so weak...He has no muscles. I mean weak like...a president who was not respected by the people or who had no interest in using his federal power.)

Creating the Constitution

 watch #1

Constitutional Convention

Most of the delegates at the CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION had already risked being hanged as traitors by the British. No wonder that they worried about their states' reactions to their decision to abandon the ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION and create a whole new document.

Persuading the states to accept the Constitution was every bit as difficult as they predicted. It took two years for all thirteen states to ratify it. But their product was a blueprint for a new kind of government based on the principles of separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism.

Separation of Powers

The CONSTITUTION provided for the structure and powers of Congress in ARTICLE I. It created a LEGISLATURE, set qualifications for holding office in each house, and provided for methods of selecting representatives and senators. It carefully enumerated powers, such as regulating interstate commerce and declaring wars. ARTICLE II vested the power to execute laws in a president of the United States. It set the president's term at four years, stated qualifications for office, and provided a mechanism to remove him from office.

The constitutional powers are very modest, but they include commander-in-chief of the armed forces, negotiator of foreign treaties, and appointer of ambassadors, judges, and other "officers of the United States." ARTICLE III established a Supreme Court and defines its jurisdiction. The Founders disagreed on how much power to give the JUDGES, but they ultimately gave judges appointments for life and forbid Congress to lower their salaries while they hold office.

Checks and Balances

The Founders were ever mindful of the dangers of TYRANNICAL GOVERNMENT. So they built a system in which the powers of each branch would be used to check the powers of the other two branches. Additionally, each house of the legislature could check one another. For example, both houses of CONGRESS must vote to enact laws, the president can veto legislation, and the Supreme Court can rule laws unconstitutional. Congress can override presidential vetoes. The president nominates Supreme Court justices, but the Senate can refuse to confirm the nominees. The Congress can impeach and remove the president or a member of the Supreme Court. As a result, a "balance" was created among the three branches.

Wide differences of opinion existed even among the 55 delegates concerning the proper balance between liberty and order. ALEXANDER HAMILTON, for example, valued order more than liberty and supported the creation of a very strong executive. James Madison, influenced by his mentor Thomas Jefferson, conceded that an executive was necessary, but he saw the legislature as the preserver of liberty and an important check on the power of the executive. George Washington's experience as the head of the CONTINENTAL ARMY during the revolution convinced him that the chaotic government needed more structure. Thomas Jefferson did not attend the convention because he was serving as ambassador to France, but his belief that "a little rebellion now and then" was a good thing tilted his balance more toward liberty.

Federalism

ARTICLE IV defined the relationship between the federal government and the states in a system FEDERALISM, which divides the power of government between national and state governments. This federal system was meant to correct the chaos of the country during the Articles of Confederation. However, it was still mindful of the threat of a tyrannical central government. This article included mechanisms for admitting new states to the Union

The relationship between national and state governments was defined in many other parts of the Constitution. For example, Article 1, Section 10 forbids the states to form alliances or enter with foreign countries or to coin their own money. Federalism was further defined in Article VI in which the constitution was declared "the Supreme Law of the Land." This SUPREMACY CLAUSE, as well as the "ELASTIC" CLAUSE (Article I, Section 8) tilts the federalist balance toward national law.

ARTICLE V provides methods of amending the Constitution. Only 27 AMENDMENTS have been added to the constitution since the RATIFICATION in 1789.

The Founders acted boldly in 1787 when they threw out the Articles of Confederation and created the Constitution. The document they created has survived for more than 200 years. The risks that they took resulted in the longest lasting written constitution in world history.

1. What is the purpose of amending the Constitution and when is it appropriate? What other means exist for reaching the goals of a proposed amendment?

2. In the last several years, amendments permitting prayer in public schools, requiring a balanced federal budget, limiting terms of members of Congress, and banning flag burning have been advocated by various groups. Are these amendments necessary? What impact might they have on government and/or on rights guaranteed in other parts of the Constitution?