Sunday, October 21, 2007

Were the Founding Fathers Democratic Reformers?

The founding fathers were democratic reformers because even though they promoted their own self interests, they ultimately wanted to do what was best for the nation. They agreed to create a strong central government that would be able to function well and unite the thirteen states. The founding fathers were political geinuses that came up with a democratic system that would benefit the people and protect the people's rights and liberty.

Wednesday, October 17, 2007

Federalist No. 51

Federalist No. 51 by James Madison describes the separation of powers in the federal government. It explains that the government is broken into three basic branches: the executive, legislative, and judicial. The legislative branch is further broken down into two houses. Each branch of government has the power to check the other branches so that no branch becomes too powerful. This way, the rights of the people are always protected because if one branch violates those rights, the other two will check it and stop it.
The Federalist No. 51 was very important because it explains the concepts of checks and balances. It told people how their rights would be protected and how the government would be kept in its place. It helped convinve the people that the new government of the Constitution wouldn't become oppressive.

Federalist No. 10

The Federalist No. 10 by James Madison states the ways the Constitution will protect individual rights and minorities by controlling the effects of factions. It also tells of the advantages of the republican government of the Constitution over the smaller democracies of the states. By electing representatives instead of just a small number of citizens to govern, the rights of minorities are protected against the interests of the majority. Having a larger national government helps prevent the oppression of the minority.
The Federalist No. 10 was a very important document because it explained the way the Constitution would protect peoples' rights, and it also helped convince New York to ratify the Constitution. It shows that having a representative democracy can work well in a large nation. It helped change peoples' views on the new government.

Sunday, October 14, 2007

Should Columbus Day continue to be celebrated in the U.S.?

Columbus Day should not continue to be celebrated in the U.S. because Columbus was a cruel man who allowed his men to rape, murder, and enslave the indigenous people they encountered. Celebrating Columbus Day would be saying that that was okay. Columbus also didn't really discover the Americas. The Indians did thousands of years before he did. If anything, we should be celebrating "Indigenous People's Day" and not Columbus Day.

Monday, October 1, 2007

New England, Middle, or Southern Colonies

If I lived in America in the early 1700's, I would want to live in the Middle colonies. The Middle colonies were the most diverse and democratic. The Middle colonies had more religious toleration than New England or the South. Some groups in the Middle colonies such as the Quakers also gave women more power by allowing them to hold positions in the Church and participate in government.