As a followup to Skip’s post on the Hillsdale College Constitution 101 class, I wanted to make you aware of some excellent video-lectures called an “Introduction to the Constitution,” that you may want to watch before you proceed to ‘Constitution 101.’ You’ll have access to these if you register for the free Constitution 101 course, (a well as PDF’s of all the related founding documents, and study guides) but I wanted to post them over the next few days to give you a taste of what you can look forward to in Constitution 101.
Besides, like many of you, we plan to do a lot of things at the Grok that we never end up doing because there are only so many hours in the day. By posting these here we encourage ourselves, and hopefully others, to take advantage of these excellent opportunities–opportunities that arm us all with knowledge our progressive friends would rather you not have.
What better motivation is there than that?
Each of these videos is just over 30 minutes, so get a notepad, grab a hot (or cold) beverage, sit back, and fill your mind with the tools to educate and enlighten. And please feel free to share this post, and those that follow, as well as the links to the Hillsdale College Constitution 101 class lectures themselves.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=du_GfHlqZXg&feature=player_detailpage
Intro to Constitution Lecture One Study Guide
Comprehension Questions
1. What was the idea in the Declaration of Independence that was controversial during the Civil War?
2. What was the main concern of the Anti-Federalists about the Constitution?
3. What are the four references to God in the Declaration?
4. What are the two main principles of the Declaration?
5. What are the three key arrangements of government underlying the Constitution?
Discussion Questions
1. In what ways does the Declaration of Independence address the arrangements of government?
2. How do the charges against the King in the Declaration relate to separation of powers questions today?
3. Can representative government exist apart from a strong, independent society? Why or why not?
4. In what sense can it be said that if the principles of the American founding are true, the arrangement of government in the Constitution will follow, and if those arrangements do not follow, then the principles are not true?
Comprehension Question Answers
1. All men are created equal.
2. That the Constitution would make the federal government too powerful and centralized.
3. “Nature’s God,” “Creator,” “Supreme Judge of the World,” and “divine Providence.”
4. Nature and Equality.
5. Representation, Separation of Powers and Limited Government.
