Based on our readings and videos, where would you have stood during the Constitutional Convention? Would you have stood with the Federalists? Does a strong central government benefit a country or are states or even smaller communities better at making laws and governing people? Might you have argued for a third way?
Tie this in to your own political leanings. Do you vote? If yes, do you vote for a particular political party or are you politically neutral? If so, why? If you do tie to your own politics, remember there is not a straight one-to-one between the federalists and anti-federalists and Republicans and Democrats, so while the modern parties are influenced by these two movements, don’t be reductive.
Most importantly, what does this literature teach us about the American political system then and now? (If you need a little background on all of this beyond the readings for the week, click here.)
For this discussion board, 1. Create a political cartoon that supports your viewpoint. Be creative! You can use Storyboardthat, Educreation, a meme generator, FunnyTimes.com or another program to create a cartoon accompany your cartoon. If you prefer to draw it yourself, that’s fine too. Take a photo of it and upload it with your response. Please don’t make any bigoted cartoons.
- Create your own slogan and an ad to accompany your viewpoint. If you would not have chosen a side or argued for a third party, create a slogan and ad for that, too.
- Answer some of the questions that began this post. Why do you feel the way you do? Be sure to also engage the readings and videos from this section, too. You should quote and cite from several the readings directly, but most importantly, reference the ideas and demonstrate that you read the readings and watched the videos. Seeing the political divisions that existed in 18th century and its literature, what can we say about the American political system overall? (200 words, 80% of your final grade)
- End with a reflective question–but don’t just ask “Where would you stand?” Ask a probing question about one of the readings or one of the ideas espoused by the Federalists or Democratic-Republicans.