Welcome to Module/Week 3: The Constitution–From Confederation to Federalism

Posted on: Monday, February 1, 2021 9:00:00 AM EST

Good Morning, Students!

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This week we turn to my favorite set of readings for the subterm. Known as the foremost work of American political thought, the Federalist Papers were written to explain and defend the newly proposed Constitution of the United States, including the design, powers and election/appointment processes of three distinct branches of government, and the relationship of the states to the national government. In turn, the Anti-Federalist Papers were written to challenge what opponents of the Constitution viewed as an over-reach of national power.

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These competing arguments will be your ultimate focus for the week; however, it is important to note that the debate over constitutional ratification came only after months of deliberation over constitutional development at the Pennsylvania Convention, including heated debates over legislative design and apportionment, the presidential election process, state-national power arrangements, and interstate relations. Compromises such as the Great Compromise over legislative design and apportionment and the Three-Fifths Compromise had already been hammered out. The inclusion of a Bill of Rights was still up for debate. Note that the resulting U.S. Constitution included seven articles:

 

Article 1: Legislative Branch

Article 2: Executive Branch

Article 3: Judicial Branch

Article 4: Interstate Relations

Article 5: Amendment Process

Article 6: National Supremacy

Article 7: Ratification

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Note the supremacy of the legislative branch symbolically recognized in its prioritization in Article 1, and, in contrast, the “least dangerous branch”–the judicial branch–a distant third. If you have not read the U.S. Constitution before, now is the time as we examine the arguments used to defend and oppose its merit.

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A turn to the ratification debate also requires a calibration of nomenclature, as it is at this time that the labels “Federalist” and “Anti-Federalist” emerge. As KHB (1991) note, the labels are ironic and were politically motivated, beginning with the Constitution’s supporters claiming the “Federalist” label even as they promoted a strong national government that seemed more consistent with a unitary system than with the common understanding of a federal system as a league of states. This claim jump left the Constitution’s opponents wearing the unlikely label of “Anti-Federalist” despite the group’s principled defense of states’ rights. Please keep these label ironies in mind as you navigate the arguments made by representatives of opposing perspectives.

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All this considered, I recommend getting an early start on this week’s reading:

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Reading & Study (Note: Remember the value of highlighting key points/passages!)

• Kelly et al.: chs. 6–7, U.S. Constitution (Appendix)
• Ketcham: Henry 6/5/88, Centinel 1, Pennsylvania Minority, Brutus 1, Brutus XI, XII, XV
• Johnson: Part 2 (pp. 177–211)
• Rossiter: Introduction, Nos. 1, 10, 17, 51, 78 (note that this is the Federalist Papers text with an intro by Kessler)
• Bible Readings: James 1: 19-26
• 1 presentation: “Reading The Federalist Papers” (XXXXXXXXXX 2018)

 

Assignments

DB Forum 1: The Federalist Debate (Note: You must select, thoroughly read, and assertively employ selected Federalist/Anti-Federalist essays in your posts in order to earn a passing score on this assignment.)

 

Your assignment for this week is first to “make sense” of these primary documents, written in a linguistic style that you may find challenging. This may require two or three passes through each document to draw out key points; however, I am confident that you will adjust to the writing styles after a few attempts and then really come to enjoy them. For best “results” please read the Rossiter introduction and the KHB and Johnson chapters before embarking.

 

Your second assignment is to select at least two of these primary documents and present an analysis via a course discussion forum. Please be sure to follow instructions.

 

I look forward to reading last week’s Reflection Papers on the American Revolution and will post these grades as soon as possible.

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Go get ’em!

Dr. XXXXX

Module/Week 3 — The Constitution: From Confederation to Federalism  (Discussion Board Forum 1)

 

Learning Outcomes

Upon successful completion of this module, you will be able to:

 

• Identify philosophical trends and political exigencies affecting U.S. constitutional design.
• Compare key principles and arguments expressed by Federalists and Anti-federalists during the constitutional ratification period.
• Evaluate the impact of Judeo-Christian democratic principles on American concepts of civil rights and liberties.
• Assess the influence of biblical principles of statesmanship (e.g. justice, prudence, wisdom and virtue) on the beliefs, arguments and actions of the U.S. Founding Fathers.

 

Reading & Study

Textbook Readings

• Ketcham: Henry 6/5/88, Centinel 1, Pennsylvania Minority, Brutus 1, Brutus XI, XII, XV
• Johnson: Part 2 (pp. 177–211)
• Rossiter: Introduction, Nos. 1, 10, 17, 51, 78
• Kelly et al.: chs. 6–7, Appendix (U.S. Constitution)

Bible Readings

1 Presentation

Additional Materials: The Library of Congress: Primary Documents in American History

 

Assignments

Discussion Board Forum 1

 

Thread Prompt: This week’s readings record the major points of the Federalist vs. Anti-Federalist debate. Do the arguments associated with these perspectives represent two sides of the same coin? Select and discuss a particular essay from each perspective that best represents a shared ideal of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists or best represents conflicting ideals of these two coalitions within Revolutionary discourse. Evaluate the impact of Judeo-Christian democratic principles on arguments concerning rights, liberties and governing. Your findings must be presented in a 500- to 700-word thread formatted according to Turabian Author-Date style and posted within the Discussion Forum. A title page is not required, but please include your name and title above the post. All sources used must be identified in a Reference List at the end of the thread.*