Roots of Liberty

Resources:

Summative Assessment

In The Powers Delegated to the Federal Government Are Few and Defined: The Doctrine of Enumerated Powers, Roger Pilon states:

Plainly, the Framers wanted to limit the federal government to certain enumerated ends, leaving most matters in the hands of the states or the people themselves. In fact, that point was made perfectly clear when the Bill of Rights was added two years after the Constitution was ratified. The Tenth Amendment states that, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.” Where the federal government has no power, the states or the people themselves have a right.

To what extent, if any, is the federal government restricted by the powers enumerated under Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States in the regulation of ONE of the following: voting rights, marijuana, or the environment?

Day 1

Objectives: Students will be able to understand what federal laws have been established concerning voting rights, marijuana,or the environment through research and small group discussions.

Do Now: Of the three topics: voting rights, marijuana,or the environment, in which one do you hold interests? Why?

Mini Lesson and Guided Practice

In a small group of interests-

  • share your findings about federal laws on your topic.
  • argue whether federal government is restricted by the powers enumerated under Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States in the regulation of  your topic (voting rights, environment and marijuana). Look for specific textual evidence from Article I to substantiate your argument.
  • Small groups present ideas

Student Independent Practice

Questions to respond after group presentations: 

  1. Are there any federal laws made on voting rights, environment and marijuana? Enumerate them.
  2. According to Article 1, is the feral government restricted to regulate voting rights, environment and marijuana? What textual evidence can you use to support your argument?

Share in class your responses.

Homework: Read and annotate pages 1-4  of “The Doctrine of Enumerated Powers” by Roger Pilon. Respond to the question:

  1. According to Pilon, what kind of role should the government play in our lives?
  2. What’s the relationship between the power of the government and that of the state or the people?
  3. What does ” delegated power” mean?
  4. What are the legislative powers? Who has them? How many are given?
  5. What does the 10th Amendment say about powers?

Day 2

Objectives: Students will be able to argue whether the government is restricted by the powers enumerated under Article 1 of the Constitution of the United States in the regulation of  your topic (voting rights, environment and marijuana)

Resources: 

Do now: Share researched results about federal laws concerning voting rights, environment and marijuana.

Mini Lesson with Guided Practice

In order for us to argue there are some ways the federal government is restricted by Article 1 of the Constitution, we will first need to do the following-

  1. What are the established federal laws regulating voting rights, environment and marijuana ?
  2. From Article 1 of the Constitution, what clauses prohibit or restrict the government its powers from making laws regulating voting rights, environment and marijuana?
  3. What specific laws have encroached the granted powers enumerated in Article 1? Why?
  4. You will need to use specific words taken from Article 1 to explain why the federal government’s regulations may have expanded the power that is given by the Constitution.

Independent Practice

Start cresting an outline for your argument essay ( laws you’ll cite, specific evidence from Article 1 that you’ll use, etc)

Homework: Outline for the essay is due.