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| Instructor: | D. Tony Sün |
| dsun2019@hotmail.com | |
| Winter 2022 | |
Constitution Center
Resources:
Catrow D. & Dial Books for Young Readers. (2002). We the Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States. Dial Books for Young Readers.
Eiselen, Malcolm R. (1928). Franklin's Political Theories. Doubleday, Doran & Company, Inc. Garden City, New York.
Hall, Mark D. (2013). Roger Sherman and the Creation of the American Republic. Oxford University Press.
Harness C. (2007). Thomas Jefferson. National Geographic.
Heilbroner J. & Marchesi S. (2001). Meet george washington (1st Landmark books). Random House Children's Books.
Johnson, W. (1944). This Wonderful Country of Ours. The Stevens-Davis Company, Chicago.
Jurmain, S. & Poe, R. (2012). Worst of Friends–Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and the True Story of an American Feud. Recorded Books, Prince Frederick, MD.
Cheney, L. and Harlin, G. (2008). We the People. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.
Maestro B. & Maestro G. (1987). A more perfect union: the story of our constitution (1st Mulberry). Mulberry Books.
Massachusetts Historical Society. (2022). The Birth of Silence Dogood. Retrieved from http://www.masshist.org
Meltzer B. & Eliopoulos C. (2020). I am Benjamin Franklin. Dial Books for Young Readers.
National Park Service. (2022). Thomas Jefferson: The Versatile Founding Father. Retrieved from www.nps.gov
Ribke, S. T. (2004). Thomas Jefferson. Children's Press, Connecticut.
Virginia Museum of History and Culture. (2022). Thomas Jefferson and the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom. Retrieved from https://virginiahistory.org/learn/thomas-jefferson-and-virginia-statute-religious-freedom
Introduction On June 10, 1776, the Continental Congress appointed a committee, consisting of Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin, John Adams, Roger Sherman and Robert R. Livingston to draft a Declaration of Independence; the Declaration of Independence is generally regarded as one of the most famous documents in the history of the world (from the Office of Secretary of the State website). Socioconstitutional literacy describes the encapsulation of a multitude of ideas on the history, artifacts, and pedagogical practices of the U.S. constitutional law with its Amendments and associated rights, both historically and from a contemporary standpoint. This short course seeks to find a bridge of the Constitution toward the lives of youth in the modern, ongoing third decade of the twenty-first century.
The material is designed to raise the constitutional awareness among children and adolescent readers. It addresses this general goal in the compilation of this particular set of readings for young readers with an intended audience of 2nd to 6th grade, and above; this allows potential accommodation to differentiation of needs.
Required Reading
- Catrow's "We the Kids" (publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers, 2002), and
- Heilbroner's "Meet George Washington" (publisher: First Landmark Books, 2001)
Extended Reading
'Constitutional Literacy' YouTube playlist by TED-Ed at al.
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'Constitutional Interpretation' course by Princeton Online (George, R. P., 2019)
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of Pennsylvania campus, December 2022
Course Schedule
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M, 12/12 – 9:15 am A More Perfect Union
Read We the Kids and A More Perfect Union; take notes on vocabulary in the dialogue and stories.
[Homework 1, due 10pm]
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T, 12/13 – 9:15 am General Washington
Read the more traditionally styled, black-and-white illustrated biographical story book Meet George Washington by Heilbroner (2001), as well as the read-aloud picturebook by Pingry and Britt (2009). Watch President Obama's speech "A More Perfect Union" (March 18, 2008) in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
[Homework 2, due 10pm]
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W, 12/14 – 9:15 am Thomas Jefferson the Apostle of Liberty
Read aloud of Simone Ribke's Thomas Jefferson (2004), Harness' National Geographic special edition, and Kids edition 
[Homework 3, due 10pm]
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TH, 12/15 – 9:15 am John Adams the Atlas of Independence
The second President of United States John Adams was a competitive companion of Jefferson's. After attending Harvard College, John Adams worked as a teacher and then for many years as a lawyer, developing a reputation for being independent, outspoken, and honest ("The Independent Leader", America's Liberary). Read Worst of Friends by Recorded Books, and complete reading comprehension exercise.
[Homework 4, due 10pm]
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SAT, 12/17 – 10:15 am James Madison the Father of the Constitution
The fourth President of the United States who made major contributions to ractifying the Constitution, James Madison was also from Virginia and attended Princeton/then College of New Jersey. First watch Digital Yarbs' "An Unlikely Love that Saved America" and then this educational history tutorial.
[Homework 5, due Mon. 9am]
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M, 12/19 – 9:15 am Benjamin Franklin "Mrs. Silence Dogood"–the Scientist-Diplomat-Statesman-Inventor-Educator
Franklin is known for his lightning rod as an inventor and his scientific experiments; he was a Founding Father of the United States, and was the primary founder of the new institution in Philadelphia in 1740s which became the University of Pennsylvania. Read the picturebook "I Am Benjamin Franklin", and join discussion; find out why Franklin was referred "Silence Dogood" in this article. [Homework 6, due 10pm]
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T, 12/20 – 9:15 am Field Trip 1: Benjamin Franklin Museum
(We are to visit the Franklin's museum this day deep in the Center City of Philadelphia.) [Homework 7, due 10pm]
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W, 12/21 – 9:15 am The Federalist Essays
Originally written by "Publius", The Federalist essays or "papers" are among the most important sources for understanding the intent of the Constitution; it was written in fact by three men, and we will start delving into the details of these essays, starting with No. 39 "To the People of the State of New York" by James Madison. [Homework 8, due 10pm]
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TH, 12/22 – 9:15 am Amendments
Since the earliest ratification by the State of Delaware in 1787, the Constitution has gone through twenty-seven Amendments thus far, and they address different aspects of the law. Watch the lecture "27 Amendments with a Focus on the Bill of Rights" by the National Constitution Center, and take notes on new concepts before completing the handout assignment for today. [Homework 9, due 10pm]
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F, 12/23 – 9:15 am The Living Constitution
From a broader lens, the Constitution decides how the government will be constituted; it sets limits on what goverment can impose on its citizens, and these limits are fundamental such that they are never transpassed. Ultimately, the Constitution allows the government to fulfill the aspirations for a just society that would protect individual rights—such is the "living" of the Constitution. Watch tutorial "Individual Rights: Their Important and Examples from the Constitution" by study.com and discuss the importance of democracy, what it helps the guarantee of individual rights, relevant Amendments, and aspects of life that the Constitution has an impact on. Explore Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government by U.S. Government Publishing Office and fill in this worksheet. [Homework 10, due 10pm]
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M, 12/26 – 10:00 am Field Trip 2: Museum of the American Revolution
(We are to visit the classic Revolution museum in Center City Philadelphia.) [Homework 11, due 10pm]
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T, 12/27 – 9:15 am Reading of the U.S. Constitution
In celebration of Constitution Day, on September 18, 2006 dignitaries and faculty and students of Georgetown University participate in a dramatic reading of the U.S. Constitution which was signed on September 17, 1787. The event was co-sponsored by the People for the American Way Foundation and was held in the Gonda Theatre of Georgetown University; it is adapted directly from C-Span (www.c-span.org). [Homework 12, due 10pm]
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W, 12/28 – 5:30 pm Roger Sherman the Forgotten Founder
Born nearly three hundred years ago, Roger Sherman of Newton, Massachusetts was a Connecticut politician, an early statesment of America who opposed slavery throughout his life. Read about his story at newstimes and his compromise for a bicameral (two-part, like the Senate and the House of Representatives) legislature. Check out the first chapter "The Old Puritan and a New Nation" (Hall, 2013). [Homework 13, due 10pm] |
TH, 12/29 – 10:00 am Field Trip 3: National Constitution Center
(We are to visit the Constitution Center in Philadelphia, a comprehensive museum in the context matter.) 
Photo credited Visit Philadelphia [Homework 14, due 10pm]
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F, 12/30 – 9:15 am "We the People"–The Conception of Government
Read picturebook "We the People"; read slowly into Chapter III "Franklin's Conception of Government" (Eislen, M. R., 1928) and summarize what you learn. Take a look at Walter Johnson's 1944 pocket book "This Wonderful Country of Ours," and read through chapter V on 91 events in U.S. history. The Constitution retains its central role till this day, and people with different perspectives continue to debate its meaning, lay claim to its promise, and strive "to form a more perfect Union." Our responses to world's challenges will define us and our Constitution, which encourages us not to despair of our present difficulties but believe always in the promise and greatness of America. We shall never hide from history, but make it. [Final Exam, due by end of day]
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