Instructions: You must write 2 essays based on your analysis of your choice of the documents below to fulfill the essay requirement. They are worth a maximum of 500 points each.
The papers should not be long–no more than 2 pages (500 words minimum). Read the document and respond to the questions at the end. Number your responses to correspond to the questions and answer each question in a new paragraph. Each paragraph should include support drawn directly from the source.
I look for more than a simple factual answer to the question. Tell me why you think your answer is correct. In other words justify your answer from the document itself or by logical reasoning about its contents and the events that brought it about. Show me that you have thought seriously about what you have read.
Questions:
Many Americans believe that the “Founding Fathers” established the Constitution of 1787 to safeguard individual rights. Yet the freedom of speech, the freedom of the press, the right to bear arms, or the right to be secure in one’s home are set forth in the Bill of Rights, which did not become part of the Constitution until 1791. And it was not the Federalist proponents of the Constitution who insisted that it be amended to include these rights so cherished today. It was their Anti-Federalist opponents.
Questions:
1) What were the “Founding Fathers’” motives for creating the Constitution, according to the author of source 1?
2) Do the essay’s conclusions seem to be supported by the primary sources?
3) Can you use the primary sources to make an alternate case for the creation of the Constitution?
4) How does the explanation of the “Founding Fathers’” motives in the secondary source compare to that suggested by your textbook?