Historical Analysis – Student Direction
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Historical Analysis – Student Direction Your Task: The Constitution is a written document that outlines the republican form of government we have today. After much compromise, 39 of the 55 delegates that attended the Constitutional Convention signed the document. Howard Chandler Christy’s painting of the signing of the United States Constitution was custom‐made in 1939 as part of the congressional celebration of the Constitution’s 150th anniversary. Finished in 1940, the scene is among the most well known images in the United States Capitol. It is on display in the east grand stairway of the House wing. Christy’s painting is highly praised as the best single picture ever created of the founding of America. However, it is not the only one that exists, and each day new artists are creating their own interpretations of historical events based on historical data. There is talk about commissioning a modern artist to create a new painting that will replace Christy’s interpretation of the signing. Critics have questioned its historical accuracy and intended message. Like all artistic pieces, one must question whether it displays the spirit of the time captured, the opinion of the author, or perhaps both. You have been selected to be part of a group to determine whether the artist’s political message displayed in the image is one that justifies its display in its Washington D.C. location. To determine this, you must critically analyze the image, determine the artists intended message, determine the author’s use of his craft to portray that message, and lastly, determine if the painting portrays the spirit of the Constitution and the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Essential Questions 1. How does an artist use his or her craft to reveal a political message? 2. What principles outlined in the Constitution align or are in opposition to the artist’s message? 3. How did the artist’s purpose for creating the painting impact the overall message? I will be able to: • Cite specific evidence to support analysis of primary and secondary sources. • Identify aspects of a text that reveals an author’s point of view or purpose. • Cite textual evidence that most strongly supports analysis of what a text explicitly states and what can be implied using context clues. How do we retrieve information? 1. Make inferences 2. Make observations 3. Ask questions How do we support our inferences? TEXT! • Painting‐‐Scene at the Signing of the Constitution of the United States • Constitution Packets • Delegate Packets • Delegates v. Signers List Directions: • Refer to the observations you made in column 1 yesterday (What do you see?) • Begin drawing inferences based on your observations of the painting. Write these inferences in column 2 (What do you think it means?) • Support or refute your inferences using specific text evidence. Note the evidence in column 3 (What specific textual evidence helps to support or refute your interpretation?) • If you are having difficulty supporting or refuting the inferen ces, what information do you need to know? Write any questions that you h ave on the whiteboard. You will have an opportunity during this activity t o ask questions to other students. At that point, if other students c annot find specific text evidence to address your question, you will be ab le to use technology to research. Discussion Question: Should Christy’s painting remain on display in Washington, D.C. or should it be replaced? Model-William Jackson, Secretary ObseNations: What do you see? •Wearing red-stands out •Holding up a hand and has something in his other hand •Central in the image •Looking at the viewer •Same color as carpet-carpet on the "stage" Inference: Text Excerpts: What do you think it means? What specifictextual evidence supports or refutes my inference? Since he was the secretary, he probably wrote down the notes, William Jackson, yet another immigrant at the Convention, was elected Secretary of the Convention and hee recorded the propositions and amendments as well ase and his writingsare why we know the vote tabulation. what happened at the Convention. (Overview: The ConstitutionalConvention) That makes him "central" to the meeting. A secretary was hired to keep a record of the proceedings. His records were lost. Question: But Madison sat close to the front, never missed a session, and copied down all the speeches. James Madison has been calledthe Father of the Constitution. Did he object to anything in the (Overview: The ConstitutionalConvention) document, or is he raising his hand in agreement? What do you see? What do you think it means? What specific textual evidence helps to support or refute your interpretation? Goal: You have been selected to be part of a group to determine whether the artist’s political message displayed in the image is one that justifies its display in its Washington D.C. location. To determine this, you must critically analyze the image, determine the artists intended message, determine the author’s use of his craft to portray that message, and lastly, determine if the painting portrays the spirit of the Constitution and the Continental Congress of 1787. From h'p://www.createyourself.com/wp-content/uploads/ KeySceneAtTheSigningOfTheConsAtuAonOfTheUnitedStates.jpg Overview: the Constitutional Convention The Call for a Grand Convention On May 15, 1776, the Second Continental Congress, meeting in Independence Hall, Philadelphia, issued “A Resolve” to the thirteen colonies: “Adopt such a government as shall, in the opinion of the representatives of the people, best conduce to the safety and happiness of their constituents in particular and America in general.” Between 1776 and 1780 each of the thirteen colonies adopted a republican form of government. What emerged was the most extensive documentation of the powers of government and the rights of the people that the world had ever witnessed. These state constitutions displayed a remarkable uniformity. Seven attached a prefatory Declaration of Rights, and all contained the same civil and criminal rights. Four states decided not to “prefix” a Bill of Rights to their constitutions, but, instead, incorporated the very same natural and traditional rights found in the prefatory declarations. New York incorporated the entire Declaration of Independence into its constitution. The primary purpose of these declarations and bills was to outline the objectives of government: to secure the right to life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness. The government that was chosen to secure these rights was declared universally to be “a republican form of government.” All of the states, except Pennsylvania, embraced a two-chamber legislature, and all, except Massachusetts, installed a weak executive and denied the Governor the power to veto bills of the legislature. All accepted the notion that the legislative branch should be preeminent, but, at the very same time, endorsed the concept that the liberty of the people was in danger from the corruption of the representatives. And this despite the fact that the representatives were installed by the election of the people. Thus, each state constitution embraced the notion of short terms of office for elected representatives along with recall, rotation, and term limits. The Second Continental Congress also created the first continental-wide system of governance. The Articles of Confederation created a nation of pre-existing states rather than a government over individuals. Thus, the very idea of a Bill of Rights was irrelevant because the Articles did not entail a government over individuals. The states were equally represented in the union regardless of size of population, only one branch was needed, normal political activity required the support of super majorities, the union was limited to the powers expressly enumerated, and amendment was required to endow the union with powers that weren’t specifically articulated. Amendments required the unanimous approval of all thirteen state legislatures. The Articles didn’t come into operation until the early 1780s because of territorial disputes between two states; all of the states were required to “sign on” before the Articles became operative on any one state. These two directives produced two opposite and rival situations: an early operating, robust and healthy state and local politics and a late arriving, weak and divisive continental arrangement. Several statesmen, especially George Washington, were concerned that the idea of an American mind that had emerged during the war with Britain was about to disappear and the Articles of Confederation were inadequate to foster the development of an American character. According to Washington, “we have errors to correct.” He argued that the states refused to comply with the articles of peace, the union was unable to regulate interstate commerce, and the states met, but oh so grudgingly, just the minimum interstate standards required by the Articles. Others, especially James Madison, were concerned that the state legislatures—dominated by what he saw as oppressive, unjust, and overbearing majorities—were passing laws detrimental to the rights of individual conscience and the right to private property. And there was nothing that the union government could do about it because the Articles left matters of religion and commerce to the states. The solution, concluded Madison, was to create an extended republic, in which a variety of opinions, passions, and interests would check and balance each other, supported by a governmental framework that endorsed a separation of powers between the branches of the general government. Between 1781 and 1785 attempts “to correct these errors” failed to secure the required unanimous consent of the state legislatures. Matters changed, however, in 1786. Following James Madison’s suggestion of 21 January 1786, the Virginia Legislature invited all the States to discuss ways to reduce interstate conflicts in Annapolis, Maryland. The “commissioners” in attendance at Annapolis during September 1786, chatted about these particular concerns, but suggested that the conversation be both deepened and widened.