American Democracy Now, 2nd Edition (Harrison)

Chapter 2: The Constitution

Chapter Outline



  1. What Is a Constitution?
  2. The Creation of the United States of America
    1. Colonization and Governance of America
    2. British Policy Incites a Rebellion
      1. A "Massacre" and a Tea Party
      2. The Continental Congress's Demands for Political Rights
    3. The Common Sense of Declaring Independence
    4. The State Constitutions
    5. The Articles of Confederation (1781-1789)
      1. Structure and Authority of the Confederation
      2. Weaknesses of the Confederation
  3. Crafting the Constitution: Compromise, Ratification, and Quick Amendment
    1. Consensus
      1. Dual Sovereignty
      2. National Supremacy
      3. Separation of Powers with Integrated Checks and Balances
    2. Conflict and Compromise over Representative Democracy
      1. The Connecticut Compromise
      2. The Constitution's Checks on Representative Democracy
    3. Conflict and Compromise over Slavery
    4. Congress Sends the Constitution to the States for Ratification
      1. Article I: The Legislative Branch
      2. Article II: The Executive Branch
      3. Article III: The Judicial Branch
      4. Article IV: State-to-State Relations
      5. Article V: The Amendment Process
      6. Article VI: Supremacy of the Constitution
      7. Article VII: The Constitutional Ratification Process
    5. The Federalist–Anti-Federalist Debate
      1. The Federalist Papers: In Support of a Strong National Government
      2. The Anti-Federalist Response: In Opposition to a Strong National Government
    6. The Bill of Rights (1791): Establishing Civil Liberties
  4. The Constitution as a Living, Evolving Document
    1. Formal Amendment of the Constitution
    2. Interpretation by the U.S. Supreme Court
Harrison: American Democracy Now, 2nd Edition
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