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Activity 2.1: RAFTing the Power of the People
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Lesson 2: Popular Sovereignty: The Consent of the Governed

Activity 2.1: The Power of the People

POWER TO THE PEOPLE! In an ideal democracy, it is the consent of the governed--POPULAR SOVEREIGNTY--that gives power to the government. Though they may be slow to awaked to governmental problems, the people eventually will get around to demanding the necessary changes to fix their government.

What is “power of the people” you ask? Why it is Popular sovereignty! The consent of the governed! No matter how it is phrased, this essential element of democracy rouses emotional sentiments connected images of people marching in demonstrations, yelling on cable talk shows, brandishing their favorite legal firearms, or protesting a governor’s controversial stance on a labor issue. The founding documents of the United States expound upon the principle of popular sovereignty and history abounds with examples of its expression at home and abroad. In this lesson you will critique the significance of the articulation of popular sovereignty in the U.S. Constitution and other founding documents.

Benchmark 9.1.2.3.2:

Identify the sources of governmental authority; explain popular sovereignty (consent of the governed) as the source of legitimate governmental authority in a representative democracy or republic.

Learning Targets:

I can...translate the expressions of popular sovereignty as they are articulated in the U.S. Constitution and other founding documents into present-day language.

I can...critique the significance of the articulation of popular sovereignty in the U.S. Constitution and other founding documents.

Essential Question:

How and why is popular sovereignty articulated in the U.S. Constitution and other founding documents?

To complete Activity 2.1 please follow the steps below:

STEP 1

You will use the following links to locate references to and expressions of popular sovereignty in the founding documents of the United States. You will be submitting your work via document upload for this activity and it would benefit you to construct your responses on a Word or Google Doc to ensure their security. Use the Rubric for RAFTing the Power of the People to guide your efforts. For each of the references and/or expressions of popular sovereignty you have located in the founding documents, you will complete the following two (2) tasks:

  1. Write down the expression of popular sovereignty as it is articulated (written) in the document.
  2. Without altering the meaning, translate the language of the expression as it is used in the document into present-day language.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

Excerpt Expressing Popular Sovereignty (look for “Consent of the Governed”)

U.S. Constitution (1787)

Preamble

Federalist Papers (1787-1788)

This is an overview article of the Federalist Papers. Read under the heading Constitutional Government. 

Bill of Rights (1791)

Ninth Amendment

STEP 2

As you read through both pages this article, select 3 examples of popular sovereignty from American history and 3 examples of popular sovereignty from world history. Provide a brief description for each example that explains how it was an expression of popular sovereignty.

STEP 3

You need to write about what you have learned, but you will be taking a unique approach to your writing. You will need to make a decision. You must either support the concept of popular sovereignty or oppose popular sovereignty. Once you have your decision to support or oppose popular sovereignty, you will complete a writing activity called a RAFT: You will consider your role, your audience, the format of what you’re writing, and the topic you are writing about. Respond to the four (4) RAFT tasks below:

  1. Role: What role are you playing? Are you a slave? Opponent of a strong central government? Against the wrong people getting too much power? Farmer? Frontiersman? Rich? Poor? Politician? A person that can’t make up their mind?

  1. Audience: Who should you consider as the audience for this writing? Other students? Your teacher? Local community? A fictional historical grouping of the Founding Fathers? A groups of rich lawyers? A group of struggling women? Other individuals from history?

  1. Format: Is it a diary entry and you’re writing as if you are living through it? Or is what you’re are writing like a newspaper article and you’re an all-star reporter?

  1. Topic: This is the when, where, who, what, and why that will be the focus/subject of your writing assignment. When does your event you are writing about take place? Where is this happening? Who is involved? What is it all about? Why is it important?

STEP 4

Using your responses to the RAFT, start writing your assignment in paragraph format. Be sure that it includes all 4 parts of the RAFT.

STEP 5

Respond to the following question: Based upon everything you have learned, how and why is popular sovereignty articulated in the U.S. Constitution and other founding documents?


STEP 6

When you have completed STEPS 1-5 you will use the each of the 7 elements of the Rubric for RAFTing the Power of the People to grade your own assignment and provide a written explanation of why you graded yourself in the way you did. This should be completed on a separate document.

STEP 7

SUBMIT THIS ALL OF YOUR WRITTEN WORK AND YOUR WRITTEN EXPLANATION OF YOUR PERSONAL GRADE THROUGH THE ASSIGNMENT MODULE BELOW.

Upload your work to the add submission box
o Open document on your computer
o Complete the essay
o Click "Save As" and save it onto a special place on your computer
o Click "Upload a File"
o Upload the file to this Moodle page
o Click Save. You will repeat these same directions for the written explanation for your personal grade.