Constitutional Clause

by

Humanities

Prompt Choose one section or clause in the Constitution (from Articles 1-7) – NOT The amendments.

Make an argument for why the Framers constructed the section or clause as they did and explain their theoretical motivations for including it in the Constitution. Make sure to provide plenty of evidence to support your claim.

You should use Madison’s theories found in Federalist 10 and 51 as the heart of your explanation. You should also include a few other scholarly sources to buttress your argument. Be sure to use Monk’s The Words We Live By book!

In your conclusion provide an alternative version of the clause that would improve it, OR defend it in its current state.

Submission

You will need to turn in a hard copy of your paper in class on Wed, 3 October 2018, and an electronic copy to TurnItIn (via the course’s Canvas site) one hour prior to the start of class. Further details on how to submit your paper to TurnItIn will be provided. Failure to submit both copies of your paper will result in late penalties (see Policies and Rules below).

General paper requirements: Approximately 4 pages (excluding title page and references), double-spaced, 12-point Times New Roman font, and 1” margins. Students will use the Chicago Manual of Style’s “author-date” system for their citations and references (see http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html).

Suggested organization

  • Cover page (not included in page count)
  • Section I – Introduction (roughly 1/2 of a page)
    • Hook your reader by communicating the importance of your topic and provide a strong thesis statement that communicates your main argument (AND, serves as a road-map for the rest of your paper).
  • Section II – Clause Overview (roughly 1/2 of a page)
    • A very brief overview of the clause’s importance / development in US politics.
  • Section III – Central Arguments (roughly 2 pages)
    • Your main arguments connecting the clause with Fed 10 / 51 and any other evidence you may have found. Constantly connect your evidence back to your thesis statement.
  • Section IV – Conclusion (roughly 3/4 of a page)
    • Quickly summarize your main argument and provide an alternative or defense.
  • Works cited page (not included in page count)

You have a copy of the US Constitution and THIS site is useful:

https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution?utm_source=web&utm_medium=homepage&utm_campaign=IC#

or

http://bit.ly/2etpBiI