Show 824 Part 1 of 10. Constitution 101. The Meaning and History of the Constitution

Show 824 Part 1 of  10. Constitution 101. The Meaning and History of the Constitution.

 

About Constitution 101

 

“Constitution 101: The Meaning and History of the Constitution” is a free 10-week online course presented by Hillsdale College.

 

Featuring an expanded format from the “Introduction to the Constitution” lecture series with Hillsdale College President Dr. Larry Arnn, Constitution 101 follows closely the one-semester course required of all Hillsdale College undergraduate students.

 

In this course, you can:

 

•watch lectures from the same Hillsdale faculty who teach on campus;

•study the same readings taught in the College course;

•submit questions for weekly Q&A sessions with the faculty;

•access a course study guide;

•test your knowledge through weekly quizzes; and

•upon completion of the course, receive a certificate from Hillsdale College.

You must register in order to participate in Constitution 101. Even if you have already signed up for a previous Hillsdale webcast or seminar, we ask that you complete the simple registration process for Constitution 101. There is no cost to register for this course, but we ask that you consider a donation to support our efforts to educate millions of Americans about our nation’s Founding documents and principles.

 

For the entire course including Overview, video of the lecture, Readings, Study Guide,

Quiz, Q & A Session and Course Schedule visit:

http://www.hillsdale.edu/constitution/weekly_course_schedule.aspx

 

Part 1 of 10. The American Mind.

Overview

America’s Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson said, was the product of “the American mind.”  Our Constitution was made with the same purpose as the Declaration—to establish a regime where the people are sovereign, and the government protects the rights granted to them by their Creator.

 

The word “constitution” means “to ordain and establish something.”  It also means “to set a firm thing strongly in place.”  It is linked to two other words: statute and statue.  All three words—constitution, statute, and statue—connote a similar idea of establishing something lasting and beautiful.

 

The Constitution, then, is a work of art.  It gives America its form.  To fully know the “cause,” or purpose, of America, one must know the Declaration of Independence.  Thomas Jefferson, its author, mentioned four thinkers for their contribution to molding “the American mind”: Aristotle, Cicero, Algernon Sidney, and John Locke.

  

Studying these philosophers is a wondrous task in itself, and it greatly helps our understanding of America, just as it informed the statecraft of the Founders.  Knowing the meaning of the Declaration and Constitution is vital to the choice before us today as to whether we will live under a Constitution different than the one bequeathed to us. 

Readings

1.           “Letter to Henry Lee” - Thomas Jefferson

2.           “On the Commonwealth” - Marcus Tullius Cicero

3.           “Nicomachean Ethics” - Aristotle

4.           “The Politics” - Aristotle

5.           “Discourses Concerning Government” - Algernon Sidney

6.           “Second Treatise of Government” - John Locke

7.           “Fragment on the Constitution and the Union” - Abraham Lincoln

8.          “The Inspiration of the Declaration” - Calvin Coolidge

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Do you want to go beyond the readings for Constitution 101? Order The U.S. Constitution: A Reader today!

 

 

Study Guide for part 1 of 10.

Week One Study Guide

Or visit:  

http://www.hillsdale.edu/constitution/pdfs/01_Con101_StudyGuide_Week1.pdf