"We The People... The U.S. Constitution and You"
including a segement on unique treatment of Native Americans within our Constitution explained by the only enrolled tribal member in the US Congress, Congressman Tom Cole.
This video features Caroline Kennedy and John Garamendi. It helps students understand their particular access points to our democracy through the Member of Congress constitutionally elected to represent them.
Discussion Questions
Personal Reflection: What Do You Think? 1) Do the principles of the Constitution affect your daily life and that of your family? If so in what way? 2) Could the existence or absense of these principles become a life or death issue for you and your family? 3) If you had to discard all but four principles of the Constitution, which four would you keep because you consider them most essential to the well being of you and your family?
Critical Analysis: Use the video and your analysis of it to answer these questions: 1) What is the difference between an American law and a principle of the American Constitution? 2) What is the primary difference between the way one changes a federal law compared to how one changes a principle in the the U.S. Constitution? What do you think is the reason for this difference? 3) Which principle of our Constitition receives the most credit for enabling changes to occur in the society (changes such as the Women's Voting Rights Movement or the Civil Rights Movement)?
Applying Your Knowledge: So, How does all this affect me? 1) How does the Constitution make sure that the determination of whether you have done something seriously wrong is taken out of the hands of the government and put into the hands of your fellow citizens? 2) What element within the U.S. Constitution keeps the president and the military he or she oversees from abusing their power and abusing citizens, as occurs in many other countries?