Before completing this assignment, please make sure that you have reviewed all of the assigned readings for the Constitution (as listed in the Assignment Outline and Reading Schedule), read the 2 sets of class notes related to the Constitution posted for this week, watch prof. savoie’s weekly class video and watch the Crash Course videos on the Constitution linked in the Assignment Outline and Reading Schedule.
For this assignment:
1. Please respond in approximately 2 to 4 paragraphs to the following prompts (worth a maximum of 30 points):
- Briefly describe the 2 biggest priorities of the Framers (the authors of the U.S. Constitution) in creating our current Constitution (as discussed in the Constitution class notes and in prof. savoie’s weekly video.
- The British political philosopher Thomas Hobbes believed that the most successful and sustainable governments would be accomplished through what he called “an eternal constitution,” that is, a governing document that would be functional and effective indefinitely into the future with minimal or no changes. As avid readers and followers of Hobbes, the Framers did everything in their power to make our current Constitution “eternal.” Given your understanding of the U.S. Constitution and of the current crises that we are currently experiencing in the United States (including the ongoing COVD-19 crisis, extreme partisan and ideological polarization, as well as ongoing challenges to the validity of the 2020 Presidential election and the events of January 6, 2021, do you believe that the U.S. Constitution is still “eternal” or do you believe that significant changes need to be made to it in order for our representative democracy to be maintained? Explain.
2. In approximately three complete sentences each, briefly reply to 2 of your classmates posts (worth a maximum of 10 points): Please be sure to keep all comments constructive and professional.