3.10 Constitution in Current Events Discussion

The Constitution in Current Events: Discussion

Today you will use the Allsides website to find your own article, read it, look for bias, and find the main idea.

James McHenry was a Maryland delegate to the Constitutional Convention. In his diary entry of September 18, 1787, the day after the delegates adopted the Constitution, he recorded that he heard a lady ask Benjamin Franklin, "Well, Doctor, what have got? A republic or a monarchy?"

McHenry writes that Franklin replied, "A republic, if you can keep it."

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The framers of the Constitution believed that the success and the future of the new republic required that the people be well-informed regarding the policies of the government.

In this manner, knowledgeable voters would serve as a check and balance on public officials who may become corrupt and seek their own interests over the interests of the nation. Benjamin Franklin may have had this idea in his mind when he said, ". . . if you can keep it."

In this lesson, you will research current event news related to the separation of powers and the system of checks and balances, one of the features the framers built into the Constitution to limit the potential of corruption in government. You will also compare how two news sources report on the same event to practice the skills necessary to become well-informed members of American society.

In this lesson you will answer the Essential Question:

How does the system of checks and balances affect the U.S. government today and how do different sources report on the same issue?

​The Constitution is referred to as a living document. This means that it is not merely a historical artifact but a document whose meaning can change to reflect the times and the challenges America faces in continuing to build "a more perfect Union."

You can see elements of the Constitution and the discussions around its meaning in current events. The ability to connect foundational documents to modern events will allow you to not only understand the Constitution in a historical context but to view it as the "rules of the road" for modern government and all of the ways that government shapes your life.

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In public discourse, or discussion, related to government, you will encounter viewpoints that are biased or opinionated. Bias is prejudice in favor of or against an idea or another group. Opinion means someone's viewpoint on a topic that may or may not rely on facts for proof.

You can also expect bias and opinion in news reporting you read.

Biased news is not a new trend in news reporting. Recall that the Federalist Papers and Anti-Federalist essays widely published in newspapers during the ratification of the Constitution were biased essays meant to influence public opinion in support of its adoption.

The framers believed that the ideals of freedom of speech and freedom of the press, two rights listed in the First Amendment, were fundamental to democracy and necessary elements for an informed citizenry. The news media are a critical component of that public debate. 

By exploring news articles on the same topic from sources that offer different perspectives, you can understand all sides of an issue and make your own judgments about the issue.

You should search for news stories that discuss how the branches of government interact. For example, search for stories about how the president and Congress are cooperating or are in conflict over an issue, or stories about a federal court case and the constitutional question at its center.

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Remember this chart? Let's review...

Match

Match the following

• Congress Overrides Presidential Vetos - Broccoli is Now Outlawed

• Court Finds Law that Outlaws Newspapers Unconstitutional

• 
  

  President Nominates High School Student to the Supreme Court

legislative branch check on executive

judicial branch check on legislative

executive branch check on the judicial

• 
  

  legislative branch check on executive

• 
  

  judicial branch check on legislative

• 
  

  executive branch check on the judicial

You will use the website below to begin your research for two current event stories related to the separation of powers and checks and balances.

The website below is a news aggregator, a website that collects news stories from different sources. This website gives each article a rating of "left, center, or right." These terms describe the perspective or bias of a given news source.

https://www.allsides.com/unbiased-balanced-news

"Left" means the news source is generally liberal or progressive and most often reflects the policies and viewpoints of the Democratic Party.

"Center" means the news source is generally balanced in its reporting.

"Right" means the news source is generally conservative and most often reflects the policies and viewpoints of the Republican Party.

Use the topics below to help in your search for news articles relating to separation of powers & checks and balances:

• Presidential or Governor Vetoes

• Congress- any congressional news- can be about the House of Representatives, the Senate or both.

• Executive Branch Actions

• The Supreme Court declaring something unconstitutional

• The president nominating judges

• Presidential pardons

Multiple Select

Is your article a news, analysis or opinion piece?

• NEWS

• OPINION

• ANALYSIS

Open Ended

What is the title of your article? You can copy and paste it in here.

Take a few minutes to read your article.

Open Ended

Briefly, what is the main idea of your article?

Multiple Select

In your opinion, did your article sound bias or in favor of a certain person or point of view?

• YES

• NO

Live Classroom:

CNN 10 OR World From A to Z

​Friday

Unit 4 Knowledge Check- Legislative Branch
& Introduction to Congress

​Thursday

Coming up this week...