Revolution and Constitution Project
1. For your project, you are to select a topic dealing with some aspect of either the Revolutionary War or the Constitution. Your final project should be in the 5 to 10 page range (12 point font and standard margins,) so choose your topic accordingly. You may work with a partner, but your proposal should then be for a lengthier and weightier project.
2. You will also need to turn in a proposed rubric for your project. Decide how you want to weight the topics that you will cover. Both the proposal and rubric are subject to my approval.
3. Submit your project proposal and suggested rubric on ????. Your proposal should include a paragraph describing your main topic and a list of subjects you will cover as you explore that topic. In your rubric, you will decide how many points each aspect of your project is worth.
4. Submit a detailed outline of your project on?????. You will receive a grade on this. You may receive 2 points per day (for a maximum of 10 points) for turning it in early. You will also lose 10 points per day for each day that you turn in this assignment late. Look at a sample outline so that you know what is expected.
5. Your final copy of the project is due on ???? You may receive 2 points per day (for a maximum of 10 points) for turning it in early. You will also lose 10 points per day for each day that you turn in this assignment late.
Sample Rubrics
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A Battle
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A Supreme Court Decision |
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Profiles of Military leaders involved |
10 |
|
The facts of case |
10 |
|
Examination of the background on events leading up to the battle |
15 |
|
Analysis of the Constitutional issues involved and the historical background |
15 |
|
Discussion of the Americans' strategy |
10 |
|
Analysis of the arguments each side used in their presentation to the Supreme Court |
15 |
|
Discussion of the British Strategy |
10 |
|
Examination of the Supreme Court's decision and any dissent |
15 |
|
Description of the battle, its aftermath and its impact on the war |
15 |
|
Examination of the Court's decision |
15 |
|
Detailed maps showing action on the battlefield |
10 |
|
Assessment of the ramifications of the opinion for the rest of society |
15 |
|
Evaluation of the strengths and weaknesses of each side |
15 |
|
Good grammar and spelling |
15 |
|
Good grammar and spelling |
15 |
|
|
100 |
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Total |
100 |
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When you turn in your completed paper, you must attach the following in the designated order:
1. Your approved rubric
2. Final Paper
3. Your detailed, approved outline
(You will lose 5 pts. apiece if you don't include your approved rubric and approved outline.)
Suggested Topics
1. Do a history of a specific battle. Write a narrative describing what happened during the battle. Include short biographical descriptions of some of the military leaders involved in the battle. Include diagrams to show troop movement. Evaluate the mistakes or intelligent maneuvers made by either side.
2. Write a series of letters from a soldier home describing his wartime experiences. Choose actual dates following a battle and have the soldier describe the battle from his point of view. Include the soldier's descriptions and opinions of real figures such as generals or politicians. Include realistic descriptions of the daily life of a soldier.
3. Write a diary for a civilian who stayed at home during the war. Include references to real events. Include entries reacting to news of the war and what is happening closer to home. Express your opinion of people and events of the time.
4. Write an essay analyzing events in the period leading up to the or during the war from the British or Loyalist point of view.
5. Pick an actual Supreme Court case. Analyze the issues involved and their history. Summarize the arguments each side used to support their cases. Examine the justices' final decision and any dissent that was offered. Evaluate their decision and assess the implications of that decision for our society.
6. Pretend that you are a journalist who has an inside view of the Constitutional Convention. Write an article explaining a particular issue and the positions the real historical men at the Convention took concerning that issue.
7. Pick an issue that is important today and explore the Constitutional issues involved. Hypothesize how the Founding Fathers would have felt about this issue and support your arguments with evidence.
8. Pick a topic and argue your point of view using detailed evidence to support your views. Suggested ideas:
a. Does George Washington deserve his reputation as a great general?
b. Mistakes made by one or both sides during the War
c. Should George Washington be rated one of our very best presidents?
d. Could the Americans have won the war without the help of the French?
e. What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
f. Given the stated war aims of the Americans how successful were American negotiators at the Treaty of Paris?
g. Were the delegates to the Constitutional Convention mainly concerned with their own economic benefit?
9. Explore in detail a topic concerning the War or the Constitution. Suggested ideas are:
a. How British domestic politics influence their conduct of the War
b. Origin of ideas influencing the Constitution
c. The role of blacks in the War
d. The arguments against the ratification of the Constitution
e. The role of Loyalist partisans in the fighting of the War.
f. The role of spies during the War
(These are just suggestions. Feel free to pick a different topic.)