The issues in the debates over ratifying the Constitution are fundamental to understanding the American Founding. Reading the words of the Federalists and Antifederalists offers unique insights into the principles of American Government. These insights are frequently lost in textbook accounts.
Unfortunately, these works are too difficult for many people today. The vocabulary and length of these documents combine into a perfect storm of discouragement for even highly motivated readers. This hurts our understanding of these issues, and it cripples our ability to engage in the conversation started in 1787. These issues remain relevant and hotly contested.
This edition seeks to fulfill two broad goals: 1) to make these debates accessible to readers while still retaining the original words of the authors and 2) to foster discussions on these vital issues. Each of these 52 documents have been trimmed to a manageable size to make them accessible while still being challenging. Each document also includes a series of questions to foster discussion.
This edition brings together a coherent collection of primary source documents, making them ideal for use in advanced high school classes or introductory college courses. The included Document Based Questions will save time for teachers, and the collection as a whole will foster a conversation between readers today and the Founding Fathers of 1787.
About the Editor:
Charles Martindell teaches College Credit Plus courses of Government and Western Civilization. In 2012, he received a Master of Arts degree in American History and Government from Ashland University, where he was honored with the Chairman’s Award for Outstanding Performance. He also serves as an Ashbrook Ambassador with the Ashbrook Center at Ashland University.
Many of the activities and assignments for his classes (including a printable PDF of this book) are available at
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/S...
