The Declaration of Independence
Essay video link Supplemental Reading and Viewing To truly understand the political socialization of our founding fathers, it is first necessary to achieve an understanding of the historic and political influences that shaped their world-view. As with the audio lecture linked on this page, we begin in 1215, at Runnymead with King John and the signing of the Magna Carta. For additional required reading, please point your browser to https://www.bl.uk/magna-carta (Links to an external site.) to view the original document. Then you might consider reading “The Basics” segment on that page, and familiarize yourself with the document under the British Library’s “English Translation of the Magna Carta.” As in part two of our audio lectures, we then take a look at the philosophers whose writing so deeply influenced the founding fathers. Next, we visit John Locke at https://plato.stanford.edu/entries/locke/ (Links to an external site.) briefly reviewing his biography and reading the short Section 4.1 on his “The Second Treatise on Civil Government.” Next we meet Jean-Jacques Rousseau at http://www.philosophypages.com/ph/rous.htm (Links to an external site.) where we read his short biography before clicking through to https://constitution.org/ (Links to an external site.) to read select parts of the English version of his “The Social Contract.” Please review book three, containing 18 short essay-chapters. Please take your time going over this supplemental recommended reading! Elements of this reading will be found in our on-line quiz. You will also find that the information you gather in this review might be quite helpful in developing your response to the seminar question below (in fact, a well-written essay would be definition have elements of this supplemental reading). Seminar Question For Essay Three double-spaced pages is the norm for these, and indeed all the following seminar questions, as described in the online videos. Start by creating a solid thesis statement driven directly by the question below, as covered in the video. Then, by outlining your essay in direct relation to that thesis statement, your writing should flow easily. What were the influences of history, culture, economics and philosophy on the drafters of the Declaration of Independence? How can you see those influences reflected in that essay and, subsequently, in contemporary American political society?
