Research paper(Hist 1301)

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Constitution Term Paper

For this assignment you will consider whether or not the U.S. Constitution is counter-

revolutionary and discuss its democratic nature. In other words, does the Constitution

establish a democracy. The paper should be divided into four sections:

1. The first section should be a telling of the creation of the Constitution. How was

it created? Why?

2. Part two should discuss the counter-revolutionary nature of the Constitution.

3. Part three should discuss whether or not the U.S. is a democracy based on the

Constitution.

4. The fourth and final part is the conclusion, in which you discuss the

consequences/legacy of these two themes. For instance, if the Constitution is

counter-revolutionary, then what does that mean for us today? What did it mean

for previous Americans?

Guidelines:

1. Your paper should be between 1250 to 1500 words (not including header, title or

bibliography), which comes out to roughly 4 to 5 pages in length.

2. You must use a minimum of 3 and a maximum of 6 sources in your paper, which

will be written according to my style/writing guide posted on BB/Canvas (including a

minimum of 6 internal citations). To uncover the best sources, you will need to read

as many as 8+ sources, the more the better for knowledge of your topic. Do not

shortchange this process. Often the best sources are found after several days of

library or on-line research. The first sources you read are not always the best or

the most credible or insightful.

• You will be required to use at least one primary source (the verbiage of a

law, a constitutional amendment, a group’s manifesto or a policy). Other

sources may include but are not be limited to monographs (books written

about a specific subject), TV documentaries, film documentaries, polls,

journals, articles, and speeches.

• You must use a minimum of 1 monograph; a book specifically written about a

topic or theme.

**Wikipedia is not allowed – it’s a good starting point to find general information but

should not be utilized as an official source**

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To complete the assignment, you will need to consider/answer the following questions:

1. What does counter-revolutionary mean?

2. How did the first plan of government, the Articles of Confederation, differ from

the Constitution? What were its strengths and weaknesses?

3. Was the Constitution an abandonment of the ideals of the American Revolution? If

so, how?

4. Whom does the Constitution serve vs the Articles of Confederation? Why is this

significant?

5. Where does power reside in the relationship between people and government under

the Constitution?

6. Was the Constitution essential to assure our survival as a nation?

7. If you could change the Constitution, what changes would you make and why?

Plagiarism:

Plagiarism is a very serious offense. The penalty for plagiarizing your research

paper (not documenting sources, copying information from others without giving

credit, buying a paper online, etc) is a grade of 0 for the assignment and

possibly an F for your final grade. You do not want an F showing up on a

transcript as it will decrease your chances of transferring to another

educational institution. Do your own work and cite any and all outside sources

properly according to parenthetical format (see my writing/style guide for instructions

on citing). When in doubt, make an appointment with

your instructor (and do not make the appointment the afternoon of the day

before the paper is due).

IMPORTANT NOTES:

The first step you should take in writing a research/term paper is writing an

OUTLINE.

After writing your outline it is easy to develop everything into sentences and

paragraphs

Many students have difficulty formulating proper sentences and paragraphs

because they have not started with an outline. IT MAKES A DIFFERENCE!

Print out your final draft. Read it. Then re-read it. Make corrections - it is not

going to be perfect the first time through.

Then give a draft to someone else to read - friend, parent, teacher, whatever.

Listen to their suggestions and then make MORE CORRECTIONS.

It is unlikely that anything you write will be perfect the first time. Get used to

writing and re-writing your papers. Your skills as a writer will only improve.