Lecture Guide[*]

Broad Outline of Unit I

A. Introduction to the Course

I. Everything You Need to Know

B. Revolutions & Constitutions: Definitions & Etymologies

I. Three Cases of the Course: US, Russia, Iran

II. Revolutions, Constitutions, wars, and Alphabets

III. Major Questions to Investigate

IV. Some Definitions

V. Revolutions: Five Basic Conditions

VI. Revolution as Unstable Equilibrium

VII. Types of Revolutions

VIII. Revolutions as Modern

C. English Antecedents & The Approach to Independence

I. England in the 17th Century

a. Two major axes of political conflict

b. Two major moments: Civil war & "Glorious Revolution"

II. Declaration of Right

IV. John Locke and the Second Treatise on Government (1690)

V. Locke Not Exceptionally Radical

D. Revolution & War

I. Highlights of Late-Colonial American History (1763-1776)

II. The issue of Parliament's authority over the colonies

III. The Declaration of Independence (and its debt to Locke)

IV. Constitution-Making at Various Levels

V. The Declaration of Independence

E. The Articles of Confederation & the Problem of the “United States”

I. What kind of union?

II. Highlights of the Articles

V. "United States" is or are?

VI. Towards Federation

VI. Federalists & Anti-Federalists

F. The US Constitution: A Synopsis

I. Constitution’s Structure

II. The Constitution's “bookends”: The Preamble and Article VII

III. Article VI: Various issues

IV. Article V: Amendments

V. Article IV: Other various issues

VI. Article 1: The legislative branch

VII. Article 2: The Executive (Presidency. Electoral College, etc.)

VIII. Article 3: the Judiciary (Supreme Court, judicial review. etc.)

IX. Separation of Powers, Checks & Balances

G. The Constitution & the Bill of Rights

I. Relation of BOR to Constitution & its Ratification

II. Purpose of the BOR

III. Implications: BOR originally protects states rather than individuals

IV. Why did First Congress Propose the BOR?

V. No. 1: Freedoms

VI. Nos. 2-3: Military stuff

VII. Nos. 4-8: Various issues

VIII. Nos. 9-10: Popular sovereignty

H. The US Constitution: Subsequent Evolutions (Amendments 11-27)

I. Two main periods of innovation

a. Reconstruction, nos. 13-15 (1865-70)

b. Progressive Era, nos. 16-20 (1913-20)

II. Nos. 11 &12: Various

III. Reconstruction or Civil War A’s

a. Civil War and changes to the Country since 1804

b. The problem of slavery & emancipation

c. The 14th amendment and the Constitution's transformation

d. The Larger Significance of 13th and 14th

d. 15th amendment and voting rights

c. Frederick Douglass’s critique

IV. Progressive Era amendments

a. Broader context

b. Nos. 16-20

c. Democracy broadened, but Constitution not Transformed

V. Nos. 23, 24 & 26: Other extensions of democracy

VI. Nos. 18 & 21: Prohibition & its repeal

VII. Nos. 20, 22 & 25: Amendments on the Presidency

VIII. No. 27: Two centuries in the making!

I. Expansion, Federalism & Nevada

I. Entry of news states into the union

a. The Northwest Ordinance (1787)

b. Constitution (art. IV, sec. 3)

c. No distinction between Old & New States

IV. US Expansion & Statehood for Nevada

V. Main attributes of Nevada constitution

a. Supremacy of Union over states

b. Basic structure of constitution

c. Rejection of “little federal plan”

d. Provisions for direct democracy

e. More Mind-Blowing Stuff

VI. Hooray for the Nevada Constitution!

As you read and attend lectures and discussions, you should think about being reasonably familiar with the following people, terms, concepts, and events.[*]

sovereignty / revolution / constitution
republic / monarchy / autocracy
federation / confederation / John Locke
"Glorious Revolution" / Second Treatise of Government / William & Mary
English Declaration of Rights / James II / British Parliament
French & Indian War / British constitution / Stamp Act
Townshend Act / Coercive (Intolerable) Acts / Declaratory Act
Lexington & Concord / Declaration of Independence / King George III
Revolutionary War / George Washington / Benjamin Franklin
Article of the Confederation / "united states" / State constitutions
Constitutional Convention / ratification / Executive branch
Legislative branch / Judicial branch / separation of powers
checks & balances / Federalist papers / Alexander Hamilton
John Jay / James Madison / Supreme Court
John Marshall / Judicial review / constitutional amendments
Northwest Ordinance / Quebec Act of 1774 / Nevada constitution
"little federal plan" / Recall / Referendum
Initiative / Plural executive / slavery & emancipation
Abraham Lincoln / Frederick Douglass / American Civil War

[*] This is an outline that provides merely a rough outline of the course’s first unit.

[*] Note the very useful chronology to the American Revolution in Wood, pp. xiii-xvii.