1. Defining and Debating America’s Founding Ideals
Chapter 2
Defining and Debating America’s Founding Ideals

2. Bellringer Write the following statements on your Bellringer sheet:
All Americans are equal
Some Americans have more rights than others
Americans have all the freedom they deserve
All Americans have the same opportunity to succeed in life
Wealthy people have a more powerful voice in American democracy than do others

3. Bellringer
Next to each slide write the letter that best represents your views on each statement:
A. strongly disagree
B. mildly disagree
C. mildly agree
D. strongly agree

4. Preview
Each question in the Bellringer relates to one of the US’ founding ideals:
Equality
Liberty
Democracy
Opportunity
Rights

5. Chapter 2 Essential Question
What are America’s founding ideals and why are they important?
Read the Introduction to Chapter 1
What’s the difference between an idea and an ideal?

6. Equality Follow Up No 2 humans are exactly alike
They are different when they’re born
They have different skills
They are different physically, emotionally, mentally
They are born into different social status
So how can they be equal?

7. Equality Follow Up
As members of a society, all persons should have their equality guaranteed in 2 ways:
Equality before the law
There are no different laws for different classes
Equality of rights
Each person is entitled to his/her life with every other person
Each person is equally entitled to their inalienable rights

8. Equality Follow Up
What is the difference between equality of opportunity and equality of condition/outcome?
Is equality of condition an achievable goal? If so, how could it be achieved?
The Founders feared that, if government can level people’s “stuff”, the government has the power to take away people’s equal rights to life, liberty, and property

9. Rights Follow Up Where do “unalienable” rights come from?
We can forfeit our rights but there’s nothing that can be done by government/person to increase/decrease our inalienable rights.
Inalienable Rights = Natural Rights

10. Democracy Follow Up
Democracy = system of government that gets its power from the consent of the governed
The US is not a democracy, it’s a Constitutional republic
We elect representatives
The Constitution is the law of the US