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| Chapter 2: The Founding and the Constitution |
| What Government Does and Why It Matters |
| If you had been alive in 1789, would you have supported the proposed Constitution? Place yourself in the position of a New England merchant who supports ratification or a southern farmer who opposes the new Constitution. Make a list of five arguments to support your position. |
| 1. In what way would your position in the North or South affect your attitude about ratification? |
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| 2. In what way would your occupation affect your attitude? |
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| 3. Do you think your arguments would be persuasive to someone who is uncommitted? Why or why not? |
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| 4. Are you basing your arguments on your own self-interest or on that of the nation as a whole? Explain. |
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| 5. Voting on the new Constitution was an awesome responsibility. Do you think that most Americans today would be qualified to debate, discuss, analyze, and vote on a new Constitution? Why or why not? |
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