Middle School Civics - Article

In Counting There is Strength,
Political Cartoon by Thomas Nast, 1871

Prepared by: The New Jersey Center for Civic Education, Rutgers University, Piscataway, NJ

Grade level: 6-8

Standards:

• 6.1.8.HistoryUP.3.a: Use primary sources as evidence to explain why the Declaration of Independence was written and how its key principles evolved to become unifying ideas of American democracy.
• 6.3.8.CivicsPI.1: Evaluate, take, and defend a position on why government is necessary, and the purposes government should serve.
• 6.3.8.CivicsPR.2: Evaluate the effectiveness of the fundamental principles of the Constitution (i.e., consent of the governed, rule of law, federalism, limited government, separation of powers, checks and balances, and individual rights) in establishing a federal government that allows for growth and change over time.

Objectives: Students will be able to:

• Define and identify the various sources of authority.
• Recognize instances when authority has been or can be abused.
• Apply lessons about power and abuse of authority to the students’s lives today.

Definitions:

• Authority is power combined with the right to exercise that power. The source of authority can come from employment or social positions, customs and traditions, rules and laws, or moral principles. The right to use power operates with legitimacy and some form of consent. (For more, see below: Critical thinking: Where does the right to exercise authority come from?)
• Legitimacy means the quality of being lawful, valid, or acceptable according to established rules, laws, or standards. Power often lacks legitimacy, whereas authority requires legitimacy.

Critical thinking: Where does the right to exercise authority come from?

• Roles - Jobs or positions in society include authority. Teachers’ authority maintains learning environments; ushers help create order in a theater; crossing guards provide safety for students. Ask students for additional examples.
• Custom or Tradition - For instance, waiting in line for tickets or service is related to the custom of first come, first served. Standing during the pledge of allegiance and the playing the national anthem are traditions that reinforce loyalty and love of country. Ask students for additional examples.
• Rules and Laws—Authority is often based on laws. It is law that gives police the authority to arrest you if you commit a crime, a jury the authority to assess your guilt, and a judge the authority to sentence you to prison. Ask students for other examples.
• Moral principles—Authority often emanates from the teachings of major religions. Examples include those listed in the “Ten Commandments, (E.g., Thou shall not kill or steal or bear false witness) Versions of the “Golden Rule” (Treat others as you would like them to treat you) can be found in Islam Buddhism, Judaism, and Christianity. Moral principles often overlap with custom and laws. Ask students for other examples.
• Consent - When consent is offered or reasonably inferred, it provides legitimacy and authority to an action. Consent means to give agreement or approval for something to happen. Consent can be (1) explicit, where agreement is clearly or directly expressed by words or actions; or (2) implicit, where agreement is implied or assumed. Ask students for examples of both explicit and implicit consent.

Abuse of Authority - Yertle the Turtle

Even when someone has the authority to tell people what to do, sometimes their authority is abused. What does “abuse of authority” mean? Read the Dr. Seuss book Yertle the Turtle with your students, or have them watch Yertle the Turtle Audiobook by Dr. Seuss @ Book in Bed

Then use the following questions to engage your students with a class discussion

Questions for discussion:

• Did King Yertle have the authority to act the way he did?
• What was the source of King Yertle’s authority?
• What were the problems on the island of Sala-ma-Sond?
• What can we conclude about King Yertle’s use of his authority?
• How could the turtles protest King Yertle’s abuse of authority?
• How could the problems have been corrected?

What can we learn from Yertle the Turtle?

• Why is it important for limits to be placed on the powers of those in positions of authority?
• What examples can you think of where limits are placed on people in positions of authority?

Additional Activities:

Think about our system of government and how the power of those in positions of authority are limited.

• Draft a constitution for Sala-ma-Sond.
• Hold an impeachment trial or court hearing for Yertle the Turtle.
• Interview authority figures to identify the source of each person’s authority and the limits placed on their authority. Might King Yertle have been a better ruler if he had been elected? Why Yertle the Turtle, by Dr. Suess, 1958

Abuse of Authority - The Declaration of Independence

In the Declaration of Independence, the Founders in the Continental Congress asserted that when “governments are instituted among men,” power is legitimate and just only when it comes from “the consent of the governed.” King George III established an “absolute tyranny” by violating the rights of the colonists without their consent over a period of twelve years. The Declaration lists twenty-seven complaints or grievances, specifically describing the actions of King George and Parliament over that time. These grievances offered proof “to a candid world” and legitimized the assertion that “…these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States.” (For full text of the Declaration of Independence, see: Avalon Project - Declaration of Independence, July 4, 1776)

Critical Think Activity - List of Grievance Today

Organize your class into small groups of 3-5. Distribute copies of Handout 1 - Declaration of Independence, List of Grievances (Simplified version). Have students read and review the 27 grievances in the Declaration of Independence. Then have the small groups identify examples of abuse of authority in our society today. The examples may relate to their school community, local town or state communities, or within the nation. Then instruct each small group to collaborate to organize and draft a list of grievances.

Once all small groups have completed their lists of grievances, have each share their list with the class. Compile the answers of the small group in a manner that can be seen and considered by the class. Engage the class in a process that will allow them to eliminate repetition and organize an overall class list of grievances.

Finally, remind students that in the years before the American Revolution the colonists took many actions to express their discontent before declaring independence. Even the Declaration of Independence asserts the people’s right to “alter or abolish” government. Altering comes before abolishing! Expressing discontent and working to alter government adds to the legitimacy of the people’s right to bring about change. Engage students in a discussion on how they could express their discontent about the abuse of authority in society today and bring about positive change.

The Federal Convention in 1787 was an effort to organize a method for self-government that would prevent abuse of authority. To prevent an abuse of authority the Founders diffused authority by establishing:

• A system of Federalism with defined powers and limits for the national government and some powers reserved to the states
• Three branches of government, each with separate powers defining the limits of their authority

Critical thinking activity: Abuse of authority today

Have students identify instances of abuse of authority today and brainstorm how such instances might be stopped.

The American Revolution and abuse of authority.

Now let’s look at a real story—the story of the American Revolution and the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

The Founders basically claimed that Britain was not protecting the natural rights of the colonists, and that the British government was abusing its authority by trying to impose taxes without their consent. The list of 27 complaints against King George III in the Declaration of Independence were offered as proof of the right to rebellion because the British were not protecting the rights of the colonists. The conclusion “…these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States” declares independence. So the Declaration of Independence served several purposes: to declare independence, to rally troops and to win foreign allies.

The Federal Convention in 1787 was an effort to organize a method for self-government that would prevent abuse of authority. To prevent an abuse of authority the Founders diffused authority by establishing:

• A system of Federalism with defined powers and limits for the national government and some powers reserved to the states
• Three branches of government, each with separate powers defining the limits of their authority Critical thinking activity: Abuse of authority today

Have students identify instances of abuse of authority today and brainstorm how such instances might be stopped.

Handout 1 - Declaration of Independence, List of Grievances (Simplified)

1. He has refused to approve useful laws.
2. He has interfered with the rightful lawmaking of individual colonies.
3. He has refused to allow new sovereign political divisions.
4. He has called legislative meetings in strange and uncomfortable places.
5. He has dissolved the legislatures that tried to oppose his violations.
6. He has refused to allow those legislatures to be re-formed.
7. He has refused to allow us to make immigrants citizens, or pass laws to encourage them to immigrate here, including the use of public lands.
8. He has refused to allow us to pass laws to establish courts.
9. He has created a conflict of interest where judges are more loyal to him than the law.
10. He has created a vast bureaucracy that harasses and harms our people.
11. He has kept armed agents of the state among us, even in times of peace.
12. He has made the military independent of and superior to civil power.
13. He has subjected us to the laws of a foreign government without our consent:
14. He has forced us to house foreign troops in our homes.
15. He has removed them from the operation of the criminal justice system.
16. For not allowing us to trade with the rest of the world.
17. For imposing taxes on us without our consent.
18. For taking away our right to have a jury trial.
19. For transporting us across the ocean for fake crimes.
20. For abolishing the laws and government in a neighboring colony, establishing a false and unjust government, and enlarging its borders as an example of the same unjust measures that could be applied to any other colony.
21. For not letting us control our own colonial governments and laws.
22. For suspending our legislatures and asserting his power over us.
23. He has declared us out of his protection and attacked us.
24. He has attacked us on the sea, land, burnt our cities, and killed our people.
25. Even now he is transporting foreign armies to these shores to assert power over us and attack us, rivaling even the most cruel acts in history.
26. He has forced our fellow citizens to fight against us.
27. He has caused domestic unrest among our cities, and prompted violence from indiscriminate savage native inhabitants (NB historical context).