The Six Big Ideas concept was developed by the U.S. National Archives. The slides were provided to law students at the University of Osnabrück.

1. Fundamentals of American
Constitutional Law
Course Overview
&
Introduction to U.S. Constitutional Law:
The Six Big Ideas
Words in REDRED are words you should learn and understand!

2. Fragen Stellen
●
Sprechstunden
– Aktuelle Sprechstunden finden Sie auf der
FFA-Webseite (nur Osnabrück)
●
Fragen über den Kurs oder den Inhalt?
– Per Email → mlemieux@uos.de
– Vor oder nach dem Kurs

3. AblaufplanAblaufplan
●
Kurszeiten und Unterlagen in StudIP (OS) &
Learnweb (MS)
➢
“background reading” – hilfreich aber nicht unbedingt
nötig, solang Sie den Inhalt der Vorlesungen verstehen.
➢
“required reading” – Sie müssen diese Unterlagen
lesen, um die Vorlesung zu verstehen und daran
teilzunehmen.
●
Zwei Hauptquellen:
➢
Exploring Constitutional Law
➢
National Constitution Center’s Interactive Constitution

4. 7 April 2011 4
Klausur (Exam)
●
Eine Michung von true/false, multiple choice,
short answer.
●
2 Stunden
●
Klausurvorbereitung
– an der Vorlesung teilnehmen
– Vor- und Nachbearbeiten
●
Required readings
●
Background readings wenn nötig

5. Ziel des KursesZiel des Kurses
●
Klausur als Nachweis der
Fremdsprachenkompetenz i.S.v. §4 Abs. 1 Nr. 1
d) NJAG
➢
Because this is a course testing
“Fremdsprachenkompetenz” the rest of this will be
in English.
●
Learning about American Constitutional Law
through actions of President Trump.
●
Expand your legal English vocabulary.

6. VideoVideo
●
Bitte beachten Sie, dass diese Veranstaltung
aufgezeichnet wird!
➢
Die Videos können Sie in StudIP/Learnweb finden.
➢
Sie erscheinen nicht im Bild. Nur ich!
●
You should still come in person.
➢
Unless your English is excellent, you might have
difficulty understanding me in the video.

If you are like me (when I listen to German), the sound
quality must be perfect to truly understand.

7. Constitutional Threats?Constitutional Threats?
This guy got replaced by this guy
And while some in America thought this guy
was a threat to the constitution, most of the world seem to think this guy is.

8. Teaching Through TrumpTeaching Through Trump
What can the new President teach us about the U.S. Constitution?

9. The ReactionThe Reaction

10. Teaching Through Trump’s LatestTeaching Through Trump’s Latest
Action: National EmergencyAction: National Emergency

11. Teaching Through TrumpTeaching Through Trump
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Election of Trump → world press questions
stability of U.S. constitutional democracy →
Trump acts in ways allegedly against liberal
norms → what can we learn from this?.
●
Additional Goal of the class
➢
When reading articles like the ones we are about to
read, you understand and can critique the points
being made.

12. Teaching Through TrumpTeaching Through Trump
●
Please read the two articles in StudIP
➢
Wer kann Trump jetzt noch stoppen?

Die Zeit, 9. November 2016 von Christian Bangel
➢
"Es ist wirklich ernst" - Ein Gespräch mit dem US-Verfa
ssungsrechtler Bruce Ackerman

Die Zeit, 15. Dezember 2016
●
See highlighted text in each article.
●
Bitte beachten Sie, dass es auch zahlreiche Infos
auf Deutsch (Podcasts, Artikeln) im
StudIP/Learnweb gibt.

13. US Constitutional Law
The Six Big Ideas
An Introduction
to the
American Constitution
Based on the National Archives Lesson Plan:
Teaching the Six Big Ideas of the Constitution

14. But First a Little History
Note – the version of the lecture used in class can be found here.

15. Vocabulary
●
Articles of Confederation
●
Federal
●
Ratification (Ratifizierung)
●
Sovereignty (Souveränität)
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Great Compromise
●
Republic
●
3/5 Compromise

16. The Six Big Ideas
●
Limited governmentLimited government (begrenzten Regierung)
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RepublicanismRepublicanism (Republikanismus)
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Checks and balancesChecks and balances (gegenseitige Kontrolle)
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FederalismFederalism (Föderalismus)
●
Separation of powersSeparation of powers (Gewaltenteilung)
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Popular sovereigntyPopular sovereignty (Volkssouveränität)

17. The Beginning
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1492: Italian explorer
Christopher Columbus
lands in the “new world.”
●
1507: First time “new
world” is labeled as
“America.”
●
1513: Spanish explorer
Ponce de Leon lands in
present-day Florida
German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller's
world map, the earliest known use of “America”

18. First Settlements
●
1565: founding of St.
Augustine
●
1607: Jamestown
colony founded
●
1614: New
Amsterdam founded
●
1620: Pilgrims land
on “Plymouth rock”.
The Mayflower

19. Consolidation of Power
●
1674: Dutch cede
territory to Britain.
●
1732: 13 British colonies
now exist from Mass. to
Georgia.
●
1754: Albany Congress:
Proposal to form
common defense policy
defeated by colonial
legislatures.
●
1763: Britain
consolidates power after
Seven Years War

20. Seeds of Conflict
●
1765
– Parliament passes
Stamp Act
– 9 of 13 colonies meet
in secret congress.
– Parliament repeals Act
but gives self authority
to pass laws
regarding colonies.

21. Beginning of the End
●
1773: residents of
Boston throw tea into
Boston harbor in
response to new
taxes.
●
1774: Parliament
passed “Intolerable
Acts” Nathaniel Currier's 1846 depiction of the
Boston Tea Party

22. Prelude to War
●
1774: 13 colonies
form Continental
Association.
●
1775: Parliament
passes New England
Restraining Acts
●
1775: Battle of
Lexington and
Concord
●
1775: 2nd Continental
Congress formed.
British entering Concord

23. Beginnings of a Union
●
1775: Second
Continental Congress
– All 13 colonies
represented
– Continental army
formed under
command of
Washington.
– Olive Branch Petition
rejected by King
●
Powers of the
Congress
– Form army
– Obtain loans
– Issue money
– NO power to tax!

24. 1776
●
May
– congress instructs all
colonies to form
“revolutionary
governments.”
– Virginia convention
instructs its delegates
to propose declaration
of independence.
●
June
– Resolutions of
Independence first
proposed.
– Committee of five
appointed to draft
formal declaration
●
Adams, Jefferson,
Franklin

25. Declaration of Independence
Adopted July 4th
– “We hold these truths to
be self-evident, that all
men are created equal,
that they are endowed
by their Creator with
certain unalienable
Rights, that among
these are Life, Liberty
and the pursuit of
Happiness.”

26. Independence
●
1776 – committee formed to create “Articles” of
statehood.
●
1781 – Articles of Confederation adopted by 13
states.
●
1781 – war ends with the surrender of
Cornwallis.
●
1783 – Britain formally recognizes United
States of America.

27. The U.S. Constitution
●
A series of compromises in response to divisions
between:
– North and South, Big and Small, Federalist and Anti-
Federalist
●
Draft Constitution was adopted by Constitutional
Convention on September 17, 1787
– 39 of 55 delegates from 12 states voted in favor
– Rhode Island did not send a delegation
●
All 13 states eventually voted in favor of the new
Constitution.
– Rhode Island being the last state in 1790.

28. % of Constitution Devoted to
Preamble
1%
Article I
51%
Article II
23%
Article II
8%
Article IV
7%
Article V
3%
Article VI
4%
Article VII
2%

29. Self Exercise
●
To fully understand how to the six big ideas
work in the United States, try to complete the
exercise found in StudIP (OS) and Learnweb
(MS).