The University of Texas At Austin GOV312L #39030 Issues and Policies in American Government: Core Texts and Ideas in American Liberalism MWF 11:00 12:00 UTC 3.102 Spring 2014 Instructor: Marco Paoli marco.paoli@utexas.edu Office hours MEZ 3.228 MWF 10:00 11:00 In the beginning, John Locke observed, all the world was America. For Locke seventeenth century America presented the world with an example of the state of nature, where individuals enjoyed and suffered a condition of natural freedom. Over a century later, Alexis de Tocqueville located the natural consequences of the age of democratic revolution in America: I admit that I saw in America more than America; it was the shape of democracy itself which I sought, its inclinations, character, prejudices, and passions; I wanted to understand it so as at least to know what we have to fear or hope. For Locke and Tocqueville and many more, America is both exemplary and exceptional; it has significance not only for itself and its citizens but for all of humanity. So we too turn to the political thought of America, not simply because it is ours but in order to better grasp the meaning and fate of liberal democracy; we follow Alexander Hamilton in asking whether societies of men are really capable or not of establishing good government from reflection and choice, or whether they are forever destined to depend for their political constitutions on accident and force. Required Texts *** All readings are in the public domain, and will be distributed by e-mail ***
What is Liberalism? January 13 th Introduction January 15 th Louis Hartz selections from The Liberal Tradition in America January 17 th January 20 th January 22 rd January 24 th January 27 th January 29 th Chapters 1 4 NO CLASS Chapters 1 4, continued Chapter 5 Chapter 5, continued Chapter 9 19 Chapter 9 19, continued Church and State January 31 th John Winthrop A Model of Christian Charity John Winthrop A Little Speech on Liberty February 3 th John Locke A Letter Concerning Toleration February 5 th John Locke A Letter Concerning Toleration, continued
Revolution, Independence and State Constitutionalism February 7 th James Otis The Rights of the British Colonies Asserted and Proved Resolutions of the Stamp Act Congress Thomas Paine selections from Common Sense February 10 th Thomas Paine selections from Common Sense continued Declaration and Resolves of the First Continental Congress Virginia Declaration of Rights February 12 th Virginia Declaration of Rights, continued The Declaration of Independence The Articles of Confederation 1776 Constitution of Pennsylvania February 14 th Virginia Declaration of Rights, continued The Declaration of Independence, continued The Articles of Confederation, continued 1776 Constitution of Pennsylvania, continued Virginia and New Jersey Plans The United States Constitution and Bill of Rights To Make a Nation February 17 th The United States Constitution and Bill of Rights, continued Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws, Book 2, Chapters 1 and 2; Book 3, Chapters 1 3; Book 4, Chapters 4 8; Book 5, Chapters 1 7; Book 7, Chapters 2 and 8 16; Book 8, Chapters 2, 3, and 16. The Federalist, Papers 1, 9, 14 and 38. Cato [probably George Clinton], 3rd letter. February 19 th The Federalist, Papers 2 5, 11, and 12. Brutus [probably Robert Yates], First Essay. The Federal Farmer [probably Richard Henry Lee], Second Letter. Thomas Jefferson, Notes on the State of Virginia, Query 17.
February 21 nd The Federalist, Papers 6 8, 13, 15 17, 21 23, 26, 30, 33-35 and 41 Brutus, Seventh and Eighth Essay. The Federal Farmer, 18th Letter. Agrippa [James Winthrop], 10th Letter. Candidus [Samuel Adams or his follower Benjamin Austin], First and Second Essay (excerpts) February 24 th The Federalist, Papers 10, 14, 37, 39, 51, 52, and 55 Brutus, Sixth Essay (review Seventh Essay). The Federal Farmer, 17th letter. A [Pennsylvania] Farmer. February 26 th The Federalist, Papers 47 48, 51 58 and 62 64, 67 68, 70 Cato, Fifth Letter. The Federal Farmer, 11th 15th letter. Centinel [Samuel Bryan], First Letter. Cincinnatus [perhaps Arthur Lee, the brother of Richard Henry Lee], Fourth Essay. Montesquieu, The Spirit of the Laws, Book 11, Chapter 6. February 28 th Virginia Declaration of Rights (review) Thomas Jefferson A Bill for Establishing Religious Freedom The Federalist, Papers 78 81 and 84 Brutus, 2nd, 11th, 14th, and 15th Essays. The Federal Farmer, 13th 16th Letters. March 3 th George Washington Farewell Address Thomas Jefferson First Inaugural Address John Marshal Marbury v. Madison Democracy in America March 5 th Alexis De Tocqueville selections from Democracy in America Pages 1-15 and 34-41 March 7 th Alexis De Tocqueville selections from Democracy in America Pages 101-146 and 169-187
March 10 th 15 th : SPRING BREAK March 17 th Alexis De Tocqueville selections from Democracy in America Pages 187-248 March 19 th Alexis De Tocqueville selections from Democracy in America Pages 248-286 and 304-319 Individualism and Abolitionism March 21 nd Ralph Waldo Emerson Politics Ralph Waldo Emerson Divinity School Address March 24 th Henry David Thoreau Civil Disobedience March 26 th Andrew Jackson Bank Veto Henry Clay, Speech on the Bank Veto Abraham Lincoln Lyceum Address Slavery and Civil War March 28 th Chief Justice Roger Taney Dred-Scott v. Sanford Henry Clay Speech on the Compromise Resolutions, 1850 John C. Calhoun Speech on the Compromise of 1850 Abraham Lincoln A House Divided Frederick Douglass "What to a Slave is the 4 th of July? March 30 th Frederick Douglass "What to a Slave is the 4 th of July? continued Frederick Douglass, The Constitution of the United States: Is it Pro-Slavery or Anti- Slavery? April 2 rd Selections from the Lincoln-Douglas debates Ottawa Charleston
April 4 th Selections from the Lincoln-Douglas debates, continued Charleston Alton April 7 th Abraham Lincoln Cooper Union Address Abraham Lincoln First Inaugural Address Alexander Stephens Cornerstone Speech April 9 th Abraham Lincoln The Emancipation Proclamation Abraham Lincoln Second Inaugural Address Abraham Lincoln The Gettysburg Address Progressivism and Equality April 11 th Susan B. Anthony Women s Right to Vote Theodore Roosevelt Who is a Progressive? April 14 th Woodrow Wilson What is Progress? Woodrow Wilson Speech to Congress, January 1918 The Fourteen Points Civil Rights and the Idea of America April 16 th Earl Warren Brown v. Board of Education Martin Luther King Jr. Letter from Birmingham City Jail Martin Luther King Jr. Address at the Lincoln Memorial, August 28, 1963 I Have a Dream April 18 th Malcolm X The Ballot or the Bullet April 21 nd John F. Kennedy Civil Rights speech of June 11, 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson Address to Congress on November 27, 1963 Lyndon B. Johnson Address to a Joint Session of Congress on Voting Legislation We Shall Overcome
America in Defense of Liberalism April 23 th Theodore Roosevelt selections from Annual Message to Congress, December 1904 Corollary to the Monroe Doctrine Woodrow Wilson Speech to Congress, January 1918 The Fourteen Points Franklin Delano Roosevelt Speech on the Four Freedoms The United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights April 25 th Dwight D. Eisenhower Farewell Address 'The Military-Industrial Complex' Harry Truman Speech on the Korean war, April 11, 1951 John F. Kennedy Inaugural Address John F. Kennedy Ich bin ein Berliner! Richard Nixon Address to the Nation on the War in Vietnam 'The Silent Majority' April 28 th Ronald Reagan City Upon A Hill Ronald Reagan Remarks on East-West Relations at the Brandenburg Gate in West Berlin Ronald Reagan Farewell Address George H.W. Bush Address to the Nation on the Invasion of Iraq (January 16, 1991) Bill Clinton Statement on Kosovo (March 24, 1999) Bill Clinton Address on the Kosovo Agreement (June 10, 1999) George W. Bush State of the Union Address 2002 'Axis of Evil' The Crisis of Modernity April 30 th Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn, A World Split Apart May 2 nd Francis Fukuyama, The End of History
Assignments and Grading Policy Short essay 25% Option 1: A 5-6 page analytical paper selected from topics to be distributed during the second week of class. Due in hard copy in my hand at the beginning of class on February 14 th. Option 2: A 5-6 page analytical paper selected from topics to be distributed during the seventh week of class. Due in hard copy in my hand at the beginning of class on March 28 th. Take home final exam 35% An 5-6 page take home final, consisting of an analytical essay on a topic of your choosing from a list of several topics. Questions to be distributed on the second to last Friday of class, exams are due electronically no later than 5pm on May 8 th. Attendance and participation 40% Attendance will be taken daily and will constitute 10% of your final grade. You will begin with a perfect grade: after two unexcused absences each subsequent unexcused absence will drop your grade by two points. This means that twelve unexcused absences will result in a grade of zero out of ten. Participation will be assessed through a series of quizzes throughout the semester. Your best 5 quizzes will be worth 30% of your grade. If you miss a quiz due to an unexcused absence you may retake the quiz at a later date by paying a penalty of three points on that quiz. Grading policies Plus and minus grades will be used in the final grades. No extensions will be granted on written work except with good cause. You yourself may purchase an extension at a cost of 3 percent plus 2 percent per calendar day. This penalty will attach to all late papers unaccompanied by a doctor's note. No further late papers will be accepted once your classmates papers have been returned to them. If you fail to turn in your final exam before the grade deadline you will receive a grade of zero on the final. In the case of medical emergency or personal tragedy contact me as soon as possible. Miscellaneous Academic dishonesty will not be tolerated. You are responsible for familiarizing yourself with the University of Texas policies regarding plagiarism and academic dishonestly. If you are struggling, come see me about improving your paper. If you elect to employ the services and knowledge of others instead I assure you I will catch you, and I will pursue disciplinary action. Students with disabilities may request appropriate academic accommodations from the Division of Diversity and Community Engagement, Services for Students with Disabilities, 471-6259 or http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/ddce/ssd/