Part 2 Projects: The Growth of American Democracy One project should include a site visit. Recommended sites are shown on the right. There are many other suitable sites that you may use, and they do not necessarily have to be directly connected to a project. If submitted separately, they should consist of a 2-3 page discussion of where you went, what you observed and what you thought about your visit. |
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| A Constitution Project. Study America's founding document, maybe the most profound political document ever written. |
Constitution Center Philadelphia |
| Bill of Rights Project. A companion project to the Constitution project, looking at the first ten amendments. | |
| The John Marshall Project John Marshall is generally acknowledged to be the the greatest Chief Justice in American history. He served 34 years during the terms of six presidents and wrote some of the Court's most important decisions. In addition, he instituted practices that have made the Court unique in the halls of government to this day, instilling a spirit of collegiality that transcends differences of opinion which must exist in any body charged with some of the most important business that the nation conducts. | John Marshall House U.S Capitol |
| American Political Parties. America has been fortunate in its political history in that the basic structure—the two-party system, which we inherited largely from the British—has led to a stable system of government which, contested elections aside, has not by its nature led to serious divisions in the country. (In the matter of political issues, of course, considerable divisions have occurred.) | U.S. Capitol |
| The Second Generation. The generation of American leaders who followed the founding fathers are far less well known or recognized than their illustrious predecessors, but they carried the principles of the revolution and the constitution forward, sometimes erratically, but always with great conviction. Including such men as Henry Clay, Daniel Webster, John C. Calhoun, John Quincy Adams, Sam Houston, Stephen Douglas and others, they deserve to be remembered. | |
| Tocqueville's America. Alexis de Tocqueville, a French aristocrat, visited America in 1831 and 1832 and wrote what has often been called the greatest book ever written about America and the greatest book about democracy. Get to know this astute observer of America. | The Tocqueville Site at C-SPAN (Virtual) |
| The Seneca Falls Project. This project asks you to address an important milestone in the history of women's rights in America. The 1848 Convention, noted for its famous “Seneca Falls Declaration,” brought attention to the status of women and argued forcefully for change. This project may also be used for a Part 3 project. | Women's National Historic Site Seneca Falls, NY |
| Andrew Jackson. Get to know “Old Hickory” and why historians have said, Only in America could someone like Jackson have rising to the top of the political structure. | The Hermitage |
Projects Page | History 121 Assignments | Updated June 6, 2006