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The Pack contains associated resources for the learning experience, typically in the form of articles and videos. There is a teacher Pack (with only teacher information) and a student Pack (which contains only student information). As a teacher, you can toggle between both to see everything.
Here are the teacher pack items for The Rule of Law:
In this experience, students read about and summarize ancient and historical codes of law that have had an impact on the American legal, political, and governmental systems. Then they explore the types and sources of modern laws. Next, students develop a definition for the concept “rule of law.” Finally, students analyze an image of Lady Justice and explain how she represents rule of law. Students will collaborate in small groups for scene 2 to scene 5. ObjectivesOverview
Laws are designed to prevent criminal acts, to regulate agreements between people, and to set punishments. All people living in a society are asked to follow laws. These laws tell us what acceptable behavior in a society is and what it is not. In this experience you will learn about the role that laws play in the United States.
Objectives
John Adams, America’s second president, wrote in an essay that “a republic is a government of laws, and not of men.”
When Gerald Ford was inaugurated as President in 1974 following the resignation of Richard Nixon (as follow up to the Watergate scandal), Ford borrowed Adams’s words:
Based on these two quotes, what do you think a “government of laws” is? Since the phrase may be new to you, make your best prediction.
Students may be able to arrive at a basic definition of a democracy where the government must obey the laws and work by the rules.
Can you name a country that appears not to honor the rule of law? If you are unsure, turn to a partner and discuss briefly before posting an answer.
If students struggle to name a country, suggest that they think about what they hear in the news. Which countries are mentioned as abusing human rights, of having demonstrations against government corruption, or being affected by civil war?
