Social Science Model Units

During his two terms as president, Washington made many difficult decisions that affected the kind of nation that the United States would become. Many of his decisions were very controversial. Disagreements over how much power the Constitution gave to the national government caused leaders of the new nation to split into two political parties. The parties disagreed on the question that you are being asked to decide: 

Was the Washington administration justified in the actions taken during Washington's presidency?

To answer this question, you should write four paragraphs: 

Paragraph 1: Summarize the relevant events of the Washington administration that should be considered to answer the question. Be careful to avoid in this paragraph revealing your position and reasons for your position. That is what paragraph 4 is for. 

Paragraph 2: Make the strongest argument you can that Washington's administration was justified in its actions. State this position and support it with two or three different, good reasons. 

Paragraph 3: Make the strongest argument you can that that Washington's administration was not justified in its actions. State this position and support it by responding to the reasons you gave in your Paragraph 2 argument. 

BOTH PARAGRAPHS 2 & 3 SHOULD READ AS THOUGH THEY ARE THE SIDE YOU ARE TRULY TAKING. 

Paragraph 4: Take your own position on whether or not Washington's administration was justified in its actions. 

(1) Be sure your conclusion shows that you have considered the arguments against your position as well as arguments for your position. You may decide that some decisions were justified and others were not. Explain why. 

(2) Compare Washington's decisions to those of Eisenhower in Little Rock, Arkansas. How were they alike and different? 

(3) With both Washington's decisions and the Little Rock case in mind, state what conditions must be present before the national government is justified in imposing its will on American citizens.