Sample Lesson from part I

Sample lesson from curriculum guide
Sample quiz from curriculum guide
Sample exam from curriculum guide


Lesson 3: Principle 1 - The Genius of Natural Law

Reading Assignment:

The Five Thousand Year Leap: lst Principle: The Genius of Natural Law (pages 37-47)

Lesson objectives:

As a result of this lesson, the student should be able to discuss the following questions/topics:

  1. Briefly describe the Roman statesman Cicero "his life, writings, and fundamental teachings. (Pages 37-39)
  2. What are the main characteristics of natural law? (39-40)
  3. According to Cicero, what unique trait do God and man have in common? (41)
  4. Why do the concepts of natural law so closely harmonize with Christian beliefs? (42-43)
  5. What advice would Cicero give to modern lawmakers and citizens of nations? (44-46)
  6. Name several concepts in our American system of government that have their basis in natural law. (46-47)


Quiz - Lesson 3

Principle I

  1. Define Natural law.
  2. Who was the Roman statesman who tried to teach about Natural Law?
  3. Give three characteristics of Natural Law.
  4. According to Cicero, what do God and man have in common?
  5. What two commandments did Cicero enumerate that identify with Christianity?
  6. What did Cicero say about bad laws?
  7. According to Cicero, all laws should be measured against ____________.
  8. Give three examples of Natural Law in the U.S. Constitution.
  9. Write the first principle of liberty.



American Government and US Constitution - Exam 1

  1. Senator Orin Hatch says, about The Five Thousand Year Leap, this is exactly what ____________ needs and it is easy to _______.
  2. He suggested six groups read this book. Name three.
  3. Dr. Skousen wrote The Five Thousand Year Leap so a good reference book would exist which outlines the ________________ upon which our Constitution was written.
  4. Why did he entitle the book The Five Thousand Year Leap ?
  5. Name two of the first groups in modern times to try communism?
  6. What almost happened to each?
  7. What made them eventually prosper?
  8. What did George Washington conclude after only two years under the new Constitution?
  9. The two extremes of today's political spectrum are _________ and ___________.
  10. The two extremes of the Founders' political spectrum are _________ and _________.
  11. Give two characteristics of Ruler's Law.
  12. Give two additional characteristics of Ruler's Law.
  13. Give two characteristics of People's Law.
  14. Give two additional characteristics of People's Law.
  15. The Founders admired which two civilizations for their similar form of government?
  16. Describe the two sides of the U.S. seal as originally proposed.
  17. Give two things the Founders warned us not to let happen.
  18. The common denominator among the Founders was that they all had the same basic _________.
  19. Define Natural law.
  20. Who was the Roman statesman who tried to teach about Natural Law?
  21. Give three characteristics of Natural Law.
  22. According to Cicero, what do God and man have in common?
  23. What two commandments did Cicero enumerate that identify with Christianity?
  24. What did Cicero say about bad laws?
  25. According to Cicero, all laws should be measured against ____________ _______.
  26. Give three examples of Natural Law in the U.S. Constitution.
  27. Write the l st principle of liberty.
  28. What was the question on the minds of the Founders before the Declaration was written?
  29. Who wrote the book Common Sense?
  30. Submitting one's personal wants for the good of the whole is called __________ __________.
  31. Ben Franklin said good teachers have a special __________ from ________.
  32. The Founders said America's future survival depends on her ________________.
  33. Franklin said, "Only a ___________ people are capable of _______________.
  34. What was the real period of the revolution according to some historians?
  35. Write the 2nd principle.
  36. If men were ______________, government would not be necessary.
  37. Jefferson discussed two kinds of aristocracies. Name them.
  38. John Adams called politics a "_____________ _____________".
  39. The Founders said the people should serve for what level of salary?
  40. Name an example of a person who did.
  41. What are the two passions which influences the affairs of men?
  42. Why do these passions become magnified in political office?
  43. What did Ben Franklin prophecy with regard to salaries of elected officials?
  44. What was Pennsylvania's solution to the problem of too many people running for the same office?
  45. Write the 3 rd Principle of Liberty.
  46. What legal document required religion to be taught in schools?
  47. What else did it require to be taught?
  48. Name three of the five points of all "sound religion", as Franklin explained.
  49. When Alexis de Tocqueville visited the U. S. what was the first thing that struck his attention?
  50. What was amazing to de Tocqueville as he asked young people questions?
  51. Where, according to de Tocqueville, is the secret to be found of America's genius and power?
  52. The Founders intended the Bill of Rights restrictions on religion to apply only to which level of government?
  53. Who coined the phrase "Wall of separation between church and state"?
  54. What did he mean by "church"?
  55. What did he mean by "state"?
  56. Write the 4 th principle of liberty.
  57. The man who went through a reasoning process to show the existence of a divine creator was _____________ ________________.
  58. He lived about ________ years before the founders.
  59. He said an atheist is _______________.
  60. His basic premise was that a something could not be produced by a _______________.
  61. In Anglo-Saxon, the word for supreme or ultimate good is ______________.
  62. Name three attributes he said the Creator must possess.
  63. What is a Deist?
  64. Give one incident showing the Founders were not deists.
  65. What motto did the Founders adopt showing they depended on a Supreme Being?
  66. What happened in early America when a witness in court said he did not believe in God or a nest life?
  67. Write the 5 th Principle of Liberty.
  68. Human beings can be treated equally in three ways. Name them.
  69. Name the French philosopher who claimed all men are born equal in every way.
  70. Different groups of people do not have different rights. There are only _______________ rights and each person has them.
  71. Every ethnic group in America was once a _______________.
  72. The process of becoming assimilated into American culture is called "crossing the ___________ _____________."
  73. Name three things a person must do to become part of the American culture.
  74. One of the best examples of minorities making the adjustment into American culture are the ___________ and the _____________.
  75. Leaders of black militants who tried to use force to obtain equal rights were the _____________ ______________.
  76. One of their leaders was ___________ ____________.
  77. He eventually found that blacks really do have more freedom and opportunity in ______________ than in any other country.
  78. Write the 6 th Principle of Liberty.
  79. Hiring a policeman or fireman is really creating ________________.
  80. What authority can people delegate to government?
  81. If an act would be a crime for a person to do, then the government __________________.
  82. When government begins taking from the rich, it will soon be in taking from ______________.
  83. The Founders made sure there was no ____________for becoming rich.
  84. The Founders term for taking from the "haves" and giving to the "have-nots" is called _____________.
  85. What does the word "utopia" mean?
  86. Sam Adams said they had made the utopian schemes of leveling ______________.
  87. Ben Franklin described several kinds of compassion which he said was counter-productive. Name two.
  88. The Founders believed it was a ___________ of __________ to take care of the poor.
  89. The Founders formula for helping the poor might be called ______________ compassion.
  90. It included: Do not help the needy ________________.
  91. Give the poor the satisfaction of "_____________ ______________".
  92. Allow the poor to climb the "______________ _______________".
  93. Do not prolong help to the point where it becomes _______________.
  94. Describe the first two levels of "fixed responsibility".
  95. Describe the next two levels of "fixed responsibility".
  96. Describe the last two levels of "fixed responsibility".
  97. Write the 7 th Principle.
  98. John Locke concluded no one has a right to destroy or rule over another because we all have the same _________________________.
  99. What are the two main categories of fights?
  100. What makes a right unalienable?
  101. Give two examples of unalienable rights.
  102. What makes a right vested?
  103. Give two examples of vested rights.
  104. What are the three great unalienable rights?
  105. Why are property rights essential to the pursuit of happiness?
  106. What is the purpose of vested rights?
  107. Put these words and phrases in order of their occurrence: government, unalienable rights, vested rights.
  108. Write the 8 th Principle of Liberty.
  109. What was needed to protect man's unalienable rights?
  110. Where did the Founders find the most basic moral code for human behavior in a society?
  111. What is this most basic set of rules called?
  112. Give three of these laws for human happiness.
  113. Many additional laws which clarify and define these basic laws the founders found in the __________ ______________.
  114. With each right there is also a _____________.
  115. Give an example of the correlation between a right and a duty.
  116. A much more just system of punishment for crime is known as the Law of ______ __________.
  117. Why is this system more just?
  118. Ancient Israel saw no need for legislators, only for _____________.
  119. Write the 9 th Principle of Liberty.
  120. Algernon Sydney was beheaded in 1683 for saying _____________________________.
  121. John Locke said the power to rule comes only from the ______________.
  122. What did Locke say about the obligation of the people to a leader who comes to power other than by the people's consent?
  123. What does Chief or King mean in Anglo-Saxon?
  124. In Anglo-Saxon, what was the duty of a chief and when did it end?
  125. The Founders insisted the Constitution be approved not only by the _______________ but by the __________________.
  126. Why did they want this?
  127. Jefferson said governments should not be changed for _______________ causes.
  128. He said when leaders breach the trust of the people, they _______________ their power to rule.
  129. What part of the people have power to rule in a society?
  130. There is no right of revolt in a ________________________.
  131. What would the Founders say about the doctrine of civil disobedience?
  132. Write the 10 th and 11 th principle.
  133. The Founders wanted our form of government to be a ______________ not a __________.
  134. Democracy means ___________________________________________.
  135. An ancient example of a democracy the Founders did not want to copy was ______________.
  136. In a democracy, people become _______________________ of law making.
  137. A democracy is not effective in a ______________ region.
  138. What right is violated in a democracy when the masses realize they can outvote the rich?
  139. A republic is defined as _____________________________________.
  140. In 1905, an organization was formed known as the ____________ _____________ _____________.
  141. When the word "socialism" got a bad name around the world, the organization changed its name to the League for _________________ ____________________.
  142. Even the _______________ began warning people of the dangers of a democracy.
  143. The first president to begin calling the U. S. a democracy was ____________ _______________.
  144. The __________________ provision of the Arizona Constitution is a technical violation of the U.S. Constitution because it lets people make the laws by popular vote.
  145. Write the 12 th principle.
  146. When are people's rights most in danger?
  147. According to Jefferson, free government is founded on ___________________.
  148. Jefferson said "... let no more be said of ____________ in man, but ____________ him down from mischief by the ________________ of the __________________.
  149. Washington said government is not ___________________ it is __________________.
  150. The Constitution deals with _______________ __________________.
  151. Hence, the Constitution will never be _______________________.
  152. When must we act with alarm about losing our liberties?
  153. Write the 13 th Principle.