The+Impact+of+Early+American+Media--The+First+Amendment+at+Work

After the Federalists and Anti-Federalists devolved into political parties, American newspapers fell into line with them. The Federalists retained their name, but the Anti-Federalists took on a name that captured the revolutionary spirit they tried to evoke from that passionate era: Republicans. That party has little in common with the party of George W. Bush and John McCain today, but all politicians try to manipulate the media for their own purposes; 1790 was not much different in that regard. Newspapers adopted the platforms of the political parties they represented. Since the Bill of Rights was new, editors began testing just how far they could take their First Amendment rights. Unlike today when libel and slander are prosecutable offenses, exaggeration, rumors, and outright lies were printed as if they were fact in newspapers during the 1790s. As we study the first decade or so of the American republic, you will become newspaper publishers yourselves and print the news stories of the day as outrageously as the media did back then. As always, I look forward to reading your work!

Rather than use the antiquated format of the 1790s, we will give our newspapers a facelift. You and your editorial team will be given several "leads" for this unit of study based on our learning objectives and chapter 7 content. You will also be given a Federalist or Republican slant from which you will write your newspapers. Once you are given your assignments, you will research, draft and publish articles about your "leads" on your team's blog. Since we are diverging from past media and incorporating media from the present, you may also offer different article formats than traditional newspapers offer. Your "articles" may also consist of artwork, toondoo, comic life, political cartoons, podcasts, slideshows, splashcast, voicethread, film, or any other creative idea you can use to get your story across and make it reader-friendly for the 21st century. There are some parameters though as follows:


 * At least one of your pieces must be a traditional written article.
 * At least one of your articles must be a multimedia or visual presentation of some kind.
 * All "articles" must clearly convey the topic from your slant and also portray the outrageous media culture of the time.
 * All group members must contribute at least one "article" to your blog.
 * All blog editions must be easily read or consumed within a 15-minute timeframe.
 * All deadlines must be met just like a news organization in real life.
 * All media will be graded on a group basis.

Here's how you do it:
 * 1) First, create a blog at [|Edublogs]. This should not be new to you since you already do it in English class (hopefully).
 * 2) Name your blog in a national context and design it to match your purpose.
 * 3) E-mail the link to me so that I can post it on the wiki here.
 * 4) Divide your "leads" between you.
 * 5) Research your "lead" and create an article that will meet the requirements above. Work closely with your team to ensure that your team meets the requirements above. You may offer multiple articles on the same lead if desired or necessary.
 * 6) Work closely with your team to ensure that your published work meets high standards and also captures the spirit of the time.
 * 7) All blogs are due on 10/28 at the beginning of class.


 * Possible leads:**

1. Discuss the impact of public opinion on national leaders in setting the agenda from 1788 to 1800.

2. Evaluate George Washington's strengths and weaknesses as president.

3. Compare and contrast the political and economic philosophies advocated by Alexander Hamilton with those of Thomas Jefferson.

4. Explain how foreign affairs acted as a catalyst in the development of American political parties.

5. Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of John Adams as president.

6. Describe the XYZ Affair and its impact on domestic politics, specifically explaining the intent and results of the Alien and Sedition Acts, as well as the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions.

7. Discuss the terms and results of the Convention of Mortefontaine.

8. Summarize the accomplishments of the Federalists while they were in power.

9. Explain the factors that contributed to the downfall and demise of the Federalist party.

10. Explain the description of the election of 1800 as a “peaceful revolution.”


 * Teams**

Federalist 1-5: Jessica, Jason, Jaimie http://thelustylibretto.edublogs.org/ Republican 1-5: Sungwoo, Sarah, Cathy http://jeffreppost.edublogs.org Federalist 6-10: Keunwha, Lisa, Patrick http://thefederalist.edublogs.org/ Republican 6-10: Lauren, You-jin, Grace http://republicansrule.edublogs.org

Federalist 1-5: Youngha, Brian, Courteney, Soo S. http://youngha09.edublogs.org/ Republican 1-5: Eeho, Hanna, Jerry, Da Bin http://apush2008kis.edublogs.org Federalist 6-10: Jay, Soo C., Susan, Annie http://jaysoosusanannie.edublogs.org Republican 6-10: Jennifer, Ed, Julia, Joon http://ethreej.edublogs.org