Saint Patrick in America

St. Patrick’s Day is most often celebrated with a plethora of shamrocks, green trappings, and corn beef and cabbage. But do your students know the history of the day and its importance for American history?

St. Patrick is known as the patron saint of Ireland, though he was actually born in Roman-governed England, probably in the late 4th century. Around the age of 16, he was kidnapped by pirates and sold into slavery in Ireland. He finally escaped after six years of servitude and returned to Britain. Back home, Patrick became a priest and then returned to Ireland where he converted tens of thousands of the Irish people to Christianity. Patrick died on March 17th, most likely in the year 461.

St. Patrick’s Day has been observed as a religious holiday by the Irish for hundreds of years, but the first St. Patrick’s Day parade took place not in Ireland, but in the United States – New York City to be exact. Irish soldiers in the English military marched through the city on March 17, 1762. The day became even more important in America as millions of Irish immigrants entered the United States in the nineteenth century. Today, a St. Patrick’s Day parade takes place in cities all over America, notably Boston, Chicago, Philadelphia, and Savannah. Chicago even has a tradition of dyeing the Chicago River green for the day (see the picture above).

Some have made great and controversial claims for the importance of the role played by the Irish in world history. Their great influence on American history, however, is undisputed. Have your students research the influence of Irish immigration on American history. Where did most Irish immigrants settle? How did this immigration shape religious, political, and cultural developments in the United States? Who are some of the most famous Irish-Americans?

Reconciliation Makes Strange Bedfellows

The Student Aid and Fiscal Responsibility Act, approved by the House of Representatives in September, may be the key to securing passage of a health care reform bill in the Senate. These two seemingly divergent bills have become intertwined because, though there may not be enough votes in the Senate to pass the health care bill, there are probably enough votes to pass the student aid bill.

The reason for merging the two bills would be to make the health-care half of the legislation more attractive to Democrats and Republicans who support the student aid bill, but not the health care bill. The proposed move to merge the bills would allow Senate Democrats to pass the combined bill via reconciliation. The debate about reconciliation has divided the Congress and brought into question the process of creating legislation.

Reconciliation has been used by both parties for more than three decades to overcome filibusters. It has been utilized by the majority political party in the Senate that did not have a 60-vote supermajority to overcome a filibuster eight times: two times by a Democratic-controlled Congress, and six times by a Republican-controlled Congress.

Current Events and the Constitution
The national debate about health care and education has focused new light on the process of making a bill into a law. Article I, Section 7 of the Constitution is a great place to start in understanding this process. Looking at Congress' parliamentary rules and reconciliation process are the next steps in understanding the process.

"Beware the Ides of March"

Thus the soothsayer warned Emperor Julius Caesar on the 15th of March, 44 B.C. On that day, Caesar, who had overturned the Roman republic and made himself a tyrant, was assassinated by a group of Senators, including his friend, Brutus. In the eponymous play by William Shakespeare, the Senators begin to stab Caesar, who tries to resist the assault until he sees Brutus also wielding a knife against him. "Et tu, Brute?" ("And you, Brutus?"), Caesar utters in disbelief before collapsing.

The figure of Brutus--the assassin of the tyrant--cast a long shadow over American history. In setting up their own republic, the American Founders looked to the Roman republic as a model and the Roman Empire embodied by Caesar as a portent of what they feared the republic could become. Americans feared that liberty was fragile and that the republic could be undone by the ambition of one man.

"Brutus" became the pseudonym of one of the most famous Antifederalist authors (probably Robert Yates of New York), who wrote essays in opposition to the proposed Constitution of 1787, which he believed dangerously consolidated power in the central government. The Framers of the Constitution were also wary of the rise of a Caesar and designed the presidency with great care in an effort to prevent any abuse of executive power.

The assassin of Abraham Lincoln, John Wilkes Booth, saw himself as an American Brutus, who was serving the cause of liberty by killing a president who had assumed tyrannical powers. Booth famously called out, "Sic semper tyrannis!" ("Thus always to tyrants!") after shooting Lincoln at Ford's Theater. This phrase was the state motto of Virginia and had been attributed to Brutus himself. Booth was a famous American actor at the time of the assassination and only months before had appeared as Mark Antony in a production of Shakespeare's Julius Caesar (see the picture to the left: from left to right are John Wilkes Booth and his brothers Junius, Jr. and Edwin).

Booth's self-association with the figure of Brutus has tarnished the use of the Roman's name by those who oppose concentrated government power. Still, the story of Brutus and Caesar retains its power today in the United States, particularly in light of the rise of a strong executive that some have dubbed "the imperial presidency."

Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone . . . or did he?

"Mr. Watson, come here, I want to see you.”

Those were the first words spoken on Alexander Graham Bell’s revolutionary invention, the telephone, on March 10, 1876. Most people today credit Bell as the sole inventor of the telephone. But Bell is often accused of stealing part of his concept for the telephone from fellow inventor Elisha Gray.

Both Gray and Bell applied for a patent from the U.S. Patent Office on the same day: February 14, 1876. Bell was issued his patent on March 7, 1876, and three days later transmitted the first clear words through an acoustic telegraph.

Have your students research the Bell-Gray controversy and discuss which inventor should have received the patent for the telephone. Discuss with them why patents are important. You may also want to have them discuss the impact the telephone has had on history. Your students may be interested in looking at Bell’s experimental notebook entry from March 10, 1876.

Parliamentary and Presidential Systems of Government

An estimated 60 percent of Iraqis voted during the 2010 parliamentary elections on Monday. In a parliamentary democracy like Iraq’s, parliament has sovereignty over the head of the government, the prime minster. The prime minster is usually the leader of the political party that has either won the majority of seats in parliament or has the most seats without holding a majority. In the case of the latter, the political party with the most seats in parliament must form a coalition government, which includes members of other political parties. Many European, Middle Eastern, and South Asian nations follow the parliamentary system, with Britain’s being that most famous.

The political party of the current Iraqi Prime Minster, Nouri Maliki, is not expected to retain a majority of the seats in that country’s parliament but will probably still hold the most seats and thus would be forced to form a coalition government.

During the 2008 election cycle in the United States, almost 62 percent of eligible voters went to the polls to elect the 44th President of the United States. They also handed the Democratic Party a majority of the seats in both houses of Congress. Some believe the Democrats are in danger of losing their majorities in Congress during the mid-term elections this November, but no matter the result, in a presidential system, Barack Obama would still be President of the United States.

Questions to Consider

1. Which system, parliamentary or presidential, is more consistent with democratic ideals?


2. Which system provides for more accountability to the voters?


3. Why have more democracies adopted the parliamentary system than the presidential system?


4. Would a parliamentary system necessitate more political parties?


5. Would having fewer political parties mean a more stable system of government?
   

My Years in High School

Teaching is certainly a challenging profession, as well as a rewarding one. Newly published, this little book by a veteran high school teacher details the trials and tribulations of teaching in a 21st-century American public school.

From the book jacket:

"Writer and educator Marcos Puga gives a close-up view of what it's like to be a teacher, with a distinct and humorous voice. From the difficult to the delightful, his narrative is a wonderful tribute to students and how each has the uneniable right to quality education and what role the teacher plays in bringing out the best in his/her students. Meant to aid and inspire other teachers, parents, and yes, even students, this amusing book is filled with advice, anecdotes, and the heartfelt pride of what it means to be a teacher."

Lincoln Takes Office This Day in History

It was on March 4th, 1861 that Abraham Lincoln took the oath of office to become the 16th President of the United States of America. His inauguration was the impetus for seven southern states to secede from the Union, and his decision to call for 75,000 volunteers to put down the "rebellion" drove four more states into the arms of the new Confederate States of America.

The war and Lincoln's conduct of it brought numerous constitutional questions about states' rights, slavery, and presidential powers to a head. Many of Lincoln's decisions are still debated by scholars today--a debate your students can join by taking part in the National Constitution Center's engaging lesson plan and accompanying online game, Lincoln's Crossroads.