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AP Language Unit 1 Equality
Big Questions● Where do our ideas of equality come from?
● What did equality mean to our Founding
Fathers?
● Who is included in “all men”?
● Have we achieved true equality?
● Are there ways in which inequality is good?
Readings● Declaration of Independence
● Harrison Bergeron
● I Have a Dream
● Joss Whedon’s Equality Now Speech
● Obama’s Response to the Orlando Shooting
Day 1: What is Equality?
● How do you define equality?
● What are some synonyms for “equality”?
● What are some antonyms for “equality”?
● Is there a difference between “equality” and “equity”?
Day 1: The TRIAC Method
● T = Topic
● R = Restriction (definition)
● I = Illustration (examples)
● A = Analysis (how the Illustrations help us understand)
● C = Conclusion (So What?)
Day 1: The TRIAC Paragraph: Equality
● T = The word you are defining
● R = One-sentence definition of the word
● I = Two to three examples; one to two sentences each
● A = One to two sentences of commentary for each
illustration
● C = One sentence to wrap it up
Day 1: The TRIAC Paragraph: Equity
● T = The word you are defining
● R = One-sentence definition of the word
● I = Two to three examples; one to two sentences each
● A = One to two sentences of commentary for each
illustration
● C = One sentence to wrap it up
Day 2: “We hold these truths to be self-evident…”
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.
Where did these ideas come from?
Historical Influences
Oceanic Voyages
Protestant Reformation
British Heritage
Oceanic VoyagesBrought explorers and colonists into contact with other civilizations
Protestant ReformationEncouraged commoners to question authority
British Heritage
Magna Carta
Petition of Right
English Bill of Rights
Expanded the rights of common people
Philosophical InfluencesThomas Hobbes
People are too selfish to rule themselves
Voltaire, Montesquieu, Rousseau
Questioned the absolute rule of monarchs;
fought for separation of powers
John Locke
Rulers govern by the consent of the people
Government’s job is to protect the people
Natural rights: life, liberty, property
Influence of Colonial LivingColonies tended to attract lower- and middle-class immigrants
Emigrating to the colonies removed settlers from the economic
pretenses of Europe
The colonies granted immigrants economic mobility
The colonies provided a fresh start for all who came
What did the Founding Fathers believe about equality?
A Matter of PrioritiesIndependence was more important
than equality.
Freedom from Britain first; then
freedom for all.
What did “equality” mean?People had inherent differences, which meant that they are not equal in all
respects.
Everyone deserved equal treatment under the law, according to their place in life.
Everyone deserved equal opportunities, but this did not erase their differences.
“All men” was not an inclusive phrase.
Day 3: “Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness…”
● Close reading of the “Declaration of Independence”
Do the right thing...When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.
We hold these truths...We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--
We hold these truths...What does it mean to have the right to Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness?
What is the difference between a Right and a Privilege?
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs: Is there a line separating Right from Privilege?
The Role of GovernmentThat to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government
How Long Must We Endure Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed.
Absolute Tyranny
The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.
To Sum Up…
When it’s time to break up, the decent thing is to explain
why.
It’s the government’s job to protect our God-given rights.
When the government doesn’t do its job, the people have
a right and responsibility to revolt and form a new
government.
To Sum Up… (cont’d)
Revolution is serious business and should only be a last
resort.
The King has not only failed to protect our rights, but has
intentionally violated them. Let me offer a few examples...
Day 4: “I Have A Dream”
context
Link to speech video
Close reading
Evaluate progress
Imitative Writing Assignment
