Big Picture

1. What was the greatest challenge faced by the new nation?
   • Economic instability?
   • Debt?
   • Institutional immaturity?
   • Foreign threat?
   • Weak sense of national identity?
   • Explain your choice.
2. If you had been president, which challenge would you have addressed first?
   • Which problem, if corrected, would set the stage for other improvements? How?
   • Which problem had to be corrected before the others could be addressed? Why?
3. To what extent do Americans still identify with their state or region?
   • Does this local identity supersede national identification?
   • Is this more true in some places than others?
     • If so, why has regional/state identity persisted in these places?
     • If so, is this a problem?
4. Does "republicanism" still exist?
   • Are these values still part of our national ideology?
   • Can you think of an individual that embodies these virtues?
   • Or are these values archaic?
5. Is there such a thing as the "common good?" Why or why not?
6. Should elected representatives speak for the immediate interests of those actually voting for them? Or should they ignore our immediate, local needs in order to advance the "general welfare?" Explain your answer.