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Lesson 38: What Are the Challenges of the Participation of the United States in World Affairs?


Primary Sources


The Prince by Machiavelli

From Wikipedia: The Prince is a political treatise by the Italian public servant and political theorist Niccolo Machiavelli. It was originally written in 1513, but not published until 1532, five years after Machiavelli's death. The Prince was one of the first works of modern philosophy, in which pragmatic ends, opposed to teleological concepts, are the purpose.

Link: http://www.constitution.org/mac/prince00.htm


Atlantic Charter, 1941

From Wikipedia: The Atlantic Charter was the blueprint for the world after World War II, and is the foundation for many of the international treaties and organizations that currently shape the world.

Link: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/wwii/atlantic.asp


Debate between Justices Scalia and Breyer, 2005

The 2005 debate between Justices Antonin Scalia and Stephen Breyer largely centered around the examination of foreign case law in interpreting U.S. cases.

Link: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1352357/posts


Detente with the USSR 1969-1980

Detente with the USSR policy from 1969-1980.

Link: https://history.state.gov/milestones/1969-1976/detente


Federalist No. 43

Federalist No. 43, written by James Madison and titled, ""The Same Subject Continued: The Powers Conferred by the Constitution Further Considered," continues Federalist No. 42 on ratification.

Link: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/18th_century/fed43.asp


Hamilton's response to Jefferson's message to Congress, Dec. 17, 1801

Hamilton's response to Jefferson's message to Congress on Dec. 17, 1801 in which he criticizes the requirement of Congressional approval to declare war.

Link: http://tinyurl.com/yfudso2


History of the Peloponnesian War

The History of the Peloponnesian War, by Greek historian Thucydides in 431 BCE.

Link: http://classics.mit.edu/Thucydides/pelopwar.html


Jefferson

Jefferson's message to Congress informing them that his authority was limited because of lack of a declaration of war.

Link: https://bit.ly/2wwFgq6


Marshall Plan, 1947

The Marshall Plan, officially the European Recovery Program, was the U.S. policy of granting large amounts of aid to western European countries following World War II.

Link: http://www.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/1947marshallplan1.html


Monroe Doctrine, 1823

From Wikipedia: The Monroe Doctrine was a U.S. policy introduced on December 2, 1823, which said that further efforts by European governments to colonize land or interfere with states in the Americas would be viewed by the United States as acts of aggression requiring U.S. intervention. In return, the United States would not interfere with existing European colonies nor in the internal concerns of European countries.

Link: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/19th_century/monroe.asp


The Truman Doctrine

From Wikipedia: The Truman Doctrine is a set of principles of U.S. inland policy created on March 12, 1947 by President Truman. In his speech to Congress, Truman declared that the United States, as "leader of the free world," must support democracy worldwide and fight against communism.

Link: http://avalon.law.yale.edu/20th_century/trudoc.asp


The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties, 1969

The Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties standardizes conventional understandings of the making and enforcement of treaties between nations.

Link: https://bit.ly/2mhLNme


United States Constitution

The supreme law of the United States that provides the framework for the government. The Constitution outlines the nation's institutions of government and the most important rights of the people. The document was created in 1787 during the Philadelphia Convention. The government created by the Constitution took effect on March 4, 1789.

Link: http://civiced.org/constitution