1. Why is it so
important that the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and
the Bill of Rights be preserved?
2. What reason did President Truman give for stating that the Bill of
Rights was, in his opinion, the most important part of the Constitution?
3. President Truman said that as long as Americans abide by these three
documents our country will grow. What did he mean?
4. How is the oath that America's elected officials and government workers
take unique from oaths taken by people in other nations?
5. Truman states that Constitution, along with the Declaration of Independence,
"expresses our idea of man." What does he mean by this? How
do these documents depict and protect the American view of humanity
and its freedoms?
6. Truman says
that the Constitution "is a living force-it is a growing thing."
Explain what is meant by this and cite examples in American history
that reflects the truth of this statement.
7. Define liberty.
What does Truman say is crucial in order for liberty to be upheld in
the United States? What do you think is crucial for the sake of liberty?
What are some examples of situations in history in which people's liberty
has or had been violated? How can liberty be lost in America?
8. President Truman remarked that there were places where liberty was
being suppressed in 1952.
Can you give an example of a place he may have been thinking of? Can
you site an example of a
nations whose people are denied freedoms today?
9. Describe how
this speech relates to the American Revolution and the Civil Rights
Movement.
10. Is one of the dedicated documents more important than the other
two? Why or why not?
What do you think this nation would be like if each document had not
been written and
implemented?
11. When the President spoke of symbols he named the flag, these documents
and by inference,
the Star Spangled Banner. What other symbols can you name that we honor
today?
