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Smith & Hamilton Primary Sources
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Primary Sources that were discussed in American Gov't Class on 9/18-20.
Begin a rough draft of your paper to bring in tomorrow. The thesis should tie the details together.
Things to think about- how the two passages illuminated the concerns, themes, and issues of the entire Constitution.
Next, write a general orientation to the two documents to be analyzed, explaining why the documents were written and who the authors were. Do not ignore details that contradict your thesis; if you find these reevaluate your thesis and make it more complex (in other words you don't necessarily have to abandon it altogether.)
Note that the order of the evidence presented should not necessarily follow the order of the passage being discussed. Rather, the order of the evidence depends on how it relates to your central argument. Don't let the passage walk you through your analysis; instead, re-organize the passage to suit your discussion of it. The body of the paper presents relevant textual evidence in a meaningful order. Avoid being overly mechanical in the organization of your paper. That is, don't write one paragraph on diction, one on sound, one on metaphor, etc. Instead try to bring these observations together on the same words or phrases together. Organize the paragraphs around issues of meaning rather than of technique. Make sure you don't read so closely that you transform a clear, complex passage into a bundle of nonsense. If you relate the passage to text outside it, make sure your emphasis remains on the passage itself; do not neglect it in favor of external textual evidence.
****Hamilton's Missing Paragraph*****
Where does virtue predominate? The difference indeed consists, not in the quantity but kind of vices, which are incident to the various classes; and here the advantage of character belongs to the wealthy. Their vices are probably more favorable to the prosperity of the state, than those of the indigent; and partake less of moral depravity. I am convinced that this government is so constituted that the representatives will generally be composed of the first class in the community, which I shall distinguish by the name of the natural aristocracy of the country.
