The Constitution of Z-93

The purpose of this project is for your group to develop a constitution for the planet of Z-93. This planet is a paradise of natural resources and great land for home and commercial development. How this planet will develop is predicated on the establishment of the rule of the land. UNIDA (United Nations for Intergalactic Development Association) must approve which plan of government will be used.

Your task is as follows:

Using the United States Constitution, The Articles of Confederation, Englands Magna Carta, and any other resource discussed in class or found in research, you will develop a plan of government. You will present your plan to UNIDA for evaluation. Only one group will be given the go-ahead to develop planet z-93. You must first decide who is responsible for doing what in your group, and assign jobs. You must also come up with a team name for your UNIDA group. Keep in mind the ideas of political philosophers talked about in class, people like John Locke, Rousseau, and Mochavelli, and Hobbs.

Develop a written constitution on a poster or tag board.

Rules that will foster economic growth- you must consider the need to tax but not make taxes so restrictive that people will not want to come to z-93. Great public services make a nation a desirable place to live; excessive taxes can make the population revolt (see the American Revolution). What incentives can you create that will not Break the bank of the new country? Who pays for health care? How do people acquire land? Can they own land, or does the government own everything? Exactly define what personal property rights the people have. What physical capital and infrastructure must your government create in order to foster economic growth? Will the government have a bank or will they all be privately owned? How does the government develop human capital?
Rules that will define the structure of your government- will a single monarch serve your people the best? Do you want to have a democracy or a republic, or a combination of both? Would a king be a good thing or a bad thing? Do you need or have checks and balances? Do you need a judicial, executive, and legislative branch of government? What about a bicameral legislature? Do you want to have states, or just one big government or a combination of both? When does government become too big? How long do we let our leaders stay in office?
Rules that define the rights of the people- do your people require a bill of rights? What rights need to be defined? Can people be drafted into the army? How do we elect our leaders (if at all)? Who gets to vote and why? How do will deal with crime and punishment?

PRESENTATION- Each group will be asked to use the ideas that were collected on your poster and turn the posters into a PowerPoint (or other type) of presentation. While any single group is presenting, the rest of the class will simulate UNIDA, and we will vote for the plan of government that we think is best. There will be a 5 point extra credit bonus given to each member of a group that gets the greatest number of votes.

COAT OF ARMS- Each group will be asked to present in poster form a Coat of Arms. This coat of arms is a symbolic graphical representation of what virtues you would like your new planet/country to embody. This coat of arms should consist of 4 distinct symbols encased in some geometric figure, like a diamond or hexagon, or even the shape of heart. The Coat of Arms should also represent the colors that you have chosen for the colors of the country.

EXTRA CREDIT-You will be allowed to augment your grade by including other significant items that would make z-93 to appear to be even more desirable for colonization. You could include a national anthem (song), a TV commercial describing the desirability of z-93, a picture collage of your future image of how grand z-93 will look, or even a web site that details how great your new country will be. Maybe you could make a political cartoon about z-93. You may discuss other ideas of this nature with your teacher for possible credit.

HELPFUL WEB SITES (NOT AN EXHAUSTIVE LIST)

Government for Kids

http://www.govspot.com/features/kids.htm

First Gov for Kids

http://www.kids.gov/k_gov.htm

Family Coat of Arms Page

http://www.hrc-crest.com/

Coat of Arms Examples (Including the USA)