Curriculum
Property Rights in America
Essential Question
The Founders believed in property rights as the foundation of all other personal rights. James Madison wrote in Property (1792), “[A]s a man is said to have a right to his property, he may be equally said to have a property in his rights.” These resources will help students understand some of the rights that they perhaps take most for granted, but which form the foundation of so many other rights Americans enjoy and which are vital to liberty.
Founding Principles
Curriculum resources
The “tragedy of the commons” is a phenomenon that Ancient Greek philosophers analyzed, the first British colonists in America experienced, and that students will confront in their own lives.
The Founders were extremely concerned with protecting private property as a cornerstone of a free society. Throughout American history, the Supreme Court has heard numerous cases involving government’s power to take property for public use.
The Internet is an extraordinary means of delivering and accessing information, and has also brought unprecedented challenges to intellectual property. What are the consequences for individuals and for society if books, songs, and videos are made available for free on the Web?