This week, Ohio State University professor Margaret Newell gives a lecture about state sovereignty

and the progressive nature of various constitutions during the early republic of the United States.

She examines three examples of state constitutions and discusses how they open the government up to the general public.

The work is laid out in these constitutions. What will be demanded to the citizens is going to be

a much greater level. You're going to have to be politically aware. You have to participate

in all sorts of, you know, direct and indirect ways. You have to pay taxes. You know, you're going to have

to probably serve in the, you're going to have to serve in the militia. You're going to have to serve in the Continental Army.

You know, so you're going to have to offer up military service.

You're going to have to offer up taxes to support the war and all the efforts involved.

And, you know, a level of engagement is just going to be required to you.

Active citizenry.

More in a moment.

Good morning, everybody.

Welcome to History 3011, the American Revolution.

I hope all of you had a great spring break last weekend

and look forward to hearing a little bit more about what you did in our upcoming discussions.

Now, we spent the last two weeks talking about the war of independence, the actual war.

And the amazing thing about the revolution is that while war was raging,

Americans drove constitutions and debated how to construct a government that would protect the people's rights and facilitate their happiness.

I mean, this word happiness is not just appear in the Declaration of Independence.

It appears over and over and over again in the discussions around the formation of state constitutions

and in the earliest bills of rights.

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