United States History to 1877

Revolution and the New Nation: 1770s to the Early 1800s

SUGGESTED INSTRUCTIONAL STRATEGIES

• Begin the unit by asking students what the basic principles of governments stated in the Constitution of the United States of America and Bill of Rights are.
• Explain that the Constitution of the United States of America established a federal system of government based on power shared between the national and state governments and that the Bill of Rights provided a written guarantee of individual rights.
• Introduce the term federal system of government. Explain that it is a system that divides governmental powers between national government and the governments of the states.
• Have the students read and research appropriate text selections describing improvements made to the government under the Constitution.
• Explain that the Constitution is the document that establishes the basic principles of the American government. More information is available at http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/documents/constitution/index.html.
• Discuss with students that the Constitution is the highest law in the United States. All other laws come from the Constitution. It says how the government works. It creates the President, Congress, and the Supreme Court. Each state also has a constitution. The constitutions of the states are their highest law for that state. But the United States Constitution is higher. More information is available at http://www.usconstitution.net/constkids4.html. Additional background information for students is available at http://www.usconstitution.net/constkids4.html.
• Focus instruction on the basic principles of government that include:
  • Separation of powers
    • The structure of the new national government was based on James Madison's "Virginia Plan," which called for three separate branches of government:
    • Legislative Branch (Congress) makes the laws. Congress is a two-house legislature in which all states are represented equally in the Senate (two Senators per state) and people are represented in the House of Representatives (number of a state's representatives is based on state's population).
    • Judicial Branch (Supreme Court) determines if laws made by Congress are constitutional.
    • Executive Branch (President) carries out the laws.
  • Checks and balances
    • Each branch can check the power of the other.
    • These checks keep any one branch from gaining too much power.
• Have the students complete the Constitution worksheet. For the worksheet, CLICK HERE. For the Constitution answer key, CLICK HERE.
• Use graphic organizers at http://www.sdcoe.k12.ca.us/score/actbank/torganiz.htm(Score Graphic Organizers), http://teacherresourcecatalog.pwnet.org/docs/Reading.pdf(Reading Strategies for Content Teachers), or http://curry.edschool.virginia.edu/go/readquest/strat/(ReadingQuest: Reading Strategies for Comprehension) to assist the students as they organize the following background information on the basic principles of government as stated.
• Explain to students that the Constitution of the United States has several features that protect against the abuse of power by the federal government. Separation of powers and the system of checks and balances are two concepts that are key to understanding how the federal government operates.
• Provide each student with a Checks and Balances worksheet. Have students work individually or in pairs to complete the worksheet, using a copy of the Constitution of the United States. Once students have completed the worksheet, review their answers as a whole class. For the Checks and Balances worksheet, CLICK HERE.
• Place students into three groups -- the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch. Explain to students that they will participate in an exercise in which they will be asked to identify which branch has the power to "check" in the examples presented by the teacher. Below are some sample examples that can be used. Read the first example, and have students in each group refer to their charts to see which branch has the power to "check" the action in the example. You may choose to assign a point value to answers to make the exercise a game. The group that provides the correct answer receives the points. Teachers may also refer to "The U.S. Constitution Power Grab Game" at http://www.eduref.org/cgi-bin/printlessons.cgi/Virtual/Lessons.
• Sample examples for the checks and balances exercise:
  • The President vetoes a bill related to Medicare because it does not provide for a prescription drug benefit. (Checked by the legislative branch: a two-thirds override vote of both houses of Congress)
  • Congress passes a bill that requires that individuals wear identification badges at all times and be searched at will by police. (Checked by the judicial branch: the United States Supreme Court can declare this law unconstitutional; or checked by the executive branch: the President can veto)
  • The President misuses his power by appointing personal friends to the United States Supreme Court. (Checked by the legislative branch: the Senate can refuse to approve appointment with a two-thirds vote, or the House may choose to impeach the President for a misuse of office)
  • The President negotiates a treaty with a foreign country to end a war. (Checked by the legislative branch: the Senate must approve the treaty with a two-thirds vote)
• Explain that the Bill of Rights is very important. It protects important ideas; protects your right to say what you want; lets you think for yourself; keeps the laws from being too hard; and gives rules for the police. The Bill of Rights also protects your home and helps keep Americans safe. Today, we are very happy the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution.
• James Madison was the author of the Bill of Rights.
• The first 10 amendments to the Constitution of the United States of America provide a written guarantee of individual rights (e.g., freedom of speech, freedom of religion).
• Read the Bill of Rights to the students from the National Archives at http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=4.
• Explain to students that several of the states were reluctant to ratify the Constitution because it did not contain a Bill of Rights. Anti-Federalists (those opposed to a strong central government, such as Thomas Jefferson) feared that the federal government would abuse its power and trample on the rights of citizens. Federalists insisted that the separation of powers and checks and balances included in the Constitution prevented an abuse of power. The Bill of Rights, however, was added to the Constitution to allay the fears of Anti-Federalists. The Bill of Rights, written by James Madison, comprises the first 10 amendments to the Constitution.
• Divide the class into five groups. Assign each group two of the amendments in the Bill of Rights, and have each group create a poster for each assigned amendment. The posters must include the following:
  • Explanation of the amendment in the students' own words
  • A picture (or pictures), which can be drawn or cut from a magazine, that illustrates the ideas expressed in the amendment
  • Explanation of why this right is important to our civil liberties
• When the posters are complete, have students share their posters with the class. Stress the important freedoms secured in the Bill of Rights. Discussion at the end of the lesson may include the following:
  • Why is the Bill of Rights so important?
  • Do you think the Bill of Rights was necessary, or does the Constitution adequately protect our civil liberties without it?
  • Why do you think the citizens of the United States were suspicious of a strong central government?
  • Which of these rights do you think is the most important? Why?
  • Ask students to rank the three most important rights and explain their choices.
• Have the students complete the Bill of Rights and Ratification Notes Worksheet. For the worksheet, CLICK HERE. For the Bill of Rights and Ratification Notes answer key, CLICK HERE.
• Review the historical documents with Documents on the Line worksheet. For the worksheet, CLICK HERE. Prior to the lesson the teacher will need to:
  • Make a blank time line
  • Use the sample copy; make a large-scale version to use on the board of all the "playing pieces."
  • Attach magnetic tape to each cut out
  • Make one copy of the manipulative for students to use at their desks
  • Briefly discuss documents
  • Call students to the board to put the manipulatives in their proper places along the time line.
  • Allow students to complete a notebook version at their desks that matches the board.
• The Documents on the Line worksheet can also be used in extension writing and graphic organizers. (CLICK HERE for the worksheet.)

WEB SITES

http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/documents/constitution/index.html
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government with age appropriate information on the Constitution

http://www.usconstitution.net/constkids4.html
U.S. Constitution for Kids Web site with student background on this historical document

http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=3&title.raw=Constitution%20of%20the%20United%20States
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration: The Constitution

http://www.archives.gov/historical-docs/document.html?doc=4&title.raw=Bill%20of%20Rights
U.S. National Archives and Records Administration: The Bill of Rights

Copyright ©2008 Prince William Network/Virginia Department of Education