EDSITEment Lesson Plans on the Constitution
In order to become informed participants in a democracy, students must learn about the women and men
who make decisions concerning their lives, their country, and the world. The president of the United
States is one such leader. As a nation, we place no greater responsibility on any one individual than we
do on the president. Through these lessons, students learn about the roles and responsibilities of the
U.S. president and their own roles as citizens of a democracy.
One of the most persistent and overarching complaints the American colonists had about the rule of
the British monarchy was the extent of its power. One of the most persistent and overarching complaints
about the early government of the U.S. under the Articles of Confederation was the weakness of the
federal government. Attempting to form a more perfect union, the framers of the Constitution designed a
government that clearly assigned power to three branches, while at the same time guaranteeing that the
power of any branch could be checked by another.
With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the U.S. firmly established itself as an independent
nation. Six years later, in 1789, George Washington was elected the first President, initiating the form
of government, based on the Constitution, that we recognize today.
Before 1789, the young nation had been ruled by the Articles of Confederation, written in 1781 in
reaction to years of British rule. By 1787, however, it was clear that a more perfect Union was
required; while protecting the independence of member states, the Articles of Confederation did not
describe the powers of a federal chief executive or a judicial system. The creation of our Constitution
and present form of government was informed by these and other considerations that arose during the
years of the Confederation.
Archival materials and other resources available through EDSITEment-reviewed websites can help your
students begin to understand why the Founders felt a need to establish a more perfect Union and how they
proposed to accomplish such a weighty task.
At the time the Founders were shaping the future of a new country, John Adams suggested the President
should be addressed as "His Excellency." Happily, others recognized that such a title was inappropriate.
Though the proper form of address represents only a small detail, defining everything about the
Presidency was central to the idea of America that was a work-in-progress when the nation was young.
In this curriculum unit, students look at the role of President as defined in the Constitution and
consider the precedent-setting accomplishments of George Washington.
In the course of over two centuries since the nation's founding, the Constitution of the United
States has become an iconic document for many Americans, who may with difficulty imagine real people
piecing it together detail by painstaking detail through meetings, discussions, committee work, and
compromise. Yet we have good records of those proceedings. By means of such records, among them James
Madison's extensive notes, we can witness the unfolding drama of the Constitutional Convention and the
contributions of those whom we have come to know as the Founding Fathers: Madison, Benjamin Franklin,
George Washington, and others who played major roles in founding a new nation.
What were some of the conflicts debated in the meetings and discussions that led to the creation of the
Constitution of the United States? What interests and passions drove those conflicts—and to what shared
principles did the Founders appeal as they struggled to reach a compromise? In this lesson, students
will learn how the Founding Fathers debated, then resolved, their differences in the Constitution. Learn
through their words and the words of others how the Founding Fathers created "a model of cooperative
statesmanship and the art of compromise" (From The Charters of
Freedom on the EDSITEment resource Digital Classroom).
We have come to know as the Founding Fathers: James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, and George Washington,
There were others, however, less well known now but who also played major roles in founding the new
nation.
Four such "others" are the subject of this lesson. Here, you'll introduce your students to four key, but
relatively unknown, contributors to the U.S. Constitution-Oliver Ellsworth, Alexander Hamilton, William
Paterson, and Edmund Randolph.
This series of activities introduces students to one of the most hotly debated issues during the
formation of the American government—how much power the federal government should have—or alternatively,
how much liberty states and citizens should have. The lesson begins by tracing the U.S. federal system
of government to its roots, established by America's Founding Fathers in the late 18th century,
highlighting the controversial issue of state sovereignty versus federal power. Students compare the
Articles of Confederation to the Constitution, analyzing why weaknesses in the former led to the
creation of the latter. Then they examine the resulting system of government formed by the Constitution,
investigating the relationship between federal and state governments as they exist today. Finally,
students reflect back on history and argue whether they believe Hamilton or Jefferson had the more
enduring vision for America.
Even in its first 30 years of existence, the U.S. Constitution had to prove its durability and
flexibility in a variety of disputes. More often than not, James Madison, the "Father of the
Constitution," took part in the discussion. Madison had been present at the document's birth as the
mastermind behind the so-called Virginia Plan. He had worked tirelessly for its ratification including
authoring 29 Federalist Papers, and he continued to be a concerned guardian of the Constitution as it
matured. However, it should be noted that Madison chose not to allow his notes from the Constitutional
Convention to be published until after his death.
Have Benjamin Franklin's philosophical contributions to the early development of our government been
overlooked? He was, of course, a member of the committee that worked on the Declaration of Independence,
but did you know he had already penned his own "virtual declaration of independence" one year earlier?
Franklin is widely known as the "Sage of the Constitutional Convention," but few know he had written a
precursor to the Constitution in 1754, more than 30 years earlier! Thomas Jefferson is credited as the
author the Declaration of Independence, a grand achievement. But, though Jefferson alone composed the
draft of the Declaration, even he admitted in 1823, "…Before I reported it to the committee I
communicated it separately to Dr. Franklin and Mr. Adams requesting their corrections."
Both Jefferson and Franklin were critical in injecting into the debates of the Founding Fathers vital
philosophical and political ideas. Jefferson's contributions are more widely recognized. Has Franklin,
the only one of the two who signed both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, been
unfairly disregarded as a significant philosopher of the American Revolution?
The federal judiciary, which includes the Supreme Court as well as the district and circuit courts,
is one of three branches of the federal government. The judiciary has played a key role in American
history and remains a powerful voice in resolving contemporary controversies. The first governing
document of this nation, the Articles of Confederation, gave Congress certain judicial powers, but did
not establish a distinct federal court system. During the Philadelphia Convention, discussion of a
federal judiciary was not a critical part of the deliberations that led to the creation of the
Constitution. However, debate over the exact nature and role of the federal judiciary did begin in the
Constitutional Convention and continue through the ratification process and into the early years of the
Republic.
This lesson provides an introduction to the Supreme Court. Students will learn basic facts about the
Supreme Court by examining the United States Constitution and one of the landmark cases decided by that
court. The lesson is designed to help students understand how the Supreme Court operates.
EDSITEment Monthly Features on the Constitution
September 17th is Constitution Day, commemorating the day in 1787 when the
Founding Fathers signed one of America’s most important documents. The
United States Constitution is the oldest written national constitution
still in operation, and many of the nations that have established themselves
in the decades since that day in 1787 have turned to this document as
a model for their own constitutions. As a document which defines the structure
of our Federal government and delineates the rights of the states within
the union, and individual citizens within the nation, the Constitution
has become a symbol to Americans and to the world of the American government
and way of life. What better way to celebrate this important document,
its place within our society, and within our history, than to investigate
the words of this document up close. Teachers, parents, caregivers, and
students, jump on board for a tour of the United States Constitution!
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