Picture the Founding Fathers | Branching Out: The Three Branches of Government | Amending the Constitution

Picture the Founding Fathers

Visit the painting by Howard Chandler Christy that recreates the scene of the Constitutional Convention. You may also want to look at the mural of the Founding Fathers in the National Archives building, painted by Barry Faulkner.

Find the following figures in the Christy painting:

• James Madison
• George Washington

Both of these men signed the Constitution. What else do they have in common? (Hint: They once held the same job, but at different times).

Branching Out: The Three Branches of Government and Our System of Checks and Balances

Answer the following questions using the information provided in the text of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the remaining Amendments. Be sure to explain your answers!

• What are the three branches of government?
• Who is the executive in the executive branch?
• How many bodies are their in the legislative branch and what are they called? What are they called when you add them together?
• What does the judicial branch do?

"Amending the Constitution"

Answer the following questions about the Amendments to the Constitution, using the information provided in the text the Bill of Rights and the remaining Amendments to elaborate upon your answers.

• What is an amendment?
• Why do you think that there have been amendments to the Constitution?
• The first amendment guarantees freedom of speech. Why is this so important that the Founders needed to write an amendment to make sure that this right was guaranteed?