US Constitution Drafting PDF CE 2016

Lesson 2: Drafting a Constitution CE 2016 Social Studies 8 A Unit 5: A Constitution for the United States Objectives: Describe the organizational structure of the government under the Constitution; Align weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation with their solutions in the...

Lesson 2: Drafting a Constitution CE 2016 Social Studies 8 A Unit 5: A Constitution for the United States Objectives: Describe the organizational structure of the government under the Constitution; Align weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation with their solutions in the Constitution; Summarize the conflicts and compromises of the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise; Identify key people and describe their roles during the Constitutional Convention; Explain the effects of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 The Constitutional Convention Drafting the United States Constitution was no easy task. The Constitution had to protect states’ rights and bring states together as one nation. It also had to establish the roles of the federal and state governments. In May of 1787, the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Through a series of secret conversations, debates, and ultimately compromises, the delegates were able to resolve their disagreements. Select the play button to access the “Constitutional Convention” Flipped Video from the Realize™ website. Ben Franklin was one of the oldest delegates to attend the Constitutional Convention.  0 O 0 00:00/ 00:00 T U I W Preview the vocabulary words before continuing with the lesson. Think about what each word might mean and how it could relate to the lesson. Select the link to access the Vocabulary Knowledge Rating Chart and complete the Before Reading portion. Vocabulary Knowledge Rating Chart As you progress through the lesson, think about the following Focus Question: How did conflicts and compromises shape the writing and adoption of the Constitution? Objectives Describe the organizational structure of the government under the Constitution Align weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation with their solutions in the Constitution Summarize the conflicts and compromises of the Great Compromise and the Three-Fifths Compromise Identify key people and describe their roles during the Constitutional Convention Explain the effects of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 Key Words compromise Constitutional Convention executive branch Great Compromise judicial branch legislative branch New Jersey Plan Three-Fifths Compromise Virginia Plan Madison and the Virginia Plan In May of 1787, delegates from the 13 states arrived in Philadelphia to amend the Articles of Confederation. The delegates also aimed to prevent the country from collapsing. Instead of changing the Articles, however, the delegates drafted a document that established a whole new form of government. James Madison prepared for the Constitutional Convention by studying different types of governments to create a plan for a new form of federal government in the United States. He The Constitutional Convention was held in Philadelphia, PA. drafted a plan called the Virginia Plan to present at the convention. Though adjusted and revised, the Virginia Plan was eventually adopted as the model for the U.S. Constitution. Thus, Madison is known as the Father of the Constitution. The Virginia Plan called for three branches of government. Each branch, Madison wrote, would be checked by the other branches. This meant that no one branch would have more power than the other two branches. The three branches of government James Madison proposed were the executive branch, judicial branch, and legislative branch. Those three branches are what make up the U.S. government today. Directions: Before you read, write the lesson name on the blank at the top of the Lesson Note-Taking Organizer and copy the comprehension question(s) from that slide into the Comprehension Questions box. As you read through the lesson text, outline the section and define key words and people in the Notes section on the right. Write the answers to the comprehension questions as you find them in the reading. When you review your notes later, identify the main idea from each section of your notes and add those in the Main Concept sections on the left. Then briefly summarize the entire page of notes in the Summary space at the bottom. Continue this on a new page for each of the Instruction slides of the lesson. Finally, write the questions provided on the Activity and Review slides in the Lesson Activity and Review section and answer them using the notes you take. Select the link to access the Lesson Note-Taking Organizer. Lesson Note-Taking Organizer Before you read the text, preview the following comprehension questions and copy them into the first topic of your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer. Use the text to help you answer them. 1. Why is James Madison considered the Father of the Constitution? 2. What were some ways that the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan were similar? Use your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer to take notes on the information as you read. Access Topic 4: A Constitution for the United States, Lesson 2: Drafting a Constitution in American History. Read A Historic Convention and Disagreements Over a New Government. Now check your answers to the questions about the reading. If you don’t already have the correct answers in your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer, cross out the incorrect answers and replace them with the correct answers. Select the link to check your answers to the James Madison and the Virginia Plan questions. James Madison and the Virginia Plan Answers Select the link to access the online textbook. American History Compromise The Constitutional Convention reached a deadlock. Delegates from smaller states refused to support the Virginia Plan. Delegates from larger states did not like the New Jersey Plan. Fortunately, a delegate from Connecticut named Roger Sherman proposed a solution to the deadlock. Sherman's plan, known as the Great Compromise, appeased both small and large states and created the federal government we have today. Sherman's compromise called for a congress with two houses. Sherman's proposal became a successful compromise because both small and large states received things they wanted. Large states were happy because they got more members in the House. The House was the only place where bills could be written to create taxes. On the other hand, small states were happy because they got equal representation in the Senate. Outside of the House’s ability to write tax legislation and a few special powers granted only to the Senate, the two houses are essentially equal. Slavery was another issue that divided the members of the Constitutional Convention, and an area where Northern and Southern states had to come to a compromise. Delegates at the Constitutional Convention voted on and approved the United States Constitution on September 17, 1787. The document was intended to function as the supreme law of the land. Even though the Constitution passed, many delegates believed the document created a national government that was too powerful. Others opposed the Constitution because it did not include a bill of rights to protect individuals from governmental abuses. After its passage, the delegates sent the Constitution to the thirteen state legislatures. Nine states had to approve the Constitution before it could be ratified, meaning it could go into effect. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 During the Constitutional Convention of 1787, a compromise known as the Fugitive Slave Clause was reached that required states to assist with capturing people escaping slavery and re-enslaving them. The clause created conflicts between pro-slavery and anti-slavery states. This led to the passing of the Fugitive Slave Act in 1793. Many people escaped slavery by fleeing to states that prohibited slavery. The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 gave slaveholders the ability to recapture these people. With its passing by the United States Congress, the act required federal, state, and local government officials in free states to assist with the recapture of enslaved people. The rights of Black Americans became even more limited, as they were often denied the right to due process or a jury by trial. In some cases, enslavers used the law to kidnap Black people who were born free. This act created increased tensions between the northern and southern states. Northerners, many of them abolitionists, became more active in helping people escape slavery. The Underground Railroad was strengthened to help enslaved people escape to northern states safely. Southern slaveholders supported the act as a way to enforce their “right to property.” Before you read the text, preview the following comprehension questions and copy them into the next topic of your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer. Use the text to help you answer them. 1. Analyze the issues that led to the Great Compromise and explain what the Great Compromise achieved? 2. What was the basis for the primary disagreements between Northern and Southern states? 3. What compromise was reached regarding the population of enslaved Africans? 4. What compromise was reached regarding slavery? 5. Why did some delegates choose not to sign the Constitution? Use your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer to take notes on the information as you read. Access Topic 4: A Constitution for the United States, Lesson 2: Drafting a Constitution in American History. Read The Great Compromise, The Three-Fifths Compromise, and The Convention Comes to a Conclusion. Now check your answers to the questions about the reading. If you don’t already have the correct answers in your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer, cross out the incorrect answers and replace them with the correct answers. Select the link to check your answers to the Compromise questions. Compromise Answers Select the link to access the online textbook. American History Influential Delegates Fifty-five delegates attended the Constitutional Convention in 1787. A number of them, as you have learned, played key roles in drafting the constitution and developing compromises that would appease all sides in areas where there were disagreements. Before you review the Interactive Gallery to learn more about some of these key delegates, preview the following comprehension questions and copy them into the next topic of your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer. Use the Interactive Gallery to help you answer them. 1. What kind of government did Alexander Hamilton propose? 2. What kind of government did James Madison propose? 3. What was George Washington’s role? 4. What was Ben Franklin’s role? Use your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer to take notes on the information as you read. Select the link to access the Delegates of the Constitutional Convention Interactive Gallery from the Realize™ website. Delegates of the Constitutional Convention Interactive Gallery Now check your answers to the questions about the Interactive Gallery. If you don’t already have the correct answers in your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer, cross out the incorrect answers and replace them with the correct answers. Select the link to check your answers to the Influential Delegates questions. Influential Delegates Answers Complete the following activities. 1. Select the link to access the Two-Column Chart. Using text evidence, complete the chart by listing key people of the Constitutional Convention and their roles. Across the top row, insert the column headers Person and Key Role. In the first column, write the names of at least five influential delegates. In the second column, write their roles and contributions. Two-Column Chart 2. Select the link to access the Great Compromise Interactive Chart from the Realize™ website. In your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer, answer the following question: What were the opposing points of view that made the Great Compromise necessary? The Great Compromise Interactive Chart Select the link to access the The Great Compromise Text Version. The Great Compromise Text Version 3. Copy the following questions into your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer. Then answer the questions based on what you learned in this lesson. How is the government structured under the Constitution? Why did the Northern states want to use the Constitution to ban the slave trade? Why did the Southern states want to keep it? What were the effects of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793? Complete the following review activities. 1. Review the answers to the Drafting a Constitution Two-Column Chart. Your answers may be slightly different from the ones here. Select the link to check your answers to the Drafting a Constitution Two-Column Chart. Drafting a Constitution Two-Column Chart Answers 2. Review the answers to the questions you were given on the Activity slide. Select the link to check your answers to the Drafting a Constitution questions.  Drafting a Constitution Answers 3. On slide 1, you were given the following Focus Question: How did conflicts and compromises shape the writing and adoption of the Constitution? Write an answer to this question in your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer. Select the link to check your answer to the Drafting a Constitution Focus Question. Drafting a Constitution Focus Question Answer 4. In preparation for the Quick Check, select the link to review glossary terms and definitions for this lesson. Glossary To access the terms and definitions at any time, select Course Tools, Backpack, and then select the word Glossary. To access the terms as flash cards, select the Show As Flash Cards button. You may choose to review the glossary terms and definitions associated with the following: this lesson this lesson and all prior lessons in this unit this unit Take the assessment. Drafting a Constitution Compromise Answers 1. Analyze the issues that led to the Great Compromise and explain what the Great Compromise achieved? Possible response: During the Constitutional Convention large states and small states were unable to agree on how representation should be addressed in the Constitution. Small states wanted equal representation while large states felt representation should be based on population. The Great Compromise addressed this conflict  by creating a two-house legislature: the Senate and the House of Representatives. Each state would have an equal number of Senators while the House was based on population. 2. What was the basis for the primary disagreements between Northern and Southern states? Possible response: Slavery, and whether enslaved Africans should count toward population were the basis for disagreements. 3. What compromise was reached regarding the population of enslaved Africans? Answer: They agreed that three-fifths of the enslaved people in any state would be counted. 4. What compromise was reached regarding slavery? Answer: Northerners agreed that Congress could not outlaw the slave trade for at least 20 years. Congress could regulate the slave trade. Northerners also agreed that no state could stop a person fleeing slavery from being returned to an owner. 5. Why did some delegates choose not to sign the Constitution? Possible response: Some delegates thought the Constitution gave the national government too much power. Drafting a Constitution Answers On the Activity slide, you were asked to view the Great Compromise Interactive Chart and answer the following questions: What were the opposing points of view that made the Great Compromise necessary? Possible response: The states with large populations felt they should have more representation and more power in Congress since they had the most people and paid the most taxes. They wanted to have representatives assigned in proportion to population. The states with small populations worried that the large states would have much more power than they and wanted to be represented equally, rather than by population. The Great Compromise accommodated both of these concerns. On the Activity slide, you were asked to answer the following questions in your Lesson Note-Taking Organizer:< How is the government structured under the Constitution? Possible response: The Constitution established three branches of government to ensure that no one branch of government could abuse its power. The three branches provide for a system of checks and balances. They are the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. Why did the Northern states want to use the Constitution to ban the slave trade? Why did the Southern states want to keep it? Possible response: Some Northern states had already banned the slave trade, and they wanted to end slavery entirely. Southern states thought that banning the slave trade would ruin their economy. What were the effects of the Fugitive Slave Act of 1793?  Possible response: The Fugitive Slave Act of 1793 gave slaveholders the ability to recapture enslaved people across state lines, increased the tensions between the northern and southern states, and limited the rights of Black Americans. Drafting a Constitution Focus Question Answer How did conflicts and compromises shape the writing and adoption of the Constitution? Possible response: There were two main conflicts—how the government should be set up and whether or not enslaved African Americans should be included in population counts. Virginia and New Jersey each had ideas and a plan for how the government should be structured. The Great Compromise, written by Roger Sherman, created both the House of Representatives and the Senate. The Three-Fifths Compromise addressed the issues around slavery and how enslaved African Americans would be counted in the population. Influential Delegates Answers 1. What kind of government did Alexander Hamilton propose? Possible response: He proposed a system modeled on the British government in which senators and a national governor served for life. 2. What kind of government did James Madison propose? Possible response: Madison proposed a strong central government with checks and balances and a two-house legislature based on proportional representation. 3. What was George Washington’s role? Possible response: Washington was unanimously elected to be president of the convention because of the respect the delegates had for his leadership. As president, he did not take part in the debates, though he did vote. 4. What was Ben Franklin’s role? Possible response: Franklin helped solve disputes and kept the convention moving forward, though he did speak out against slavery. James Madison and the Virginia Plan Answers 1. Why is James Madison considered the Father of the Constitution? Possible response: He was well prepared and greatly influenced other delegates.  2. What were some ways that the Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan were similar? Possible response: Both agreed that there should be three branches of government to avoid abuse of power and both agreed that the legislative branch should consist of elected officials. The Great Compromise Text Version Roger Sherman was the prime promoter of the Connecticut—or Great—Compromise during the Constitutional Convention. This plan bridged the differences between large and small states and paved the way for the system of federal government we have today, as outlined in the U.S. Constitution. Learn more below about the Great Compromise of 1787. The U.S. House of Representatives The Great Compromise was also called the Connecticut Compromise in honor of the two men representing Connecticut who came up with the plan. It provided for citizen representation in two ways, a novel idea at the time. For the lower house, the House of Representatives, the compromise drew from the Virginia Plan. It suggested that every state have at least one representative, with the other seats assigned in proportion to population. There would be one representative for every 30,000 citizens in a state. The U.S. Senate During the Constitutional Convention, the delegates became deadlocked over the issue of fair representation. The large states felt they should have more power because they had more people and contributed more money to the government. The small states naturally wanted to be represented equally. The Great Compromise proposed two legislative houses. Drawing ideas from the New Jersey plan, it suggested the states be represented equally in the upper house, the U.S. Senate. Each state’s vote would be equal to every other state; each state would have the same number of Senate seats. A Bicameral Legislature The end result of the Great Compromise was the inclusion of a bicameral (two-house) legislature in the U.S. Constitution. One house (the House of Representatives) represents citizens by population and the other (the Senate) with two senators per state. Throughout the Constitutional Convention, the founders sought thoughtful compromises, finding creative ways to reach agreement on thorny issues. Their willingness to make concessions to each other led the way to the peaceful settlement of other important, potentially divisive issues. © 2016 Connections Education LLC.