Compelling Question: Did the Founders establish a Just Government?

Supporting Question #1: How did European ideas and the political traditions influence American political development?

Supporting Question: #2: Why did the Framers of the United States Constitution believe a new document was necessary?

Google Classroom Activities

1. Opening Activity:

• You will find a copy of the Declaration of Independence on you table. Find as much evidence as you can that indicates influence of the Enlightened Thinkers that we studies last week

• Highlight the passage where you find their ideas and mark it with an L for Lock, M for Montesquieu, and R for Rousseau.

1. Source Analysis: Look for evidence of Enlightened Thinkers in the Declaration of Independence

2. Source Analysis: Why was new document necessary? (Annotation and List Generation)

Compelling Question: Did the Founders establish a Just Government?

Supporting Question #3: How did the framers structure the government?

Class Activities:

Step 1

We will have a group scavenger hunt to gather information about the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. The winning team will get a little prize!

Step 2

1. Principles of the Constitution

a. There are seven principles that are part of the structure of the US Constitution. Use the 8 Principles of Constitution to practice defining and applying them.

Compelling Question: Did the Founders establish a Just Government?

Supporting Question #4: How democratic was the 1787 Constitution?

As we discussed the US Constitution, we discussed that some parts of it or definitions have changed over time. Today we will look at that change over time as it pertains to the changing of who is included when we use the phrase, "WE THE PEOPLE. . . ." . How did that refer to in 1787? Who does that refer to today? How and when has it changed or evolved over time?

We will complete the Expansion of Suffrage Webquest. All links necessary are linked in the document.

Compelling Question: Did the Founders establish a Just Government?

Case Study: "The Good, The Bad, The Ugly of Federalism"

For the next two days we will examine one of the more complex principles of the Constitution, that being federalism.

Today we will explore the meaning and application of the concept in American government.