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th
11
Grade United States
History
Mr. Weber
Room 217
Activator: discuss in pairs then write
 1. What does it mean to represent something or to be a
representative?
 2. What does it mean to separate powers?
 3. What do you think “ratification” means?
 4. What is the most important thing the Constitution
does?
Objectives:
 □ 11.1.2 Students analyze the American Revolution,
the divinely bestowed unalienable natural rights
philosophy of the Founding Fathers and the
debates surrounding the drafting and ratification
of the Constitution, and the addition of the Bill of
Rights.
 □ 11.1.3 Students understand the history of the
Constitution after 1787 with emphasis on federal
versus state authority and growing
democratization.
Agenda
- Activator and objective (5 minutes)
- Why the need for a Constitution? Direct teacher
presentation and student note-taking (20 minutes)
- Ratification: Federalists and Anti-Federalists activity
(30 minutes)
- Argue for or against ratifying the Constitution and the
need for a strong federal government. (10-15 minutes)
- Bill of Rights (45 minutes)
Why the need for a Constitution?
(Cornell notes set-up)
1. Why were the Articles
[Note: leave your self plenty of space to
of Confederation no
take notes as we talk about each
good?
question]
2. What were the ideals of
a “more perfect union?”
3. Why so many
compromises?
4. What was the effect of
Shay’s Rebellion?
5. What did constitutional
government look like?
Summary: After the presentation write a brief summary.
Expansionist Motivations
 Settlement claims west of
the Alleghany mountains
(1770s).
 West of the southern states
was territory of the Creeks,
Cherokees, Choctaws, and
Chickasaws.
 Already at issue at
Constitutional Convention
in 1787 was whether new
territory would allow
slavery
1. Why were the Articles of
Confederation No Good?
 1st Cont. Congress 1777: established limited national
government (power still with individual states).
 “States hereby enter into a firm league of friendship… for
their common defense, the security of their liberties, and
their mutual and general welfare.”
 Only one branch: the legislative (delegates from states). No
executive or judicial.
 Each state could send as many delegates as they wanted but
each state only had one vote.
 Congress could not collect taxes, raise money, and was
powerless to regulate interstate commerce.
2. What were the ideals of a more perfect
union?
 Fought monarchy of Britain.
 New government would be a democracy (government
by the people).
 Specifically it would be a republic (people’s voice
through elected representatives).
 Self-important sense of historical revolutionary
moment: chance to be an example to the world.
3. Why so many
compromises?
 The major issues were:





Strong on weak federal government.
Representation: big states vs. small states.
How much influence to ordinary citizens.
Slavery
Expansion (linked to slavery)
3. Compromise (continued)
 “The Great Compromise.”
Should states with more people get more of a say?
 Resulted from combination of Virginia and New Jersey
Plans.
 Created a legislative branch with two houses (bicameral):
 Senate would have two representatives from each state
(regardless of the size of the state). Small states were
happy.
 House of Representatives would have representatives
based on the state’s population. Big states were happy.
3. Compromise (continued)
 “The Three-Fifths Compromise.”
Should slaves count as people for purposes of deciding
how many representatives a state would have?
 If slaves were included in the population count, southern
states would get power in House of Representatives.
 Compromised and counted African American slaves as
3/5 of a human being (letting southern slave states count
3/5 of their slave population for purposes of
representation).
4. Shay’s Rebellion (1787)
 Economic hardship
following Rev.
 States printed money –
inflation.
 Mass. raised taxes
instead.
 Farmers in Hampshire
county attacked a
federal arsenal.
Importance: convinced many politicians of the
need for strong federal government.
Note check: Summary
 Write a brief summary of the notes from




Articles of Confederation
More perfect union
Compromises: “Great” and “3/5”
Shay’s Rebellion
U.S. Constitution: Structure of
Government
 Representation: The “Great” and “3/5th’s”
Compromises.
 3 branches: Legislative, Executive, Judicial.
 Bicameral Legislation: 2 houses in Legislature – Senate
and House of Reps.
 Separation of powers: Checks and Balances Chart.
 Federal vs. State Authority (continuing tension).
Ratification
 To ratify something is to pass it or officially accept
it.
 Federalists: Alexander Hamilton, James Madison,
John Jay – in favor of a strong federal government
and for passing the new constitution.
 Anti-federalists: the term they gave those who
were against the strong federal government and
the new constitution. George Mason and Patrick
Henry were most influential.
Ratification Activity
 Your group is either Federalist or Antifederalist.
 Your task is to convince your home state (represented
by me and the rest of your classmates) either to ratify
the Constitution (Federalists) or not to ratify the
Constitution (Antifederalists).
Antifederalists
 The Anti-Federalists did not want to ratify the
Constitution. Basically, they argue that:
 It gave too much power to the national government at
the expense of the state governments.
 There was no bill of rights.
 The national government could maintain an army in
peacetime.
 Congress, because of the `necessary and proper clause,'
wielded too much power.
 The executive branch held too much power.
Federalists
 The separation of powers into three independent
branches protected the rights of the people. Each
branch represents a different aspect of the people,
and because all three branches are equal, no one
group can assume control over another.
 A listing of rights can be a dangerous thing. If the
national government were to protect specific listed
rights, what would stop it from violating rights
other than the listed ones? Since we can't list all the
rights, the Federalists argued that it's better to list
none at all.
Discussion Questions (5-7
minutes)
 Discuss briefly with partner then write:
 1. What did the Federalists want?
 2. What did the Anti-Federalists want?
 3. What is the Bill of Rights?
 4. Can you list any of the rights that the amendments to the
U.S. Constitution guarantees you?
 5. Bonus: what does “bicameral” mean?
Ratification
 Ratification: to pass something or officially accept
it. The states had to ratify the new Constitution in
order to form a national government.
 Federalists: In favor of a strong federal
government and for passing the new Constitution.
(Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, John Jay)
 Anti-federalists: Were against the strong federal
government and the new constitution. (George
Mason and Patrick Henry).
Who were the Federalists? (James
Madison, Alexander Hamilton, John Jay)
 Wanted a strong Federal (national) Government.
 Wrote to convince states to pass the Constitution.
 Argued that:
 People need a national government to preserve order
and protect rights (humans are not angels argument).
 The separation of powers into three independent
branches protected the rights of the people.
 No need for Bill of Rights. A listing of rights can be a
dangerous thing. If the national government were to
protect specific listed rights, what would stop it from
violating rights other than the listed ones? Since we can't
list all the rights, the Federalists argued that it's better to
list none at all.
Who were the Anti-Federalists? (Patrick
Henry and George Mason)
 Were against (anti-) creating a strong federal
Government.
 Did not want the states to ratify the Constitution.
 Argued that:
 It gave too much power to the national government at the




expense of the state governments.
There was no bill of rights.
The national government could maintain an army in
peacetime.
Congress, because of the `necessary and proper clause,'
wielded too much power.
The executive branch held too much power.
Ratification: Struggle to get each state to
agree to new Constitution

Approval
 Delaware (Dec. 7, 1787)
 Pennsylvania (Dec. 12, 1787)
 New Jersey (Dec. 18, 1787)
 Georgia (Jan. 2, 1788)
 Connecticut (Jan. 9, 1788)
 Massachusetts (Feb. 7, 1788)
 Maryland (Apr. 29, 1788)
 South Carolina (May 23, 1788)
 New Hampshire (June 21, 1788)
 Virginia (June 25, 1788)
 New York (July 26, 1788)
 North Carolina (Nov. 21, 1789)
 Rhode Island (May 29, 1790)
Representation and Democratization
Growing alarm of elite patriots:
“We probably had too good an opinion of human nature in forming our
confederation. Experience has taught us, that men will not adopt and carry into
execution measures the best calculated for their own good, without the
intervention of a coercive power… What astonishing changes a few years are
capable of producing” -- George Washington to John Jay (Aug. 1786)
Wealth of State Representatives
(percentages)
100%
90%
80%
80
12
36
28
26
70%
40%
50
47
62
36
20%
0%
Prewar
Wealthy
Well-to-do
Moderate
30
17
12
Postwar
N.H., N.Y., N.J.
Prewar
18
60
42
30%
10%
70
52
60%
50%
Occupations of State Representatives
(percentages)
Postwar
Md., Va., S.C.
Based on studies by Jackson Turner Main
43
40
17
30
55
20
10
0
26
23
Prewar
22.5
12
Postwar
N.H., N.Y., N.J.
Prewar
Postwar
Md., Va., S.C.
Merchants &
Lawyers
Farmers
Bill of Rights (First 10 amendments to
the Constitution)
 The Federalists had to promise to add a Bill of
Rights to get all the states to agree to the new
national government.
 Academic speed dating:
 With your partner read your assigned amendment and
take detailed notes.
 Form an inner and outer circle, sitting across from
someone .
 Make sure if you are in the inner circle, your partner is in
the outer circle (and vice versa).
 You will have 2 ½ minutes to teach your amendment. Do
not waste time because everyone needs notes on all 10
amendments!
Bill of Rights

1st amendment: freedom of speech, press, assembly, and religion.

2nd amendment: right to bear arms.

3rd amendment: housing soldiers.

4th amendment: right against unreasonable search and seizure.

5th amendment: jury trial, double jeopardy, self-incrimination, due process.

6th amendment: right to jury trial, right to a lawyer.

7th amendment: extends right to jury trial to civil cases.

8th amendment: no excessive bail, no cruel and unusual punishment.

9th amendment: safety net stating that individuals have other fundamental rights not explicitly
listed.

10th amendment: balance of power between federal and state governments.
Time-permitting: Quiz
Questions

1. In the debate over the ratification of the Constitution, the Antifederalists
believed
 A. the executive branch would be too powerful.
 B. the national government would be too powerful.
 C. the states would be too powerful.
 D. the Articles of Confederation should have been amended.

2. Which of the following is a civil liberty that is included in the Bill of Rights?
 A. institution of the draft
 B. compelled self-incrimination
 C. right to a speedy trial
 D. right to search without cause

3. One weakness of the Articles of Confederation was that
 A. there was no executive branch.
 B. state governments were too weak.
 C. the Supreme Court had too much power.
 D. there was no legislative branch.
Quiz continued

4. All of the following were main arguments of the Antifederalists against the
ratification of the new Constitution EXCEPT that
 A. it was primarily by and for the wealthy and aristocracy.
 B. the states would be wholly subordinate to the national government.
 C. it could lead to tyranny and despotism.
 D. the national government would need a judicial branch.

5. Patrick Henry refused to attend the Constitutional Convention. He did so in
protest because he believed that the delegates were going to
 A. establish a strong federal government.
 B. retain the Articles of Confederation.
 C. expand the powers of the states.
 D. create a Bill of Rights.

6. The ratification of the Constitution came before the
 A. Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
 B. acceptance of the Great Compromise by the states.
 C. states' acceptance of the Bill of Rights.
 D. Articles of Confederation were accepted by the states.
Quiz continued:
 7. The Constitution was drafted because the Articles of
Confederation failed to
 A. allow for the addition of new states.
 B. prevent military rule.
 C. provide enough power to the central government.
 D. provide for a legislative body.
 8. The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and
judiciary, in the same hands… may justly be pronounced the very
definition of tyranny. —James Madison, The FederalistThe quote
above is Madison's argument for which of the following?
 A. federalism
 B. separation of powers
 C. popular sovereignty
 D. states' rights
Quiz continued

9. The Great Compromise during the constitutional debates was
 A. the counting of slaves as three-fifths a person for representation.
 B. a mix of the legislative ideas of the Virginia and New Jersey plans.
 C. an attempt to resolve the issues of the Northwest Territory.
 D. the Antifederalist's final ratification of the Constitution.

10. The vast Continent of America cannot be long subjected to a Democracy if
consolidated into one Government. You might as well attempt to rule Hell by
Prayer.The 1780s view expressed above was the opinion of which of the following?
 A. Loyalists
 B. Antifederalists
 C. Federalists
 D. Whigs

11. According to the authors of The Federalist, the Constitution has two main
purposes: to defend minority rights against majority tyranny and to
 A. prevent a single faction (party) from dominating politics.
 B. prevent a minority from blocking measures necessary for the national interest.
 C. diversify the nation's economic interests and foreign trading partners.
 D. develop a new and separate American identity.