After independence was declared, Americans were faced with creating a new form of government that would embody the ideals for which they had fought. |
Social Studies 4-4.1:
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Essential Question: How are the ideas in the Articles of Confederation different from those in the Constitution?
Learning Tasks / Activities:
Ø The teacher will closely read the Interactive Essential Text with students. During this time it is important to discuss the essential question, define key vocabulary, code the text (political, geographic, economic, and social) to discuss the content and clarify any misconceptions. The teacher and student will interact with the text. The following tasks are to strengthen, to deepen, and to enhance the indicator content and connect to the key concept question. Ø Students will view the Discovery Education video clip “James Madison and a Meeting to Revise the Articles of Confederation” (3:03 long.). They will analyze the video using the video analysis sheet. (DOK 2-3) Ø Students will read closely Chapter 2 from the Capstone eBook The U.S. Constitution, Bill of Rights, and a New Nation. Students will complete the power strategy organizer A Weak Government Partner T-Chart to identify the 3 components that they considered to be the greatest flaws of the Articles of Confederation and share with their neighbor. (DOK 1-3) Ø Students will read the Achieve 3000 article “Freedom: How We Got It”. Students will create an advertisement for the new Constitution that has replaced the Articles of Confederation using the Create an Ad sheet. (DOK 2-4) Ø Students will read pages 27 to 30 in the ABDO eBook Nation is Born: 1754- 1820’s. They will complete a 3-2-1 Strategy Chart about the reading. (DOK 1- 3) |
It is essential for students to know:
The government that was developed under the Articles of Confederation was a direct result of the experiences under the royal governors and the King and Parliament. Because the Americans were fighting to preserve the rights of their colonial assemblies, they believed sovereignty rested in their state governments and developed the confederation to unite to fight the war. The Continental Congress provided the model for the Articles of Confederation government. Under the Articles of Confederation, authority for governance rested with the states, not with the people. States were represented in the Confederation Congress that had a one-house legislature in which each state had one vote. Like thirteen separate countries, states formed their own military, made their own rules and printed their own currency. The national Congress (called the Confederation Congress or the Congress of the Confederation) could make laws, but could not levy taxes directly to support itself. The national government could only request funds from the states. The national government did not have a separate executive (because of the experience with King George III), but instead it was somewhat led by the president of the Confederation Congress. It did not have a separate national court system to settle international, national or inter/ intrastate disputes. The United States Constitution was written to solve problems that arose as a result of the weaknesses in the government under the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution is based on the idea that the authority of the government comes directly from the people. The Constitution starts with the statement “We, the People.” Under the Constitution, governing powers are shared between the states and the federal government in a system known as federalism. The national congress is comprised of two houses; the Senate and the House of Representatives. In the Senate, the people of each state have equal representation regardless of size or population,. In the House of Representatives, the people of the state are proportionally represented by a number of representatives based on the population of the state. South Carolina has six, for example. The Constitution provides for separate executive, legislative, and judicial branches. In deciding to have an elected president, the United States has an executive who serves the United States and a system of national courts. The Articles of Confederation and the Constitution are similar because they both provided for the establishment of government. They are different in their understanding of where the authority for government rests and in the powers that are given to the national government. |