After independence was declared, Americans were faced with creating a new form of
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Social Studies 4-4.3: Explain how the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights placed an importance on the active involvement of citizens in government and protected the rights of white male property owners but not those of the slaves, women, and Native Americans. |
Essential Question: How does the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights protect the rights of white male property owners only?
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. Document Analysis Sheet and/or Text Discussion Questions Write About It US Government Through Infographics Text Discussion Questions and/or Pick 2 and Compare No More Kings Branches of Government Venn Diagram Sheet Text Questions Class Discussion and Debate 4-4 United States Government Ø Students will read pages 8, 9,14,15,26, 27 in the Capstone eBook US Constitution, Bill of Rights, and a New Nation. They will complete the power strategy organizer Pick 3 and Gist to identify the importance of the Constitution on the New Nation. (DOK 1-3) Ø Students will skim through pages 1-22 in the Capstone eBook Bill of Rights. They will complete the power strategy organizer Think Like a Journalist to summarize the importance of the Bill of Rights. (DOK 1-3) Ø Students will analyze the photograph “Signing of the Constitution, September 17, 1787” from the Library of Congress using the photo analysis sheet. (DOK 2-3) Ø Students will read pages 25-29 in the ABDO eBook US Constitution and Bill of Rights. Students complete the Round Robin but Write Power Strategy organizer to discuss the importance of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights. (DOK 1-3) Ø Students will view the Discovery Education video clip “Citizens Rule: Our Founding Documents” (2:33 long.). They will analyze the video using the video analysis sheet. (DOK 2-3) Ø Students will read the diagram “Responsibilities of U.S. Citizens.” They will use the diagram to complete the Bumper Sticker Creation. (DOK 1-2) Ø Students will read pages 35-43 in the ABDO eBook US Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Students will write 2 diary entries in their notebooks describing the day the Bill of Rights was ratified from the point of view of a white, male property owner and either a woman or an African-American. (DOK 2-3) |
It is essential for students to know:
Ideals of equality were described in the Declaration of Independence, including that “All men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” Despite the fact that the “men” referred to in this context actually meant all of mankind, the eighteenth century opinions, values and eventual actions of the white, male property owners who commissioned, penned and approved the ringing words for their cause differed greatly from the ideals they spoused. In short, although some of the Framers of the Constitution struggled with the issue of the disparity between their station and the natural rights of others, most regarded only those of their class, race, and gender as the equals possessing the unalienable rights that needed protections. In fact, neither the words “slave” nor “woman” were used in the writing of the document, while the Constitution specifically referred to Native Americans by giving “Congress…the power to regulate Commerce …with the Indian tribes.” Native Americans were considered separate nations at that time and thus dealt with in the same manner, at least initially and within the document, as other foreign countries. Whether women were omitted because they were a forgotten part of society or because they were presumed to be a part of the society that government protects is an issue currently hotly debated by historian researchers. Regardless of the direction of the scholarship, women’s rights as equal citizens were not able to be enforced until the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920. (In fact, the insertion for the first time of the word “male” when granting the rights of citizenship to freedmen in the 14th amendment (1868) was a major setback and disappointment for women abolitionists (topics all a part of grade 5)). The existence of slavery, on the other hand, was everpresent and implied in the Constitution because it was a major source of contention and difference between the constituencies of the United States who were trying to create a government that would be palatable in all regions of the new nation. The sectional dissonance between them would only continue to grow in stature until it consumed the country in a civil war before the country could reach its first centennial. In the Constitution, slaves were instead discussed as “other persons” in one context and “fugitive laborers” in another. When the Great Compromise determined that representation in the House of Representatives was to be based on population, the sectional debate centered upon the counting of slaves for the purposes of representation (as persons) and taxation (as property). The resultant Three-Fifths Compromise called for slaves to be counted as 3/5 of a person for both purposes. The Constitution also included the provisions that the international slave trade would not cease for two decades [until 1808] and that the federal government was directed to assist in the return of runaway slaves (or “fugitive laborers”) throughout the country (a provision strengthened in the Compromise of 1850 and the cause of much sectional strife (4-6.3)). While Northern states gradually emancipated their slaves as a result of the “revolutionary” ideals and because they were not economically dependent on slave labor (4-3.4), African Americans were still discriminated against in Northern states. Often they were the last hired and the first fired. They were denied access to some schools and lived in segregated African American communities. In the South, although some slave owners liberated their slaves voluntarily, many southern states prohibited emancipation and slavery became more and more entrenched. It was only after the Civil War, emancipation, and the civil rights movement of the 20th century that African Americans could enjoy the equal rights promised in the Declaration Independence. The Bill of Rights is the name for the first ten amendments to the Constitution that were added to protect individual rights and freedoms that were not addressed in the original Constitution. When the Constitution was in the process of being ratified by state ratifying conventions, some Americans were concerned that the Constitution gave the national government too much power. These people became known as the Anti-Federalists. Anti-Federalists were a significant force in several key states, and they would not approve the Constitution until the amendments protecting the rights of individuals against an “all-powerful” national government (like that experienced while under the rule of George III) were promised. Amendments were proposed during the first Congress and sent to the states for ratification. Ten of these were ratified. They continue to guarantee the rights of individuals and limit the power of the government. These rights include freedoms of religion, speech and assembly, the rights for citizens to bear arms, protection against troops being quartered in private homes, safeguards against unreasonable searches, and the requirement for indictment by a grand jury for major crimes. It also guarantees a speedy public trial and trial by jury, and prohibits excessive bail. The Bill of Rights also recognizes that people have rights other than those mentioned in the Bill of Rights and that powers not delegated to the federal government belong to the states or the people. American constitutional democracy places important responsibilities on citizens to take an active role in the civil process. Students should understand that these responsibilities include, but are not limited to, following rules and laws established by local, state and federal governments; expressing their beliefs and opinions by voting in elections; paying income taxes to support local, state, and federal projects; and serving on a jury to ensure the right of a fair trial to all individuals. |