Law and Government
Origins of American Government Study Guide
Instructional Resources:
Text chapter 2
Primary Source Readings:
Magna Carta and the Founding of the United States
English Petition of Right
English Bill of Rights
The Wealth of Nations
Common Sense
Virginia Declaration of Rights
The Declaration of Independence
Federalist 10 and 51
We The People Lessons 15, 16, 17
Towards a Constitution
Chapter 2, sections 1-3
Objectives:
1. Identify the three basic concepts that influenced government in America.
2. Analyze the significance of Early English efforts to expand rights on Colonial thought.
3. Outline the growth of colonial self-government and actions that led to an independence
movement.
4. Analyze the Declaration of Independence
5. Describe American government under the Articles of Confederation.
6.
Describe how/why the need for a stronger National Government led to the Constitutional
Convention.
Terms
Charter
Bicameral
Unicameral
Creating the Constitution
Chapter 2, section 4.
Objectives:
1. Identify the framers of the Constitution and discuss how the delegates organized the
proceedings at the Philadelphia convention.
2. Compare and contrast the Virginia plan and the New Jersey plan for a new constitution.
3. Summarize the major compromises that the delegates agreed to make and the effects of those
compromises.
4. Identify some of the sources from which the framers of the Constitution drew inspiration.
5. Describe the delegates’ reactions to the Constitution as they completed their work.
Terms:
Framers
Virginia Plan
New Jersey Plan
Connecticut Compromise
Three-Fifths Compromise
Commerce and slave trade compromise
Chapter 2, Section 5
Objectives:
1. Identify the opposing sides in the fight for ratification
2. Describe the process of ratification of the Constitution
3. Describe the significance of New York and Virginia in the fight for ratification
4. Describe the inauguration of the new government
Terms:
Federalists
Anti-Federalists
Ratification
Quorum
We The People, Lesson 15
Objectives:
1.
Analyze comments in support of the Constitution made by Madison and Franklin
2. Explain the position of George Mason and analyze arguments opposed to and in support of his
criticism
We The People, Lesson 16:
Objectives:
1.
Explain the arguments of the Anti-Federalists and how those ideas were based upon traditional
ideas of republican government.
2. Explain the responses of the Federalists to the criticisms of the Anti-Federalists.
3. Explain how the debate between the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists led to the
development and adoption of the Bill Of Rights.
Terms:
Agrarian community
Diverse community
Anti-Federalists
Federalists
Bill of Rights
We The People, Lesson 17:
Objectives:
1. Explain why the Federalists wanted the Constitution to be ratified in state conventions and the
arguments they used to justify this procedure which is included in Article VII of the Constitution.
2. Explain the arguments made by the Federalists in support of the Constitution, including how the
Federalists’ arguments differed from classical arguments about republican government.
Terms;
Ratifying conventions
The Federalist Papers