Reading Questions Section One: American Historical Documents
1.
Name three events that led up to the colonies sending representatives to the First Continental Congress.
2.
What did the colonists demand in the letter to King George III in the First Continental Congress?
3.
What effect did the pamphlet entitled “Common Sense” have on the delegates of the Second Continental
Congress?
4.
Who wrote the Declaration of Independence?
5.
The Declaration listed complaints against whom?
6.
Read the quotes from the Declaration to answer the following questions. a.
All men are created __________________. b.
They are endowed with certain _______________________________. c.
Governments….deriving their just powers from the ______________________________.
7.
Why is it important that Locke’s social contract exist between government and their people?
8.
What connection do you see between the Magna Carta, the Charter of the Virginia Company of London and the Mayflower Compact to the Declaration of Independence? (Think similarities/differences)
Reading Questions Section Two: Creating the Constitution
Knowledge:
1.
After declaring independence in 1776, what was Congress goal for the states?
2.
What was the feeling of most members of Congress about creating a strong central government?
3.
What was one issue that states quarreled (argued) about prior to the Articles of Confederation?
4.
How was land divided among settlers on the Northwest Territory?

5.
What choice did settlers in the Northwest Territory have to make about how they would be governed?
Understanding:
6.
In this reading, the Articles of Confederation is described as a “League of Friendship.” Why do you think this name was used?
7.
Do you think the Northwest Ordinance was a good solution to this choice?
Critical Thinking:
8.
If you were a settler in the Northwest Territory, would you prefer to have the central government have more control over you, or would you prefer to have your government be made up of people from your state and local area? Explain your response.
Reading Questions Section Three: The Constitution
Knowledge:
1.
What was the primary compromise that the framers (writers) of the Constitution want to include in the document?
2.
What is the purpose of making the Constitution a structured document that is divided into several articles?
3.
Why is the Constitution called a “living document?”
4.
What is the purpose of the Preamble to the US Constitution?
Understanding:
5.
Why do you think it was important for the Constitution to begin with “We the People…?”
Critical Thinking:
6.
Do you think the Preamble makes the Constitution more effective? _____ Why or why not?

Reading Questions Section Four: The Structure of the Constitution
Knowledge:
1.
What does bicameral mean?
2.
What is our bicameral national legislature called?
3.
If Congress tries to create a law that the President does not approve of, the Constitution allows him to issue a _________________ on that proposed law.
4.
What does the Constitution establish in Article II of the Constitution?
5.
As listed in the Constitution, what are the qualifications to become President of the United States?
6.
Found in Article III of the Constitution, whose who has the job of interpreting laws?
7.
What special power given to the Supreme Court established their role as the “supreme law of the Land”?
Understanding and Critical Thinking:
8.
Why do you think the Constitution established these THREE specific branches? Do you think one is more powerful than the others, or are they all equal. Explain your response.
Reading Questions Section Five: Amendment Process
Knowledge:
1.
Article _____ of the Constitution describes the amendment process.
2.
What is an Amendment?
3.
Over the years, more than ___________ amendments to the Constitution have been proposed, but only
________ have been approved.
4.
What are the two ways an amendment can be proposed (asked for)?
5.
What are the two ways an amendment can be ratified (approved)?

Understanding:
6.
Over the years very few amendments have been approved. What about the amendment process is so difficult?
7.
Why did the framers of the US Constitution make changing the Constitution so difficult?
Critical Thinking:
8.
How do you think the United States and its government would have been different if the founding fathers chose not to include an amendment process in the US Constitution?
Reading Questions Section Six: Bill of Rights
Knowledge:
1.
What is the Bill of Rights?
2.
What are Civil Liberties?
3.
How many amendments did Congress propose to the states from the Bill of Rights? _____
4.
How many amendments did the states ratify in the Bill of Rights? ______
5.
Look at the Bill of Rights in your reference section on page R10. Which amendment in the Bill of Rights seems to be the most important in your opinion? _____ Why?
6.
Look at the Bill of Rights in your reference section on page R10. Which amendment in the Bill of Rights had you never heard of before? _______ What is it about?

Reading Questions Section Seven: First Amendment
Knowledge:
1.
First Amendment
Freedoms
What freedom does it protect? What are examples of this freedom in use?
Understanding:
4.
Why is the Bill of Rights important?
5.
Are the First Amendment Freedoms unlimited? _____ Give examples:
Critical Thinking:
6.
The First Amendment protects the freedom of religion. But before the First Amendment, people were practicing their religions. Was it necessary to include this freedom in the US Constitution?