Lesson Plan 4.2: Development of America’s National Identity derived from the principles and beliefs in
the Founding Documents (Dec, US Con, Bill of Rights).
Students’ Focus: Understand the difference between a belief and a principle and how our founding
documents set forth to reflect our national identity through a set of shared principles and beliefs.
Intro: PAL Notes (10min) – students will define and differentiate between Power, Authority, and
Legitimacy
Discussion (5min): How has power, authority, and legitimacy in the United States?
Define: Belief vs. Principle (5min)
Partner Brainstorm (8 min) : Create a Venn diagram map –

First in the middle – list characteristics that a country would have to make up their national
identity -essentially (what makes America –America and what makes North Korea-North Korea?
Items in this box may be: freedoms, rights, responsibilities of a person.

Then on the left side list P and B that you feel America used to have and on the right side list P
and B that you feel America has now.
Discuss- Venn diagram (7 min) – discuss and update Venn Diagrams as a class and clear up any
misconceptions.
Define: Founding Documents (2 min)
Founding Document Research (30 min): Group students into 4’s. 1 student per document (Constitution
document has 2 people). Students write down the following terms on ISN page in a 4 column chart
The first column is the term, second column is brief description of the term, the 3rd column is where the
term can be found in the 3 founding documents, and the last column is whether they think it is a Belief
(B) or a Principle (P).
Rule of Law
Individual Responsibility
Separation of Powers
Religious Freedom
Equality
Rights
Evolution of National Identity
Inalienable rights
Due Process
Federalism
Popular Sovereignty
Consent of the governed
Discussion on discovery/share out (10 min): Go through the key terms give each student a different
color slip – for a principle or a belief – 3,2,1, raise up…discuss why…
Homework/Exit Slip: If you could create/change one of our founding documents principles/beliefs what
would it be?