Study Guide:
The Constitution
Name: ____________________
I Be able to identify and discuss then importance of these
people:
James Madison
John Jay
Roger Sherman
Elbridge Gerry
Alexander Hamilton
Benjamin Franklin
Gouverneur Morris
Patrick Henry
George Washington
George Mason
Edmund Randolph
II Be able to identify and discuss then importance of these terms:
Articles of Confederation
separation of powers
Virginia Plan
federalism
Preamble
Executive
Congress
Supreme Court
The Bill of Rights
Debate
Shay’s Rebellion
Veto
New Jersey Plan
impeachment
Articles
legislative
Senate
ratification
Anti-Federalists
Constitutional Convention
checks and balances
Great Compromise
Three Fifths Compromise
Amendments
judicial
House of Representatives
The Federalist Papers
Three branches of government
III Students describe the people and events associated with the development of the U.S.
Constitution and analyze the Constitution's significance as the foundation of the American
republic.
 List the shortcomings of the Articles of Confederation as set forth by their critics.
 Explain the significance of the new Constitution of 1787, including the struggles over its
ratification and the reasons for the addition of the Bill of Rights.
 Understand the fundamental principles of American constitutional democracy, including
how the government derives its power from the people and the primacy of individual
liberty.
 Understand how the Constitution is designed to secure our liberty by both empowering
and limiting central government and compare the powers granted to citizens, Congress,
the president, and the Supreme Court with those reserved to the states.
 Discuss the meaning of the American creed that calls on citizens to safeguard the liberty
of individual Americans within a unified nation, to respect the rule of law, and to
preserve the Constitution.
 Know the songs that express American ideals (e.g., "America the Beautiful," "The Star
Spangled Banner").
Your final grade for this unit will be based on the final test, your Constitution
portfolio, and your classroom work.
Constitution Portfolio Components:
1. Classroom Constitution
2. Bill of Rights booklet
3. Amendment proposal
4. Persuasive Letter recommending ratification of the Constitution
5. Your notes from our Constitutional convention
6. Branches and levels of government chart
Some Online resources for the American Constitution:
Us Constitution.net a good site for understanding the Constitution:
http://www.usconstitution.net/constkids4.html
US History.com
http://www.u-s-history.com/index.html
Period.
Click on “Eras” and choose Young Republic
Lyrics to Patriotic Songs:
http://www.usa-flag-site.org/songs.shtml
The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States of America
We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect
union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the
common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings
of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this
Constitution for the United States of America.
The Star Spangled Banner
Composed by Francis Scott Key, "In Defense of Fort McHenry", September 20, 1814.
Congress proclaimed it the U.S. National Anthem in 1931.
Oh, say, can you see, by the dawn's early light,
What so proudly we hail'd at the twilight's last gleaming?
Whose broad stripes and bright stars, thro' the perilous fight,
O'er the ramparts we watch'd, were so gallantly streaming?
And the rockets' red glare, the bombs bursting in air,
Gave proof thro' the night that our flag was still there.
O say, does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O'er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Constitution Information:
Major challenges to governing through the Articles of Confederation:
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Congress (the central government) was made up of delegates chosen by the states and could conduct
foreign affairs, make treaties, declare war, maintain an army and a navy, coin money, and establish post
offices. However, measures passed by Congress had to be approved by 9 of the 13 states.
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Congress was severely limited in its powers. It could not raise money by collecting taxes; it had no
control over foreign commerce; it could pass laws but could not force the states to comply with them.
Thus, the government was dependent on the willingness of the various states to carry out its measures,
and often the states refused to cooperate.
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The articles were virtually impossible to amend, so problems could not be corrected.
The Constitutional Convention
A stronger central administration was needed if the nation was going to survive. Delegates from each
state (except Rhode Island) began arriving in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in May 1787. At first, only
Virginia and Pennsylvania were represented. It took some of the delegates months to arrive. In fact,
the last delegate to arrive showed up on August 6th!
Early on, Gov. Edmund Randolph (Virginia) presented the Virginia Plan, which provided for a
"national" government with three branches, the executive, the legislative, and the judicial.
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Executive Branch: Provides leadership and enforces laws.
Legislative Branch: Makes laws for the nation.
Judicial Branch: Explains and interprets laws.
Many of the delegates were outraged at the word "national," not wanting the states to lose power.
There was also debate between small states and large states about representation in the national
government. Individual rights over state rights were also debated, as was the head of government. In
the end, most of the Virginia Plan was used; however, it would take a "Great Compromise."
The Great Compromise
Roger Sherman addressed the difficult issue of representation by offering what came to be known as the
Connecticut Compromise (or Great Compromise). It provided:
The upper house (Senate) would have equal representation and be elected by the lower house
The lower house (House of Representatives) would be subject to proportional representation
The Three-Fifths Compromise (1787)
Was a compromise between southern and northern states during the United States Constitutional
Convention in which only three-fifths of the slave population was counted for purposes regarding both the
distribution of taxes and the apportionment of the members of the United States House of Representatives and
the U.S. Electoral College (through a census). It was proposed by James Wilson.
Final wording in the Constitution referred to “all other persons” and the words slave and slavery do not
appear; this same population computation would also be used for determining taxation.
The Constitution was finally finished on September 12, 1787 and made public. It did not contain any sort of Bill
of Rights, even though that question had been heavily debated. Of the 42 delegates still present at the
convention when it was finished, 39 signed the Constitution. Only Gov. Edmund Randolph (Virginia), George
Mason (Virginia), and Elbridge Gerry (Massachusetts) declined to sign. Each states was then given six months
to convene and vote on the proposed Constitution.
During these six months, there was much public debate. People in favor of the Constitution were called
Federalists while those opposed were called Anti-Federalists." James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John
Jay wrote a series of articles in favor of the Constitution that became known as The Federalist Papers. Some of
these articles explained about the system of "checks and balances" in the Constitution wherein no one branch of
government would have more power than the other two. These articles helped sway public opinion. The
Constitution was finally ratified and became legal on June 21, 1788.
Interestingly, a number of prominent figures of the day did not attend the Constitutional Convention, including
Richard Henry Lee, Patrick Henry, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams,* Samuel Adams and, John Hancock.
Constitutional Convention Quick Facts:
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President of the Constitutional Convention: George Washington
Location: The State House (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania), known as Independence Hall
Oldest Delegate: Benjamin Franklin, 81
Youngest Delegate: Jonathan Dayton, 26
Average Age of Delegates: 42
Remains today, the world's oldest written Constitution.
The Order of Ratification
1 Delaware
December 7, 1787
2 Pennsylvania
December 12, 1787
3 New Jersey
December 18, 1787
4 Georgia
January 2, 1788
5 Connecticut
January 9, 1788
6 Massachusetts
February 6, 1788
7 Maryland
April 28, 1788
8 South Carolina
May 23, 1788
9 New Hampshire
June 21, 1788
(With this state's signing, the Constitution became ratified)
10 Virginia
June 25, 1788
11 New York
July 26, 1788
12 North Carolina
November 21, 1788
(Initially voted against ratification)
13 Rhode Island
May 29, 1790
(Did not even hold a constitutional convention)
The Bill of Rights
Because there was so much interest and debate regarding individual freedoms, a Bill of Rights
became law on December 15, 1791. Twelve amendments were proposed but only 10 were passed.
The Bill of Rights consisted of the Constitution’s first 10 amendments and included freedom of
speech, religion, the press, peaceful assembly, and rights to jury trials.
Amendments to the Constitution
Since the original 10 amendments, the Bill of Rights as they are collectively known, 17 more
amendments have been passed. The most recent, Amendment XXVII, was ratified May 2, 1992.
Interestingly, it was originally proposed on September 25, 1789 and was one of the two that were not
passed as part of the Bill of Rights. Amendment XXVII has to do with the compensation, or paying of
a salary, to members of the Senate and House of Representatives.
Other amendments have included:
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Amendment XIII, ratified on December 6, 1865, abolished slavery.
Amendment XV, ratified on February 3, 1870, wherein "the right of the citizens…to vote shall
not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or
previous condition or servitude."
Amendment XIX, ratified on August 8, 1920, which did much the same thing as Amendment
XV, but was based on sex, basically giving women the right to vote.
Only one amendment, Amendment XVIII, ratified on January 6, 1919, prohibiting "the manufacture,
sale, or transportation of intoxicating liquors" was ever repealed. Amendment XXI, ratified on
December 5, 1933, was the amendment that repealed Amendment XVIII.
Throughout the year:
Concepts:
culture
economy
politics
agriculture influence
tradition
diversity
social class hierarchy
citizen taxation
cause-and-effect
geography
religion
government
technology
region society
slavery
empireenvironment
inflation
How we do History:
Primary sources
Analyze
archaeology
Secondary sources
perspective
artifacts
chronology
oral history
evidence
cause-and-effect
theory
historical empathy
Map Skills:
latitude
scale
inset map
equator
polar
valley
reef
strait
longitude
grid
cardinal directions
prime meridian
peninsula
mesa
delta
tributary
isthmus
map key
political map
time zones
plains
gulf
floodplain
mountain range
compass rose
map projection
physical map
tropics
plateau
bay
desert
mountain pass