Constitution Day Lesson Plan
(ANSWER KEY)
Listed are terms/topics that relate to the ratification of the United States Constitution
in 1788. Define the terms specifying how they relate to the Constitution. Answer the
questions related to the terms.
Adopt - to vote to accept
Ratify - to confirm by expressing consent, or formal approval, giving it binding force
When was the United States Constitution adopted? When was the United States
Constitution ratified? Why was the adoption of the Constitution not enough to make it
legally binding in the 13 states? What process had to happen to make it a ratified, legal
document?
The Constitution was signed and adopted in September 1787, but for it to become the
"law of the land" it had to be ratified by 9 of the 13 states. The Constitution was ratified
in June of 1788 after Federalist promised to add amendments (Bill of Rights) protecting
basic freedoms of citizens.
http://iipdigital.usembassy.gov/st/english/inbrief/2012/06/201206217872.html#axzz3lNO
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(A) Committee of Detail - This committee, headed by John Rutledge, had the job of
writing a first draft of the Constitution after the Constitutional Convention met to discuss
the structure of America's government. This first document was changed by the
Committee of Style who made changes in wording to the original document.
(B) State-of-Union Speech - Article II of the Constitution, dealing with the executive
branch, states that the president, from time to time, shall give Congress an update on
the state of the union. From this, we have gotten the yearly speech, addressed in front of
Congress, as to the current state of the nation, and the president's plans for the near
future. The first two presidents, Washington and Adams, made speeches directly to
Congress. After that, presidents sent their speeches to Congress. It was not until the
early 20th century, during Woodrow Wilson's presidency, that the practice was begun
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again.
(C) Atlantic Slave trade - International trade where Africans were forcibly captured and
brought to the Western Hemisphere for labor. Beginning in 1626, more than 300,000
Africans were brought to the United States via the Atlantic Slave trade.
http://www.slavevoyages.org/tast/assessment/estimates.faces
At what point did this practice end in the United States? How did the ending of the
slave trade tie directly to the Constitution?
Many southern delegates to the Constitutional Convention were in favor of continuing
the Atlantic slave trade, initially begun during colonial rule, because slave labor and the
selling of slaves was foundational to the southern economy. Two committees, both on
which Charles Cotesworth Pinckney served, came up with compromises that dealt with
trade issues and the different ways the north and south used trade. As a compromise on
the overseas slave trade, delegates agreed to discontinue the trade within 20 years. By
1808, the overseas slave trade was illegal in the Unites States, although slave sales within
states continued.
What other compromise dealt specifically with the issue of slavery?
The Three-Fifths Compromise
Many people, who were vocally against slavery, felt this compromise legally removed
the humanity from slaves and strengthened the cause of slavery for southerners. Give
two specific ways this compromise, which was included in, and protected by the
Constitution, made slaves, in a legal sense, appear less "human".
Because slaves were not counted as a "whole person" in the census count, only
three-fifths of a person, the value of slaves as people was lessened. To add to this
perception, Southern states were required to pay property taxes on their slaves, which
reinforced the idea that slaves were property, not individuals.
(D) Fugitive Slave Clause - Pierce Butler was instrumental in getting this clause passed. It
required the return of runaway slaves to their owners, even those who made it to free
territories or states where slavery was illegal.
What's a clause and why was this one so important?
A clause is a phrase or sentence in a legal document. This clause protected slavery and
reinforced the concept that slaves were property.
(E) Commander-in-Chief - The supreme commander of the armed forces of a nation.
Article II of the Constitution names the President as the Commander-in-Chief of
America's armed forces.
(F) Commerce Compromise - This compromise was the result of the work of two
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committees, both of which were served on by Charles Cotesworth Pinckney, who
developed compromises on trades issues that differed between the North and South.
This compromise gave Congress the power to pass trade laws, but Congress agreed to
not tax Southern exports.
At the time the Constitution was ratified, what were the primary Southern exports?
How did the southern economy differ from the economy of the north?
The primary Southern exports were rice, tobacco, and eventually cotton. The South's
economy was based on agriculture and the slave labor that made that economy
profitable. This compromise was important to the South, because at the time of the
Constitution's ratification, most of the South's agricultural products were exported to
European countries, who were the first to industrialize. Although the North became
more industrialized and created a more diverse economy, the South remained
agriculture and came to relied on the North and Europe for their finished products.
(G) Religious freedom - The right to follow one's religious beliefs without fear of
interference from the government. The right is guaranteed in Amendment 1 of the Bill of
Rights.
South Carolina played an important role in the drafting and adoption of our current
United States Constitution. The South Carolinians named were part of the Constitutional
Convention and contributed to the document ratified in 1788.
1) Identify a "Lettered Term" with one of the South Carolinians present at the
Constitutional Convention.
John Rutledge - A
Charles Pinckney - B, E, G
Charles Cotesworth Pinckney - C, F
Pierce Butler - D
Look at the digital images. Placing the images in an application of your choice, match
the image to lettered term, and describe how that image relates to the term and the
Constitution. It may be necessary to identify the image in order to relate its
significance.
Finally, match a South Carolinian to an image, describing how that image relates to the
chosen South Carolinians role at the Constitutional Convention. Some individuals or
terms may have more than one image associated with them.
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