"We the People" inscription located on the facade of the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia, PA. Show Wikimedia Commons With the signing of the Treaty of Paris in 1783, the U.S. firmly established itself as an independent nation. In 1789, George Washington was elected the first President, initiating the form of government, based on the Constitution, that we recognize today. Guiding QuestionsHow does the language of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution reflect historical events and the goals the Founders had for the future? What does the Preamble mean? What does "a more perfect union" require? Learning ObjectivesExplain the purposes of the U.S. Constitution as identified in the Preamble to the Constitution. Identify fundamental values and principles as they are expressed in the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution. Create your own interpretation of what the Preamble means.
Subjects & Topic: Civics U.S. History Grade: K-5 Content Standards NCSS.D2.Civ.1.3-5. Distinguish the responsibilities and powers of government officials at various levels and branches of government and in different times and places. NCSS.D2.Civ.2.3-5. Explain how a democracy relies on people’s responsible participation, and draw implications for how individuals should participate. NCSS.D2.Civ.3.3-5. Examine the origins and purposes of rules, laws, and key U.S. constitutional provisions. NCSS.D2.Civ.5.3-5. Explain the origins, functions, and structure of different systems of government, including those created by the U.S. and state constitutions. NCSS.D2.Civ.8.3-5. Identify core civic virtues and democratic principles that guide government, society, and communities. Preparation Review the Preamble to the Constitution. "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." Obtain background information about the origins and interpretation of the Constitution from the following EDSITEment-reviewed resources: Familiarize yourself with the Articles of Confederation. The text of the Articles as well as related documents and information are available at Articles of Confederation via The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School. See also "Articles of Confederation: 1777-1789" from Ben's Guide to the U.S. Government. Familiarize yourself with each lesson plan. The first three lessons are intended to provide context. The heart of the unit is Activity 4. Download copies of the documents used in Activity 4 and duplicate them as necessary. This unit is one of a series of complementary EDSITEment lesson plans for intermediate-level students about the foundations of our government. Consider adapting them for your class in the following order: The Educator Resources section of the National Archives website offers a series of worksheets for analyzing primary source documents, including written documents and photographs, that you may wish to use or adapt to help students in reviewing the materials presented in this unit. Lesson Activities When the American Revolution succeeded, what did the colonists need to do? As stated on America's Story, a link from the EDSITEment resource American Memory, "When the Colonies declared their independence from Britain, they had a flag and an army. What they lacked was a government." What are the responsibilities of independence? Pose a hypothetical situation to the class. Imagine that, on a field trip to Tahiti, the students became stranded—without any adults and with little hope of being rescued in the foreseeable future—on a very hospitable tropical island. Start with a brief, general discussion about such matters as: How will you work together? How will you create rules? How will you deal with people who group members think are not following the rules? Then, either brainstorming as a class or working in small groups (if desired, groups can be assigned the questions below), make lists of the things the group would have to consider in developing its own government. Help the students by asking these guiding questions, which relate to phrases from the Preamble (indicated here for the teacher and to be discussed with the students in Lesson 4): If the students worked in groups, allow time for sharing. Now share with the class the political cartoon The Horse America, Throwing His Master and its title, available through a link from the EDSITEment resource American Memory. Encourage class discussion. Having just released themselves from Britain's monarchy, what would the colonists fear? Judging from some of the complaints the colonists had against Britain, what might some of their concerns be for any future government? As in the hypothetical situation on the desert island, what decisions would the colonists have to make about forming a new government out of 13 colonies, which, until 1776, had basically been running themselves independently? Make sure every student has in hand a copy of the Preamble to the Constitution. The text of the Preamble is available through the EDSITEment-reviewed resource The Avalon Project at the Yale Law School.
Now review the ideas the students had for protections in Lesson 1. Relate each point to the appropriate phrase in the Preamble, as shown:
Continue by sharing with students the lyrics for "The Preamble," from the television series "Schoolhouse Rock," created by American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. You can find the lyrics on the Internet; just do a search for "Schoolhouse Rock" on a search engine such as google.com or yahoo.com. Discuss what the students think the words of the Preamble mean. Then divide the class into six small groups. Assign each group a phrase from the Preamble to interpret and provide each group with documentary evidence of what the phrase means (sources listed below). It's the job of group members to share the document they were given and to offer their own interpretation of what their assigned phrase means. Group 1: Establishing Justice—Print out the abstract for Harper v. Virginia Board of Elections from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Oyez. Students should read the facts of the case and the question presented and respond to the following:
After the exercise is completed, share with students the actual outcome (conclusion) of the case. Group 2: Ensuring Domestic Tranquility—Print out the abstract for Burson v. Freeman from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Oyez. Students should read the facts of the case and respond to the following:
After the exercise is completed, share with students the actual outcome (conclusion) of the case. Group 3: Providing for the Common Defense—Print the last page of President Franklin Delano Roosevelt's request to Congress that the United States declare war on Japan after the attack on Pearl Harbor (available from the Educator Resources section of the National Archives website), as well as the Uncle Sam Recruiting Poster (available via the EDSITEment resource American Memory). Students should review the documents and respond to the following questions:
Group 4: Promoting the General Welfare—In 1906, no one was required to inspect meat that was sold to the American public. Public reaction to Upton Sinclair's book The Jungle was a major factor in the passage of the 1907 Meat Inspection Act, which established a system of meat inspection that lasted until July 1996, when the federal government announced new rules requiring more scientifically advanced methods of meat inspection. Print out the letter that Upton Sinclair wrote to President Theodore Roosevelt (on March 10, 1906) concerning conditions in the meat packing industry, available from the National Archives. Students should read the letter and respond to the following:
Group 5: Securing the Blessing of Liberty to Ourselves—Print out the summary of Wisconsin v. Yoder from the EDSITEment-reviewed website Oyez and the poster celebrating the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment (picture), available via the Library of Congress. Students should review the documents and respond to the following:
Share the actual outcome (conclusion) of the case. Group 6: Securing the Blessing of Liberty to Our Posterity—Print out the photograph of coal breaker boys (picture) from the EDSITEment resource American Memory. Students should review the image and respond to the following: What does it mean to form a more perfect union?"A more perfect union" implies that the progress of the American experience is never complete.
What is in Order to form a more perfect union?"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 ...
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