America “Land of the Free” Sep 16 (A) & 17 (B) Happy Constitution Day!!!! Objective: SWBAT identify the significance of the Constitution both in history and to their lives today Warm Up: Brainstorm with your partner everything that you know about the Constitution of the United States Homework: Finish BCR America “Land of the Free” A Story of America’s Freedom and Independence

Questions About America As Americans, we live in a country that is free. Have you ever thought about how our nation began? Have you ever thought about why the United States is a free country? Click to read the story of how America became the “land of the free.”

Traveling to a New Land Long ago, many people from England decided to travel by boat to a new land to settle. This new land belonged to England. King George III, the British King ruled both lands. England New Land (wasn’t named America yet.)

New Life in a New Land Life was difficult, but the settlers worked hard and built a life in this new territory. Thirteen colonies were formed there. Though King George III lived far away, he was still the leader in England, as well as in the new colonies.

Important Discussions After awhile, some of the colonists talked and decided that they wanted to be a free country. They didn’t want to be under the rule of England’s king anymore.

Important Decisions However, the people were divided. Some felt they needed to obey the English King, while others wanted to be an independent nation. Many settlers finally made important decisions for this territory.

Revolutionary War Begins Everyone knew that England would want to keep ruling the new land, so many Patriots decided to fight for independence. That decision meant the Patriots would have to fight England’s huge army, but it was important for them to fight for freedom.

Patriots Want Freedom So the war began. It was called the Revolutionary War. It started in 1775. Many men fought and died in that war.

A World of Freedom After the war began, a bright young patriot named Thomas Jefferson, sat and wrote the Declaration of Independence in June of 1776. After it was written, many men met at Independence Hall in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to talk about this document.

Declaration of Independence After a lot of discussion, the Second Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. This document declared that the colonists wanted independence and freedom.

A World of Independence After a long fight, the Revolutionary War ended in 1783. It was sad because many Patriots died in battle before they saw “America” become a free nation.

Revolutionary War Ends At the same time is was exciting because the land that the Patriots fought for was finally independent and free from England. The territory became a free nation. The name given to the new country was “The United States of America”.

The US Constitution Then the Constitution was written. The United States Constitution says how the government works. It was signed on September 17, 1787. Some of the men who signed it were George Washington, Benjamin Franklin and John Adams.

A Land of Freedom The Patriots fighting for a new nation wanted to form a government that did not allow one person to have too much authority or control. They wanted the “people” to make decisions. Democracy is a part of our system because of that. The first United States President was Revolutionary War hero General George Washington.

"We the People...." The Constitution is a valuable part of America’s history. The first part of the Constitution is the called the Preamble. The Preamble begins with “We the People…” Click to the next slide to read it,

The first part of the Constitution is called the Preamble. It tells what our founding fathers set out to do We the people 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.

Treasure Your Freedom America’s fight for freedom and independence was one fought hard by early settlers. That fight, loyal Patriots, documents like the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution is what brought independence and freedom to our country, but it wasn’t an easy path.

Proud to be An American Now it is your job to appreciate the long journey that this country traveled since it’s early days. As Americans, everyone should treasure that freedom each and every day. Like the Patriots who fought so hard for independence and freedom, all United States citizens should be “Proud to be an American!” The End

Click on the picture below for a special treat!!! Preamble Information Click on the picture below for a special treat!!! "School House Rock" Preamble . Click on the flag to check out a informative clip… Written and Created by Stacy Bodin Click on the dude writing to take the constitution challenge!!!