1. Lesson 3: The Roots of American Democracy
Unit 1: Foundations of American Government
Lesson 3: The Roots of American Democracy

2. Preview
Take the “Greece, Rome, or Home Challenge.” Examine the photographs of buildings from ancient Greece, ancient Rome, and Washington, D.C. Identify each as “ancient” or “United States.”

3. Preview Photo A Photo B Washington, D.C. Supreme Court Athens:
Parthenon

4. Preview Photo C Photo D Washington, D.C. Department of Treasury Rome:
Pantheon

5. Preview Photo E Photo F Washington, D.C. Jefferson Memorial
Capitol Building

6. Preview Respond to the prompts:
What do you notice about the architectural style of buildings in Washington, D.C.?
What ideas about government might the ancients Greeks and Romans have contributed to the world?
From where else do you think the United States got ideas about government?

7. Preview
In this lesson, you will identify ideas and events that shaped American government.

8. Preview Include these terms in the Political Dictionary:
limited government
representative government
ordered government
Declaration of Independence
Articles of Confederation
framers
U.S. Constitution
“Bundle of Compromises”
Federalists
Anti-Federalists

9. Preview Consider possible answers to the following Essential Question:
What ideas gave birth to the world’s first modern democratic nation?

10. Preview
Read Chapter 2.1: Our Political Beginnings. Respond to the prompts:
Complete the table:
Political Ideas
Explanation
Ordered Government
Limited Government
Representative Government

11. Preview Basic Concepts of Government
ordered: governments should regulate relationships of people
limited: government is restricted in what it may do and not take away rights of people
representative: government should serve the will of the people

12. Preview
Read Chapter 2.1: Our Political Beginnings. Respond to the prompts:
Complete the table:
Landmark Documents
Explanation
Magna Carta
Petition of Right
English Bill of Rights

13. Preview Landmark English Documents
Magna Carta: Great Charter established power of monarchy not absolute in 1215
Petition of Right: Challenged the divine right of Kings and established monarchy is subject to rule of law in 1628
English Bill of Rights: guaranteed basic individual freedoms in 1689

14. Preview Read Chapter 2.3: The Critical Period. Respond to the prompts:
What were the Articles of Confederation?
What were the main weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
What did the weaknesses mean for the national government?

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The Articles of Confederation was a plan of government adopted by the Continental Congress after the American Revolution.
The main weakness of the Articles was that it established a “league of friendship” among States that granted too few powers to the central government: taxation, commerce, no chief executive, no national court system, etc.
The national government lacked authority, which resulted in a weak union.

16. Preview
Read Chapter 2.4: Creating the Constitution. Respond to the prompts:
Why is the Constitution referred to as “a bundle of compromises?”
Explain how each compromise resolved conflict at the Constitutional Convention:
Connecticut Compromise
Three-Fifths Compromise
Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise

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The Constitution is often referred to as “a bundle of compromises,” because it required resolving differences of opinion among the delegates who were representing the interests of their States.

18. Preview Connecticut Compromise:
an agreement that resolved dispute over representation in Congress
combined basic features of Virginia and New Jersey Plans
U.S. Senate: States represented equally.
U.S. House: representation based on size of each State’s population.

19. Preview Three-Fifths Compromise:
an agreement that resolved debate over whether slaves should be counted in the population of southern States
the resolution allowed slaves to be counted as three-fifths of a person.

20. Preview Commerce and Slave Trade Compromise:
an agreement that protected the commercial interests of southern States
The resolution forbade Congress the power to tax the export of goods from any State and act on the slave trade for a period of 20 years.

21. Preview
Read Chapter 2.5: Ratifying the Constitution. Respond to the prompt:
Complete the T-chart:
Federalists Anti-Federalists

22. Preview Federalists: led by Alexander Hamilton
supported ratification of the Constitution citing weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
Anti-Federalists:
led by Thomas Jefferson
opposed ratification of the Constitution due to fears of a strong central government.

23. Preview
Read Chapter 2.5: Ratifying the Constitution. Respond to the prompt:
How was the debate over the ratification of the Constitution resolved?
The adoption of the Bill of Rights

24. Interviews of Historical Figures
Activity
Interviews of Historical Figures
You will bring to life a statue of a historical figure who influenced the development of democratic government in the United States.
U.S. Capitol:
National Statuary Hall

25. Processing Respond to the prompt:
Write three journal entries from the perspective of a delegate to the Constitutional Convention related to these matters.
Which idea most influenced you in the development of the Constitution? Where did the idea come from?
What was the greatest challenge in developing the Constitution? How was the challenge resolved?
Do you think the States should ratify the Constitution? Why or why not?