1. Lesson 4: The U.S. Constitution
Unit 1: Foundations of American Government
Lesson 4: The U.S. Constitution

2. Preview
Complete the outline of the Constitution. Respond to the prompts:
What observations can you make about the way the framers organized the Constitution?
Which branch of government did the framers give the greatest number of specific (expressed) powers? What might be reasons for that?
What inferences can you make about how the framers intended to distribute power within the federal government?

3. Preview
In this lesson, you will identify and understand basic principles upon which the Constitution was founded.

4. Preview Include these terms in the Political Dictionary: Preamble
articles
formal amendment
Bill of Rights
constitutionalism (rule of law)
separation of powers
checks and balances
popular sovereignty
judicial review
federalism

5. Preview Consider possible answers to the following Essential Question:
How and why did the framers distribute power in the Constitution?

6. Preview
Read Chapter 3.1: The Six Basic Principles. Respond to the prompts:
What does it mean that the Constitution is a “vibrant” document?
Discuss your response with a partner. Be prepared to share with the class.

7. Preview U.S. Constitution: a “vibrant” document open to interpretation
guides society through growth and change
deals largely with basic principles, as opposed to detailed provisions.

8. Preview
Complete the table by explaining the purpose of each main part of the Constitution.
U.S. Constitution
Preamble:
Articles:
Amendments:

9. Preview Parts of U.S. Constitution:
preamble: an introduction that states the purposes of our government.
articles: numbered sections that outline the basic organization and powers of each branch of government, relationship of States with National Government, process for amendment, and provisions for ratification.
amendments: formal changes to the original document.

10. Preview
Complete the table by briefly explaining the six guiding principles of the Constitution.
Guiding Principles
Explanation
Popular Sovereignty
Limited Government
Separation of Powers
Checks and Balances
Judicial
Review
Federalism

11. Preview Six Guiding Principles
popular sovereignty: people are the source of all power held by the government
limited government: government may not deny individual rights and is subject to the rule of law

12. Preview Six Guiding Principles
separation of power: basic powers of government are exercised by three separate branches, which prevents any one person or group from gaining too much control.

13. Preview Six Guiding Principles
checks and balances: system of overlapping powers permitting each branch to check the actions of the others

14. Preview Six Guiding Principles
judicial review: power of courts to determine constitutionality of all governmental actions.
federalism: power is divided between a central and several State governments.

15. Preview Read Chapter 3.2: Formal Amendment. Respond to the prompts:
What is formal amendment?
Create a flow chart that illustrates the methods of amending the Constitution.
What are the Bill of Rights? In your own words, describe three freedoms protected by the Bill of Rights.
Describe the purpose of the “later amendments.”

16. Preview
formal amendment: a change or addition to the written language of the Constitution.
Methods:

17. Preview Bill of Rights: first ten amendments to the Constitution
guarantee basic freedoms to the people, such as freedom of belief and expression, freedom and security of the person, and fair and equal treatment before the law
Later Amendments: further define processes of government, expand upon its powers, or address important issues

18. Constitutional Law Test
Activity
Constitutional Law Test

19. Activity Debrief: Law Test Part 1
What do you notice about how the Constitution deals with power?
Based on your examination of the Constitution thus far, what are some ways the framers distributed power in our government?
Why do you think they chose to distribute power as they did?

20. Activity Debrief: Law Test Part 2
How do these principles embody the concerns the framers had about creating a government with too much power?

21. Activity Debrief: Law Test Part 3
How and why did the framers distribute power in the Constitution?
How do modern circumstances present challenges to carrying out the original intentions of the Constitution?
Do you think the Constitution still works today? Explain.

22. Processing
The framers developed the Constitution more than 200 years ago with the hope that it would remain relevant and effective for future generations. One way they sought to accomplish that was through the provisions of Article V, which spell out how the Constitution can be changed.

23. Processing
In recent years, Congress has fielded many proposals to change the Constitution, including:
requiring the federal government to balance the budget;
restricting the amount of money spent on national electoral campaigns;
abolishing the electoral college;
lowering the age restrictions for public office;
repealing the 22nd amendment, which sets presidential term limits.

24. Processing Respond to the prompt:
If you had the opportunity to change the Constitution, what would you propose? In a short paragraph, explain the proposal and discuss why the Constitution will be a better, stronger document.
Discuss your response with a partner. Be prepared to share with the class.