1. The Constitution of the United States
Topic 6: Organization of U.S .Constitution
  Pacing
Date(s)
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2. SS.7.C.1.6: Interpret the intentions of the Preamble of the Constitution. End of Course Exam Benchmark. SS.7.C.1.7: Describe how the Constitution limits the powers of government through separation of powers and checks and balances. End of Course Exam Benchmark. SS.7.C.3.3: Illustrate the structure and function (three branches of government established in Articles I, II, and III with corresponding powers) of government. End of Course Exam Benchmark SS.7.C.3.8: Analyze the structure, functions, and processes of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches. End of Course Exam Benchmark

3. * LAFS.68.RH Determine the central ideas or information of a primary or secondary source; provide an accurate summary of the source distinct from prior knowledge or opinions * LAFS.68.RH Describe how a text presents information (e.g., sequentially, comparatively, causally).

4. Agenda Day 1 Independent Animal Farm- 1-3 YouTube Video Handout
Whole Group
Concept- Breaking Down the Constitution of the United States
Essential Questions
Vocabulary
PowerPoint
(EOC Content Focus,
New key Terms)
amendment, checks and balances, constitutional articles, “common defense”, constitutional government, “domestic tranquility”, “establish justice”, “general welfare”, ordain, preamble (Constitution), posterity, separation of powers, bicameral, federalism, popular sovereignty (“We the people”)
Independent
Animal Farm- 1-3
YouTube Video
Handout
Gateway to Learning Chapter 4
Chapter 6-9 textbook

5. Essential Questions:
How is the organization of the U.S. Constitution unique?
How does the organization and the information found in the Constitution reflect ideas of limited government?
How do the powers of each branch of government, according to the Constitution, check and limit each other’s functions and powers?

6. Objectives
Students analyze the significant events in the founding of the nation and its attempts to realize the philosophy of government described in the Declaration of Independence.
Analyze the ideological origins of the American Revolution, the Founding Fathers' philosophy of divinely bestowed unalienable natural rights, the debates on the drafting and ratification of the Constitution, and the addition of the Bill of Rights.
Understand the history of the Constitution after 1787 with emphasis on federal versus state authority and growing democratization.

7. Title the next page in your notebook Constitution Notes.
Copy the following notes in Cornell style.
You will be writing questions at home tonight.
There are 100 slides of information to take notes on.
Today we will cover the first 20 slides from this point

8. Chronology
1774: First Continental Congress
1775: Battle of Lexington, Battle of Concord, Second Continental Congress
1776: Declaration of Independence written and sent
1777: Third Continental Congress, Articles of Confederation drafted
1781: Articles of Confederation signed
1783: Treaty of Paris signed, ending war
1787: Committee to revise Articles of Confederation -->Constitutional Convention
1788: Constitution ratified
Stop and quickly take the following dates and turn them into a visible timeline in boxes. 1 2 3

9. What is the US Constitution?
Is the supreme law of the United States.
It is the foundation and source of the legal authority underlying the existence of the United States of America and the Federal Government
of the United States.
It provides the framework for the organization of the United States Government.

10. What are the basic principals of the Constitution?
Popular Sovereignty
–Government power resides in the people
Limited government
–Government is not all powerful, can only do what the people let it.
Separation of Powers
–Helps prevent one branch from becoming too powerful
–Checks and Balances
•Federalism
–Division of power among national and state government

11. What are the basic principals of the Constitution
•Popular Sovereignty
–Government power resides in the people
•Limited government
–Government is not all powerful, can only do what the people let it.
•Separation of Powers
–Helps prevent one branch from becoming too powerful
–Checks and Balances
•Federalism
–Division of power among national and state governments

12. This is the Preamble (or introduction) of the Constitution.

13. Florida Standards Focus Activity
Analyze the structure of the U.S. Constitution.
In cooperative groups, illustrate each of the six goals of the preamble (switch illustrations with another group and on the back have students predict which goal is being illustrated)

14. This is the actual Constitution of the United States.

15. This is the Preamble (or introduction) of the Constitution.
The preamble explains the reasons why the Framers of the Constitution made our government a republic. By doing this, the founding fathers replaced the Articles of Confederation.
The Preamble along with the rest of the Constitution was written over a period of about 6 weeks. The Preamble helped explain why the Constitution was written. However, it is not the law.
The Preamble begins with the phrase
“We the people…”
This means that the government is based on the consent of the people.

16. The Preamble Copy the following paragraph.
Please underline all the words as they are shown

17. The Preamble
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.

18. The Preamble The Constitution is made up of Six Basic Principles.
In the paragraph that you wrote see if you can identify the six principles. Write them down below your paragraph. Now share with a partner.

19. The Six Basic Principles of the Preamble
Now let’s see if you were right.
#1 in Order to form a more perfect Union #2 Establish Justice #3 Insure Domestic Tranquility #4 Provide for the Common Defense #5 Promote General Welfare #6 Secure the Blessings of Liberty

20. Preamble vocabulary
Copy the vocabulary word and the synonyms. You do not need to copy the definitions.

21. union establish Blending, coming together, combination
The act of joining together people or things
establish
Create, start, begin, set up
To start or set up something that is intended to continue

22. justice insure Fairness, fair play, morality Make certain, make sure
To make sure something will happen

23. domestic tranquility home, household, family, national, internal
Happening within one country
tranquility
Peaceful, calm, quiet

24. common promote General, universal, shared, everyone’s
Belonging to, or shared by two or more people or things
promote
Endorse, encourage, support, sponsor
To encourage the growth and development of something

25. welfare general universal, common, wide-ranging
Including all or nearly all the members of a group
welfare
well-being, health, security, success

26. posterity ordain future generations
order, proclaim, command, establish
To order or establish something formally, especially by law

27. Home Learning Assignment
Rewrite the Preamble changing the underlined words. It must make sense. Read it out loud to yourself to make sure. You can rearrange the words to allow your paragraph to make sense.
Try this on your own and print it out to bring in your score.

28. The Constitution of the United States
Topic 6: Organization of U.S .Constitution
  Pacing
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29. The Constitution was written in 1787 by
55 men we call the Framers of the Constitution.
These men included
George Washington and Ben Franklin.

30. What is the Constitution?
The Constitution says how the government works. It creates the President. It creates the Congress. It creates the Supreme Court.

31. The Constitution sets up the government.
The government is split into three parts or branches.
One branch is the Congress. The Congress makes laws. The people elect the members of Congress.
The next branch is the President. The President enforces the laws.
The last branch is the Courts. The courts decide what the law means when there are questions.
All of the parts have to work together. Just like the Framers agreed on the Constitution, the parts have to agree on the laws. No part has too much power. The power is shared. This helps protect the people.

34. How it all works

35. How it all works

36. The Constitution gives us rights and freedoms as citizens of the United States.
Watch the next two slides and think about what freedoms these pictures show.

39. Take 2 minutes to write down 5 more.
Now that you have viewed the two slides and thought about what freedoms are shown can you think of others that you can live without.

40. The law is the set of rules that we live by.
The Constitution is the highest law.
It belongs to the United States.
It belongs to all Americans.

42. The Constitution, which is over 200 years old, can be seen in Washington, D.C.

43. James Madison is considered “the father of the Constitution”
Who Wrote It?
•His important contributions:
–The Virginia Plan
–Separation of Powers
–Bill of Rights
James Madison is considered “the father of the Constitution”

44. Why was it written?
After the Revolutionary War, the Articles of Confederation set up the structure of the US Government. The federal government was extremely weak and this created many problems such as: 1.No separation of powers only unicameral legislature. 2.Weak central government states had most power. 3.Congress did not have the power to tax this means they could not get their finances in order.

45. More problems with the Articles of Confederation:
Why was it written?
More problems with the Articles of Confederation:
4.In order to change the Articles, all thirteen states had to approve of the changes. This made it essentially impossible to make any changes.
5.For any major laws to pass they had to be approved by 9 or the 13 states which was difficult.
6.Congress did not have the power to regulate commerce which caused competition between states. It also caused diplomatic issues when states refused to pay for goods their received from other nations. .

46. Why was it written? (Pair-Share to complete)
The Constitution of the United States is a document that outlines the basis of the Federal (national) government of the USA. It was ________________________________ in 1787 at the "Constitutional Convention" held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The 55 men at the convention are called the "Founding ________________________________" of the USA, and are also known as the "framers of the Constitution." Some of the more famous of the framers are George Washington (the ________________________________ President of the USA), James Madison (the fourth ________________________________ of the USA), ________________________________ Franklin and Alexander Hamilton.
The US Constitution was ratified (________________________________) on June 21, ___________________________. It replaced the earlier set of rules, the Articles of Confederation (which were written in 1781, but gave Congress very little ________________________________).
The Preamble of the Constitution is the short introduction to the Constitution; it explains that the document proposes to establish a more perfect government complete with justice, tranquility, and liberty. It states, "We the ________________________________ of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect ________________________________, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common ________________________________, 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."
The Constitution sets up the US government as a republic with three ________________________________ of government: the ________________________________ branch (which makes the national laws and consists of Congress), the ________________________________ branch (headed by the President), and the ________________________________ branch (which interprets the Constitution and laws, and consists of judges in courts). The Constitution sets up the power balance between ________________________________ and the Federal government, details how to add new states to the USA, tells how the Constitution can be amended, and enumerates requirements for ratifying (approving) the Constitution by the states.
Many amendments (________________________________ to the Constitution) have been made throughout the years. The first 10 amendments, called the Bill of ________________________________, were added in 1791; the Bill of Rights preserves the rights of the people, including the freedom of ________________________________ and religion, among others. So far, there have been ___________________________ amendments to the constitution.
The US Constitution has been the model for many countries' constitutions around the world. It is a great document that has withstood the test of time in creating a government that has functioned well for over 200 years while preserving individual liberty and justice.

47. Why was it written? Shays’ Rebellion:
–An uprising of farmers in Massachusetts led by
Daniel Shays. Helped convince leaders that a strong central government was needed.
"A scene at Springfield, during Shay's Rebellion, when the mob attempted to prevent the holding of the Courts of Justice.“-E. Benjamin Andrews, 1895

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Topic 6: Organization of U.S .Constitution
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49. The Birth of Political Parties: The Players- Review
Federalists
Alexander Hamilton
Beliefs in Government
Rule by rich and well educated
New government should favor merchants, manufacturers, and lawyers
Strong central government with a strong president
Favored industry
Wanted strong alliance with Britain
Centralized banking and create debt spending
Cynical
Loose interpretation of the Constitution
The North
Anti-Federalists
Thomas Jefferson
Beliefs in Government
Rule by everybody
New government should favor farmers, artisans, and poor classes
Weak central government, power given to the states to reflect individual interests
Favored agriculture and farming
Wanted strong alliance with France
Low taxes, small tariffs
Idealistic
Strict interpretation of the Constitution
The South

50. Match the quote with the Party: Federalist or Anti-Fed?
“Your people, sir, are beasts…Take mankind in general, they are vicious.”
“The sheep are happier of themselves, than under the care of wolves.”
“Rich should be in charge, because they can’t be bribed.”
“Liberty, Equality, Fraternity.”
“All societies need a governing class.”
“All men are created equal.”

51. Who are you?
Consider the times and these beliefs: What political party would you support? The Federalists or the Anti-Federalists? Explain your answer.

52. Political Vocabulary Ratify: To agree to, To sign Amend: To add to
Veto: To refuse to sign
Bill: Proposed law
Suffrage: Right to vote
Bicameral: Two house congress
Impeachment: Removal from office
Cabinet: Advisors to the President

53. The American Constitution
Constitution divided into two parts
Articles--rights of government (7 Articles)
Amendments--rights of individual (27 Amendments)

54. Amendment A change in the Constitution
There have been 27 amendments to the Constitution.
The first 10 amendments are called the Bill of Rights.

55. Government and Man Articles I-III
Separates power into three branches of government
Art. I-Legislature.; Art. II-Exec.; Art. III-Judic.
Articles IV-VII
Power of Law
Power of Constitution
Amendments I-X
Bill of Rights
Amendment XI-XII
Organization of Government
Amendment XIII-XV
Civil Rights Amendments
Slave Amendments
Amendments XVI-XIX
Progressive Amendments
Amendments XX-XXI
New Deal Amendments
Amendments XXII-XXVII
Great Society Amendments

56. The Branches of Government
There are three branches of government:
1. The legislative - which makes the laws
2. The executive - which enforces the laws or make sure the laws are carried out
3. The judicial - which interprets the laws or explains the laws and makes sure they are fair

57. The Branches of Government
There are three branches of government:
1. The legislative - which makes the laws
2. The executive - which enforces the laws or make sure the laws are carried out
3. The judicial - which interprets the laws or explains the laws and makes sure they are fair

58. Legislative Branch Article I
The legislative branch is called Congress and is made up of two Houses (parts):
The House of Representatives
The Senate.

59. The House of Representatives
States with the largest populations have the most representatives in the House.
House members must be at least 25 years old or older to serve.
House members are elected to a two year term.
There are 435 members in the House of Representatives.

60. The Senate The Senate is the other part of the Congress
There are two senators for each state, which means of course there are 100 Senators.
Senators must be at least 30 years old.
Senators are elected to a six year term.

61. Legislative Powers Make laws Collect taxes Borrow and coin money
Establish immigration policy
Declare war and raise armies
Approves treaties
Control interstate activities (trade, marriage, etc)
****To do ANYTHING NECESSARY AND PROPER (The Elastic Clause)
Congress works at the Capitol Building in Washington D.C.

62. Why is the power to “do anything necessary and proper” called the Elastic Clause?
What are the benefits and problems of this power?

63. Florida’s Contribution to the Senate
Bill Nelson- (D)
Marco Rubio – ®

64. How YOU can be a Congress-person
Age 25 (H. of R.); 30 (Senate)
Live 7 years (H. of R.); 9 years (Senate) in your state
Have a lot of money for campaign
Be independently wealthy
Have people contribute money/support campaign
What would make you run for a political office?

65. The Constitution of the United States
Topic 6: Organization of U.S .Constitution
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66. Article II: The Executive Branch
A.K.A. The President, The Commander-in-Chief, The Pres.
Term: 4 years, 2 term limit
President
Vice President
Cabinet (Sec. of State, etc.)
The executive branch is headed by the president.
The president is the commander-in-chief of the armed forces.

67. Executive Power Commander-in-Chief of American military
Execute law, sign/veto law
Make treaties
Appoint judges
Barack H. Obama is the 44th President of the United States.

68. The President The president must be a citizen by birth
The president must be at least 35 years old
Be a natural born citizen
Live in the U.S. for at least 14 years
Have even more money for campaign than Congress-person

69. What other qualifications should their be to be a president
What other qualifications should their be to be a president? List as many attributes/abilities as possible (min. 10).
What would it take for you to take the job of being president?

70. Article III: The Judicial Branch
The Judicial Branch of the federal government is headed by the Supreme Court.
Supreme Court justices are nominated by the president and approved by the Senate.
There are 9 Supreme Court justices, who are appointed for life.

71. The Judicial Branch A.K.A. The Bench, The Courts, The Judiciary
Term: Life
Organization:
Constitution
Supreme Court
Federal Courts
State Courts

72. Judicial Power Interprets law Reviews “constitutionality” of laws
Reviews lower court cases
Preserves balance against political parties

73. Interpretation Loose Interpretation” Strict Interpretation”
A.K.A. “Loose Construction of Constitution”
Interpretation of Constitution must be flexible
People change, society changes, technology changes-->Constitution must adapt
What the Constitution doesn’t say EXPLICITY, the branches of government can do
“Federalists” “Liberals”
Strict Interpretation”
A.K.A. “Strict Construction of Constitution”
Constitution should remain the constant
The Constitution must be the measure of social, ethical, and moral change
Government can ONLY do what the Constitution EXPLICITLY says
“Anti-Federalists” “Conservatives”

74. Separation of Power

75. Checks and Balances
The framers of the Constitution established a system of checks and balances to prevent any branch government from getting too powerful.
Example: Congress has the right to pass bills into law, but the president can veto them, which means the bill does not become a law.

76. More examples
If the president vetoes a law, the Congress can override his veto by a 2/3 majority.
The Supreme Court can say that any law is unconstitutional. The law no longer exists.

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78. Federalism
The power of government is also split between the states and the federal government.
This is called Federalism.
If the Constitution does not have a law, the states can do what they want.
State law cannot contradict federal law.

79. Dual Sovereignty
Dual Sovereignty means that whatever the federal government does not make a law about, the states can act however they choose.
That is why there is different state laws regarding the age of drinking alcohol, driving, the death penalty, and many more.