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Year 1: Unit 4 – The Second American Revolution: The Constitution (1787 – 1788): Lessons

Lesson 1: A New Nation (Map Study)

Central Question: How did the American victory in the Revolution reshape North America?

Historical Background

In the American West, fertile soil beckoned, but wretched roads over mountains discouraged the westward migration of people and the eastward flow of trade from new settlements. Settlers found it easier to float their produce in boats down the Mississippi and on to the port of New Orleans, which then belonged to Spain. Consequently, Easterners feared that Western settlers might soon break away from the new country to seek some association with the Spanish, a prospect promoted by Spanish agents. The Northwest Ordinance of 1787 established rules for making Western territories into future states — and banned slavery. Because the South rejected any program of emancipation, slavery expanded westward into Tennessee and Kentucky. The United States became divided into two regions: a North characterized by the absence of slavery and a South staunchly committed to the institution.

For more background, read “The Social and Intellectual Legacy of the American Revolution” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Term:

  • Northwest Ordinance

Scholars understand how the American Revolution and Northwest Ordinance expanded American territory following the war and can illustrate the major regions and free and enslaved populations of the United States before 1800 on their maps.

Preparation

  • Display the Unit 4 Essential Question on the wall in your classroom for scholars to reference throughout the unit.
  • Create a word wall in your classroom with the Unit 4 Key Terms for scholars to reference during class discussion. Hold scholars accountable for using these Key Terms throughout the unit.
  • Post a timeline in your classroom or digitally to track key events from this unit and previous units.
  • To complete this project, before class you must:
    • Create a teacher model of the map.
    • Print the A New Nation Map Template from the Unit 4 Workbook on card stock for each scholar.
    • Gather colored pencils for illustrating and organize these materials in a place accessible to scholars for easy use during project work.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 4 Lesson 1 Do Now in the Unit 4 Workbook.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Introduce the Essential Question for Unit 4: To what extent did the new Constitution represent all Americans?
  • Explain that, each day, scholars will gather more evidence to answer this question.
  • Remind scholars that this unit builds upon past content and that they must constantly make connections to previous periods of history to help them answer this Essential Question.
  • Then pose today’s Central Question and introduce scholars to examining the development of a new nation following the American Revolution.

Read (5 minutes)

  • Read “The Northwest Ordinance” on page 3 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook.
    • Scholars should read and annotate the source, writing down a main idea next to the title.

Discuss (3 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the questions below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the text.
    • How did the Northwest Ordinance organize the Western territories?
    • Why did Americans support the addition of new territories?

Project Work — 25 minutes

  • Explain that scholars are going to create their own maps to illustrate the United States after the Revolution, referencing Maps A through C on page 4 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook as they work.
  • Tell scholars that their maps should clearly and compellingly show:
    • Free and slave states before 1800:
    • Free states (with an enslaved population between 0 and 20 percent): New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Delaware (Map A)
    • Slave states (with an enslaved population greater than 20 percent): Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, and Kentucky (Map A)
    • The six most populous states before 1800: Massachusetts, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Maryland, and North Carolina (Map B)
    • Major regions surrounding the United States: the Northwest Territory, Florida (East and West), Spanish North America, and British North America (Map C)
  • While scholars work, actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for accurate labels and compelling visual features in project work and to determine major trends in scholars’ work.

Wrap-Up — 5 minutes

  • Show an exemplar map to the class. Look for work that clearly illustrates the major regions and populations in the United States and includes all the information expected in the projects.

Homework

  • Scholars read pages 145 through 149 in the textbook History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism (Teachers’ Curriculum Institute: 2002) and the article “The Articles of Confederation” on the History Channel website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 2: The Disunited States (Source Analysis)

Central Question: Why did Daniel Shays lead a rebellion in 1786?

Historical Background

Post-Revolutionary War America faced obstacles as its people worked to establish the new republic. In New England, merchants and farmers struggled to maintain their businesses in a new economy without established European trade or credit lines. In August 1786, tensions culminated in what is now known as Shays’ Rebellion, an uprising in Massachusetts that lasted until the summer of 1787. Led by Daniel Shays, the rebel “Shaysites” of western Massachusetts tried to rise up against what they considered to be an oppressive tax system affecting the lower classes and political corruption. This, along with other farmers’ revolts, raised the long-feared specter of anarchy and mob rule, but Congress could do nothing, unable to compel the states to send militia units to quell the uprisings. The rebellion ultimately helped shape the content of the U.S. Constitution, created shortly after the end of the uprising in response to weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation. The new Constitution was ratified on June 21, 1788.

For more background, read “The Articles of Confederation” and “How Shays’ Rebellion Changed America” on the History Channel website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:

  • Articles of Confederation
  • Shays’ Rebellion

Scholars understand the accomplishments and failures of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation and can explain why the weaknesses of Articles of Confederation led to Shays’ Rebellion.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 4 Lesson 2 Do Now in the Unit 4 Workbook.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in continuing their study of the development of a new nation following the American Revolution.

Watch (3 minutes)

  • Watch the video “What Were the Articles of Confederation? America: Facts vs. Fiction,” available on YouTube.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How does the video characterize the Articles of Confederation?

Discuss (5 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the questions below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the video.
    • Why did the new American states face financial issues in the 1780s?
    • Why were the Articles of Confederation considered weak?
    • Make a connection to previous content. Ask: How were the Articles of Confederation influenced by the sentiments of the American Revolution?

Investigate — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate Documents A through D on pages 6–8 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook. After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did economic hardship affect Americans in the 1780s?
    • Why did debtors like Daniel Shay revolt in the 1780s?
    • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: Why did Shays’ Rebellion lead Americans to reconsider the Articles of Confederation?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • Why did Daniel Shays lead a rebellion in 1786? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

  • Scholars read pages 149 through 151 in the textbook History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism (Teachers’ Curriculum Institute: 2002) in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 3: The Road to Philadelphia (Simulation)

Central Question: Why did Americans disagree about representation in a new national government?

Historical Background

The Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia met between May and September of 1787 to address the problems of the weak central government that existed under the Articles of Confederation. The U.S. Constitution that emerged from the convention established a federal government with more specific powers, including those related to conducting relations with foreign governments. Under the reformed federal system, many of the responsibilities for foreign affairs fell under the authority of an executive branch, although important powers, such as treaty ratification, remained the responsibility of the legislative branch. After the necessary number of state ratifications, the Constitution came into effect in 1789 and has served as the basis of the U.S. government since.

For more background, explore Teaching American History’s Constitutional Convention site.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:

  • Constitutional (Philadelphia) Convention
  • U.S. Constitution
  • Delegates/framers
  • James Madison
  • Proportional representation
  • Great Compromise/Connecticut Compromise

Scholars understand the key representation debates at the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and can explain the major compromises agreed upon to secure approval of the Constitution.

Preparation

  • To complete this simulation, before class you must:
    • Closely read the Constitutional Convention Simulation Guide in History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism: Lesson Guides, pages 109–112.
    • Print the Role Cards for Constitutional Convention Delegates from the Educating Excellence website and cut them out before class. For fewer than 32 scholars, pass out the Role Cards in the order they appear in the document.
    • Arrange the classroom according to the Simulation Guide and assign seats before class starts. Have a plan to let scholars know where they will sit.
    • Give one of these cards to each scholar as he or she enters class.
    • Ensure that each scholar has the Lesson 3 Simulation Planning Guide in the Unit 4 Workbook for the simulation accessible.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in beginning their study of how the debate over the new Constitution led to political compromise through a simulation.

Watch (3 minutes)

  • Watch the video “Introduction to the Constitutional Convention,” available on YouTube.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • Why did delegates come together at the Constitutional Convention?

Discuss (5 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the question below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the video.
    • To what extent did most delegates agree on the purpose of a new government?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: Why did delegates disagree over representation in the new government?

Preparation — 10 minutes

  • Explain that scholars will each assume the role of a delegate at the Constitutional Convention. Have scholars read their Role Card. Remind them that they must read their cards carefully and assume the persona of the delegates they have been assigned.
  • Explain that each state will have one vote on issues before the convention, and all delegates must agree or their state will not be allowed to vote.
  • Scholars should use the “Points to Raise During the Convention” on their Role Card to fill out their Planning Guide with their key arguments for the debate.
  • Review the procedure for discussing proposals outlined in the Simulation Guide and call the convention to order.
  • While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.

Simulation — 15 minutes

  • Scholars spend 5 minutes debating the Virginia Plan and then 5 minutes debating the New Jersey Plan. When the convention deadlocks, announce that delegates must reach a compromise and allow scholars to discuss within and among their delegations.
    • Note: The Role Card for Roger Sherman gives the information to propose the Great Compromise. However, Proposal C is not included in the Simulation Guide. If a Role Card indicates that a delegate should support Proposal C, direct scholars to instead consider whether they would most likely support Proposals A or B.
  • Optional Extension: Resources to debate additional issues facing the Convention (representation of enslaved African Americans and the election of the executive) can be found in History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism: Lesson Guides, page 113.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the simulation. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did the population size of your state help determine whether you supported the Virginia Plan or New Jersey Plan?
    • Why was it important for the delegates to reach a compromise?
    • Make a connection to previous content. Ask: How did the American Revolution influence delegates’ perspectives on representation in government?

Exit Ticket — 5 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • Why did Americans disagree about representation in a new national government? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

  • Scholars read the article “Creating the Constitution” on Independence Hall’s USHistory.org website in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 4: Safeguards Against Tyranny (Source Analysis)

Central Question: How did the new Constitution balance the power of the federal government?

Historical Background

The framers of the Constitution feared too much centralized power, adopting the philosophy of divide and conquer. In the words of James Madison: “The accumulation of all powers, legislative, executive, and judiciary, in the same hands, whether of one, a few, or many, and whether hereditary, self-appointed, or elective, may justly be pronounced the very definition of tyranny.” Consequently, the framers created three branches of federal government to administer three different types of power. Within the separation of powers, each of the three branches of government were created with checks and balances over the other two. “Ambition must be made to counteract ambition,” wrote James Madison in his Federalist Paper 51, so that each branch will seek to limit the power of the other two branches to protect its own power.
Such a system makes concerted action more difficult, the framers knew, but it also would make tyranny less likely.

For more background, read “James Madison and the Constitution” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:

  • Tyranny
  • Checks and balances
  • Separation of powers
  • Federalism

Scholars understand why the delegates feared the power of a strong executive and can explain how the new Constitution established balanced power through separation of power and a system of checks and balances.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in continuing their study of how the debate over the new Constitution led to political compromise.

Examine (5 minutes)

  • Examine the chart “Checks and Balances,” on page 12 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they examine the chart:
    • How does each branch of government balance the power of the others?

Discuss (3 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed before examining the chart as well as the question below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the homework and the chart.
    • Why did the delegates believe that such a balance of power was necessary?
    • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: How did checks and balances represent a compromise between individual liberties and federal power?

Investigate — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate Documents A through E on pages 13–15 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook. After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main ideas of the document.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did federalism establish shared powers between the states and federal government?
    • Why did the delegates create three branches of government?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How does a balance of power reflect the interests of individual Americans?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • How does the Constitution balance the power of the federal government? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

  • Scholars read “Slavery and the Constitution” on pages 17–18 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 5: Slavery and the Constitution (Source Analysis)

Central Question: Why did the framers protect slavery in the Constitution?

Historical Background

By the time the Constitutional Convention met in the spring of 1787, it was clear to most delegates that the nation was moving toward a regional split on the question of slavery. Many of the largest slaveholders in the United States were delegates at the Convention, and most of them were determined to guard the institution against federal interference. Debate grew so heated that delegates sought to sidestep the issue of slavery whenever possible, but they could not avoid the subject. So controversial was the issue that the framers consciously avoided the words “slave” and “slavery” as they crafted the Constitution. In the
Three-Fifths Compromise, the Fugitive Slave Clause, and the 20-year protection of the Transatlantic Slave Trade, the Constitution dealt with the slavery question but never by name.

For more background, read “Race and the American Constitution: A Struggle Toward National Ideals” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:

  • Three-Fifths Compromise
  • Fugitive Slave Clause

Scholars understand the fundamental contradictions between the Constitution’s slavery clauses and the spirit of the new government and can explain why the framers chose to protect slavery in the Constitution.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in continuing their study of how the debate over the new Constitution led to political compromise while failing to protect the rights of all Americans.

Watch (3 minutes)

  • Watch the video “Roots: The System of American Slavery,” by the History Channel and available on YouTube.
  • Tell scholars to think about the following question as they watch the video:
    • How did economic interests influence the institution of slavery in the United States?

Discuss (5 minutes)

  • Pairs of scholars discuss the question posed at the beginning of the video as well as the questions below. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from their homework and the video.
    • Though it does not mention slavery by name, how does the Constitution address the institution of slavery?
    • How might the preservation of slavery affect Southern and Northern states differently?
    • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: Why did the founders most likely omit “slave” and “slavery” by name from the Constitution?

Investigate — 15 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate Documents A through C on pages 19–20 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook. After reading each source, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.

Discuss — 10 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How did the slavery clauses protect the institution of slavery?
    • Why did the slavery clauses ultimately leave the problem of slavery unsettled?
    • To what extent was the Constitution supportive of slavery?
    • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: Why did Northern delegates at the Constitutional Convention ultimately vote to pass the slavery clauses?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • Why did the framers protect slavery in the Constitution? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two different sources.

Homework

  • Scholars read “Ratification” on page 22 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 6: Federalists and Antifederalists (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: To what extent did the new Constitution protect the rights of Americans?

Historical Background

As the Constitutional Convention drew to a close, some of the biggest debates were just beginning. According to the Constitution, nine of the 13 states needed to ratify the document before it could go into effect, although most acknowledged that without the support of all of the states, the government would struggle with legitimacy. It would take almost three years for all of the states to ratify the Constitution.

Some states ratified quickly, with little debate. But some of the most powerful states, including Massachusetts, Virginia, and New York, became battlegrounds between those who supported ratification, the Federalists, and those who opposed it, the Antifederalists. New York was the last of those states to ratify the Constitution, with a close vote of 30 in favor and 27 against.

For more background, read “Historical Context for the Federalist Papers” on the Columbia College core curriculum website and “The Antifederalists: The Other Founders of the American Constitutional Tradition?” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:

  • Federalists
  • Antifederalists

Scholars can apply their knowledge of U.S. history to interpret original sources and use these sources to write clear, concise, and compelling claims about the arguments of the Federalists and Antifederalists during ratification.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Launch — 5 minutes

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Build excitement for today’s DBQ and invest scholars in continuing their study of how the debate over the new Constitution led to political compromise. Tell scholars they will apply all their knowledge as historians to answer a question using new sources that they have not seen before.
  • Scholars read the Lessons 6–8 DBQ Historical Context and Task in the Unit 4 Workbook to frame their thinking.
  • Ask: What is this DBQ Task asking us to do?
  • Scholars interpret the Task in pairs. Call on pairs to share out.

Guided Document Study — 20 minutes

  • Set the expectation that scholars must tackle Documents A through D today by writing a main idea next to the title and using the text and their main idea annotations to concisely answer each short-answer question with a clear claim.

Read and Write (8 minutes)

  • Read Document D* on page 24 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook with scholars. After reading, scholars should write a main idea next to the title and use their understanding of the text to write a claim for the accompanying short-answer question in the Unit 4 Workbook.
    • *Note: Document D forces scholars to synthesize two texts to answer the question. II you anticipate that scholars will struggle more with Document A, B, or C, use one of those documents instead.

Discuss (10 minutes)

  • Have a scholar with a strong main idea annotation and/or claim share out. Have scholars discuss 1) how the main idea annotation reflects full understanding of the document and/or 2) why the claim effectively answers this short-answer question.
  • Share nonexemplar work. Have the class discuss why the main idea annotation does not reflect full understanding of the document and/or why the claim does not answer the short answer question.
  • Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work and know what they must do to improve.

Give scholars 2 minutes to revise their main ideas or claims based on the discussion.

Read and Write — 20 minutes

  • Scholars read and annotate the remaining documents on pages 22–23 and write a clear and concise answer to each short-answer question in the Unit 4 Workbook. Hold scholars accountable for the clarity and strength of their claims!
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have scholars explain their thinking. Can their main idea annotations be made stronger? Are their claims simple and clear? Are they revising their writing?
    • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, review scholars’ short answers and provide feedback on the quality of their work. Prioritize the most important change that scholars must make to improve both the strength of their claims as well as their future writing. Use your study of scholars’ work to determine a common trend in scholars’ writing.

Lesson 7: Federalists and Antifederalists (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: To what extent did the new Constitution protect the rights of Americans?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars can plan and draft clear and compelling written arguments that answer a historical question with strong theses and evidence that supports or proves their theses.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their short answers from the previous lesson based on the feedback you gave them.

Plan — 15 minutes

  • With partners or in small groups, scholars discuss possible answers to the DBQ Task. Ensure that scholars explain why the Constitution both did and did not protect the rights of Americans.
  • Lead a whole-class discussion on possible answers to this Task. Remind scholars that there is not a single right answer to this question, but they must have evidence to defend their answers!
    • Call on pairs to share out their answers and defend them with evidence from Documents A through D.
    • Have scholars evaluate one another’s answers. Scholars should consider whether each answer is compelling and based on accurate evidence from the text.
    • Give scholars feedback on the clarity and quality of their answers.
  • During the discussion, chart strong versus weak answers. Ensure that scholars can explain what makes a particular answer strong versus weak.
  • Tell scholars that their answers to this question will become their theses in their final DBQ essays. All of the evidence in an essay must prove this thesis.
  • After the discussion, give scholars 2 minutes to determine their own theses on the planning page of the DBQ in the Unit 4 Workbook. Ensure that scholars are not just copying an answer that was discussed but are actually formulating their own theses based on the discussion.

Outline and Draft — 30 minutes

Outline (15 minutes)

  • Scholars create an outline for their DBQ essay on the planning page of the DBQ by finalizing their theses and determining the three strongest pieces of evidence from Documents A through D that support their theses, based on their work in the previous lesson and the class discussion.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar explain his or her thesis. Does his or her thesis answer the DBQ Task? Is it compelling? Does the evidence selected actually prove this thesis?
    • If scholars are struggling to choose strong evidence, have them write how each document helps answer the DBQ Task on each document or in their outlines.

Draft (15 minutes)

  • Scholars use their outlines to draft their DBQ essays. As scholars draft, they must focus on proving their theses with strong evidence from at least three documents.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have scholars explain their writing. Can their writing be made stronger?
    • Ensure that scholars are using relevant evidence to prove their theses in their DBQ essays.
    • Ensure that scholars are revising their writing to make sure it is simple and clear.\
    • Hold scholars accountable for rereading their writing and eliminating any typos and errors in basic conventions.
    • Coach scholars on how to implement the feedback you’ve given them.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, review scholars’ drafts and provide feedback on the quality of their work. Prioritize the most important change that scholars must make to improve both the strength of their theses and supporting evidence in this essay as well as their future writing. Use your study of scholars’ work to determine a common trend in scholars’ writing.

Lesson 8: Federalists and Antifederalists (DBQ Writing)

Central Question: To what extent did the new Constitution protect the rights of Americans?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars revise their essays based on individualized teacher feedback to make their essays stronger and clearer and to understand how to use their feedback to grow as writers.

Preparation

  • To complete this revision, before class you must:
    • Choose an exemplar and nonexemplar draft essay from the previous lesson to use in the Launch and Mini-Lesson. If there is no exemplar piece, plan to use your own teacher model piece.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars read your feedback on their initial drafts of their DBQ essays and discuss with a partner how they will apply this feedback in their revisions today.

Launch — 10 minutes

  • The launch is your opportunity to provide a whole-class model of excellence and explain the biggest issue that holds scholars back from achieving excellence. The launch should end with scholars describing how this piece of writing exemplifies the Habits of Great Writers.
    • Reread the DBQ Task with scholars: To what extent did the new Constitution protect the rights of Americans?
    • Then share an exemplar draft from the previous lesson. Have scholars discuss 1) what makes the scholar’s thesis compelling and 2) why the evidence selected is effective in proving this thesis.
    • Have scholars articulate to partners how the work study applies to their own writing today.

Mini-Lesson — 10 minutes

  • Choose an anonymous scholar draft essay that demonstrates a whole-class trend from your study of scholars’ work from the previous lesson and show this scholar’s line-edited draft to the class.
  • Have the class work together to apply your individualized feedback to begin to revise the DBQ essay. Then call on scholars to articulate how this scholar must apply this feedback to all writing moving forward.
  • Set your expectations for how scholars will apply their individualized feedback to revise their work today.

Revise 1 — 10 minutes

  • Scholars use their individualized feedback to revise their DBQ essays.
  • Set the expectation that scholars should use this entire time to revise their work based on the feedback you have given them. Explain that some scholars may need to start from scratch, and that is OK! Note that this time will only be productive if you have given every scholar individualized feedback.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have scholars explain the feedback that they have received, as well as their plan to apply it.
    • Coach scholars on how to apply your feedback.

Mid-Workshop Teach — 5 minutes

  • Share an essay that has greatly improved through revision. Have the scholar explain how he or she has applied his or her feedback to effectively revise.
    • If there is a clear whole-class misconception that must be addressed, share an anonymous example of that trend. Have the class discuss how the scholar needs to change his or her approach to revision in order to make more substantial changes.
  • Ensure that scholars understand how this feedback is transferable to their own work.
  • Scholars articulate to their partner how they will revise their work based on the Mid-Workshop Teach.

Revise 2 — 10 minutes

  • Scholars use the transferable takeaway from the Mid-Workshop Teach to continue revising their essays.
  • Set the expectation that scholars should use the entire time to continue revising their essays.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Help scholars focus on what is most important: a strong thesis and supporting evidence.
    • Coach scholars on how to apply your feedback.

Homework

  • Scholars read page 184 from the textbook History Alive! The United States Through Industrialism (Teachers’ Curriculum Institute: 2002) in preparation for the next lesson.

Teacher Feedback Guidance

  • Before the next lesson, give each scholar a final grade on their revised essay, as well as one transferable next step that they must apply to their next piece.

Lesson 9: Bill of Rights (Jigsaw)

Central Question: How does the Bill of Rights protect individual and state rights?

Historical Background

Of the 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention, 39 signed the newly negotiated U.S. Constitution. Many of those who did not sign refused to do so because the document did not include a Bill of Rights that would both secure basic civil rights for its citizens and define the limits of the federal government’s power. Much of the later state ratification debates raged over this lack of a Bill of Rights. In the solution, known as the Massachusetts Compromise, four states agreed to ratify the document if their recommendations would be sent to Congress for review and consideration. Subsequently, Congress voted in favor of 12 of those amendments to the Constitution in 1789. Ten of these were ratified by the states and became the Bill of Rights.

For more background, read “Bill of Rights” on the History Channel website and explore The Bill of Rights Institute website.

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Terms:

  • Ratification
  • Bill of Rights

Scholars understand why the Bill of Rights led to the ratification of the Constitution and how the Bill of Rights guarantees and protects the basic rights and liberties of individuals and states.

Preparation

  • To complete this jigsaw, before class you must:
    • Make a plan for how you are going to divide scholars into groups for the jigsaw. These groups will be the same for the debate in the following lesson.
    • Ensure that each scholar has the Lesson 9 Note-Taking Template in the Unit 4 Workbook accessible to ensure that notes are purposeful and scholars are clear on your expectations.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 4 Lesson 9 Do Now in the Unit 4 Workbook.

Context — 5 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in continuing their study of how the debate over the new Constitution led to political compromise.

Discuss (3 minutes)

  • Scholars discuss the questions below in pairs. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from their homework.
    • Why did the United States add the Bill of Rights to the Constitution?
      ◦How did the Bill of Rights affect the ratification of the Constitution?
    • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: To what extent was the addition of the Bill of Rights an example of political compromise in the framing of the Constitution?

Investigate — 15 minutes

  • Remind scholars that the purpose of a jigsaw lesson is to become experts at one topic so they are able to teach their peers. Set the expectations that scholars should be prepared to clearly and concisely share about their assigned topic at the end of their group work time.
  • Divide scholars into groups and, in preparation for the following lesson’s project, assign each group one of four amendment groups:the First Amendment (on pages 27–28 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook); the Second, Third, and Fourth Amendments (on page 29 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook); the Fifth, Sixth, Seventh, and Eighth Amendments (on pages 30–31 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook); or the Ninth and Tenth Amendments (on page 32 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook). Each group reads and annotates the documents for its assigned topic. After reading, scholars should write a main idea next to the title of the source.
  • While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the main idea of the document he or she is reading. What is the main idea of this document? How do you know? How does this document help answer the Central Question?
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on the main idea of the document.
  • If scholars finish early, have them read another document group and write main ideas for different amendments.

Teach — 10 minutes

  • Remind scholars that they are responsible for learning from their classmates during this time and must take notes in their Lesson 9 Note-Taking Template in the Unit 4 Workbook during each presentation.
  • Have scholars from each group present about their topic to the class in 2 minutes or less.
  • As scholars share, chart the major takeaways from each group and display this chart in your classroom for reference throughout the unit.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • How do the Bill of Rights protect Americans against the power of the government?
    • Why did Americans, following the Revolutionary War, believe these rights were necessary?
    • To what extent is there a clear interpretation of the exact rights and protections of the Bill of Rights in the present day?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: How does the Bill of Rights protect the rights of all Americans?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Scholars independently complete the Lesson 9 Exit Ticket in the Unit 4 Workbook.

Homework

  • Scholars study the Unit 4 Key Terms in preparation for the following lesson.

Lesson 10: Bill of Rights (PBL)

Central Question: How does the Bill of Rights protect individual and state rights?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars can explain the significance of the Bill of Rights and its specific guarantees and illustrate these guarantees in an accurate and compelling way.

Preparation

  • To complete this project, before class you must:
    • Print the Bill of Rights Template from the Unit 4 Workbook on card stock for each scholar.
    • Create a teacher model of the illustration.
    • Gather colored pencils for illustrating and organize these materials in a place accessible to scholars for easy use during project work.
    • Ensure that each scholar has the Bill of Rights Illustration Planning Guide in the Unit 4 Workbook accessible.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 4 Lesson 10 Do Now in the Unit 4 Workbook.

Teacher Model — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in continuing their study of how the debate over the new Constitution led to political compromise.

Model (8 minutes)

  • Show scholars your completed teacher model based on an amendment group from the Bill of Rights. As a class, discuss the guarantees protected by this amendment group and how you illustrated these protections accurately and compellingly.

Planning — 20 minutes

  • Explain that scholars will create an illustration that shows specific rights guaranteed by the group of amendments from the Bill of Rights they studied in the previous lesson.
  • Tell scholars that their illustrations must portray a powerful and compelling idea about how individual liberties are protected through different amendments in the Bill of Rights, as explained in the documents from the previous lesson.
    • Remind scholars that visual projects, just like written pieces, make arguments, and all arguments require a strong idea with supporting details.
  • Illustrations may make use of either colonial or contemporary imagery.
  • Scholars must supplement their illustration with a caption that explains how their illustration answers the Central Question.
  • Scholars use the Bill of Rights Illustration Planning Guide in the Unit 4 Workbook to plan their illustrations, writing their ideas and planning the details they will use to support them.
  • Conference with scholars as they work on their Planning Guide.
    • Have scholars tell you the idea of their pieces. Can the idea be made stronger?
    • Do not allow scholars to move on to the project work until you have confirmed that they have a strong idea for their project!
  • Pull together a small group of scholars who need additional support to plan a strong idea.
  • At the end of planning time, call on scholars to explain their plans. Cold-call other scholars to evaluate whether their plan will ensure a clear idea.

Project Work — 20 minutes

  • Scholars create their Bill of Rights illustrations, referring to the documents from Lesson 9 on pages 27–32 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook as they work.
  • In their illustrations, scholars should:
    • Use colonial or contemporary images to illustrate the protected rights.
    • Cite specific language from the Bill of Rights in their captions to explain which rights are being illustrated.
    • Use the appropriate amendment number, one through ten, as their title.
  • While scholars work, actively circulate to reinforce your expectations for strong ideas and persuasive visual evidence in project work and to determine the major trends in scholars’ work.
  • Spend 2 to 3 minutes working with three to five scholars.
    • Have each scholar tell you the idea conveyed by his or her illustration. Can the idea be made stronger? How can the illustration convey the idea more effectively? Is the illustration interesting and visually compelling?
    • Hold scholars accountable for implementing the feedback you’ve given them.
    • Hold scholars accountable for staying focused on illustrating the significance of the Bill of Rights.

Wrap-Up — 5 minutes

  • Show an exemplar project to the class. Look for work that clearly and compellingly illustrates the guarantees of the Bill of Rights.

Homework

  • Scholars read “Ordinary Americans and the Constitution” on page 34 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook in preparation for the next lesson.

Lesson 11: Whose More Perfect Union? (Gallery Walk)

Central Question: To what extent did the Constitution reflect the will of the common people?

Historical Background

The Constitution is so honored today, at home and abroad, that it may seem irreverent to suggest that for a great many ordinary Americans, it was not what they wished as a capstone of their revolutionary experience. This is not to say that they opposed the Constitution from beginning to end. Rather, they were alarmed at important omissions in the Constitution, particularly a Bill of Rights. Many believed that the Constitution was the work of men of wealth and prestige who meant to subvert the most democratic features of the American Revolution. As a result, these groups had deep reservations and divergent perspectives about the Constitution’s ability to steer the nation forward without compromising the founding principles of the Revolution.

For more background, read “Ordinary Americans and the Constitution” on the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History website (free login required).

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars understand and can fluently use the following Unit 4 Key Term:

  • Suffrage

Scholars can understand the social, political, and economic interests of different groups of Americans after the Revolution and can explain the extent to which the new Constitution protected and reflected these interests.

Preparation

  • To complete this gallery walk, before class you must:
    • Print all texts and images on card stock and distribute at each respective station.
    • Determine how you will present video or audio content, if necessary.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars complete the Unit 4 Lesson 11 Do Now in the Unit 4 Workbook.

Context — 10 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in evaluating the extent to which the Constitution reflected the interests of all Americans.

Read (5 minutes)

  • Read the Preamble to the Constitution on page 35 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook.
  • Scholars should read and annotate the source, writing a main idea next to the title.

Discuss (3 minutes)

  • Scholars discuss the questions below in pairs. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from their homework.
    • How did the realities of Constitutional representation compare to its values, as stated in the Preamble?
    • Who benefited the most from the Constitution? Who benefited the least? Why?
    • Make a connection to previous lessons. Ask: How do the interests of common Americans compare to the arguments of Federalists and Antifederalists?

Investigate — 20 minutes

  • Divide scholars into three groups. Assign each group one of these stations to begin the gallery walk: African Americans (on page 36 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), Small Farmers (on page 37 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook), and Women (on page 38 of the Unit 4 Sourcebook).
  • Explain that each group will examine the images, watch the videos, or read the text at their assigned station for 5 minutes before switching to the next station.
  • After examining the sources, scholars should record their observations and inferences.
  • While scholars work, circulate to determine the major trends in scholars’ work and conference with groups of scholars as they rotate among stations.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the documents. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • To what extent did common Americans have a voice in the new Constitution?
    • How did ordinary Americans respond to their limited Constitutional rights?
    • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: Why did the Constitution fail to represent common Americans?

Exit Ticket — 10 minutes

  • Write a paragraph of no more than 200 words:
    • To what extent did the Constitution reflect the will of the common people? Justify your argument with at least two concrete pieces of evidence from two sources.

Lesson 12: Whose More Perfect Union? (Simulation)

Central Question: To what extent did the Constitution reflect the will of the common people?

What Does Success Look Like?

Scholars can explain the various perspectives of common Americans following the Revolution by simulating an “alternative” Constitutional Convention representing the interests of common Americans.

Preparation

  • To complete this simulation, before class you must:
    • Closely read the simulation guide for the “Constitution Role Play: Whose ‘More Perfect Union’?” on the Zinn Education Project website.
    • Print the role cards from the “Constitution Role Play: Whose ‘More Perfect Union’?” on the Zinn Education Project website and cut them out before class. Ensure that you have enough to give every scholar one card and that they will be evenly distributed among the class.
    • Give one of these cards to each scholar as they enter class.
    • Ensure that each scholar has the “Burning Issues” Guiding Questions from the “Constitution Role Play: Whose ‘More Perfect Union’?” on the Zinn Education Project website accessible.
    • Arrange the classroom into five groups and have scholars sit in these groups based on their assigned role.

Do Now — 5 minutes

  • Scholars revise their Exit Tickets from the previous lesson based on the grade and feedback you gave them.

Preparation — 20 minutes

Launch (2 minutes)

  • Review the Big Ideas from the previous lesson by having scholars quickly share their takeaways from the lesson.
  • Pose today’s Central Question and invest scholars in continuing to evaluate the extent to which the Constitution reflects the interests of all Americans.
  • Tell scholars that they are going to assume the role of one group in the early United States, as assigned by their Role Card, in order to understand how different Americans viewed key issues facing their new government: slavery and suffrage.

Read (5 minutes)

  • Scholars read their Role Card with partners in their assigned groups. Scholars should not answer the questions at the end of their Role Card. As scholars read, circulate to ensure that scholars use the “Burning Issues” Guiding Questions to understand the way their assigned group would have viewed issues one and three (slavery and suffrage) for this simulation. Scholars should not focus on issue two.

Discuss (3 minutes)

  • Scholars discuss the “Burning Issues” Guiding Questions below in pairs. Then call on pairs to share out. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from their knowledge from class and their Role Cards.
    • Based on your group’s role, should slavery continue to be legal in any of the United States? Why or why not?
    • Based on your group’s role, should the Constitution continue to allow the slave trade? Why or why not?
  • Based on your group’s role, should Northerners be forced to turn over runaway slaves to their owners? Why or why not?
  • Based on your group’s role, who should be allowed to vote in general elections? Why or why not?
  • Make a connection to the Essential Question. Ask: To what extent did the Constitution fully represent the interests of your role?

Plan (10 minutes)

  • Divide scholars into groups based on their role.
  • Within these groups, scholars will plan their roles’ perspectives of slavery and suffrage.
  • Tell each group that, by the end of their time, they should come up with a position for or against the abolition of slavery and expanding the right of suffrage, and they must be able to explain their rationale for why they chose this position based on the evidence provided in their Role Cards.
  • Circulate among the groups to answer questions and to ensure that scholars’ proposals and arguments are consistent with their roles.

Simulation — 15 minutes

  • Before scholars begin debating as a whole class, set clear expectations for scholars’ participation and roles. Ensure that scholars understand that their arguments must be based on the interests and perspectives of their group, not their own.
  • Scholars debate slavery and suffrage based on their role for 10 minutes. As scholars debate, prompt them to look for allies in other groups based on knowledge of shared interests.
  • While scholars discuss, listen in to understand whether or not scholars accurately reflect their roles’ interests and viewpoints and propose authentic and compelling arguments for or against abolishing slavery and expanding the right of suffrage. Address misconceptions within each group or stop and address the whole class based on what you hear.
  • Groups must arrive at a consensus on each issue and be prepared to explain their position at the end of the simulation.

Discuss — 5 minutes

  • Scholars discuss the following questions as a whole class. Insist that scholars answer your questions with claims supported by evidence from the simulation. Ensure that the discussion leads scholars to answer the Central Question.
    • To what extent were alliances between groups likely in the United States of the 1780s? Why?
    • Which groups had conflicting interests, where no compromise was possible? Why?
    • How did each group’s access to democracy differ? Why?
    • Make a connection to the Big Ideas. Ask: Was it possible to create a Constitution that reflected the will of all ordinary people? Why or why not?

Wrap-Up — 5 minutes

  • Ask scholars: What would a Constitution that represented the will of the ordinary people have looked and sounded like? How would it have been different from the Constitution as it was written?
  • Have scholars discuss the question above and share their takeaways from the simulation with a partner.

Homework

  • Scholars read “The Legislative Branch” on the History Channel website, as well as the excerpt from Article 1, Sections 1 and 8 of the Constitution on page 3 of the Unit 5 Sourcebook in preparation for Unit 5.

Optional Current Events Connection

  • Scholars read the following articles on Newsela*:
    • “What Are Executive Orders? And What Force Do They Have in U.S. Politics?”
    • “Judge Rules ‘Dreamers’ Immigrant Program Must Stay”
  • Scholars write a paragraph of no more than 200 words based on both of the articles above in response to the following prompt:
    • How do the branches of the federal government continue to check one another in the present day?

*To access all articles on the Newsela website, you must create a free account.

Extra Credit

Prompts: Scholars may choose one of the following prompts about Big Ideas in American history.

  • Why did the Articles of Confederation fail?
  • How did the colonists’ experiences during the American Revolution influence the framing of the Constitution?
  • Choose one of the following groups of Americans: wealthy landowners, poor farmers, women, or African Americans. How did the Constitution protect this group’s rights? How did the Constitution limit this group’s rights?

Project Menu: Scholars may then choose to respond to the prompt chosen above with one of the formats outlined below.

  • Thematic Essay: Scholars write a thematic essay that answers one of the extra credit prompts, drawing on evidence both from the unit and from their own independent research.
  • Podcast: Scholars create an original podcast that answers one of the prompts above. The podcast should be 5–8 minutes long. Podcasts must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
  • “Docudrama”: Scholars create a “docudrama” that answers one of the prompts above. A docudrama is a dramatized video that tells the story of historic events. The docudrama should be 5–8 minutes long. Docudramas must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
  • Interview: Scholars record (video or podcast) an interview with a “historian” or a historical figure in order to answer one of the prompts above. The historian or historical figure must be the scholar. A parent, a classmate, or a teacher should be the interviewer. Interviews should be 5–8 minutes long. Interviews must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.
  • Propose your own project: Scholars may propose to do their own project. These projects must still answer one of the extra credit prompts, and any project proposal must draw on evidence both from the unit and from scholars’ own independent research.

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