The Constitution

The Constitution

A New Plan for Government

• Because of the problems caused by the Articles of Confederation leaders decided to meet to discuss these problems in May of 1787.

• At the meeting in Philadelphia, there were 55 delegates.

• Delegates are people chosen to represent and speak for all Americans.

• Some delegates hoped that they could just change the Articles of Confederation but soon realized that a simple change would not be enough.

• They had to start over & make a new government.

Multiple Choice

Where did the delegates meet to make a new government?

• Washington D.C.

• Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

• Boston, Massachusetts

• San Antonio, Texas

Drag and Drop

Who are people chosen to represent and speak for all Americans?

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

Aliens

Children

Volunteers

Delegates

The Constitutional Convention

• The meeting of the 55 delegates in Philadelphia was called the Constitutional Convention.

• The delegates worked six days a week for four months.

• James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay are considered the main authors of the document.

• On September 17, 1787, only one job was left.

• Each delegate signed the new constitution.

• A constitution is a group of laws.

• The United States Constitution has been and still is the basic law of our country.

Dropdown

What is a Constitution?

Select answer

A New Law for a New Land

• While writing the Constitution, the delegates often disagreed with one another.

• One disagreement was about how to set up the legislature.

• The delegates wanted each state to be represented in this group.

• Delegates from states that had small populations, and states that had large populations disagreed about how each should be represented.

• In the end the delegates compromised.

Multiple Choice

What did the delegates disagree about during the Constitutional Convention?

• How to create the legislature

• How to choose a new king

• How to pave roads

• How to deliver the mail

Congress

• The compromise resulted in the Congress that we have today.

• It has 2 parts each called a house:

  • The Senate - In this house each state has 2 representatives.

  • The House of Representatives - In this house each state has a different number of representatives, depending on the number of people (population) in the state.

Multiple Choice

How did the delegates set up Congress?

• The decided to spilt it into two houses.

• They voted for each state to only have 1 representative

• They decided against having a congress

• They copied what England did

Multiple Select

What are the 2 houses of Congress?

• Senate

• Parliament
• Legislative Assembly
• House of Representatives

The Federal System

• The other problem that needed to be solved was the division of power between the states and the national, or federal government.

• In the end the delegates decided to share the power between the two.

• The sharing of power is called a federal system.

• Federal Government - defends our country & mints the money.

• State Government - makes laws that take care of our daily lives like schools and highways.

Multiple Choice

What is the federal system?

• A government were power is divided between the states and federal powers

• A government where power is divided based on income

• A government where power is divided between only states

• A government where power is concentrated on a single person

Checks and Balances

• The delegates also divided the federal government into 3 branches:

  • Legislative Branch

  • Executive Branch

  • Judicial Branch

• They did this so that the branches could share the power and no one branch can work alone.

• The delegates made sure to create a system of checks and balances among the 3 branches of government.

Multiple Select

What are the 3 branches of our government?

• Executive

• Legislative

• State

• Judicial

Drag and Drop

Having 3 branches of government creates a system of...

Placeholder

Drag these tiles and drop them in the correct blank above

separation of powers

checks and balances

division of labor

unification of authority

The Bill of Rights

• After the delegates signed the Constitution, it did not become law right away.

• Before it could become law, two-thirds of the states had to approve it.

• Some states refused to approve it unless it had a Bill of Rights added.

• The Bill of Rights is a list of rights that every American should have.

• With a promise of a Bill of Rights to be added all 13 states approved the Constitution by 1790.

Dropdown

What did many states want added to the Constitution before they would approve it?

Select answer

Multiple Choice

What is a Bill of Rights?

• A list of rights every American should have.

• A type of vehicle used for transportation.

• A type of document used in cooking recipes.

• A type of currency used in ancient civilizations.