What is a Constitution?

Does the United States have a Constitution?

• ARTICLES OF CONFEDERATION: Article V. For the most convenient management of the general interests of the united States, delegates shall be annually appointed in such manner as the legislatures of each State shall direct, to meet in Congress on the first Monday in November, in every year, with a power reserved to each State to recall its delegates, or any of them, at any time within the year, and to send others in their stead for the remainder of the year.

• U.S. CONSTITUTION: Clause 2: Immediately after they shall be assembled in Consequence of the first Election, they shall be divided as equally as may be into three Classes. The Seats of the Senators of the first Class shall be vacated at the Expiration of the second Year, of the second Class at the Expiration of the fourth Year, and of the third Class at the Expiration of the sixth Year, so that one third may be chosen every second Year; and if Vacancies happen by Resignation, or otherwise, during the Recess of the Legislature of any State, the Executive thereof may make temporary Appointments until the next Meeting of the Legislature, which shall then fill such Vacancies.

Who do you believe involved or responsible for the ratification of the

Constitution?

• Large group of individuals?

• Small group of individuals?

Charles Pinckney

Charles Pinckney and the 3/5 Compromise

Henry Laurens

Pink represents Yellow represents Slaves Citizens

What does it mean to ratify something?

What does it mean to ratify something?

Instructions for activity…

• You will now draw numbers (1-5).

• Each number will represent your group number.

• Each committee will be assigned a specific concept that they are to ratify. On the board, you will find your committee’s concept. They pertain to your school, and you might have personal feelings about them. They include:

• Group 1-an amendment mandating a 20 minute recess increase; group 2- an amendment mandating that homework be a minimum of 15 minutes per subject

• Group 3- an amendment mandating that fried foods should be offered with every lunch.

• Group 4-an amendment mandating that teachers allow the use of cell phones and IPods in class during instructional time.

• Group 5 an amendment mandating that school starts and ends one hour later every day.

• Your task is to discuss your concept, and create a pro-con chart to present to the class. You have 5 minutes.” Students will discuss their concept and try to ratify.

INDIVIDUALLY ANSWER…• Now that you have discussed your concept,

everyone in the group should answer these questions individually:

• 1. Did you reach a decision about your amendment?

• 2. Did everyone agree on every pro and con? • 3. Was there anyone in the group that did not

see it your way?”• Students will have a few minutes to respond on

paper, and they will do so.

• As a group, write down your proposed amendment, the yea/nay vote tally, and ratified or not ratified. Be prepared to present your product.”

• Create a poster in preparation to present.

Presentation

• I will call each committee by number, and you will have time to present your amendment, voting results, and if you ratified or not.

• Committees will present.

Question to consider during each presentation…

Do you agree with all of the groups’ decisions?”

INDIVIDUALLY…

• On a separate sheet of paper, write a paragraph explaining how this ratification process of contemporary, school-related amendments relates to the ratification process of the Constitution in the 18th century. Include in your paragraph an assertion about how this process contributes to the preamble’s stated purpose: We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union.... Students will create responses.

• It is important to remember that a set of rules already existed at the time of the ratification. The Articles of Confederation was the document that first named the ‘United States,’ and the Constitution was really a new document to replace those older, more crude rules. It is also very important to remember that ratification depended on the agreement of 9 out of 13 states, which we did not simulate here.

REWRITE…

• RATIFICATION-CONSTITUTION-CONGRESS: write a short paragraph using these terms about how a Constitution is ratified from the beginning of the lesson.

• Quickly rewrite your response to accurately explain this process