Introduction
- What if there was no such thing as a president of our country?
- What if the government had no money to pay soldiers?
- What if every state had a different kind of money and you had to change money when you crossed into a new state's territory?
These are just a few of the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation that our founders had to contend with at the Constitutional Convention in 1787. Thanks to common goals and compromise, they created the document that still governs our nation today!
Since you have learned about the Articles of Confederation and the Constitutional Convention in the previous lessons, now is your chance to learn about the structure and principles of the United States Constitution. You will also learn about some of the important changes that have been made to the document since it was written over 225 years ago. Visit the interactive constitutional timeline from the National Constitution Center to revisit some of the events that led up to the creation and ratification of the document.
Following successful completion of this lesson, students will be able to...
- Describe the goals of the constitution by interpreting the Preamble
- Explain the structure of the United States government including the separation of powers and the federal system
- Identify the elastic clause
Essential Questions
- What were the goals of the Preamble to the United States Constitution?
- How is the government structured under the United States Constitution?
Enduring Understandings
- The Constitution of the United States was born out of the failure of the Articles of Confederation government to regulate and foster the economic system.
- The United States Constitution provides the structure of the United States government and was created by the Founders to be a living document.
The above objectives correspond with the Alabama Course of Study: United States History I standards: 4, 4.1.