It’s a Brand New Country

Introduction – Task – Process – Evaluation - Conclusion

Introduction

· Imagine you are a newspaper reporter in the year 1787. What is the most exciting thing going on at that time? The birth of a new country of course! The American Revolution has ended but the fight is not over. Everybody has there own ideas about what the new country should look like. Here are some of the issues:

· Who will hold the power?

· How will those in power be chosen?

· Where would the power lie, with the states or at the federal level?

· What rights will the people have?

· How would the people’s rights be guaranteed?

· What responsibilities would come with these rights?

· How will laws be made?

Task

· Before we debate the main arguments presented at the first Continental Congress you will do research on the Internet as to the issues and arguments presented in the writing of the United States Constitution. You will write a newspaper article as a witness to the arguments, actions, and writings of the framers. You will get to know the issues, the founding fathers, and their positions. At the conclusion of your quest you will be assigned the role as one of the players. You could be one of the founding fathers, a delegate from one of the thirteen colonies, or a citizen whose livelihood is being placed in the hands of these delegates.

Process

· Begin here: http://www.archives.gov/national_archives_experience/charters/constitution.html

· There are links from this website to others that will allow you to explore the different arguments and points of view at the time of our new nation.

· Another great website for kids your age: http://www.usconstitution.net/constkids.html

· After you explore these websites write a newspaper article detailing the issues and the stakeholders’ positions. Be sure to learn details about all the different positions. Be thorough. Be unbiased because after all newspaper articles are collected you will be assigned a position. Use the issues laid out in the introduction as a guide to your research. You will debate that position whether you agree or not. We will have a town hall style debate in class.

Evaluation

· You will be evaluated on three things:

· Did you stay on task and complete the assignment?

· Did you write a newspaper article outlining the main stakeholders and their positions?

· How well did you defend your position in the class debate?

Conclusion

· Now you know the different stakeholders in the birth of our nation. Many people participated in the writing of our constitution through their ideas and ideals. What would you have done differently than our founding fathers?