Welcome to Mr. Lobur's Lesson on the Origins of the Constitution!
After completing this lesson, you should be able to:
- Use important documents to describe the philosophical and historical origins of the United States Constitution.
- Use important documents to describe the philosophical and historical origins of the United States Constitution.
Did the Founding Fathers of our country just pull their ideas for the Constitution out of thin air? No! In fact, they had a large library of documents from which they drew their inspiration. Through the course of this lesson, you will read excerpts from several of these documents alongside excerpts from the Constitution. You will use these comparisons to determine where certain ideas contained in the Constitution (social compact, limited government, natural rights, right of revolution, separation of powers, bicameralism, republicanism, and popular participation in government) came from. Finally, you will write about your understanding of how these documents connect to the Constitution.
What documents will I be reading?
Great question! Here's a list of the influential documents:
Name of the Document:
The Mayflower Compact The Iroquois Confederacy Common Sense Declaration of Independence Northwest Ordinance The Federalist Papers |
Description of the Document:
The pact made among travelers on the Mayflower (the Pilgrims) regarding how their colony would be governed. The "Great Law" that outlined how the six tribes of the Confederacy would interact with each other. A pamphlet written by Thomas Paine to convince colonists of the need to rebel against England. The document that cut all political ties between America and England. An act of Congress under the Articles of Confederation that established the Northwest Territory in what are now known as the "Great Lakes States." A series of essays published in an effort to convince citizens to ratify the the US Constitution. |
What help can I get?
Some of these documents are written in unfamiliar language. Sometimes, it helps to hear things read aloud. If you feel like this would help you, please click the "play" button next to Uncle Sam on any of the pages- he'll be happy to help!
Click "Terms to Know" to continue!
Banner Image Credit:Constitutional Convention [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. Retrieved from http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AUnited_States_Constitution.jpg