Unit 2​: Governing the Nation

"How does a nation establish its identity?
"Governments are instituted among men, deriving their powers from the consent of the governed."
​- Thomas Jefferson, The Declaration of Independence, 1776
"The preservation of the sacred fire of liberty and the destiny of the Republican model of government are justly considered, perhaps, as deeply, as finally staked on the experiment entrusted to the hands of the American People." - George Washington, ​First Inaugural Address, 1789
"Happy it is when the interest which the government has in the preservation of its own power, coincides with a proper distribution of the public burdens, and tends to guard the least wealthy part of the community from oppression." - Alexander Hamilton, The Federalist papers, No. 36, 1788

Unit Description: 
Students learn about the struggle to create a government that could balance the principles and identity of the new nation while acting as a functional government to meet the needs of a newly formed and deeply indebted country. Students understand that throughout the creation of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers battled over the structures and principles of new government and explore the compromises that were necessary in order to consider how a new nation establishes its identity.

Anchor Charts: 

Topic One: ​Articles of Confederation

Students analyze the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and discuss why the Articles of Confederation were thrown out by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention and replaced with a new constitution to understand how a nation establishes its identity.

Key Questions: 
  • What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, and why did these weaknesses exist? 
  • Why did the new nation want a different form of government?
7th Grade Standards: (7.1.1-7.1.5; 7.2.3; 7.8.1; 7.8.4; 7.9.1)

Topic 2: The Constitution

Students explore the creation of the United States Constitution and system of government by examining the social, economic, and political challenges that led to the new constitution in order to understand how a nation establishes its identity.

Key Questions: 
  • What were the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation, and why did these weaknesses exist? 
  • Why did the new nation want a different form of government?
7th Grade Standards: (7.1.3, 7.2.1-3; 7.5.3, 7.1.1, 7.1.2, 7.1.4, 7.1.5; 7.9.2)

TOpic 3: The Federal System

Students examine the purposes of the Constitution and evaluate the roles of the different branches of government at the federal, state and local levels. They will also compare and contrast the structures of the Articles of Confederation to the Constitution.

Key Questions:

  • What type of government does the Constitution create and why?
  • What are the purposes and principles of government in a society?
  • How is power divided and shared in the United States government (federal, local, state)?
  • What processes are used to elect or appoint federal officials, create laws at the federal level, and amend the Constitution?
  • Why did the Antifederalists oppose the Constitution?
  • Why did the founding fathers add the Bill of Rights to the Constitution?
  • What changed as a result of the ratification of the U.S. Constitution?
7th Grade Standards: (7.1.3, 7.2.2, 7.5.3, 7.1.5)

Unit 2 Videos