Constitution Day and Citizenship Day Instructional Resources

Background Information, Lesson Plans, and Internet Resources for

Middle School Classrooms

Department of Social Sciences

Miami-Dade County Public Schools

September 2014

THE SCHOOL BOARD OF MIAMI-DADE COUNTY, FLORIDA

Ms. PerlaTabaresHantman, Chair

Dr. Lawrence S. Feldman, Vice-Chair

Dr. Dorothy Bendross-Mindingall

Ms. Susie V. Castillo

Mr. Carlos L. Curbelo

Dr. Wilbert “Tee” Holloway

Dr. Martin Karp

Dr. Marta Pérez

Ms. Raquel A. Regalado

Julian Lafaurie

Student Advisor

Mr. Alberto M. Carvalho

Superintendent of Schools

Mrs. Maria L. Izquierdo, Chief Academic Officer

Office of Academics and Transformation

Dr. Maria P. de Armas, Assistant Superintendent

Curriculum and Instruction, K-12 Core Curriculum

Mr. Robert C. Brazofsky, Executive Director

Department of Social Sciences

Introduction

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is a combined event that is annually observed in the United States on September 17. This event commemorates the formation and signing of the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787. It also recognizes all who, by birth or naturalization, have become U.S. citizens.On Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, an event which falls during Constitution Week, people in the United States recognize the anniversary of the nation’s constitution and the efforts and responsibilities of all citizens.

In the summer of 1787, delegates convened in Philadelphia to create “a more perfect union” and to craft the country's constitution. They worked to develop a framework that would provide balance and freedom, taking into account federal and state interests, as well as individual human rights. The delegates signed the Constitution of the United States on September 17, 1787. By June 21, 1788, the U.S. Constitution was effective, having been approved by nine of the 13 states.

With regard to recognizing citizens, newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst advocated a day to celebrate U.S. citizenship in 1939. In 1940, the Congress created “I Am an American Day” to be celebrated on the third Sunday in May. On February 29, 1952, President Harry Truman signed into law “Citizenship Day.” It was established to replace “I Am an American Day.” On August 2, 1956, the Congress requested that the president proclaim the week beginning September 17 and ending September 23 of each year as “Constitution Week.” One more change was made to the event when a federal law enacted in December 2004 designated September 17 as “Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.”

Per federal legislation, all schoolsand federal agencies are required to hold educational programs celebrating the U.S. Constitution. Additionally, Florida State Statute 1003.42 requires the study of “the history, meaning, significance, and effect of the provisions of the Constitution of the United States and amendments thereto, with emphasis on each of the 10 amendments that make up the Bill of Rights and how the constitution provides the structure of our government.”

An Instructional Note to Teachers about Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day celebrates both the anniversary of the U.S. Constitution and the rights and responsibilities of all citizens. The celebration is an important part of the cultural heritage of the United States because it recognizes the value of the American experiment, and the success of a nation of free people whose rights and liberties are protected by a written constitution.

Constitution Day and Citizenship Day are required topics of instruction. Per federal legislation, all schoolsand federal agencies are required to hold educational programs celebrating the U.S. Constitution. These resources also support the requirements of Florida Statute 1003.421 requiring the study of the “the history, meaning, significance, and effect of the provisions of the Constitution of the United States and amendments thereto, with emphasis on each of the 10 amendments that make up the Bill of Rights and how the constitution provides the structure of our government.”

To assist schools, staff in the Department of Social Sciences has developed this instructional resource guide which includes background information for both teachers and students, suggested classroom activities, and suggested Internet resources on the U.S. Constitution. The resources in this guide include:

  • BACKGROUND INFORMATION

This section includes detailed background and reference information on the U.S. Constitution, including the founding principles outlined in the document and its history. Copies of the U.S. Constitution, the Preamble, and Bill of Rights are also included.

  • LESSON PLANS

This section includes detailed lesson plans with all support materials needed to teach about the U.S. Constitution.

  • INTERNET RESOURCES

Additional related lesson plans, teacher background information, interactive activities and downloadable worksheets may be found on the web sites listed in this section of the guide.

Content, concepts and skills related to the U.S. Constitution and the rights and responsibilities of citizenship are an integral part of social studies instruction year-round.Teachers are highly encouraged to utilize the resources and lessons found in this resource packet to reinforce these concepts throughout the school year. Teachers are further encouraged to select and adapt the resources and lessons found in this guide to best fit the needs of their students.

Background Information

  • What is a Constitution? Content Background Information for the Teacher
  • Historical Background Information on the U.S. Constitution – World Book Advanced On-Line Edition
  • Fascinating Facts about the U.S. Constitution
  • Maps of the 13 Colonies
  • Image of the U.S. Constitution
  • The Sections of the U.S. Constitution
  • The Preamble to the United States Constitution
  • The Constitution of the United States of America, including the 27 Amendments
  • Summary of the Bill of Rights

What is a Constitution? Content Background Information for the Teacher

The following information from the Center for Civic Education is provided as background information for teachers.

What Is a Constitution?

A constitution is a set of fundamental customs, traditions, rules, and laws that set forth the basic way a government is organized and operated. Most constitutions are in writing, some are partly written and partly unwritten, and some are not written at all.

If you study a country’s constitution, you will be able to answer the following questions regarding the relationship between the government and its citizens.

Government

  • What are the purposes of the government?
  • How is the government organized?
  • How is the government supposed to go about doing its business?

Citizens

  • Who is a citizen?
  • Do citizens have any power or control over the government? If so, how do citizens exercise their powers?
  • What rights and responsibilities do citizens have?

By this definition of a constitution, nearly every nation has a constitution. Good governments and bad governments have constitutions. Some of the worst governments have constitutions that include lists of the basic rights of their citizens. A list of rights does not mean that the citizens actually enjoy those rights.

What Is a Constitutional Government?

Having a constitution does not mean that a nation has a constitutional government.If, for example, a constitution provides for the unlimited exercise of political power by one, a few, or many, it would not be the basis for a constitutional government. If a constitution says that power is to be limited, but it does not include ways to enforce those limitations, it also is not the basis for a constitutional government,

The principles of constitutional and limited governments are intertwined. Limited governments are characterized by restraints on power, such as laws that both the rulers and the governed must obey, and free and periodic elections. The opposite is unlimited government, in which those who govern are free to use their power as they choose, unrestrained by laws or elections. Aristotle described unlimited government as tyranny. Today the terms autocracy, dictatorship, or totalitarianism frequently are used to describe such governments.

What Are the Characteristics of the Higher Law?

In a constitutional government, the constitution, or higher law, has the following characteristics:

  • It sets forth the basic rights of citizens.
  • It establishes the responsibility of the government to protect those rights.
  • It establishes limitations on how those in government may use their powers with regard to citizens’ rights and responsibilities, the distribution of resources, and the control of conflict.
  • It can be changed only with the widespread consent of the citizens and according to established and well-known procedures.

What Are Rights?

Rights are moral or legal claims justified in ways that are generally accepted within a society or the international community.

Where Do Rights Come From and How Do They Relate to One Another? Rights set individuals or groups apart from each other and entitle them to be treated in a particular way. Most Americans think about their place in society and the world in terms of their rights. However, rights are complicated.

Who May Hold Rights?

Rights may be held by individuals, classes or categories of individuals, or institutions.

  • Individuals - The idea that individuals can hold rights reflects the belief that humans should be considered autonomous and self-governing. This includes the belief that each individual should possess certain fundamental rights, such as those to freedom of thought and conscience, privacy, and movement. The emphasis on the rightsof individuals is reflected in natural rights philosophy and exemplified in the Declaration of Independence by the statement that “all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of happiness.”
  • Classes or categories of individuals - These commonly are created by constitutions and statutes and provide a basis for treating categories of people differently. For example, the United States Constitution protects the right of persons eighteen years of age or older to vote. By the laws of several states, only people who have joined a political party can participate in that party’s primary, or nominating, elections.
  • Institutions - Institutions such as schools; government institutions at the local, state, and national levels; unions; universities; business partnerships; and corporations also hold certain rights.

What Are the Common Categories of Rights?

  • Personal rights - These relate to individual autonomy, including freedom of thought and conscience, privacy, and movement. The idea that human beings are autonomous, self-governing individuals with fundamental rights is central to the natural rights philosophy of John Locke. The rights of life, liberty, property, and the pursuit of happiness are said to come from God or nature. The purpose of government is to protect those rights.
  • Political rights - These rights address political participation and also are granted by the Constitution or statutes. Examples are the right to vote and to engage in political activities, such as supporting particular candidates for office or running for office.
  • Economic rights - These include choosing the work one wants to do, acquiring and disposing of property, entering into contracts, creating and protecting intellectual property such as copyrights or patents, and joining labor unions or professional associations. Most economic rights trace to constitutions or statutes. Many people consider economic rights associated with property ownership to be personal rights as well.

Source: Center for Civic Education,

Historical Background Information on the United States Constitution

The excerpt below on the United States Constitution is from the on-line edition of the World Book Advanced Encyclopedia (2014) available for students and teachers through the Miami-Dade County Public Schools’ Department of Library Media Services. To access the full article:

  1. Visit Library Media Services at

(Password needed. Check with the Media Specialist.)

  1. Click the On-line Data Bases and select World Book Advanced Online Reference Center
  2. Search for “U.S. Constitution.”
  3. Click on the article entitled “Constitution of the United States.”

The full article is an overview of the U.S. Constitution. The excerpt below provides basic information on the development and ratification of the document and an overview of the Bill of Rights.

Constitution of the United States

The Constitution of the United Statessets forth the nation's fundamental laws. It establishes the form of the national government and defines the rights and liberties of the American people. It also lists the aims of the government and the methods of achieving them.

The Constitution was written to organize a strong national government for the American states. Previously, the nation's leaders had established a national government under the Articles of Confederation, but the Articles granted independence to each state. They lacked the authority to make the states work together to solve national problems.

After the states won independence in the Revolutionary War (1775-1783), they faced the problems of peacetime government. The states had to enforce law and order, collect taxes, pay a large public debt, and regulate trade among themselves. They also had to deal with Indian tribes and negotiate with other governments. Leading statesmen, such as George Washington and Alexander Hamilton, began to discuss the creation of a strong national government under a new constitution.

Hamilton helped bring about a national convention that met in Philadelphia in 1787 to revise the Articles of Confederation. However, a majority of the delegates at the convention decided instead to write a new plan of government—the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution established not merely a league of states but a government that exercised its authority directly over all citizens. The Constitution also defined clearly the powers of the national government. In addition, it established protection for the rights of the states and of every individual.

The Supreme Law of the Land

The Constitution consists of a preamble, 7 articles, and 27 amendments. It sets up afederal systemby dividing powers between the national and state governments. It also establishes a balanced national government by dividing authority among three independent branches—the executive, the legislative, and the judicial. The executive branch enforces the law, the legislative branch makes the law, and the judicial branch interprets the law. The executive branch of the national government is usually represented by the president, the legislative branch by Congress, and the judicial branch by the Supreme Court. This division of the government into three branches is known as theseparation of powers.Each branch can use its powers to check and balance(exercise control over) the other two.

Federal powers listed in the Constitution include the right to collect taxes, declare war, and regulate trade. In addition to these delegated,orexpressed, powers(those listed in the Constitution), the national government hasimplied powers(those reasonably suggested by the Constitution). The implied powers enable the government to respond to the changing needs of the nation. For example, Congress had no delegated power to print paper money. But such a power is implied in the delegated powers of borrowing and coining money.

There are some powers that the Constitution does not give to the national government or forbid to the states. Thesereserved powersbelong to the people or to the states. State powers include the right to legislate on divorce, marriage, and public schools. Powers reserved for the people include the right to own property and to be tried by a jury. In some cases, the national and state governments haveconcurrent powers—that is, both levels of government may act. The national government has supreme authority in case of a conflict.

The Supreme Court has the final authority to explain the Constitution. It can set aside any law—federal, state, or local—that conflicts with any part of the Constitution.

The Need for the Constitution

The government established by the Articles of Confederation was not strong enough to govern the new nation. For example, it lacked an executive branch and a system of national courts. It could not regulate trade between the states or tax the states or their citizens. In addition, it could not maintain its own army. The government was little more than an assembly of the representatives of 13 independent states. Before almost any measure could be adopted, it had to be approved by at least 9 of the states.

In 1783, after the Revolutionary War, the nation entered a period of unstable commercial and political conditions. Alexander Hamilton and his supporters would have had little success in their campaign for a new constitution if conditions had been better. Some historians have painted the troubles of the new republic in much too gloomy colors. But little doubt remains that the situation became steadily worse after 1783. Each state acted almost like an independent country. Each ran its own affairs exactly as it saw fit, with little concern for the needs of the republic. The states circulated a dozen different currencies, most of which had little value. Neighboring states taxed each other's goods. The United Kingdom refused to reopen the channels of trade that the colonies had depended on for their economic well-being. The state legislatures refused to pay the debts they had assumed during the Revolutionary War. Many states passed laws that enabled debtors to escape paying their obligations.

Worst of all, some people began to think once again of taking up arms in order to solve their problems. In western Massachusetts in 1786, hundreds of farmers under Captain Daniel Shays rebelled against the state government in Boston. State troops finally put down Shay's Rebellion. George Washington and other leaders wondered whether the colonies had rebelled against the United Kingdom in vain. They felt it was time to end these troubles and bring peace and order by forming a new national government. This new government would have to be strong enough to gain obedience at home and respect abroad.

Representatives from five states met in Annapolis, Maryland, in 1786. They proposed that the states appoint commissioners to meet in Philadelphia and consider revising the Articles of Confederation. Congress agreed to the proposal and suggested that each state select delegates to a constitutional convention.