The US Constitution
Building a new State
What did the Americans have to do after having won the war?
step 1: free thinking
1. “What did the Americans have to do after having won the war?” Write this question in the middle of a blank sheet.
2. Use colours, pictures, words and symbols to record any idea, or anything else associated with the answer. You can put these anywhere on the page. Associate freely and do not filter out ideas; at this point anything and everything is potentially useful.
step 2: mapping ideas
3. Circle the key points or ideas you have identified.
4. Map the relationships between the ideas or key points using lines, arrows, colours and words to link them.
5. Identify the type of relationship between points: contrast / similarity / cause / effect (see over). Write these along the linking lines.
6. Identify gaps in your knowledge, and any questions you have. These will be the guide for your study about the US Constitution.
The birth of the US Constitution
Before watching the clip about the US Constitution, download the worksheet, look at the questions to pinpoint the highlights.
Compare your answers with your schoolmates’ ones in a group of three. Eventually, fill the blanks or discuss about different solutions, finding an agreement on the right answers.
Then check your solutions reading the texts “The articles of Confederation” and “A new Constitution”; underline the statements which confirm your answers.
Land of the free?
America fought the American War of Independence against Britain to gain freedom and fairer government. But did the American Revolution mean that there were freedom and equality for ordinary people?
Download the text, then select information from the characters and sources given which show how life in America after the Revolution was worse than before for some, still unfair for some, better than before for others.
Whose life do you think was changed most by Revolution? Whose life was changed least? Justify your choices.
Final task
How did the Government face this problem? Read through the slideshow to find out the evolution of the US legislation for picking up information you need to write a short essay (not less than 250 words.