Archimedean Academy November 26, 2018 PEARCE PRESS Is freedom a right or a privilege? Monday Reading passage: Compromise: Creating the US Constitution Review spelling/vocabulary BrainPOP due Wednesday Tuesday Read Passage: Federalists and Anti-Federalists fight over the US Constitution & respond to writing Review vocabulary for quiz BrainPOP due Wednesday Wednesday Read passage: Articles of Confederation & answer questions Study spelling for quiz BrainPOP due Tonight Thursday Social Studies Weekly online Important Information User information for online cites will be written on the sheet in this packet. Weekly reading/vocabulary quiz on Wednesday. Spelling quiz on Thursday. Reading test on Friday. iready mid-year assessment this Friday. Order 5th grade t-shirt. Complete iready minutes by Sunday at 11:59pm. Friday iready online Pearce Press 1
Archimedean Academy November 26, 2018 Spelling Words 1. mouthful 2. dawdle 3. stout 4. hoist 5. brought 6. douse 7. turquoise 8. foundation 9. bawl 10.cautious 11.scrawny 12.turmoil Vocabulary Words 1. committees: groups of people chosen to do certain work 2. conventions: a formal meeting for a special purpose 3. debate: to argue or discuss 4. proposal: a plan or suggestion 5. representatives: people chosen to speak or act for others 6. resolve: to settle, explain, or solve it 7. situation: a condition or state of affairs 8. union: formed by joining two or more together Grammar Skill: Types of Nouns noun: names of person, place, thing, event, or idea. common noun: names any person, place, thing, or event. proper noun: names specific person, place, or thing; begins with capital letter. concrete noun: names a person, place, or thing. It is something you can see, hear, smell, taste, or feel. abstract noun: an idea or concept. Reading Focus Text Structure: Problem Solution tells about a problem and then gives one or more possible solutions in the text. Signal words include dilemma, puzzle, question, reason, solve, etc. Expository text is a mode of writing in which the purpose of the author is to inform, explain, describe, or define his or her subject to the reader Context Clues are clues that good readers use to find the meaning of unknown words in a text. Writing Focus The Writing Process: prewriting, drafting, revising, editing, publishing. Introductions that WOW US Constitution US States & Regions Social Studies Focus Pearce Press 2
Conceived of Compromises: Creating the U.S. Constitution By USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff on 05.18.17 Word Count 1,144 Level 1030L The signing of the Constitution at the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on September 17, 1787. Photo from Wikimedia After the American Revolution, leaders of the United States had to make important decisions. Most important was how to govern the country as one. Freedom from British rule now meant forming a new government. The question was whether to assign more power to a central federal government or to the states. To answer this question, all 13 states came together and their efforts resulted in the Constitution. The Constitutional Convention Before the Constitution, the first governing documents of the United States were the Articles of Confederation. However, it had become apparent that new laws were needed to govern such a complicated federation of states. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Delegates from each state met at what was called the Constitutional Convention. The goal was to write entirely new laws that would set the balance of power between national government and states. However, the delegates worried about how states would react to abandoning the articles. The articles had given more power to the individual states, which prevented the national government from having much control. For example, the national government could ask for tax money from the states, but the states could refuse to pay. All delegates agreed that a Constitution was needed for better governance. What they came up with was a blueprint for a new kind of government based on the principles of separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
Separation of powers Article I of the Constitution discussed how Congress would be structured. This legislative body, whose role was to write and pass national laws, was split into two parts. The two parts were called houses and named the Senate and the House of Representatives. Article I also discussed the qualifications a person would need to run for political office in each house. It provided for methods of selecting representatives and senators, so that states could take part in the national government. Article II gave the president of the United States the power to carry out laws and set the president's term at four years. It also provided rules to remove the president from office, should it be necessary to do so. Article III established a Supreme Court. This Court was a group of high judges who were responsible for making sure that other branches of government followed the Constitution. Checks and balances Having been ruled by the British crown, the founders of the United States were very mindful of the dangers of a central government with too much power. They built a system in which the powers of each branch would be used to check the powers of the other two branches. Each house of Congress that is, the Senate and the House of Representatives could also check one another. There were many other examples of this balance of power. Both houses of Congress must vote to enact laws, while the president can veto, or reject, legislation. The Supreme Court can rule laws unconstitutional, and Congress can override presidential vetoes. Article IV defined the relationship between the federal government and the states in a system of Federalism. In this system, power is divided between national and state governments. Article V provided methods of amending, or changing, the Constitution, though only 27 amendments have been made. Big and small states The delegates agreed to hold their meetings in secret, as they felt this would allow them to explore issues with greater honesty. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 4
James Madison's proposal was known as the Virginia Plan and called for a strong central government. Madison's plan clearly placed the power of the national government over the powers of states. This strengthened central government would allow people to directly vote for some of their national leaders. Madison also proposed that the central government be made up of three distinct branches: a legislature, an executive and a judiciary. The legislative branch is the government body that writes laws, and in the U.S. the role is assigned to Congress. The president is the head of the executive branch and ensures that laws are put into practice, while the Supreme Court is the judiciary branch. Madison's Virginia Plan was bold and creative. Nevertheless, it was rejected at the Convention by delegates representing states with few residents. These small states would have their national influence greatly reduced. Instead of having one vote each, as they did under the Articles of Confederation, the states' number of votes would be determined by their population. In other words, the more people a state had, the more power it would have over government decisions. The Virginia Plan was unacceptable to the less populated states. These states put forth a different proposal, called the New Jersey Plan, that would continue more along the lines of how Congress already operated under the articles. This plan called for a legislature with one branch, with each state still keeping one vote. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 5
Constitution through compromise After more debate, a proposal was finally put forward by delegates from Connecticut, a smallpopulation state. The Senate would include two people from each state regardless of size. Meanwhile, the House of Representatives would have different numbers of representatives from each state based on that state's total population. This mixed solution was called the Connecticut Compromise. Other major issues still needed to be resolved, however. To people today, the most stunning and disturbing constitutional agreement by the delegates was over slavery. Some delegates considered slavery an evil institution. George Mason of Virginia even suggested that the slave trade should be made illegal. Delegates from South Carolina and Georgia, where slavery was expanding rapidly in the late 1700s, angrily opposed this limitation. The delegates agreed that a strengthened union of the states was more important than the Revolutionary ideal of equality. This was a practical, as well as a tragic, constitutional compromise; it may have been possible for the slave state of Virginia to have limited slavery earlier in America's lifetime. The proposed constitution actually strengthened the power of slave states in several ways. Through the "fugitive clause," for example, governments of free states had to help recapture slaves who had escaped their masters in other states. Equally disturbing was the "three-fifths formula." Slave owners wanted their slaves to be counted as part of the state's population, since a higher state population meant more power in government. So, the slave states and free states came up with a compromise: In the government's population count, a slave would be counted as three-fifths of a person. At the end of the long process of creating the new plan, 38 of the remaining 41 delegates signed the proposed Constitution. This small group of national superstars had created a major new framework through hard work and compromise. The risks that they took resulted in the longestlasting written constitution in world history. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 6
Quiz 1 Which of the following statements BEST explains the relationship between the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution? (A) (B) (C) (D) Because the Articles of Confederation had served the country well, delegates made only a few revisions. Since many states wanted to maintain the Articles of Confederation, delegates added the new articles to it. Because many states called for the replacement of the Articles of Confederation, delegates agreed to write a new Constitution. Since the Articles of Confederation were not working adequately, delegates proposed an entirely new system of government. 2 A delegate from South Carolina would be MOST likely to agree with which of the following statements? (A) (B) (C) (D) Each state should observe legally enacted laws in the other states. Each state should honor the ideals expressed in the Declaration of Independence. Each state should be willing to give up power in the interest of creating a stronger nation. Each state should have an equal number of representatives in Congress. 3 Read the paragraph from the section "Constitution through compromise." Some delegates considered slavery an evil institution. George Mason of Virginia even suggested that the slave trade should be made illegal. Delegates from South Carolina and Georgia, where slavery was expanding rapidly in the late 1700s, angrily opposed this limitation. WHY does the author include George Mason's suggestion and some states' reaction to it? (A) (B) (C) (D) to show how delegates almost ended the slave trade to emphasize how delegates thought slavery was evil to illustrate how delegates disagreed about slavery to highlight Virginia's position on the issue of slavery This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 7
4 WHY does the author include the section "The Constitutional Convention"? (A) (B) (C) (D) to explain why states wanted to keep the Articles of Confederation to explain why the Constitutional Convention was created and then preview the rest of the article to provide background on the Articles of Confederation to show how delegates agreed to write a new Constitution and the strategies they used This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 8
Federalists and Anti-Federalists Fight Over the Constitution By USHistory.org, adapted by Newsela staff on 04.27.17 Word Count 891 Level 1170L Signing of the Constitution by Louis S. Glanzman. Commissioned by the Daughters of the American Revolution. America's core ideas were shaped at the Philadelphia Convention. Many leaders came together to write the framework of the new Constitution of the United States. But many questions remained, and not everyone agreed on what had been written. Could this proposed system be made into the law of the land the way this brand new country would be governed? Articles of Confederation The Articles of Confederation, established in 1781, served as the first Constitution of the new United States. They established a weak central government and left many powers to the 13 individual states. The new Constitution would put more power back into the central government. This would be hard to sell to many people in the public. A great debate about the future of the nation was about to begin. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 1
Federalists The supporters of the new Constitution called themselves "Federalists." They favored a government that had a stronger central government. For Federalists, the Constitution was required in order to safeguard the liberty and independence that the American Revolution had created. The Federalists had an innovative political plan and many talented leaders on their side. For example, the only two nationally popular celebrities of the period, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington, favored the Constitution. In addition to these superstars, the Federalists were well organized, had money, and expressed their ideas well in the papers they wrote to support their views. Most newspapers supported the Federalists' political plan, and published articles and pamphlets to explain why the people should approve the Constitution. In spite of their advantages, the Federalists still had a hard fight in front of them. Their new solutions would be a big change from the traditional political beliefs in this period. Most significantly, the Federalists believed that the greatest threat to the future of the United States did not lie in the abuse of central power. Instead, the threat could be found in what they saw as too much democracy, such as in the Shays' Rebellion. In that event, many poor rural farmers rose up in anger to fight against the Massachusetts government, who they believed was unfair in enforcing debts. How could the Federalists convince the American people that for the nation to thrive, democracy needed to be held back in favor of a stronger central government? Anti-Federalists The anti-federalists were a coalition of people who opposed ratification of the Constitution. Although less well organized than the Federalists, they also had an impressive group of leaders who were especially prominent in state politics. Many political elites were anti-federalists, as were popular champions of the people such as Patrick Henry and George Mason of Virginia. They were joined by a large number of ordinary Americans, particularly farmers who predominated in rural America, many of them from the western regions of the country that were just beginning to be settled. This mixed group believed that the greatest threat to the future of the United States was in the government's potential to become corrupt and seize more power until it completely dominated the people. America had just succeeded in rejecting what it saw as the tyranny of the British king, so such threats were seen as a very real possibility. To anti-federalists, the proposed Constitution threatened to lead the United States down an all-too-familiar road of political corruption. All three branches of the new central government threatened anti-federalists' traditional belief in the importance of restraining government power. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 2
The president's vast new powers were particularly disturbing to the anti-federalists. They feared how the president could overturn decisions made by the legislature, whose members were seen as leaders of the common people. Anti-Federalists also feared that the court system of the national government would have more power than local courts. Meanwhile, the proposed lower house of the legislature (Senate) would have so few members that only rich, powerful elites were likely to be elected. Furthermore, these representatives would lead people from such a large area that they couldn't really know everyone they represented. The 55 members of the proposed national House of Representatives was quite a bit smaller than most state legislatures in the period. The new legislature was to have increased authority over money, especially the right to raise taxes. Because of this, the anti-federalists feared that Congress would soon pass unfair taxes that it would enforce with a national army. The core objection of anti-federalists came down to the sweeping new powers of the new central government. The most powerful argument by the anti-federalists was based on the lack of protection for individual liberties in the Constitution. In that era, many states had written their own constitutions, most of which had been built upon the blueprint created by the state of Virginia. It included a clear protection of individual rights that could not be intruded upon by the government. This bill of rights was seen as a major revolutionary improvement over the old British constitution, which didn't clearly protect individual rights. The future of the nation Why, then, had the delegates to the Philadelphia Convention not included a bill of rights in their proposed Constitution? Most anti-federalists thought that such protections were not granted because the Federalists wanted to take away freedoms earned by ordinary people during the Revolution. The anti-federalists and Federalists agreed on one thing: the future of the nation was at stake in the contest over the Constitution. This article is available at 5 reading levels at https://newsela.com. 3
What were the Articles of Confederation? The Articles of Confederation served as the first constitution of the United States. This document officially established the government of the union of the thirteen states. The Articles of Confederation Source: U.S. Government Why did the colonies write the Articles of Confederation? The colonies knew they needed some form of official government that united the thirteen colonies. They wanted to have written down rules that all the states agreed to. The Articles allowed the Congress to do things like raise an army, be able to create laws, and print money. Who wrote the document? The Articles of Confederation was first prepared by a committee of thirteen men from the Second Continental Congress. The chairman of the committee and primary author of the first draft was John Dickinson. When was the document ratified by the colonies? In order for the Articles to be official, they had to be ratified (approved) by all thirteen states. The Congress sent the articles to the states to be ratified near the end of 1777. Virginia was the first state to ratify on December 16, 1777. The last state was Maryland on February 2, 1781.
The Thirteen Articles There were thirteen articles within the document. Here is a short summary of each article: 1. Established the name of the union as "The United States of America." 2. The state governments still had their own powers that were not listed in the Articles. 3. Refers to the union as a "league of friendship" where the states will help to protect each other from attacks. 4. People can travel freely between states, but criminals shall be sent back to the state where they committed the crime for trial. 5. Establishes the Congress of the Confederation where each state gets one vote and can send a delegation with between 2 and 7 members. 6. The central government is responsible for foreign relations including trade agreements and declaring war. States must maintain a militia, but may not have a standing army. 7. States may assign military ranks of colonel and below. 8. Money to pay for the central government will be raised by each of the state legislatures. 9. Gives power to the Congress in regards to foreign affairs like war, peace, and treaties with foreign governments. Congress will act as the court in disputes between states. Congress shall establish official weights and measures. 10. Established a group called the Committee of the States which could act for Congress when Congress was not in session. 11. Stated that Canada could join the union if it wanted. 12. Stated that the new union would agree to pay for earlier war debts. 13. Declared that the Articles were "perpetual" or "never ending" and could only be changed if Congress and all the states agreed. Results The Articles of Confederation worked well for the newly formed country during the period of the American Revolution, but it had many flaws. Some of the flaws included: No power to raise money through taxes No way to enforce the laws passed by Congress No national court system Each state only had one vote in Congress despite the size of the state As a result, in 1788, the Articles were replaced with the current United States Constitution.
Article of Confederation Quiz Directions: Write in complete sentences. 1. What were the Articles of Confederation? 2. Who was the primary author of the Articles of Confederation? 3. What does it mean to ratify something? 4. What was the first state to ratify the articles? 5. What was the last state to ratify the articles? 6. How many articles were there in the document? 7. What group wrote and passed the Articles of Confederation? 8. How many votes in congress did each state have under the Articles of Confederation? 9. Name a weakness of the Articles of Confederation. 10. What document replaced the Articles of Confederation in 1788?
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