Ratification of the United States Constitution National Constitution Day Lesson Plan Using E.S.P. Teaching Strategy Copyright © 2011

The Ratification of the U.S. Constitution 55 State Delegates from all states except Rhode Island attended the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in May 1787 The purpose…to decide upon a new form of government for the newly formed nation, The United States of America George Washington presided over the meetings as President of the Convention All delegates agreed that three main branches of government were needed: Legislative, Executive and Judicial Two very different points of view on law making soon came to light during the meeting sessions

Conflict within Congress William Paterson of New Jersey proposed a plan to protect the rights of small states and their representation within Congress New Jersey Edmund Randolph of Virginia proposed a plan to protect the rights of larger states and their representation within Congress Virginia

The Compromise After much debate, a compromise was reached…Congress would be comprised of two parts. * The House of Representatives would allow for state population to dictate state representation * The Senate would allow each state to be represented in an equal number of delegates

Introducing the Constitution On September 17, 1787… The Constitution was signed by the delegates and was sent to each state to be approved by the people. To become a law, the Constitution needed to be approved by 9 of the 13 states This was not as easy of a task as was thought…

Another Conflict Some people supported the Constitution. They were called the Federalists and wanted a strong central government. Such as George Washington, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay Others opposed the Constitution and feared a strong central government since independence was just won from Britain. They were called the Anti- Federalists. Such as Samuel Adams and Patrick Henry The each side wrote many letters, articles and gave persuasive speeches trying to gain support for their point of view.

A New Compromise The Anti-Federalists believed that the Constitution, as it stood, did not protect the basic rights of citizens from a strong and powerful central government. In order for ratification to take place, the Federalists promised to amend the Constitution with the Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights was written by James Madison and contained 12 changes to the Constitution that would protect the people’s right such as life, liberty, property, pursuit of happiness, freedom of speech, religion and press and legal procedure. The states agreed upon and adopted only 10 of the 12 proposed changes.

What is E.S.P.? E.S.P. = Economic, Social and Political This strategy helps students begin to examine a historical figure or historical event in depth as a historian would. It helps students to gain a better understanding of a historical figure’s characteristics or accomplishments and how they left their mark upon society economically, socially and politically. It helps students to investigate historical events and understand the impact of each event upon society economically, socially and politically.

Using E.S.P. to study the Constitution

The Effects of Ratifying the United States Constitution EconomicallySociallyPolitically

The Effects of Ratifying the United States Constitution EconomicallySociallyPolitically Protection of property, regulation of commerce and taxes printing of money Protection of life, liberty, pursuit of happiness, due process, freedom of speech, religion, and print Establishes new form of government, protects basic rights, establishes branches of government, system of checks and balances, election process, representation of the people within Congress