Link
to Teacher Page
by
John Nelson &
Linda Taggart-Fregoso
renovated by Sean McCabe and Donna
Murano (2002)
www.greece.k12.ny.us/oly
Introduction
| Task | Resources | Process
| Evaluation | Conclusion
Introduction
You are a citizen in the new United
States of America. After the initial excitement of the final victory over
the British at Yorktown, a sad realization has emerged among many of the United
States new citizens. The Articles of Confederation don’t work! The
year is 1787 and you have been elected to represent your state at the
Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. You will be “rubbing
shoulders” with the likes of James Madison, Patrick Henry, George Washington,
Benjamin Franklin, and Alexander Hamilton. This is indeed an
exciting time in your young life. Depending on your state of origin and
your station in life, you may be a supporter (Federalist) or an opponent
(Anti-Federalist) of the Constitution. It will be up to you and your
fellow delegates to help decide the future government of the United States.
The Task
You will be in groups of five. In each group there will be a:
You
must represent your point of view in a debate that will be presented to the
class. The class will function as members of the Constitutional Convention. Your
presentation must demonstrate all of the attitudes and problems confronted at
the Convention in Philadelphia. In addition, all notes that each group
member used for the debate will be collected.
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Resources
Here are the sites you'll be analyzing:
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The Process
To accomplish the
task, you'll work together in groups of five. Each of you must go through the
following steps:
1.
First you'll be assigned to a team of five citizens who have been invited to
attend the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia.
2. As a group you should number off 1
to 5; your responsibility will be to play the role of the citizen corresponding
to your number.
3. Your group will be assigned a state
that you will represent at the Constitutional Convention.
4. Next you must begin your quest by
studying the description of the citizen corresponding to your number. Use the
links to gain extra insight into the views of your occupation in the state.
You must also be cognizant of the size of the state you are representing.
This will probably impact your willingness to support or oppose the
Constitution. (large states & small states )
5. After researching the Articles of
Confederation and reviewing the problems the new country has because of the
weaknesses in the wartime government, you will prepare your debate with your
group.
6. As a group, your citizens may not
all agree on all of the issues, but you must reach a consensus regarding what is
best for the majority of your state's citizens.
7. You will present state's viewpoint
through a debate in front of the members of the Constitutional Convention.
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Evaluation
Your
group members will work together to create a presentation that presents the
issues and concerns of your state to the Constitutional Convention. You want to
convince the members at the Convention to either accept or reject the
Constitution. However, you must be prepared to answer all of their concerns. The
class will play the part of the other 12 states. Each group member will present
to the class his/her position regarding the important issues resolved which
affected the particular state and its citizens.
The
following issues need to be addressed in your presentation:
- Slavery
- Representation in Congress
- Power of the national government
vs. power of the state government
- Protection of the rights of
citizens
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Conclusion
Throughout our study of United States
history a common theme that emerges is the ability of the Constitution to meet
the changing needs of society. In examining the issues and the resulting
compromises that surrounded the Constitutional Convention, we are better
able to understand the rationale behind the structure of our government.
This comprehension allows us to better fulfill our roles as active citizens.
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Description of Citizens
|
 Veteran
Soldier Who Fought in the
Revolutionary War
It is September, 1786; the war is over and yet you are facing new
struggles. Your crops are poor and the state is taxing you heavily in
order to pay the debts that developed during the years of fighting. The
state is asking you to pay the taxes in gold or silver. In order to pay
the taxes you have borrowed money from wealthy merchants and bankers. Now
because you can't pay the debt your property is being auctioned. For more
information, click your state:
New
Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Connecticut,
New
York, Pennsylvania,
New
Jersey, Maryland,
Delaware,
Virginia,
North
Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia
.
|
Merchant,
Selling Clothing in One of the Cities
You came to the colonies from Manchester England in 1770 because of
the opportunity to make your fortune. After working hard stocking shelves
in a general store and unloading ships at the pier, you were able to
accumulate enough money to build and stock your own clothing store. Your
fortunes grew until the 1777 when the war began to discourage customers
from spending their money. For more information, click your state:
New
Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Connecticut,
New
York, Pennsylvania,
New
Jersey, Maryland,
Delaware,
Virginia,
North
Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia
|
|
 Farmer
It is September of 1786. Your farm has been destroyed. You didn't fight in
the war because you were at first loyal to the king and the British
government. All of your friends called you a "Tory". Many
acquaintances quit talking to you or your family. After being forced to
quarter some mercenary soldiers for the British government, your
allegiances changed, especially after one of the officers raped your
sixteen year-old daughter and forced your wife to cook for the entire
regiment. When they found out that you were spying for General Washington,
the British destroyed your farm. If you had not fled in the middle of the
night they would have killed your entire family. For more information,
click your state: New
Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Connecticut,
New
York, Pennsylvania,
New
Jersey, Maryland,
Delaware,
Virginia,
North
Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia
|
Tavern/Hotel
Owner
In many ways, you are like the merchant; you came to the Colonies as a
loyal British subject desiring a new start and an opportunity to make a
fortune. After working in a variety of odd jobs you received a lucky break
in 1772. The tavern/hotel owner that you were working for became concerned
with all of the talk of Revolution. Being a loyal British subject, he did
not want to subject his family to taunts and persecution. He sold you the
entire business for less than 10% of its value and returned with his
family to London. You established your wealth in the next three years and
when the shots were fired at Lexington and Concord you were a vocal
Patriot. Throughout the war you refused to accommodate any British troops,
merchants, or soldiers. Now you want to see the United States government
succeed. For more information, click your state: New
Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Connecticut,
New
York, Pennsylvania,
New
Jersey, Maryland,
Delaware,
Virginia,
North
Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia
|
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Return To Task
|
 Banker
Your specialty is making and holding on to money. Your friend Ben Franklin
always said, "A penny saved is a penny earned." You use his
maxim to encourage citizens to save their pennies in your bank. You have
loaned money to farmers, merchants, soldiers, and patriots for whom the
war caused hardship. Now the loans must be repaid and you are being forced
to auction the property of some of your closest friends. You think that
part of the problem comes from the Articles of Confederation. The
merchants have trouble with interstate trading and the government needs a
central bank and a standard currency. You think that money may indeed be
". . . the root of all . . ." the problems facing the new
government. For more information, click your state: New
Hampshire, Massachusetts,
Connecticut,
New
York, Pennsylvania,
New
Jersey, Maryland,
Delaware,
Virginia,
North
Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia
|
- Once you decide to attend the
convention you must begin your webquest in order to register your opinions
in the Constitutional Convention spreadsheet template for your group.
- You must research each of the
following historical issues to be debated at Philadelphia:
- Should we revise the Articles
of Confederation or write a brand new constitution?
- What do you think of
the Virginia Plan presented by James
Madison?
- How do you feel about
the New Jersey plan presented by ...?
- When the Great
Compromise is proposed, how does it help your state?
- What is your position
regarding the debate which is solved by the 3/5 Compromise?
- When you ask the
citizens of your state to ratify the new Constitution,
do you expect an easy ratification or a prolonged debate with a variety of
differences?
- Why do you think that a
Bill
of Rights needs to be included as a part of the ratification process?
- Each of you will write your
viewpoints in the appropriate place on the Group Constitutional Convention Spreadsheet.
