Unit Topic: New Nation and Government
Clarifying State Standards
- C&G.1.1-Summarize democratic ideals expressed in local, state, and national government (e.g. limited government, popular sovereignty, separation of powers, republicanism, federalism and individual rights).
- C&G.1.2 -Evaluate the degree to which democratic ideals are evident in historical documents from North Carolina and the United States (e.g. the Mecklenburg Resolves, the Halifax Resolves, the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Bill of Rights and the principles outlined in the US Constitution and North Carolina Constitutions of 1776, 1868 and 1971).
- C&G.1.3-Analyze differing viewpoints on the scope and power of state and national governments (e.g. Federalists and anti-Federalists, education, immigration and healthcare).
- H.1.3-Use primary and secondary sources to interpret various historical perspectives.
Vertical Alignment
Coming into this unit, students should have a strong foundation in:
- The reasons for the colonists' fear of taxation and tyranny and the methods to end such practices.
- The colonists’ reasons that led to the American Revolution.
- The decisions and methods used by the Continental Congress to unify the thirteen colonies.
Essential Understanding(s)
The students will understand that…
- H.1.3 - Historical documents hope to reflect the citizens’ principles and democratic ideals.
- C&G.1.1 - The various opinions amongst individuals and states hindered the growth and support of the new developing government.
- C&G.1.2 - The federal and state constitutions, through debate and compromise, primarily represent the American democratic ideals.
- C&G.1.3 Many democratic ideals divided groups that shaped the fundamentals of the constitution.
Essential Question(s)
- H.1.3 - How have historical documents reflected the principles and democratic ideals of Americans?
- C&G.1.1 - How did geography impact the development of the American system of government?
- C&G.1.2 - In what ways is our constitution a living and breathing document?
- C&G.1.3 - What different influences and ideas did the various framers propose as the new system of government was being contemplated?
Essential Vocabulary
Students will know...
- The Continental Congress quickly created the country’s first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, towards the end of the American Revolution, as they knew the country needed to have a governing set of laws once they gained independence from Britain.
- The ratification of the Constitution came after much debate and compromise between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. The Federalists argued for a stronger national government while the Anti-Federalists argued for stronger state governments.
- The Constitution was based on seven core principles which were the guiding ideas that the framers used when deciding how the new government should be formed. Each of these was based on earlier philosophical concepts, many from the Enlightenment period in Europe. It was created as a flexible document that can change through time and interpretation.
- The first ten amendments to the US Constitution focus on citizen rights and are collectively called the Bill of Rights.
- Our government is split into three branches (executive, legislative, judicial) that have different roles and responsibilities at the federal level. They were designed to help the new nation avoid a situation like the monarchy from which they had just broke free.
- There is a system of checks and balances to keep any of the branches from becoming too powerful.
- Powers amongst the local, state, and federal governments may be shared (concurrent) or separate (reserved/enumerated).