Teaching Guide

Please refer to the module Teaching Guide for additional information.

Lesson summary
Instructional use
Pre-lesson activity
Standards covered by this lesson
Selected bibliography
Assessment

Lesson summary

Thomas Paine’s Common Sense united public opinion on the issue of independence, but at the same time, it fueled the debate over how America should be ruled. The first constitution, the Articles of Confederation, was not strong enough to unite the fledgling states. Cesar Prince, a free Black man and veteran of the Revolutionary War, explains the weaknesses of the articles – especially in regard to a national economy – and how the Constitution improved upon the first plan of government. He concludes with the question: Why hasn't the Constitution addressed the issue of slavery? The story emphasizes Article IV (state’s rights) of the Constitution, and the 10th Amendment.

Instructional use

Please refer to the module Teaching Guide for instructional use scenarios.

Pre-lesson activity

It is recommended that teachers preview the lesson to identify concepts that may need to be reviewed before students begin. Teachers may also wish to create a vocabulary/spelling list for terms found in this lesson.

Teachers may want to pose some questions to students before getting started to establish what they know about the Articles of Confederation and the Constitution, and differences between the two.

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Standards covered by this lesson

Refer to the module Teaching Guide for list a Language Arts goals covered by all WebDocent lessons.

Grades 7-8 Social Science and American History

Illinois State Goal 14

Understand, analyze, and compare political systems with an emphasis on the United States.

Illinois State Goal 15

Understand, analyze, and compare economic systems, with an emphasis on the United States.

Illinois State Goal 16

Understand and analyze events, trends, individuals, and movements shaping the history of Illinois, the United States, and other nations.

Illinois State Goal 18

Understand, analyze, and compare social systems with an emphasis on the United States.

Selected bibliography

A bibliography is forthcoming. For web resources, refer to the Web Links page.

Assessment

Refer to the module Teaching Guide for an explanation of the online journal for assessment purposes.

See the Additional Activities page for ideas for extending the lesson offline.

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