After studying the Articles of Confederation and having a basic understanding of the earliest form of independent government for the United States of America, research can begin on the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Explore the reasons the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was created as well as its intended purposes and what it accomplished.
The Founding Fathers felt the Constiutional Convention of 1787 was necessary for the survival of the new nation. After studying the time period and researching historical documents and commentary, students should be able to understand the concerns facing the Founding Fathers.
Understanding The Articles of Confederation
Review the Articles of Confederation to have a strong foundation for understanding why the Constitutional Convention of 1787 was necessary. Students should be able to answer the following questions, whether by class discussion, written homework, or testing:
- During what time period did the Articles of Confederation exist?
- What are the defining characteristics of the Articles of Confederation?
- What are the strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation?
- What was the overall effectiveness of the Articles of Confederation?
- What was the impact of the Articles of Confederation for different types of people in society at the time it was an active document?
- What were the main causes of the demise of the Articles of Confederation?
- What inspired the framers to create a new constitution?
Important People Behind the Constitutional Convention of 1787
Without the men, our nation's Founding Fathers, who were instrumental in the formation of the United States, the Constitution and the country would not exist as we know it. Who were these men and what were their backgrounds? Students should have an appreciation for their biographical histories, especially as they pertain to the creation of the Constitution.
With students, skim through a list of the delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention of 1787. They will recognize some of the names, such as Benjamin Franklin, George Washington and Alexander Hamilton. Most of the names of the other delegates will be unfamiliar.
Have students choose a delegate to research. They could write biographies on their chosen subject. However, for a more exciting activity to culminate their research, each student could portray their chosen subject (make sure there are no duplicates!) in a re-enactment of the original Constitutional Convention. Students would want to express the concerns and interests of their subject as realistically as possible. Consider finding someone to videotape the re-enactment.
The Debates and Plans from the Constitutional Convention of 1787
Once students understand why the convention was called and who the principal characters involved were, they should have a good framework for researching and understanding the events during the Constitutional Convention of 1787.
Debate was the focus of the convention, as the representatives tried to convince others of their plans and concerns and come to some agreement. Ensure students understand the form of the debate as well as the major plans covered during the convention, such as:
- The Virginia Plan
- The New Jersey Plan
- Charles Pinckney's Plan
- Alexander Hamilton's Plan
- The Connecticut Compromise
Students should be able to discuss the plans, understand which plan was the basis for our current constitution, as well as the manner in which debate was conducted. Ask students what their favorite and least favorite ideas were from the convention.
More Lesson Ideas for the Constitutional Convention
For some students, reading about people who have long since died and memorizing dates from over 200 years ago will be agony. Help less traditional learners by incorporating some different types of lesson ideas in the classroom.
- Debate on the hot topics from the convention, such as slavery and whether to consider a slave as 3/5 of a person. Debates can be done as individuals or teams.
- Create a large map of the states at the time of the convention. Include Philadelphia as the location of the convention and include each delegate and where they were from.
- Allow students to be creative and write or draw. They could write a story based on the convention, a poem, or essay. They could draw or paint a portrait of a delegate or a scene from the convention. They could study the art or literature of the time and create something in the style of the last 1700's.
- Provide students with the opportunity to come up with their own project relating to the convention. Brainstorm, create lists and let them add private suggestions as well. Allow them to work individually or in groups. Share the projects in a Convention Fair.
- Have a Convention Fair, a special celebratory day at the end. Consider having food, especially Colonial American style foods. Play musical recordings that may have been popular during the last 1700's.
Results of the Constitutional Convention of 1787
The primary result of the convention was the creation of our current United States Constitution. The convention continued for a little over four months before the delegates agreed and voted on the final version of the Constitution, which was then sent to the states to ratify.
Studying the convention will create an excellent foundation for learning about the Constitution. Whether students are taking U.S. History, U.S. Government, Civics, or U.S. Constitutional Law, they will need to devote a large amount of time to understanding the history, the function and the importance of the United States Constitution.
Angela Kleinow - I graduated from the University of Michigan, where I focused on Science Fiction and Fantasy for my senior seminar while working with the ...
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