37-1 (05)
release dates: September 10-16
TM
TM
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
© 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
By BETTY DEBNAM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
You have something in common with all these U.S. citizens … and millions
of others who are alive today or who have lived in the past.
Famous people…
Kids just like you…
Our Constitution
The Constitution is the supreme law of the land. It is a set of basic laws
organizing, granting and limiting the powers of our government. It is
something that we all share.
Basic facts
The Constitution is handwritten on four
parchment pages. Each page is about 29
inches high and 24 inches wide.
This is the first in a ninepart monthly series.
We thank the staff of
the National Archives,
and Lee Ann Potter,
director of education
and volunteer programs,
for their help.
Site to see: www.archives.gov
photos courtesy National Archives
• It was created in Philadelphia…
• during the summer of 1787…
• in secret…
• in 87 days.
• It has 39 signers…
• and is made up of a preamble,
seven articles, and 27 amendments
added later.
The Constitution is on display at the
National Archives building in Washington,
D.C. An archives is a place where
important documents are preserved.
Famous people in Row 1 (left to right):
George Washington, Laura Bush, Martin
Luther King Jr., Eleanor Roosevelt,
astronaut Eileen Collins, Abraham Lincoln,
Oprah Winfrey.
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37-2 (05); release dates: September 10-16
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Would You Like to See the Real Thing?
A mother and
her daughter
examine the
original
Constitution
in the
Rotunda, a
huge room in
the National
Archives.
photos courtesy
National Archives
2
3
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Spy . . .
TM
Mini Spy and her friends are visiting the Constitution and
Declaration of Independence at the National Archives. See if
you can find: • man in the moon • two mushrooms
• ladder • ruler
• bird • key
• number 3
• letter E • olive
• heart • teapot
• carrot • tooth
• question mark
• paperclip
• toothbrush
• pencil • bell
• exclamation
point
• word MINI
“I like the Constitution. I am impressed
that it is still around.”
— Anonymous
“We didn’t realize they used such big
paper.”
— Amanda from New York
Our country’s
most valuable
charters, or
documents, are
displayed in
special cases
under special
glass. Visiting
the National
Archives, you
can see:
1. The
Declaration of
Independence;
2. All four
pages of the
Constitution; and
3. The Bill of
Rights.
photo by Carol Highsmith
1
Some of the million people who come to
see the original Constitution every year
sign a guest book and make comments.
Here are a few:
“Kudos to the Founding Fathers for being
so awesome.”
— Anonymous
“When we saw the phrase, ‘We the people’
on the Constitution, I felt so proud. I
thought this was so cool!”
— Shelby from California
“I’ve always heard about this place in my
class.”
— Mika from Japan
“I think every kid in America should read
these and see the documents in real life.”
— Anonymous
“Even though we are not Americans, this
was an amazing experience.”
— three girls from Germany
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Brown
Basset ws
The Ned’s
Houn
TM
CONSTITUTION
TRY ’N
FIND
Words and names that remind us of the Constitution are hidden
in the block below. Some words are hidden backward or diagonally,
and some letters are used twice. See if you can find: SUPREME,
COURT, PHILADELPHIA, ARTICLES, NATIONAL, ARCHIVES,
HANDWRITTEN, PARCHMENT, PRESIDENT, UNITED, STATES,
AMENDMENT, WASHINGTON, LAWS, GOVERNMENT.
EVERYONE
SHOULD SEE
THE NATIONAL
ARCHIVES!
Z
V
N
G
Y
S
F
L
C
K
J
O
O
O
E
A
N
O
A
L
T
V
A
T
R
E
U
R
A
G
E
I
A
C
T
R
T
N
N
R
H
T
H
T
T
I
O
I
N
P
S
I
I
N
C
I
H
M
L
D
V
R
E
L
T
S
E
E
E
E
W
D
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A
A
N
D
T
S
D
I
S
N
W
T
A
I
V
N
S
B
O
Q
S
L
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F
S
P
J
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B
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Please include all of the appropriate registered trademark symbols and copyright lines in any publication of The Mini Page®.
T
N
E
M
H
C
R
A
P
X
K
S
U
P
R
E
M
E
T
N
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M
D
N
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M
A
®
37-3 (05); release dates: September 10-16
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Go dot to dot and letter to letter, and color these two
ways of communicating, one old and
one new.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
James Madison
The Father of Our Constitution
James Madison was a very
smart student of government and
a great statesman.
He was a friend of Thomas
Jefferson.
Madison, 36 when the
Constitution was written,
influenced what went on at the
Constitutional Convention more than any other
delegate.
He wrote a plan for the new government, the
Virginia Plan. Many of his ideas were adopted. He
spoke often and the delegates listened.
He also took many notes and wrote up detailed
reports. His records are our best sources of what
went on. These were not published until after his
death.
Madison worked very hard for ratification. He is
credited with 29 of the Federalist Papers, a collection
of essays supporting the Constitution.
He later served as a Virginia congressman and
proposed the first 10 amendments (the Bill of
Rights).
After serving as secretary of state under Thomas
Jefferson, he was elected as our fourth president.
He lived longer than any of the signers. He died at
the age of 85 in 1836.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
A KID ’ S
G U I D E T O T HE
WHI T E HO U S E
Betty Debnam
Kids!
Kids!You're
You're
tothe
the
Invited
Invited to
White
White House
House
A Kid’s Guide to the White
House is a terrific behind-the-scenes
look at a very special house.
Written with the cooperation of the
White House Historical Association, the
book is full of fun information, photos
(some in full color) and puzzles that
kids of all ages will enjoy.
To order, send $9.95 plus $3.50 for postage and handling for each copy. Send check or money order (U.S.
funds only) payable to: Andrews McMeel Universal, P.O. Box 6814, Leawood, KS 66206.
Please send ________ copies of A Kid’s Guide to The White House (Item #2153-2) at $13.45 each, including
postage and handling. Toll free number 1-800-591-2097. www.smartwarehousing.com
Name: ______________________________________________________________________________________________
Address: ____________________________________________________________________________________________
TM
All the following jokes have something in common. Can you
guess the common theme or category?
Iris: What happened when the electrician
mixed up the wires between the electric
blanket and the toaster?
Kerri: He kept popping out of bed all night!
Sara: What is an electrician’s favorite ice
cream flavor?
Bobby: Shock-o-lot!
Laura: What did the electrician’s boss ask
when he arrived late for work?
Danny: “Wire you insulate?”
City: ____________________________________________________________State: ______________ Zip: ____________
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®
37-4 (05); release dates: September 10-16
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Mini Constitution Guide
What’s the big idea?
LEGISLATIVE
BRANCH
The Constitution has:
• A preamble (an introduction)
• Seven articles (sections) covering:
Article IV: How states
relate to each other and
the national government.
Article I: The Congress
(legislative branch)
Article V: How the
Constitution can be
amended or changed.
Article II: The
president (executive
branch)
Article VI: The
Constitution is the supreme
law of the land.
Article III: The judges
and national courts
(judicial branch)
Article VII: Ratification,
or approval.
• The signatures of 39 delegates.
U.S. Capitol
EXECUTIVE
BRANCH
White House
Amendments to the Constitution
JUDICIAL
BRANCH
Supreme Court
Inside the Constitution are
several big ideas:
• Separation of powers: The
delegates feared that giving too
much power to any person or group
could be dangerous. So they created
three branches, or parts, of
government: executive, legislative
and judicial.
• Checks and balances: This
limits the power of each government
branch. No single branch can
overpower the others. Often, each
branch needs the help of the others
to do its job.
• Enumerated (e-NOOM-er-ate-ed)
powers: the listed powers of government.
• Implied powers: the powers that
are not listed but suggested.
• Federalism: the idea that our
government divides powers between
the national government and the
state governments.
We will have more about the big ideas in
the issues to come.
Our Constitution is not
perfect. It has been
amended, or changed.
Twenty-seven amendments
have been added. The first
10 are called the Bill of
Rights (1791).
freedom of assembly
and petition.
1st: freedom
of religion
freedom of
speech
2nd:
right to
bear
arms.
3rd: quartering of
soldiers limited.
4th: searches and
seizures regulated.
freedom
of the press
5th: rights to due process
of law, including protection
against self-incrimination.
6th: rights of a person
accused of a crime,
including the right to be
represented
by a
lawyer.
11th: rules for
lawsuits against
states (1795).
7th: right to a trial
by jury.
9th: citizens
entitled to rights 10th: powers not
8th: unfair bail, fines and not listed in the listed reserved to the
states or the people.
punishment forbidden.
Constitution.
16th: federal income
taxes authorized
(1913).
14th: rights of citizenship, 15th: voting
12th: new way of
due process and equal
rights for former
selecting the president 13th: slavery
and vice president.(1804) abolished (1865). protection under the law (1868). slaves (1870).
17th: U.S.
senators to
be elected
by the
people
18th: sale of alcohol 19th: women gained
(1913).
right to vote (1920).
banned (1919).
22nd: president
limited to two
terms (1951).
23rd: people in
District of
Columbia given
right to vote
for
president
(1961).
20th: dates of
the
presidential
and
congressional
terms set
(1933).
24th: no poll
25th: presidential
taxes in federal succession and
elections (1964). disability (1967).
21st: 18th
Amendment
repealed (1933).
26th: voting 27th:
age lowered congressional
to 18 (1971). salaries
regulated
(1992).
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photos courtesy National Archives
Read all about
our Constitution
in
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
by Betty Debnam
Appearing in your
newspaper on ____________.
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam
© 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
(Note to Editor: Above is cameraready, one column-by-41/4-inch ad
promoting Issue 37.)
release dates: September 10-16
37-5 (05)
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The MIni Page Publishing Company Inc.
®
Distributed by Universal Press Syndicate
TM
from The Mini Page by Betty Debnam © 2005 The Mini Page Publishing Company Inc.
Standards Spotlight:
Our Constitution
Mini Page activities meet many state and national educational standards. Each
week we identify standards that relate to The Mini Page’s content and offer
activities that will help your students reach them.
Supersport: Jeni Armbruster
This week’s standards:
Height: 5-8 Birthdate: 2-12-75
Weight: 145 Hometown: Colorado Springs, Colo.
When she was 17 years old, Jeni Armbruster’s bright
world turned dark. Due to optic neuritis, she lost her sight.
What she didn’t lose, however, was her determination.
A star basketball player before becoming blind, Armbruster started
playing goalball and is ranked among the top five players in the world.
In goalball, players compete on a 60-by 40-foot court, listen to bells
attached to the ball, then dive on the floor and try to prevent the other
team’s shot from crossing their goal.
Armbruster was inducted into the Colorado Sportswomen Hall of Fame
in 1995. In 1996, she was voted Colorado Amateur Athlete of the Year.
Jeni, a graduate of the University of Northern Colorado, works as
project director for the National Sports Education Camp Project at
Western Michigan University. Her hobbies include e-mailing, judo and
rock climbing.
• Students understand the U.S. Constitution and why it is important.
• Students understand government and where people in government get the authority to
make, apply and enforce rules and laws and manage disputes about them.
• Students understand the important values and principles of American democracy. (Civics)
Activities:
1. Collect newspapers from several days. Cut out headlines that talk about the president,
someone in the Congress, or someone on the Supreme Court. Cut out any photos of the
president, or individuals in Congress or on the court. Make a collage of your headlines and
photos.
2. Find a newspaper story about one of the branches of government. Cut it out and paste it on a
piece of paper. Under the story, write down how the story shows the role of that branch of
government.
3. Which of the amendments to the Constitution deal with (a) citizens’ treatment in courts,
(b) elections, (c) the presidency and (4) slavery?
4. Use resource books and the Internet to identify the branch of the federal government that
has the responsibility for each of these actions: raising taxes, enforcing laws, nominating
Supreme Court justices, making laws, deciding if laws fit with the Constitution, declaring
war, confirming Supreme Court justices, certifying the election of the president, and
commanding the military.
(standards by Dr. Sherrye D. Garrett, Texas A&M University-Corpus Christi)
(Note to Editor: Above is the Standards for Issue 37.)
(Note to Editor: Above is copy block for Page 3, Issue 37, to be
used in place of ad if desired.)
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