LIVING CONSTITUTION
Table of Contents
Constitution Handbook
Seven Principles
of the Constitution . . . . . . 262
Introduce the
ESSENTIAL QUESTION
• Why do you think the Framers created a
flexible plan for governing the nation?
• What advantages and what disadvantages are
there to having a constitution that is so old?
• What basic rights do you think all people are
entitled to?
The Living Constitution
The Framers of the Constitution created a flexible plan for governing
the United States far into the future. They also described ways to allow
changes in the Constitution. For over 200 years, the Constitution
has guided the American people. It remains a “living document.” The
Constitution still thrives, in part, because it echoes the principles the
delegates valued. Each generation of Americans renews the meaning of
the Constitution’s timeless ideas. These two pages show you some ways
in which the Constitution has shaped events in American history.
“
Key Ideas
In framing a system which we wish to last for ages, we
should not lose sight of the changes which ages will produce.
Section 1: The Constitution is a flexible plan
for governing the United States based on seven
democratic principles. The Preamble describes
the purpose of the Constitution, and Article 1
outlines the main role of the legislative branch.
—James Madison, Constitutional Convention
The Constitution
of the United States . . . . .
Preamble . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Article 1 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Article 2 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Article 3 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Article 4 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Article 5 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Article 6 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Article 7 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Amendments 1–10
(Bill of Rights) . . . . . . . . .
Amendments 11–27. . . . . . .
266
266
267
276
280
282
283
284
285
286
289
Constitution Assessment . . . 298
”
1963
Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
addresses demonstrators at the
civil rights march on Washington
in August 1963.
Section 2: Clear definition and a system of
checks and balances help three branches of
government share power.
Section 3: The Framers defined relations
among states, ways to amend the Constitution,
and the supremacy of the national government.
Section 4: Twenty-seven amendments,
including the Bill of Rights, protected individual
rights and the common good.
CONNECT
to the Essential Question
1787
You may wish to revisit the Essential
Question periodically with students as they
work through the chapter.
Delegates in Philadelphia
sign the Constitution.
Suggestions for reconnecting provided on:
• Section 1, p. 274
• Section 2, p. 280
• Section 3, p. 284
260 The Living Constitution
• Section 4, p. 296
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
English Learners
Gifted & Talented
Key Academic Vocabulary
Interpret Madison’s
Statement
Note the word flexible in the first line
of the introduction. Read that sentence
and the sentences that follow aloud and
ask students to suggest definitions. Then
have students look up the word in a
dictionary and paraphrase the definition.
Discuss other adjectives that can be
compared to flexible, such as strong,
rigid, and weak.
260 • The Living Constitution
Ask students to read the quotation
by James Madison and consider its
meaning. Then have students prepare
an oral summary of what they believe
the statement means, how it reflects the
construction of the Constitution, and
how it has been proven true over the
years.
The 26th Amendment to the Constitution gives young
people “18 years of age or older” the right to vote.
Here, the Voters Project encourages young people to
register and vote.
1981
Constitution Handbook
1971
A Supreme Court decision rules that Congress can
exclude women from the draft. In the early 2000s,
there were 215,243 women in the U.S. military.
LIVING CONSTITUTION
Time Line Discussion
Point out to students that there have been
relatively few changes to the Constitution and
Bill of Rights since they were ratified more
than 200 years ago. The Framers did allow for
changes through amendments, however. They
allowed the Constitution to be modified as
new issues came up and people’s attitudes and
beliefs changed.
• How does the 26th Amendment illustrate that
the Constitution is a living document? (People’s
attitudes changed about voting age, so the
rules were changed to support this new belief.)
• How does the struggle for civil rights point
out both the strengths and weaknesses of
the Constitution? (Amendments allowed for
changes in the Constitution, but for many years
the Constitution was interpreted in ways that
denied rights to African Americans.)
• How does the political cartoon highlight
controversies that have continued since
ratification? (Different people, parties, and
government officials have often disagreed
about the interpretation of the Constitution,
leading to many debates over the years.)
2002
Attorney General John Ashcroft’s positions on
privacy and civil liberties issues made him a
controversial figure in the George W. Bush cabinet.
Ashcroft was a key supporter of the passage of
the USA Patriot Act. The Act, which was dubbed
the “anti-terrorism”Act, drew fire from both
liberals and conservatives. Critics of the Act said
it endangered the basic freedoms guaranteed
under the U.S. Constitution.
Constitution Handbook 261
TEACHER MEDIA FAVORITES
Student Books
Video/DVD
@ ClassZone.com
Hjelmeland, Andy. Kids in Jail.
1992.
Just the Facts—The United
States Constitution. Goldhil
Home Media, 2004. Provides
commentary from experts.
Visit the Research and Writing
Center for:
Hughes, Chris. People at the
Center of the Constitutional
Convention. 2005.
Mitchell, Barbara. Father of
the Constitution: A Story about
James Madison. 2003.
Vile, John R. Encyclopedia of
Constitutional Amendments,
Proposed Amendments, and
Amending Issues, 1789-2002.
2003.
Key Constitutional Concepts.
Annenberg Foundation Trust at
Sunnylands, 2003. Examines the
Constitution, individual rights,
and separation of powers.
Our Constitution: A Conversation.
Annenberg Foundation Trust
at Sunnylands, 2006. Supreme
Court justices discuss judicial
independence.
• a variety of chapter-specific,
content-reviewed sites
Visit the Activity Center for:
• Activity Maker—review
games, puzzles, flip cards,
and graphic organizers
Teacher’s Edition • 261