Constitution Day Readers’ Theater Script A Script for 26 readers By Deb Hanson © 2013 www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Deb-Hanson Characters Teacher Madeline Mary Lucas Garrett Stephanie Peter Tony Lizabeth Tara Andrew Alex Jordan Bella Connor Tonya Lacey Gabi Tate Zach Tiffani Sam Karie Matthew Jason Brett Teacher: Good morning Students! Happy Constitution Day to all of you! Are all the groups ready to give their presentations? Madeline: As ready as we’ll ever be. Teacher: Glad to hear it! Let’s get started! When I call on your group, I want you all to go to the front of the classroom to give your presentation. First up is the group assigned to research and present on the history of how the Constitution came to be written. (Mary, Lucas, Garrett, and Stephanie stand up and go to the front of the class.) Mary: The Constitution was written in 1787. At that time, the United States was a brand new country, made up of only 13 states. It was clear to the leaders of this new country that rules and laws needed to be established so the country would run smoothly and fairly. Lucas: From May to September 1787, a group of men called Framers met in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. They took turns presenting their ideas and convincing the other men why certain things should or should not be included in the government they were trying to create. Stephanie: Did you notice that Lucas said “men”? That’s right. No women were involved in this process. At this time in American history, women were not allowed to be involved in anything like this. These rights were only given to white men. Garrett: Anyway, once the Framers came to a basic agreement on how the country should run, the Constitution was written. It was adopted on September 17, 1787 - and then sent to each state for approval. All thirteen states eventually agreed to – or ratified – the Constitution. Teacher: Great job! Okay, let’s move on to the group covering the Amendment Process. (Madeline, Tara, and Peter stand up and go to the front of the class, as Mary, Lucas, Garrett, and Stephanie return to their desks.) Madeline: Our group thinks that the Framers of the Constitution were pretty wise. They actually recognized at that time that what they had written and adopted was probably not perfect. They built in a process so that changes could be made to the Constitution. Peter: They didn’t want it to be impossible to make changes, but they also wanted to make sure that it wasn’t too easy to make changes to it. What they came up with was an amendment process – or a method for changing or adding to the Constitution. Tara: One of the first amendments made to the Constitution was to include a Bill of Rights. When the original Constitution was sent to the individual states for approval, one of the biggest complaints made was that there was not a bill of rights – or a list of rights that belong to all citizens of the country. The Framers of the Constitution didn’t think this was necessary, but because so many people wanted it, the Bill of Rights was added through the amendment process. Teacher: You are exactly right! This is a great transition to the group covering the Bill of Rights. (Andrew, Alex, Jordan, Bella, and Connor stand up and go to the front of the class, as Madeline, Tara, and Peter return to their desks.) Andrew: The first 10 amendments in the Constitution are called the Bill of Rights. Our group is going to explain each of those amendments in “kid-terms”. Alex: The First Amendment says that the government cannot make a law that limits the freedom each person has to practice their religion, to speak freely – even if the government does not agree with what they are saying, and to get together in groups. The First Amendment also gives people the right to ask the government to change things they don’t like. Jordan: The Second Amendment says that the government cannot keep law-abiding people from having guns, since it’s important to keep peace. Bella: The Third Amendment says that people cannot be forced to let soldiers stay in their homes during times of peace. In time of war, certain laws must be followed in order to do so. Connor: The Fourth Amendment says people have the right to be safe in their houses, and should not have their property searched or taken without just cause – or a good reason. If the government feels there is good reason, they must have a search warrant that states exactly what they are looking for and where they can search. Andrew: The Fifth Amendment deals with a person’s rights when being charged with a crime. A person cannot be charged with a crime unless the charges have been brought by a grand jury. A person can’t be charged with the same crime twice, and does not have to testify against himself or herself. The Fifth Amendment also states that people must be treated fairly by the law, and must receive money if the government takes a person’s property. Alex: The Sixth Amendment also deals with a person’s rights when being charged with a crime. A person has a right to a quick and public trial, a fair jury, and a lawyer to help present his or her case. A person also has a right to be told what he or she is being charged with and to face those who are saying that he or she broke the law. Jordan: The Seventh Amendment says that when one person sues another, and the amount of money involved is more than 20 dollars, the case can be presented to a jury, and the decision made is final. Bella: The Eighth Amendment says that excessive – or expensive without good reason – bail or fines cannot be given. This is also the amendment that says that cruel or unusual punishment isn’t allowed. Connor: The Ninth Amendment is pretty simple. It just states that people have other rights not specifically stated in the Constitution. Jordan: The Tenth Amendment - and final amendment included to the Bill of Rights - says that powers not given to the national government ARE given to the individual states. In other words, if something is not covered in the Constitution, it’s left up to each state to decide – or to add to the Constitution in the future. Teacher: You five did a superb job of explaining the Bill of Rights! Let’s go over some of the other amendments that have had a significant impact to millions of people over these last 200-plus years. Let’s hear from the group covering the amendments that did away with slavery. (Tonya, Tate, and Zach stand up and go to the front of the class, as Andrew, Alex, Jordan, Bella, and Connor return to their desks.) Tonya: In 1787, when the Constitution was originally written, slavery was both common and legal. Most black people living in America were slaves. As time went on, however, many people began to feel that slavery was wrong; that no human being should be owned by another person. Tate: However, slavery was an important way of life to white people living in the southern states. Without slaves, who would maintain the plantations and farmland that those in the South depended on for their livelihood? Zach: Most of the Southern States felt that it should be left to each state to decide whether slavery should be legal or illegal– that the United States government should stay out of it. This was a key argument leading up to the Civil War. Tonya: Those of us in Mr. Williams class last year – and probably everyone else, too – know that the North won the Civil War, and with that, slavery ended. It was at the end of the Civil War that the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments were added to the Constitution. These three amendments are also known as the Reconstruction Amendments. Tate: The 13th Amendment made slavery illegal. The 14th Amendment says that every person born in the United States is a full citizen – even former slaves. Zach: The 15th Amendment gave African American men the right to vote, as it states that a person cannot be denied the right to vote because of his race or skin color. Teacher: Excellent! You all have done such a great job with this project! Zach, I was happy to hear you state that African American MEN were given the right to vote with the 15th Amendment. It’s the perfect transition to our next group. Who is going to tell us about the amendment that gave women the right to vote? (Tiffani and Sam stand up and go to the front of the class, as Tonya, Tate, and Zach return to their desks.) Tiffani: In 1787 when the Constitution was written, women had no role in government. Their role in society was simply to take care of their husbands and children. We cannot really imagine this today, but it was the way of life back then. Sam: Think about it. Without the right to vote, men really didn’t care what women thought about issues. Men in government didn’t need to listen to women, as they had no voting power to cause any change, anyway. Even though the thought of women without equal rights as men makes no sense to us today, when you stop to think about it, it becomes much easier to see why women were not granted the right to vote until 1920. Tiffani: Yes, when women were given the right to vote in 1920, men in government had no choice but to listen to the issues important to women. If they didn’t, they risked not being elected back to office. Sam: The Nineteenth Amendment was officially ratified – or agreed to - on August 18, 1920. It states that no person shall be denied the right to vote on the basis of gender. Teacher: Thank you Tiffani and Sam. Okay, let’s move on to the groups covering the three branches of government that was set forth in the Constitution. Let’s hear from the group covering the legislative branch. (Karie, Matthew, Jason, and Lizabeth stand up and go to the front of the class, as Tiffani and Sam return to their desks.) Karie: Simply put, the legislative branch makes laws. Matthew: The men and women elected to the legislative branch are, as a group, called Congress. Jason: Congress is divided into two houses – or parts. One house is called the House of Representatives and the other house is called the Senate. Lizabeth: Perhaps you are wondering why Congress is divided like that – why not have just one single Congress? Wouldn’t things be a lot easier that way? Well, I think this is pretty interesting. The two-house legislature plan is also known as the Great Compromise. Karie: Back in 1787 when the Constitution was first being developed, there was a pretty big argument on the number of representatives each state should be allowed. The larger states felt that the number should be based on each state’s population. However, the smaller states wanted their voice to be heard equally, and felt that each state having the same number of representatives was the way to go. Matthew: The Great Compromise balanced these opposing wishes. The House of Representatives would be based on a state’s population, while the Senate would have two representatives per state regardless of its population. Today, then there are 100 senators (2 from each of the 50 states) and 435 representatives. Jason: California has the most representatives, with 53; followed by Texas, with 36. And believe it or not, there is currently a seven way tie for the state with the least representatives! Alaska, Delaware, Montana, North Dakota, South Dakota, Vermont, and Wyoming all have just one! Lizabeth: There’s one other important fact to know about the legislative branch. In order to pass a law, BOTH houses – the House of Representatives and the Senate – must agree to the exact same law. A new law cannot pass without agreement from both houses. Teacher: Great job; you presented us with some very interesting facts! My notes tell me that we have but one final group. Let’s hear it for the group covering the executive and judicial branches! (Tony, Lacey, Brett and Gabi stand up and go to the front of the class, as Karie, Matthew, Jason, and Lizabeth return to their desks.) Tony: The executive branch is headed by the President of the United States. The main role of the executive branch is to make sure laws are carried out. Lacey: The last group talked about how the legislative branch makes laws. Well, before a law that has been passed in Congress becomes a real law, the President must agree to it. The President has the ability to veto – or reject – a law if he or she wishes. Brett: If the president vetoes a law, it automatically goes back to Congress. Congress can then “override” that veto with two-thirds approval by both houses. This is an example of the “checks and balance” system that has been built into the Constitution. It helps protect against any ONE branch of our government becoming too powerful. Gabi: The third branch of government is the judicial branch. It includes the Supreme Court, as well as all the federal courts leading up to the Supreme Court. The role of the judicial branch is to interpret the law. Tony: Sometimes the judicial branch determines that a law is unconstitutional – or not in line with - what has been stated in the Constitution. Lacey: The judicial branch also plays an important role in protecting people’s rights. The Bill of Rights includes a number of individual rights granted to people to make sure they are not punished for a crime unjustly. The judicial branch of government is set up with an appeals system where people can take their case to a higher court for review. Brett: The last court a person can appeal to is the U.S. Supreme Court. They have the final say on a matter. Teacher: And that’s our final say on this matter! There’s so much to learn about the Constitution. You all did a super job with the assignment you were given! You will learn much more about this when you are in high school, but hopefully you have learned something today that will be of use to you when watching a news report on television or hearing about an upcoming election. I’ve got one final task for you. When you go home tonight, quiz an adult on something you learned today, and see how much THEY know about the Constitution! Name ______________________ How much do YOU know about the U.S. Constitution? Directions: Read each statement. Write T on the first line if you think the statement is true. Write F on the first line if you think the statement is false. Then read the Readers’ Theater script. After reading the script, read these statements again. Write T or F on the second line. Have any of your answers changed? Before Reading After Reading ________ ________ 1. The Bill of Rights has always been part of the U.S. Constitution. ________ ________ 2. The Framers of the Constitution thought it was perfect and that it would never have to be changed. ________ ________ 3. According to the U.S. Constitution, any law-abiding adult citizen living in the United States can own a gun. ________ ________ 4. The Thirteenth Amendment made slavery illegal. ________ ________ 5. Black men were given the right to vote before black women were given the same right. ________ ________ 6. Women were not given the right to vote until 50 years after the Constitution was written. ________ ________ 7. The United States has three branches of government. ________ ________ 8. The judicial branch of government makes the laws. ________ ________ 9. The president of the United States is included in the executive branch of government. ________ ________ 10. The number of people representing each state in the House of Representatives is based on each state’s population. Therefore, highly populated states like California have more representatives than less populated states like North Dakota. ________ ________ 11. Two people represent each state in the Senate. Therefore, states like California and North Dakota are represented equally in the Senate. ________ ________ 12. If the president of the United States vetoes a new law, that law will never be passed. ________ ________ 13. The U.S. Appeals Court is the highest court in the United States. The judges here have the final say on all court cases. Name ______________________ How much do YOU know about the U.S. Constitution? Directions: Read each statement. Write T on the first line if you think the statement is true. Write F on the first line if you think the statement is false. Then read the Readers’ Theater script. After reading the script, read these statements again. Write T or F on the second line. Have any of your answers changed? Before Reading After Reading ________ ________ F 1. The Bill of Rights has always been part of the U.S. Constitution. ________ ________ F 2. The Framers of the Constitution thought it was perfect and that it would never have to be changed. ________ ________ T 3. According to the U.S. Constitution, any law-abiding adult citizen living in the United States can own a gun. ________ ________ T 4. The Thirteenth Amendment made slavery illegal. ________ ________ T 5. Black men were given the right to vote before black women were given the same right. F 6. Women were not given the right to vote until 50 years after the Constitution ________ ________ was written. ________ ________ T 7. The United States has three branches of government. ________ ________ F 8. The judicial branch of government makes the laws. ________ ________ T 9. The president of the United States is included in the executive branch of government. ________ ________ T 10. The number of people representing each state in the House of Representatives is based on each state’s population. Therefore, highly populated states like California have more representatives than less populated states like North Dakota. ________ ________ T 11. Two people represent each state in the Senate. Therefore, states like California and North Dakota are represented equally in the Senate. F 12. If the president of the United States vetoes a new law, that law will never be ________ ________ passed. F 13. The U.S. Appeals Court is the highest court in the United States. The judges ________ ________ here have the final say on all court cases. If you and your students enjoyed this Readers’ Theater script, feel free to take a peek at my other Readers’ Theater products available in my store: Happy New Year! (includes bonus activities) Presidents Day Cinco de Mayo (includes bonus activities) Mother’s Day (includes bonus activities) Missing Mrs. Becker: A Mystery involving “Code-Cracking” Synonyms Readers’ Theater Antonyms Readers’ Theater Multiple Meaning Words Readers’ Theater Homophones Readers’ Theater Credits Copyright by Deb Hanson © 2013 www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Deb-Hanson Flag and Words by Krista Wallden www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Krista-Wallden American Eagle Graphic by Charlotte’s Clips www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Charlottes-Clips Patriotic Cover Border by Jennifer Beal www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Jennifer-Beall Sources www.utb.edu/vpaa/cce/Documents/Celebrate%20%Freedom%20Week/BORights%20 Chart%20Elem.pdf (Bill of Rights) www.usconstitution.net/constkids4.html www.congressforkids.net/Constitution
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