CHAPTER 8 • SECTION 3
late June, nine states had ratified. The Constitution was officially ratified
with nine votes. It was vital, however, to get the support of Virginia, the
largest state, and New York. Without New York, the nation would be split
geographically into two parts. James Madison recommended that Virginia
ratify the Constitution, with the addition of a bill of rights.
As other states ratified, however, the Virginia Antifederalists played on
Southern fear of Northern domination. Under the Articles of Confederation, each state had one vote, and major decisions required the approval of
rule
nine of the 13 states. The Constitution, however, provided for majority rule,
which means that more than one half of a group holds the power to make
decisions binding on the entire group. The North, Virginia Antifederalists
warned, would then dictate policy in trade, slavery, and other important
issues bearing on the southern economy.
After bitter debate, at the end of June, Virginia narrowly ratified the Constitution with 89 in favor and 79 opposed. The news of Virginia’s vote arrived
while the New York convention was in debate. Until then, the Antifederalists had outnumbered the Federalists. But with Virginia’s ratification, New
Yorkers decided to join the Union. New York also called for a bill of rights.
It would be another year before North Carolina ratified the Constitution,
followed by Rhode Island in 1790. By then, the new Congress had already
written a bill of rights and submitted it to the states for approval.
Teacher-Tested Activities
Pam Kniffin, Navasota Junior High
School, Navasota, Texas
I have students create a pictorial
representation of the Bill of Rights.
• I tell students that the pictures may come
from magazines, newspapers, or their own
drawings.
• Once students select their pictures, they
can compile them into a book. I also ask
students to create a decorative cover for
their finished products.
• Students should identify one amendment
per page. Underneath the illustrations,
students should paraphrase the freedoms or
rights granted in the amendment and how
the picture clarifies those freedoms.
Answer: Several states
refused to ratify the
Constitution unless a bill
of rights was added.
EVALUATE Explain how the lack of a bill of rights made ratification of the
Constitution more difficult.
Citizenship and History
CONNECT
DEBATE AND FREE SPEECH
CONNECT
To debate is to engage in argument by discussing opposing points of view. Debate has long
been an important method of exploring public issues. The Founding Fathers engaged in
intense debate before the ratification of the U.S. Constitution.
Citizenship and History
DEBATE AND FREE SPEECH
Today, many students learn about the ideas of democracy through programs like the YMCA
Youth in Government program. Most of these programs consist of a model legislature
composed of high school students writing legislation. Participants then meet to debate their
proposed laws in their actual state capitol building.
Students involved in the YMCA Youth in
Government program also elect a student
governor each year. The student governors
from each state are invited to a six-day
training event in Washington, D.C. Some of
these “governors” have gone on to national
office. For example, Robert N. Clement was
student governor of Tennessee in 1962 and
later served as a U.S. Representative.
Organize a Debate!
1 Choose a debate opponent and an issue to debate. Research the topic you chose.
2 Agree on a format for your debate—presentation, rebuttal, and closing.
3 Debate your opponent in front of the class. Ask the audience to cast their votes;
then report the result to the class.
ACTIVITY
See Citizenship Handbook, page 300.
Encourage students to agree to evaluate
debates using a common method before
they vote. For example, students may want
to use a rating scale such as the following:
4–outstanding; 3–good; 2–fair; 1–needs
improvement
Criteria
opening remarks
delivery mechanics
supporting arguments
refuting arguments
closing remarks
252 • Chapter 8
Rating
252 Chapter 8
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION
Gifted & Talented
Pre-AP
Formal Debate Options
Constitutional Amendments
Encourage students who are interested
in debate to consult with members
and sponsors of your school’s debate
team for information about formal
debate formats and the debate topic(s)
for this school year. Suggest that they
form teams to present a mini-debate
on the topic(s), or other topics of their
choosing, following a format used by the
school’s debate team.
Have students research the process for
ratifying an amendment to the U.S.
Constitution in your state. Have the
class participate in proposing a new
amendment. After the class has debated
the issues involved, hold a vote and
determine if your state would have
“ratified” the amendment.
CHAPTER 8 • SECTION 3
to the Essential Question
CONNECT
How did Americans create a national government that respected
both the independence of states and the rights of individuals?
CONFEDERATION WEAKNESSES
CONNECT
NEW GOVERNMENT STRENGTHS
Taxes
Congress could not levy or collect taxes.
Congress empowered to levy and collect taxes
Trade
Congress could not regulate trade carried on
between states or with foreign nations.
Congress empowered to regulate interstate
and foreign commerce
Courts
No regular Confederation courts; Congress
depended on state courts to settle legal
disputes arising from its laws.
A national system of courts set up with
district and circuit courts and a supreme court
Executive
No national executive branch; enforcement
of acts of Congress left to the states.
National government had the power to enforce
federal laws.
States’ Rights
Equality of states in voting, regardless of size
or population
Proportional representation in the House;
equality of states in the Senate.
Amendments
Unanimous vote required to amend Articles
Two-thirds vote in each House of Congress
Laws
Nine states had to approve an ordinary bill.
A majority required to pass a bill
CRITICAL THINKING Evaluate How were states’ rights protected under the new government?
The Bill of Rights and the Constitution
KEY QUESTION How does the Bill of Rights protect people’s rights?
Madison, who took office in the first Congress in the winter of 1789, took
amendments, or
up the cause of the bill of rights. Madison submitted ten amendments
additions to a document, to the Constitution. Congress proposed that they
be placed at the end of the Constitution in a separate section. These ten
amendments to the U.S. Constitution became known as the Bill of Rights.
The Bill of Rights Of these amendments to the Constitution, the first nine
guarantee basic individual freedoms. Jefferson and Madison believed that
government enforcement of religious laws was the source of much social conflict. They supported freedom of religion as a way to prevent such conflict.
Even before Madison wrote the Bill of Rights, he worked to ensure religious
liberty in Virginia. (In 1786, Madison had helped pass the Virginia Statute
for Religious Freedom, originally written by Jefferson in 1779.)
to the Essential Question
How did Americans create a national
government that respected both the
independence of states and the rights
of individuals?
Ask students what they have learned so
far that can help them answer this
question. Use the graphic on p. 253 or
display the transparency. Assign each
power listed in the first column of the chart
to a small group. Have each group meet
briefly and review why the government
needs that power to function. Groups then
report to the class.
Unit 3 Transparency Book
• Essential Question Graphic, TT15
• What generalization could you make
about the changes listed in the chart?
(Possible Answer: In every case, the
new government is stronger than the
preexisting Confederation.)
• How would you rate the Founders’
efforts to make the national government
stronger? Why? (Possible Answer: They
would earn high marks because they
addressed all the issues.)
CRITICAL THINKING ANSWER
Evaluate Possible Answer: by
proportional representation in the House
and equal representation in the Senate
Teach
Confederation to Constitution 253
DIFFERENTIATING INSTRUCTION: TIERED ACTIVITIES
The Bill of Rights
and the Constitution
Talk About It
OBJECTIVE Evaluate the function and importance of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution.
Basic
Have students read the
Bill of Rights in the Living
Constitution, pages
286–288. Lead a discussion
about each right. Have
students write and discuss
answers to these questions:
• Which amendment is most
important today? Why?
• Are any amendments not
necessary today? Why?
On Level
Have students follow the
same steps as for the Basic
level activity. In addition,
have students research your
state’s bill of rights (or a
similar state document).
Ask them to compare and
contrast the two bills of
rights in a brief essay.
Discuss similarities and
differences.
Challenge
Have students follow the
same steps as for the On
level activity. In addition,
have students work in
groups to write one “Bill of
Rights”—that is, one set of
rights that that would apply
to both your state and the
United States. Have groups
compare and contrast their
“Bill of Rights.”
• What was the purpose of the Bill of Rights?
(to guarantee basic individual freedoms and
basic state rights)
• Why was freedom of religion an important
inclusion in the Bill of Rights? (It put an end
to the kind of religious conflict that divided the
early colonies.)
• Compare and Contrast Which would you
rather have: a verbal promise from elected
officials that they will protect your rights as a
citizen or a written Bill of Rights that clearly
states your rights? (Possible Answer: A written
Bill of Rights because it offers more reliable
protections.)
Teacher’s Edition • 253
CHAPTER 8 • SECTION 3
Connecting History
Religion in Public Life
More About . . .
Amending the Constitution
The 27th Amendment is the newest
amendment to the Constitution. It was
actually proposed in 1789, on the same
day as the Bill of Rights. But it lay dormant
until the 1980s, when an aide to a Texas
legislator discovered it and began a
campaign to get the amendment adopted.
The 27th Amendment was finally ratified
more than 200 years after it was introduced.
Unit 3 Resource Book
• Connect to Today, p. 177
4
Issues of religious
freedom were widely
debated as soon as
the Puritans settled in
the Massachusetts Bay
Colony. Some colonists
argued for and others
argued against religious
tolerance.
Answer: The Bill of
Rights guarantees basic
individual freedoms
including freedom of
religion.
Freedom of religion is an important part of the First Amendment, which
states: “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion,
or prohibiting the free exercise thereof . . .” This means that the government
may never support one particular religion, favor one faith above another, or
interfere with anyone’s religious freedom.
In this way, the Constitution put an end to the kind of religious conflict
that had divided the early colonies. In the words of Thomas Jefferson, the
first amendment built “a wall of separation between Church and State.”
Taken as a whole, the Bill of Rights creates an invisible but powerful shield
that protects people from government abuse.
Amending the Constitution But the Bill of Rights was more than that.
It was the first step in making the Constitution a living document, one that
can be amended to reflect the changes in society. The Constitutional Convention provided for such changes. Two-thirds of each house of Congress or
two-thirds of the state legislatures can propose an amendment. To become
law, an amendment then needs the approval of three-fourths of the states. By
this process, the Bill of Rights became the first ten amendments. Since then
seventeen more amendments have been added to the Constitution.
SUMMARIZE Explain how the Bill of Rights ensures American freedoms.
Assess & Reteach
Assess Have students complete the Section
Assessment.
Unit 3 Resource Book
• Section Quiz, p. 187
Interactive Review
@ ClassZone.com
Power Presentations
Test Generator
Reteach Assign a subsection of Section 3 to
three student groups. Ask groups to compose
five questions. Have one student from each
group read a question and ask a student from
another group to answer it. Repeat the process.
ONLINE QUIZ
3
Section Assessment
TERMS & NAMES
1. Explain the importance of
• Antifederalists
• The Federalist papers
• federalism
• Bill of Rights
• Federalists
USING YOUR READING NOTES
2. Compare & Contrast Complete the diagram you
started at the beginning of this section.
Federalists
both
Antifederalists
For test practice, go to
Interactive Review @ ClassZone.com
KEY IDEAS
3. What arguments did the Federalists use to convince
people to support the Constitution? What arguments
did the Antifederalists use against them?
4. Why was ratification of the Constitution in Virginia
and New York especially important?
5. What did the framers of the Constitution do to
prevent religious conflict?
CRITICAL THINKING
6. Compare & Contrast How was the battle over
ratification similar to the conflicts among the states
over the writing of the Constitution?
7. Analyze Point of View Why did the
Antifederalists demand the Bill of Rights?
8. Language Arts Review the major arguments
for and against ratification of the Constitution. Hold
a press conference or write a news report on the
ratification debate.
Unit 3 Resource Book
• Reteaching Activity, p. 190
Unit 3 Transparency Book
• Cause-and-Effect Chapter Summary, TT14
254 Chapter 8
SECTION 3 ASSESSMENT ANSWERS
Terms & Names
1. Antifederalists, p. 249; federalism, p. 250;
Federalists, p. 250; The Federalist papers, p.
250; Bill of Rights, p. 253
Using Your Reading Notes
2. Possible Answers: Federalists—favored strong
government, believed “checks and balances”
provided protections; Both—saw need for
change; Antifederalists—feared strong
government; wanted bill of rights added
Key Ideas
3. Federalists: divisions of government would
prevent tyranny, people should trust their
leaders; Antifederalists: absence of individual
254 • Chapter 8
protections would lead to abuses and tyranny.
4. Without Virginia the nation would lose its
largest state; without New York the country
would be split in two geographically.
5. They included an amendment guaranteeing
religious freedom and noninterference by the
government in religious matters.
Critical Thinking
6. Both featured debates over strong government
versus states’ rights, and both involved
compromises in order to reach agreement.
7. to protect people against abuses by the
national government and to safeguard
individual and state rights
8. Press conferences and news reports should
show an understanding of the major arguments.
Conference or Report Rubric
Content
Accuracy
4
excellent; addresses all
important points
no errors
3
good; addresses some
important points
few/minor errors
2
fair; addresses few
important points
several errors
1
poor; addresses no
important points
many errors