The most amazing thing to me about the outcome of the American Revolutionary War was that after the fighting was over, the colonies agreed on a new government and wrote a new constitution. A new nation was born, the United States of America. George Washington was a pivotal part of the creation of the new nation. Constitution Day is celebrated on September 17 each year, and such a time is a great excuse to review the basics of Civics, and revisit the founding concepts of our nation.
In the past years, civics knowledge has increased among adults in the USA. While only 38% of adults could name the 3 branches of government in 2017, in 2021, 51% could name them (source: Annenburg Civics Survey). Ok, that's an improvement, but when nearly half of the voting public doesn't understand the branches of government, the meaning of the rights guaranteed in the Constitution, and the names of leaders (such as the Supreme Court Chief Justice), it seems these civic issues need to be emphasized and addressed with people of all ages. My ideas below for a basic understanding of the Constitution may be a start.
The Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in the summer of 1787 with the goal to fix the Articles of Confederation, which kept the 13 colonies loosely bound by a weak central government. The main problems with the Articles of Confederation were that there was no executive to raise taxes, lead an army, or negotiate with foreign powers. The suggested creation of a new constitution solved these problems, but the representatives from the 13 colonies needed to negotiate for months to come to an agreement on what the new government would look like.
Copy work sentence: The Constitution created three branches of government: the Executive, the Legislative, and the Judiciary.
I find the creation of the Constitution to be a miraculous time, with the imperfect delegates led by God (I personally believe) to come to compromises and find solutions. The Constitution is not perfect, but it is a document of it's time that fulfilled it's purpose and does so today.
However you feel about the Constitutional Convention, it is nice to see its creation in terms of American history. For the youngest kids, maybe you don’t need to do much. For others, it may be fun to discuss some of the events and issues delegates faced. How easy would it be to have your own group (family/class) compromise as you create your own government or set of rules?
Here are a variety of ideas on reading and teaching about the Constitution.
I admit, the youngest children are probably not ready to read the constitution. I'd suggest, though, that as an educator, your best starting point is to read it yourself. Get familiar and see ways you can apply it to your life and your students.
My unabridged copy of the Constitution provides lined sidebars for taking notes as you read.
Tied right in to learning about the Constitution is, in my mind, learning about George Washington and his role in uniting the colonies into a country. Here are my ideas for teaching about George Washington.
Lesson Objective
George Washington, who was a wealthy landowner from Virginia, served in the French and and Indian War, led the Continental army during the Revolutionary War, and then was elective both the president of the Constitutional Convention and the first president of the new United States of America.
Copy work sentence: George Washington was the first president of the United States.
Learning about George Washington is very important since he was the first president of our country. I don't revere George Washington as perfect, and yet I recognize his influence. Although he was given much power, he did not overstep the Presidency. Because he was first, he set the precedent for how the Constitution should be interpreted. See some explanations about the significant precedents he set (geared for teachers or older students).
Picture Books about George Washington
I tend to default to great picture books to introduce great concepts. Here are my favorite books about George Washington. (affiliate links)
George Washington’s Teeth
Farmer George Plants a Nation
Liberty, when it begins to take root, is a plant of rapid growth.
he wrote in 1788. So ends this gorgeous picture book as well.
Learn more about George Washington with these additional learning books:
Here are activities I've found from other great bloggers and organizations that you could incorporate into your teaching.
This post was originally published in 2017 as a part of a series about early American History.
See the 10 Days of Early American History for Elementary landing page to find the other lessons!
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