SS8 Unit 1 - cmswarriorsteam.files.wordpress.com · Web viewbranch (Congress acted as the judicial branch). The legislative branch consisted of a unicameral or one house congress.

Historical Thinking/Founding of America

8th grade Social StudiesUnit 1

Topic Topic Focus # of days Standards

1Introduction to historical thinking and Pre-Columbian America

4RH.6-8.1, 8.G.1.3

2European exploration, colonization, and geography of North Carolina

7 8.G.1.3

3Colonial Life and North Carolina as a colony

68.H.2.1, 8.G.1.3

4Road to revolution and events of the Revolutionary War

10 8.H.2.1

5Founding Documents, Constitutional Convention

88.C&G.1.1, 8.C&G.1.2

6American government, review, and assessment

58.C&G.1.1, 8.C&G.1.2

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Table of ContentsVocabulary..........................................................................................4

Introduction to Historical Thinking.....................................................5

Body Ritual among the Nacirema.......................................................8

European Exploration.......................................................................11

North Carolina Regions and Tribes....................................................18

The Lost Colony.................................................................................21

Road to Revolution...........................................................................22

The French & Indian War..............................................................22

Important Causes..........................................................................26

Revolutionary Times Assignment..................................................27

Founding Documents........................................................................28

North Carolina in the US Revolution.................................................31

Constitutional Convention................................................................37

Background Narrative...................................................................37

Decision-Making Activity...............................................................41

Procedure:................................................................................41

A Letter from James Madison...................................................43

1790 United States Census Data...............................................44

The Constitutional Convention Simulation: Tally Sheet............45

The Constitutional Convention Simulation: Reflection..............46

American Government......................................................................47

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Branches of Government..............................................................47

The Articles of Confederation.......................................................49

The U.S. Constitution....................................................................51

The Bill of Rights........................................................................52

North Carolina Constitution of 1776.............................................56

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VocabularyDirections:

As you read this booklet, add unfamiliar vocabulary to this list.1. Amendment: A method of changing a legal document, such as a

constitution.2. Constitution: A legal document detailing the laws governing a state

or an entire nation.3. Historical thinking: A way of examining history so that we can ask

and answer important questions.4. Primary source: A document or physical object which was written

or created during the time under study5. Secondary source: Something that interprets and analyzes primary

sources.6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

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Introduction to Historical Thinking

Directions: Read the information below.

Watch the video at: http://teachinghistory.org/historical-thinking-intro

Historical thinking consists of five parts1. Multiple Accounts & Perspectives2. Analysis of Primary Sources3. Sourcing4. Context5. Claim-Evidence Connection

1. Multiple Accounts & Perspectives Every story has more than one side. Whenever you read a story ask yourself:

Who is telling the story and how might the story change if another side/group were to tell it?

2. Analysis of Primary Sources See

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/index.html for analysis of multiple different primary sources.

See http://teachinghistory.org/best-practices/using-primary-sources/category/Finding%20Sources for a search index of primary sources.

A primary source is a document or physical object which was written or created during the time under study. These sources were present during an experience or time period and offer an inside view of a particular event. Some types of primary sources include:

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS (excerpts or translations acceptable): Diaries, speeches, manuscripts, letters, interviews, news film footage, autobiographies, official records

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http://teachinghistory.org/best-practices/using-primary-sources/category/Finding%20Sources

http://teachinghistory.org/best-practices/using-primary-sources/category/Finding%20Sources

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/index.html

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/worksheets/index.html

http://teachinghistory.org/historical-thinking-intro

http://teachinghistory.org/historical-thinking-intro


CREATIVE WORKS: Poetry, drama, novels, music, art

RELICS OR ARTIFACTS: Pottery, furniture, clothing, buildings

Examples of primary sources include: Diary of Anne Frank - Experiences of a Jewish family during

WWII The Constitution of Canada - Canadian History A journal article reporting NEW research or findings Weavings and pottery - Native American history Plato's Republic - Women in Ancient Greece

What is a secondary source? A secondary source interprets and analyzes primary sources. These sources are one or more steps removed from the event. Secondary sources may have pictures, quotes or graphics of primary sources in them. Some types of secondary sources include:

PUBLICATIONS: Textbooks, magazine articles, histories, criticisms, commentaries, encyclopedias

Examples of secondary sources include: A journal/magazine article which interprets or reviews

previous findings A history textbook A book about the effects of WWI

3. Sourcing When we “source” a document—a word originally coined by researcher Sam Wineburg—it means that we consider its origins to help us make sense of it. We ask the following questions:

Who wrote this? What is the author’s perspective? Why was it written? When was it written? Where was it written? Is this source reliable? Why?

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4. Context Historical context refers to the moods, attitudes, and conditions that existed in a certain time. Context is the "setting" for an event that occurs, and it will have an impact on the relevance of the event. Context is an important factor to consider when describing something in history.

Maps and timelines are indispensable tools for helping learn context.

5. Claim-Evidence Connection Historical arguments and stories rest on evidence and as a student you need to be taught this essential fact.

Whenever you make a claim (argument) about some historical event or idea, you must back up your claim with evidence from that historical context.

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Directions: Brainstorm a list of “what we know about a specific cultural

group,” focusing on cultural practices. (Choose a cultural group that is in the news today or one that you have some knowledge of.)

Read the story below about the Nacirema Analyze the story using the five parts of historical thinking. After reading, answer the following questions:

1. Who are the Nacirema?2. What made it hard to identify who they are? 3. How does the author’s description of the Nacirema affect our

ability to identify them? 4. What are the techniques the author uses to describe the

Nacirema?

Body Ritual among the NaciremaThe ritual of the Nacirema was first brought to the attention of anthropologists twenty years ago, but the culture of this people is still very poorly understood. They are a North American group living in the territory between the Canadian Cree, the Yaqui and Tarahumara of Mexico, and the Carib and Arawak of the Antilles. Little is known of their origin, although tradition states that they came from the east.

Nacirema culture is characterized by a highly developed market economy, which has evolved in a rich natural habitat. While much of the people’s time is devoted to economic pursuits, a considerable portion of their day is spent in ritual activity. The focus of this activity is the human body, the appearance and health of which appearas a major concern in the people’s belief. While such a concernis certainly not unusual, its ceremonial aspects and associated philosophy are unique.

The main belief underlying this ritual activity appears to be that the human body is ugly and that its natural tendency is to weakness and disease. Captive in such a body, man’s only hope to avert these characteristics is through the use of ritual and ceremony. Every household has one or more shrines devoted to this purpose. The more powerful individuals in the society have

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several shrines in their houses and, in fact, the grandeur of a house is often referred to in terms of the number of such ritual centers itpossesses.

The focal point of the shrine is a box or chest, which isbuilt into the wall. In this chest are kept the manycharms and magical potions without which no nativebelieves he or she could live. These preparations areobtained from a variety of specialized practitioners. Themost powerful of these are the medicine men, whose helpmust be rewarded with large gifts. However, the medicinemen do not provide the potions for their clients, but decidewhat the ingredients should be and then write them downin an ancient and secret language. This writing is understoodonly by the medicine men and by the herbalists who,for another gift, provide the required charm.

Beneath the charm-box is a small font. Each day everymember of the family enters the shrine room, bows his orher head before the charm-box, mingles different sorts ofholy water in the font, and proceeds with a brief rite ofcleansing. The holy waters are secured from the WaterTemple of the community, where the priests conduct elaborateceremonies to make the liquid ritually pure.

The medicine men have an imposing temple, orlatipso, in every community of any size. The more elaborateceremonies required to treat very sick patients canonly be performed at this temple. These ceremoniesinvolve not only the miracle-worker, but also a group ofassistants who move quietly about the temple chambers indistinctive costume and headdress. The latipso ceremoniesare so harsh that a fair proportion of the really sicknatives who enter the temple never recover. Despite thisfact, sick adults are not only willing, but eager to undergothe long and drawn-out ritual purification, if they canafford to do so. No matter how ill or how grave the emergency,the guardians of many temples will not admit aclient if he or she cannot offer a rich gift.

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The Nacirema have an unrealistic horror of and fascinationwith the mouth, the condition of which is believedto have a supernatural influence on all social relationships.Were it not for the rituals of the mouth, theybelieve that their teeth would fall out, their gums bleed,their jaws shrink, and their friends desert them. Theyalso believe that there is a strong relationship betweenoral and moral characteristics. For example, there is a ritualcleansing of the mouth for children, which is supposedto improve their moral character.

The daily body ritual includes a mouth-rite. This riteinvolves a practice which strikes the unfamiliar strangeras revolting. It was reported to me that the ritual consistsof inserting a small bundle of hog hairs into the mouth,along with certain magical pastes, and then moving thebundle in a highly formalized series of gestures.

In addition to the private mouth-rite, the people seekout a holy-mouth-man once or twice a year. These practitionershave an impressive set of tools, consisting of avariety of augers, awls, probes, and prods. The use ofthese items in removing the evils of the mouth involvesalmost unbelievable ritual torture of the client. The holymouth-man opens the client’s mouth and, using the abovementionedtools, enlarges any holes which decay mayhave created in the teeth. Magical materials are put intothese holes. If there are no naturally occurring holes inthe teeth, large sections of one or more teeth are gougedout so that the supernatural substance can be applied. Inthe Nacirema’s view, the purpose of these religious functionsis to arrest decay and to draw friends.

Our review of the ritual life of the Nacirema has certainlyshown them to be a magic-ridden people. It is hardto understand how they have managed to exist so longunder the burdens which they have imposed upon themselves.

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European Exploration

Directions: Watch the video at:

http://www.history.com/topics/exploration/exploration-of-north-america

Read the information below and analyze it using the five parts of historical thinking.

After reading, answer the following questions.

1. What motivated the Europeans to begin exploring beyond Europe’s borders?

2. What one reason was the biggest motivation for Europeans to explore? How does this reason compare/contrast to today’s countries reasons for interacting with one another?

3. Create a graphic organizer detailing the European countries, one famous explorer from each country, and their respective accomplishments.

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INTRODUCTION

Between 1000 and 1650 a series of developments occurred in Europe that provided the start for the exploration and subsequent colonization of America. These developments included the Protestant Reformation and the subsequent Catholic Counter-Reformation, the Renaissance, the unification of small states into larger ones with centralized political power, the emergence of new technology in navigation and shipbuilding, and the establishment of overland trade with the East and the accompanying transformation of the medieval economy.

The Protestant Reformation and the Catholic church’s response in the Counter-Reformation marked the end of several centuries of gradual erosion of the power of the Catholic. Protestantism emphasized a personal relationship between each individual and God without the need for intervention by the church.

In the Renaissance, artists and writers such as Galileo, Machiavelli, and Michelangelo adopted a view of life that stressed humans’ ability

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to change and control the world. Thus, the rise of Protestantism and the Counter-Reformation, along with the Renaissance, helped foster individualism and create a climate favorable to exploration.

At the same time, political centralization ended much of the squabbling and fighting among rival noble families and regions that had characterized the Middle Ages. With the decline of the political power and wealth of the Catholic Church, a few rulers gradually strengthened their power. Portugal, Spain, France, and England were transformed from small territories into nation-states with centralized authority in the hands of monarchs who were able to direct and finance overseas exploration.

As these religious and political changes were occurring, technological innovations in navigation set the stage for exploration. Bigger, faster ships and the invention of navigational devices such as the astrolabe and sextant made extended voyages possible.

But the most powerful inducement to exploration was trade. Marco Polo’s famous journey to China signaled Europe’s “discovery” of Chinese and Islamic civilizations. China became a magnet to traders, and exotic products and wealth flowed into Europe. Those who benefited most were merchants who sat astride the great overland trade routes, especially the merchants of the Italian city-states of Genoa, Venice, and Florence.

The newly unified states of the Atlantic–France, Spain, England, and Portugal–and their ambitious monarchs were envious of the merchants and princes who dominated the land routes to the East. Moreover, in the latter half of the fifteenth century, war between European states and the Ottoman Empire greatly hampered Europe’s trade with the Orient. The desire to supplant the trade moguls, especially the Italians, and fear of the Ottoman Empire forced the Atlantic nations to search for a new route to the East.

PORTUGALPortugal led the others into exploration. Encouraged by Prince Henry the Navigator, Portuguese seamen sailed southward along the African coast, seeking a water route to the East. They were also looking for a legendary king named Prester John who had supposedly

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built a Christian stronghold somewhere in northwestern Africa. Henry hoped to form an alliance with Prester John to fight the Muslims. During Henry’s lifetime the Portuguese learned much about the African coastal area. His school developed the quadrant, the cross-staff, and the compass, made advances in cartography, and designed and built highly maneuverable little ships known as caravels.

After Henry’s death, Portuguese interest in long-distance trade and expansion waned until King John II commissioned Bartolomeu Dias to find a water route to India in 1487. Dias sailed around the tip of Africa and into the Indian Ocean before his frightened crew forced him to give up the quest. A year later, Vasco da Gama succeeded in reaching India and returned to Portugal laden with jewels and spices. In 1500 Pedro Álvares Cabral discovered and claimed Brazil for Portugal, and other Portuguese captains established trading posts in the South China Sea, the Bay of Bengal, and the Arabian Sea. These water routes to the East undercut the power of the Italian city-states, and Lisbon became Europe’s new trade capital.

SPAINSpain’s imperial ambitions were launched by Christopher Columbus. Born in Genoa, Italy, around 1451, Columbus learned the art of navigation on voyages in the Mediterranean and the Atlantic. At some point he probably read Cardinal Pierre d’Ailly’s early fifteenth-century work, Imago mundi, which argued that the East could be found by sailing west of the Azores for a few days. Columbus, hoping to make such a voyage, spent years seeking a sponsor and finally found one in Ferdinand and Isabella of Spain after they defeated the Moors and could turn their attention to other projects.

In August 1492, Columbus sailed west with his now famous ships, Niña, Pinta, and Santa María. After ten weeks he sighted an island in the Bahamas, which he named San Salvador. Thinking he had found islands near Japan, he sailed on until he reached Cuba (which he thought was mainland China) and later Haiti. Columbus returned to Spain with many products unknown to Europe–coconuts, tobacco, sweet corn, potatoes–and with tales of dark-skinned native peoples whom he called “Indians” because he assumed he had been sailing in the Indian Ocean.

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Although Columbus found no gold or silver, he was hailed by Spain and much of Europe as the discoverer of d’Ailly’s western route to the East. John II of Portugal, however, believed Columbus had discovered islands in the Atlantic already claimed by Portugal and took the matter to Pope Alexander II. Twice the pope issued decrees supporting Spain’s claim to Columbus’s discoveries. But the territorial disputes between Portugal and Spain were not resolved until 1494 when they signed the Treaty of Tordesillas, which drew a line 370 leagues west of the Azores as the demarcation between the two empires.

Despite the treaty, controversy continued over what Columbus had found. He made three more voyages to America between 1494 and 1502, during which he explored Puerto Rico, the Virgin Islands, Jamaica, and Trinidad. Each time he returned more certain that he had reached the East. Subsequent explorations by others, however, persuaded most Europeans that Columbus had discovered a “New World.” Ironically, that New World was named for someone else. A German geographer, Martin Waldseemüller, accepted the claim of Amerigo Vespucci that he had landed on the American mainland before Columbus. In 1507 Waldseemüller published a book in which he named the new land “America.”

More Spanish expeditions followed. Juan Ponce de León explored the coasts of Florida in 1513. Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and discovered the Pacific Ocean in the same year. Ferdinand Magellan’s expedition (in the course of which he put down a mutiny and was later killed) sailed around the tip of South America, across the Pacific to the Philippines, through the Indian Ocean, and back to Europe around the southern tip of Africa between 1519 and 1522.

Two expeditions led directly to Spain’s emergence as sixteenth-century Europe’s wealthiest and most powerful nation. The first was headed by Hernando Cortés, who in 1519 led a small army of Spanish and Native Americans against the Aztec Empire of Mexico. Completing the conquest in 1521, Cortés took control of the Aztecs’ fabulous gold and silver mines. Ten years later, an expedition under Francisco Pizarro overwhelmed the Inca Empire of Peru, securing for the Spaniards the great Inca silver mines of Potosí.

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In 1535 and 1536 Pedro de Mendoza went as far as present-day Buenos Aires in Argentina, where he founded a colony. At the same time, Cabeza de Vaca explored the North American Southwest, adding that region to Spain’s New World empire. A few years later (1539-1542) Francisco Vásquez de Coronado discovered the Grand Canyon and journeyed through much of the Southwest looking for gold and the legendary Seven Cities of Cíbola. About the same time Hernando de Soto explored southeastern North America from Florida to the Mississippi River. By 1650 Spain’s empire was complete and fleets of ships were carrying the plunder back to Spain.

RELIGIOUS MOTIVATIONSEuropean encounters with the New World were viewed in light of their preconceived notions. To plunder the New World of its treasures was acceptable because it was populated by pagans. To Christianize the pagans was necessary because it was part of God’s plan; to kill them was right because they were Satan’s or Antichrist’s warriors. As European powers conquered the territories of the New World, they justified wars against Native Americans and the destruction of their cultures as a fulfillment of the European secular and religious vision of the New World.

FRANCEWhile Spain was building its New World empire, France was also exploring the Americas. In 1524, Giovanni da Verrazano was commissioned to locate a northwest passage around North America to India. He was followed in 1534 by Jacques Cartier, who explored the St. Lawrence River as far as present-day Montreal. In 1562 Jean Ribault headed an expedition that explored the St. Johns River area in Florida. His efforts were followed two years later by a second venture headed by René de Laudonnière. But the Spanish soon pushed the French out of Florida, and thereafter, the French directed their efforts north and west. In 1608 Samuel de Champlain built a fort at Quebec and explored the area north to Port Royal, Nova Scotia, and south to Cape Cod.

Unlike Spain’s empire, “New France” produced no caches of gold and silver. Instead, the French traded with inland tribes for furs and fished off the coast of Newfoundland. New France was sparsely populated

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by trappers and missionaries and dotted with military forts and trading posts. Although the French sought to colonize the area, the growth of settlements was stifled by inconsistent policies. Initially, France encouraged colonization by granting charters to fur-trading companies. Then, under Cardinal Richelieu, control of the empire was put in the hands of the government-sponsored Company of New France. The company, however, was not successful, and in 1663 the king took direct control of New France. Although more prosperous under this administration, the French empire failed to match the wealth of New Spain or the growth of neighboring British colonies.

THE NETHERLANDSThe Dutch were also engaged in the exploration of America. Formerly a Protestant province of Spain, the Netherlands was determined to become a commercial power and saw exploration as a means to that end. In 1609, Henry Hudson led an expedition to America for the Dutch East India Company and laid claim to the area along the Hudson River as far as present-day Albany. In 1614 the newly formed New Netherland Company obtained a grant from the Dutch government for the territory between New France and Virginia. About ten years later another trading company, the West India Company, settled groups of colonists on Manhattan Island and at Fort Orange. The Dutch also planted trading colonies in the West Indies.

ENGLANDIn 1497 Henry VII of England sponsored an expedition to the New World headed by John Cabot, who explored a part of Newfoundland and reported an abundance of fish. But until Queen Elizabeth’s reign, the English showed little interest in exploration, being preoccupied with their European trade and establishing control over the British Isles. By the mid-sixteenth century, however, England had recognized the advantages of trade with the East, and in 1560 English merchants enlisted Martin Frobisher to search for a northwest passage to India. Between 1576 and 1578 Frobisher as well as John Davis explored along the Atlantic coast.

Thereafter, Queen Elizabeth granted charters to Sir Humphrey Gilbert and Sir Walter Raleigh to colonize America. Gilbert headed two trips to the New World. He landed on Newfoundland but was unable to carry out his intention of establishing military posts. A year later,

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Raleigh sent a company to explore territory he named Virginia after Elizabeth, the “Virgin Queen,” and in 1585, he sponsored a second voyage, this time to explore the Chesapeake Bay region. By the seventeenth century, the English had taken the lead in colonizing North America, establishing settlements all along the Atlantic coast and in the West Indies.

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North Carolina Regions and Tribes

Directions: The activity that follows requires your Social Studies

textbook: North Carolina – Land of Contrasts (http://mystatehistory.com/). The password for North Carolina is: nc09hist

Read the information below and use the compare/contrast charts that follow to demonstrate your understanding of the differences between North Carolina’s regions and tribes.

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http://mystatehistory.com/


Compare and Contrast Organizer – North Carolina

N.C. Region N.C. Region

How are they different?

when it comes to . . .

Climate

Vegetation

Animals

Topography

How are they alike?

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Compare and Contrast Organizer – North Carolina

N.C. Tribe N.C. Tribe

How are they different?

when it comes to . . .

Economy

Religion

Government

Social

How are they alike?

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The Lost Colony

Most Americans know the story of the “Lost Colony”. It dates back to the time the Europeans began to settle on this free land in America.

1. Was this really free land? Why?

The village of Roanoke, in Virginia’s tidewater region, was one of the first English colonies to be established in America. However this village did not turn out to be successful. The Governor of this hamlet was John White. The small population of Roanoke complained about their lack of food and tools. They also were afraid that the Natives may launch a surprise attack on them. These complaints resulted in John White going back to England to get the proper supplies the colonists needed. John White returned three long years later. What he returned to was not a colony but a ghost town. The area which was once a village was abandoned. Houses and other shelters were nowhere in sight. What was left behind were some small cannons, an opened chest, a tall fence built around the perimeter of the former village site, and a single word carved on a fence post, “Croatoan”.

2. Read the theories below and; 3. Select the one you believe is most likely (or create your own theory and write it in below). 4. Write a 100-word or more story using the theory you selected, and;5. Use ALL the elements of plot. 6. Draw an appropriate picture or pictures for your story. Volunteers can read their story for class and we can vote to see whose story we like the most.

Five Popular Theories: 1. The people of Roanoke simply left the settlement and went somewhere else.2. The whole population of Roanoke Island was killed by a disease. 3. The village was destroyed by a severe storm such as a hurricane. 4. The people of Roanoke decided to leave Roanoke Island to live with the Natives. 5. The colonists were killed by the Native Americans.

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Road to Revolution

The French & Indian War

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At the start of the war, the French population was located in the central part of the continent as well as in Canada with a population of 75,000 while the English (a.k.a. British) were concentrated in the east alongside the Atlantic Ocean with a population numbering 1.5 million. Caught in the area between the French in the center, and the English in the east, were the Native American tribes. One main difference between the French and English approach to the Native Americans was that while the English generally ignored the Native Americans and would steal their lands, the French treated the Native Americans with respect and even lived in communities where both cultures lived and worked beside one another.

1. Create a bar graph comparing the two populations of French versus English.

2. Based on this bar graph, which side do you predict will win in a fight?

3. Given the attitudes of the French and English and even knowing the numbers, which side would you have supported in the war if you had been a leader among the Native Americans? Why?

4. With a partner, discuss for 5 minutes which side you would have supported and why. Be prepared to share your answer with the entire class with concrete arguments as to why you supported one side over the other side.

Both the French and English wanted control of the land located between their territories (called Ohio country) because it was valuable land for farmers. The French built a fort called Duqesne (pronounced Duke-ain), while the English under colonel George Washington built a fort called Necessity. Both attacked one another, and Washington ended up surrendering after losing Fort Necessity. Washington was allowed to retreat back to the English colonies.

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5. Why did the French and English want the Ohio country? Label the Ohio country on the map above.

The first few years of the war went badly for the English, with the French and their Native American allies winning most of the battles. During one of the battles, the Native Americans attacked and killed a large group of English, including women and children, some of whom were infected with smallpox. By 1758, a massive smallpox outbreak struck many of the Native Americans helping the French, and they were unable to help the French fight the English. This was when the English attacked Fort Duqesne (pronounced Doo-Cane) again and this time managed to force the French out of the Ohio country.

6. What role did disease play in who won this war? 7. Where else have we seen disease play an important role?8. Who first brought over diseases like smallpox to the New

World?9. What French fort was key to the French controlling the Ohio

country?

By 1763 the war ended with the French agreeing to give up all land in North America, in exchange the English returned to the French some islands in the Caribbean that produced large amounts of valuable sugar, islands that made them more money than all their land in North America. King George III of England, issued the Royal Proclamation of 1763, which reserved all the land west of the Appalachian mountains to the Native Americans, and forbid English colonists from living there. The war also resulted in the English doubling their national debt. As a result of this increased debt, the English began putting new taxes on the English colonists living in North America.

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10. Why were the French willing to give up all their land in North America at the end of the war?

11. What did the Royal Proclamation do?12. How do you think the English colonists felt about the

Proclamation?13. What did the English government do as a result of their

increased debt? 14. Was what the English government did the right thing to do?

Why?

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Important CausesDIRECTIONS: Complete the following graphic organizer using this booklet, your N.C. textbook, and/or the internet. Remember to cite your sources of information.

Cause

Where did it

happen? (be

specific)

What groups

of people were in conflict?

When did it

happen?

What happened and what was the result?

Source Cited

Royal Proclamation at the end of

the French and Indian

War

Great Western Frontier

British Acts of taxation

1763-1775

Boston Massacre

1770

Boston Tea Party

Boston 1773

Edenton Tea Party

Edenton 1774

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Revolutionary Times Assignment

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Founding DocumentsDIRECTIONS: Complete the following graphic organizer using the information that follows.

DocumentWhere was it made?

Who made it?

When did they make it?

Why did they

make it?

What did it say?

Albany Plan of Union

Mecklenburg Resolves

Halifax Resolves

NC State Constitution of 1776

Albany Plan of Union:Back during the French and Indian War (1754-1763), Benjamin Franklin of Pennsylvania colony proposed a plan to unite all 13 English colonies in America to help protect them against the attacks of the French and Cherokee. Under this plan, the 13 colonies would be ruled by a president-general, who would be in charge of all the militia of the 13 colonies. North Carolina did not like the plan and never sent a single representative.

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Mecklenburg Resolves: In 1775, the Committee of Safety in Mecklenburg county, North Carolina, met in protest of the English attack at Lexington and Concord, Massachusetts. The resolves said that they considered the English king’s laws to be null and void because of his attacks on English colonists.

Halifax Resolves:In 1776, the North Carolina provincial congress decided to follow the example of the Mecklenburg Resolves and they passed a resolution authorizing the entire colony of North Carolina to declare independence from the English.

The State Constitution of 1776In 1776, North Carolina went from being a colony to a state after it declared its independence from the English because of unfair taxation and the attack by the English against the people of Massachusetts colony.

The North Carolina provincial congress agreed in the State Constitution to create a legislature made up of representatives of the people called the General Assembly. This Assembly would be bicameral (made of 2 parts) called the House of Commons and the Senate. Each county in NC was to send two delegates to the House and one to the Senate.

Each House member had to own 100 acres and Senators had to own 300 acres, with only white men allowed to be members.

The State Constitution also had a Declaration of Rights which set out certain rights like the Right to a Trial by Jury.

The State Constitution did not have a rule about amendments.

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DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. How are the Mecklenburg and Halifax Resolves similar? How are they different?

2. Why do you think NC didn’t like the Albany Plan of Union?3. What was the structure of the General Assembly?4. Who could be on the General Assembly? Do you see any problems

with who could be a member? Why?5. Is a Trial by Jury important? Why?6. What is your opinion about the lack of amendments for the State

Constitution, is it a good or bad thing? Why?7. On the back of this handout, create a graphic organizer on the

structure (houses) and requirements (memberships) of the General Assembly

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North Carolina in the US Revolution

by Josh HowardResearch Branch, NC Office of Archives and History, 2010.http://www.ncmarkers.com

From the NC Atlas Revisited site: http://ncatlasrevisited.org.

On April 19, 1775, Massachusetts militiamen clashed with British regulars at Lexington Green. Until that point, North Carolinians had maintained a strained yet loyal allegiance to the mother country. Legal battles had been waged between Whig and Tory forces within the state, and Governor Josiah Martin dissolved the General Assembly on April 7. Nevertheless there had been few physically violent confrontations. However, when word of the Lexington skirmish arrived in New Bern on May 6, open warfare seemed inevitable. North Carolina newspaper editor James Davis wrote, “The Sword is now drawn, and God knows when it will be sheathed.”

Throughout 1775, North Carolina Whigs organized their resistance to the Crown. Provincial Congresses were called to order. Two such bodies had formed in 1774 and early 1775, leading to Martin’s order to close the

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Assembly. John Harvey, the former Speaker of the Colonial Assembly, oversaw the first two congresses before his death in the summer of 1775. The Third Provincial Congress of North Carolina, organized in August, elected attorney Samuel Johnston at its head. The body ordered the enlistment of North Carolina’s first soldiers in the Continental Army and developed the thirteen-member Council of Safety to oversee the colony’s resistance. Delegates appointed Cornelius Harnett the head of the Council, and divided the colony into six military districts for the purpose of organizing militia and arranging representation in the executive body.

In early 1776, British authorities planned to exploit the allegiances of thousands of Scottish settlers who lived along the Cape Fear River near Cross Creek (present day Fayetteville). Word was sent to the Loyalists to organize and prepare for a landing of British regulars along the coast. Soon hundreds of Highland Scots were enlisting in Tory regiments in the region and marching towards Wilmington. The Council of Safety acted swiftly to counteract their intentions, and on February 27, 1776, Patriot troops intercepted and destroyed the Loyalist force at Moore’s Creek Bridge.

Two months later, on April 12, 1776, the Fourth Provincial Congress passed the Halifax Resolves, officially endorsing independence from Great Britain. North Carolina representatives presented the resolves to the Continental Congress on May 27, the same day that Virginia offered a similar resolution. Within two months, representatives of the Continental Congress, including North Carolinians Joseph Hewes, William Hooper, and John Penn, signed the Declaration of Independence. In November, the Fifth Provincial Congress approved North Carolina’s first state constitution and appointed Richard Caswell governor.

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Black sailor

during the US

Revolution.

Portrait by

unknown artist,

c. 1780. Original

in the Newport

Historical

Society. From

Learn NC.

The fall of 1776 also witnessed a retaliatory expedition taken against the Cherokee in the western part of the state. A large force of North Carolina militia led by Brigadier General Griffith Rutherford and supported by a secondary force of South Carolina militiamen marched into the far southwestern counties of North Carolina laying waste to Cherokee villages. This action was officially sanctioned by the Continental Congress in retaliation for Cherokee raids that previous summer in the Catawba and Yadkin River valleys. Nevertheless, many western North Carolina militiamen probably saw the operation as a potential land grab.

During 1777, North Carolina Continental soldiers, regular troops enlisted for periods ranging from twelve months to the duration of the war, served in George Washington’s campaigns near Philadelphia. They participated in the battles of Brandywine and Germantown in September and October, before going into winter quarters at Valley Forge. The North Carolina Continental

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brigade lost so many men in the fall and winter that nine regiments that should officially have totaled 4,500-5,000 men only had 1,072 men present for duty. Two hundred and four of men died at Valley Forge, and six of the regiments were officially disbanded.

While North Carolina troops died in the north, the state itself saw relative peace. After the destruction of the Loyalist forces at Moore’s Creek Bridge, few Tories actively resisted Whig rule. In New Bern and Edenton, Patriot merchants such as John Wright Stanly and Richard Ellis sent fleets of privateers to wage war on British shipping. These privately armed merchantmen captured British and Loyalist vessels and had them adjudicated at North Carolina’s admiralty courts, thereby providing goods and prize money to the state’s people. With a small, relatively ineffective state navy, and unable to rely on the equally fledgling Continental Navy, North Carolinians used privateering as their means of engaging the British at sea.

In June 1778, the North Carolina Continentals who had survived the Philadelphia campaign and Valley Forge, took part in the war’s largest battle at Monmouth New Jersey. Afterwards they were detached and sent back to North Carolina. The following March, a large force of North Carolina militia led by Brigadier General John Ashe took part in an expedition into the hinterlands of Georgia. Between Augusta and Savannah, they were attacked and the entire force destroyed at Briar Creek. Three months later, North Carolina Continentals and militia fought at the American defeat at Stono Ferry in South Carolina.

In March 1780, the North Carolina Continental Line was sent to Charleston to help defend the city against a British siege. On May 12, the city fell, and with it nearly every single North Carolina Continental surrendered. In the summer of 1780, a British army led by Charles Cornwallis began advancing into the South Carolina interior. At Camden on August 16, 1780, Cornwallis’s army engaged a small American force commanded by Major General Horatio Gates. Among the Whigs were nearly 3,000 North Carolina

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militia commanded by Governor Richard Caswell. The battle was a disaster for the Americans, and the entire Whig army was swept from the field. The only bright moment for Patriot forces in North Carolina would have been their defeat of a large Loyalist force at Ramsour’s Mill a few days after Camden.

Despite the tragedies at Charleston and Camden, the end of 1780 brought American victories at King’s Mountain, where North Carolina riflemen helped eliminate a Loyalist force led by Major Patrick Ferguson. Only a few months later, North Carolina militia and riflemen helped Daniel Morgan’s Continental army defeat at Cowpens a British force led by Banastre Tarleton. Over the course of six months, Patriot forces destroyed nearly one-quarter of the army Cornwallis had marched with from Charleston.

From January to March 1781, Cornwallis’s army pursued Morgan, and his successor Nathanael Greene, in what became known as the “Race to the Dan.” The campaign included several skirmishes, namely Cowan’s Ford, Bruce’s Crossroads, Clapp’s Mill and Weitzell’s Mill. The campaign culminated in the Battle of Guilford Courthouse, the largest engagement fought in North Carolina during the war. Although an American defeat, Cornwallis lost nearly 27% of his army; so many men that he had to retreat to British-held Wilmington. Charles Fox, a British Parliamentarian, reportedly exclaimed upon learning of Cornwallis’s losses, “Another such victory will ruin us.

After Guilford, as Cornwallis’s army marched for Virginia, and Greene headed into South Carolina, North Carolina became a battleground for an ongoing civil war between local Patriots and Tories. Loyalist David Fanning terrorized the region, and in September captured Governor Thomas Burke and most of the General Assembly in a raid on Hillsborough. He was subsequently attacked by North Carolina militia forces in an aborted rescue attempt at Lindley’s Mill however Fanning escaped with Governor Burke in tow. After Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown the following month, Fanning left North Carolina for the relative safety of the British forces at Charleston. Two years of intermittent fighting

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continued, but no major actions took place in North Carolina. In September 1783, the war ended with the Treaty of Paris. Finally, the sword had been sheathed.

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Constitutional ConventionLesson Goals/Objectives

1. Students will be able to explain some of the issues faced by delegates at the Constitutional Convention.

2. Students will be able to describe how different states addressed these issues.

3. Students will be able to describe how the outcome of the simulated Constitutional Convention compares to the outcome of the actual event.

4. Students will analyze United States Census data from which to gain information.

Key/Essential Questions1. What were some of the issues faced by the delegates at

the Constitutional Convention?2. How did states differ over these issues?3. How did the outcome of the simulation of the

Constitutional Convention compare to the outcome of the actual event that took place in Philadelphia in 1787?

See http://teachingamericanhistory.org/convention/ for further resources on introducing the Constitutional Convention to students.

Background NarrativeBy 1787, the United States was in crisis. The then-current form of government under the Articles of Confederation was mostly ineffective. Interstate commerce was a major problem as states placed tariffs on goods from other states. There was no national executive, no real judicial

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http://teachingamericanhistory.org/convention/


branch (Congress acted as the judicial branch). The legislative branch consisted of a unicameral or one house congress. Congress was limited in its powers so as not to interfere with the powers belonging to the individual states.

In the spring of 1787, Alexander Hamilton, a prominent New York attorney, organized a convention to take place in Philadelphia's Independence Hall. The purpose of the convention was to discuss and remedy the problems associated with the Articles of Confederation. Each state was invited to send delegates to participate in the event. The Philadelphia Convention (later to be known as the Constitutional Convention) began on May 25, 1787. Twelve of the thirteen states sent delegates. The only state to boycott the proceedings was Rhode Island. In total, 55 delegates would play a role at various times in the convention.

The delegates who participated in the convention did not reflect the diversity then present in the nation. Many of the delegates were wealthy planters or lawyers. Many owned slaves. Since they were not considered viable participants in the political process, women, blacks, and NativeAmericans were not represented at the convention.

The leader of the convention was Revolutionary War hero, George Washington of Virginia. Washington assumed command of the debates, yet did not take part in the debates themselves. Benjamin Franklin, representing his adopted state of Pennsylvania, was the oldest delegate present at 81 years of age. James Madison, arguably the most prepared delegate, took copious notes during the confidential debates that followed. His role at the convention would eventually earn him the title, "Father of the Constitution".

As the delegates discussed ways to repair the Articles of Confederation, it soon became apparent that they were designing a new system of government, one more suitable for the young United States. However, issues soon arose that created contentious debate amongst the delegates.

One of these issues dealt with the very nature of the new government. The states with larger populations favored James Madison's Virginia Plan. This plan consisted of a strong national government with three branches

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(Executive, Legislative, and Judicial) and a bicameral (two house) legislature (Congress) with a Senate and a House of Representatives whose memberships would be based upon a state's population. Madison's plan also gave the national government the power to tax, a power that rested solely within the states under the Articles of Confederation.

The less populated states, feeling threatened by Madison's plan, created another plan of government. The New Jersey Plan, written by William Patterson of New Jersey was also known as the Small State Plan. This plan mirrored one part of the Virginia Plan in that it called for a national government of three branches (Executive, Legislative, and Judicial). However, the Legislative Branch would be unicameral (one house) with each state having only one vote. The states would maintain the sole power of taxation. In essence, the New Jersey (or Small State Plan) was very similar to the government under the Articles of Confederation. As the different plans split the convention into factions, the delegation from Connecticut,led by Roger Sherman, created a compromise plan known as the Connecticut Plan or the Great Compromise. This plan called for a government with three branches (Executive, Legislative, andJudicial). The Legislative Branch would be bicameral with a Senate (with equal representation for all states with two senators per state) and a House of Representatives (whose membership would be based upon a state's population). The Great Compromise was able to settle the debatein the convention and helped create the federal system of government under the United States Constitution.

Slavery was a topic of debate that threatened the hopes of a new federal constitution and the very union itself. Many southern states wanted their slaves to be counted as part of their population. This would give slave-holding states an advantage in the House of Representatives and in the Electoral College. The debate was settled with the Three-Fifths Compromise which allowed slaves to be counted as 3/5 of a free white person when the population of a given state was counted for representation purposes.

The Three-Fifths Compromise settled the representation debate, but there were two other areas concerning slavery that were yet unsettled. Slave-holding states were worried that Congress may (in the future) have enough votes to illegalize the international slave trade. The delegates at the

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convention created the Slave Trade Clause which forbade Congress from voting against the international slave trade until 1808.

The final slave debate focused on runaway slaves. Slave states wanted a guarantee that if caught, runaway slaves would be returned to their owner. The convention agreed to include the Fugitive Slave Clause in the Constitution which forced all states to return fugitive slaves to theirowner.

Given the debates on the nature of our government and slavery, it is clear that compromise was the key to success at the Constitutional Convention. Once the document was signed on September 17, 1787, it was presented to the states for ratification. Delaware was the first state to ratify the document. Once it was ratified by the required ninth state (NewHampshire), the Constitution took effect on March 4, 1789. The document created by 55 delegates during the warm summer of 1787 was destined to see our nation through times of peace and times of war. As a testament to the genius of those men, the government they created has lasted over 220 years.

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Decision-Making ActivityMaterials Needed:1. 12 sheets of 8 1/2" X 11" white paper for Tent signs (see directions and drawing below)2. George Washington mask or white colonial wig (not necessary)3. "A Letter from James Madison" Activity Sheet4. "1790 United States Census Data" Sheet5. "The Constitutional Convention Simulation: Tally Sheet"6. "The Constitutional Convention Simulation: Reflection" Sheet

Time Allotment: Two class periods

Procedure:1. Prior to the beginning of class, arrange the classroom to look

similar to the layout of the room used for the Constitutional Convention at Independence Hall. The student desks should be placed in groups of two (one beside the other). There should be three rows of four groups (of two desks). All of the desks should face a large table or your desk that should be located in the front.

2. On each of the 12 groups of desks, place a tent sign with the name of one of the twelve states that attended the Constitutional Convention. (Note: Rhode Island did not attend the Convention.) The tent signs are made by folding an 8 1/2" X 11" sheet of paper horizontally. Write the name of the state below the fold.

3. When students enter the classroom, allow them to choose whatever state they would like to represent and have each student sit at one of the two desks for their chosen state.

4. Select one student to portray George Washington. He or she can sit at the desk in front of the room. The student can wear a George Washington mask or white colonial wig if one is available.

5. If you have more than 24 students, add additional seats for any state as needed.

6. Pass out a copy of the "1790 United States Census Data" Sheet to each student. Explain that detailed population information is not

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available for 1787. Therefore, the 1790 United States Census results will be used.

7. Review the "1790 United States Census Data" Sheet to be sure each student understands the information presented on the sheet.

8. Pass out a copy of the "A Letter from James Madison" Activity Sheet to each student. Have a student read Madison's fictitious letter orally while the other students follow along. Review the questions on the sheet to ensure student understanding. Please note that you may want to give one of these sheets to "George Washington" to fill out for Virginia even though he did not take part in the debates in reality. In this way, the student portraying Washington can have a part in the activity.

9. Give the students approximately 10 minutes to complete the sheet. They should work in pairs with the other student(s) who is also representing their state.

10. Once the class is finished, pass out "The Constitutional Convention Simulation: Tally Sheet" (with"The Constitutional Convention Simulation: Reflection" sheet printed on the reverse side) so that each student has a copy.

11. In order to review the answers to the questions on the "A Letter from James Madison" sheet with the class, ask the student portraying George Washington to call on each state to share their answers to the individual questions. All twelve "states" should share their answer to the same question before answering the next question.

12. As "states" share the answers to the questions, the other students should be filling in the information on their "The Constitutional Convention Simulation: Tally Sheet".

13. Once all of the states have presented the answers to their questions, explain that in order to assess the students' understanding of the simulation, their assignment will be to complete "The Constitutional Convention Simulation: Reflection" sheet. You can determine when this assignment is to be handed in. It should be reviewed orally as a class and compared to the actual Constitutional Convention so as to draw comparisons that will strengthen student comprehension of the historic event.

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A Letter from James MadisonDear Fellow Delegates,Welcome to Independence Hall in the city of Philadelphia! As you know, you have been selected as a delegate to represent your home state during these proceedings. Our purpose is to discuss the defects found in our current government under the Articles of Confederation. Your input is not only desired, but necessary so that we can guarantee "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" to all Americans. I ask you to remember that whatever is said in these meetings is to be held in the strictest of confidence. Again, welcome to Philadelphia and thank you for helping to secure the best possible government for our country.

Sincerely,James Madison

What state do you represent? __________________________Directions: Use the 1790 US Census Information Sheet to answer the following.1790 Total Population: ________________________________1790 Slave Population: _______________________________Directions: Working with the delegate(s) from your state, answer the following questions.1. Is your state considered a large or small state? Explain how you came to this determination.(Hint: States with populations over 250,000 were considered large states.)

2. As a delegate from your state, do you prefer the Virginia Plan or the New Jersey Plan?

3. Why do you prefer this plan?

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4. How should the US Constitution address the issue of slavery? Should slaves be counted for representation?

5. How does your state feel about the issue of representation in Congress? Why?

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1790 United States Census DataState Total Population Slave Population Connecticut 237,946 2,764

Delaware 59,096 8,887

Georgia 82,548 29,264

Maryland 319,728 103,036

Massachusetts 378,787 0

New Hampshire 141,885 158

New Jersey 184,139 11,423

New York 340,120 21,324

North Carolina 393,751 100,572

Pennsylvania 434,373 3,737

Rhode Island 68,825 948

South Carolina 249,073 107,094

Virginia 691,737 292,627

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The Constitutional Convention Simulation: Tally SheetDirections: Fill in the information as students present their responses.

Prefers the Virginia Plan

Prefers the New Jersey Plan

Feelings about Slavery

Feelings about Representation

New HampshireNew York

Massachusetts

Maryland

North Carolina

South Carolina

Pennsylvania

New Jersey

Delaware

Virginia

Georgia

Connecticut

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The Constitutional Convention Simulation: ReflectionDirections: Answer each of the following in complete sentences. You can use the information from the Tally Sheet you completed in class to help you.

1. How would you summarize the feelings of the various states (as seen in the classroom simulation) regarding their feelings toward the Virginia and New Jersey Plans?

2. In the classroom simulation, how would you describe the states' feelings about slavery? Were the states divided? Why?

3. At the Constitutional Convention, how did the slave compromises attempt to settle the different opinions regarding slavery?

4. During the classroom simulation, how did the states feel about representation in Congress? Was there a noticeable difference on this issue between northern and southern states? Large and small states?

5. At the Constitutional Convention, how did the Great Compromise (Connecticut Compromise) settle differences between the states who favored the Virginia Plan and those that favored the New Jersey Plan?

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American Government

Branches of Government

There are 3 separate branches of government today.

1. Legis lative

(Congress): Power: In charge of making the laws of the

land. Elected by the people.

2. Executive (President): Power: In charge of the military and making

treaties with other countries. Can veto1 laws made by Congress.

Elected by the people.3. Judicial (Supreme Court):

Power: In charge of interpreting the laws made by Congress.

Appointed by the President for life and then approved by Congress.

Checks and Balances : Refers to the fact that with three different branches of government, each with its own powers, they will check one another’s power so that no one branch

1 Where the President overrides a new law written by Congress. Congress can still pass the law if 2/3 of Congress agrees with the law.

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will become too powerful, and so the government will be balanced.

Discussion Questions

1) Which branch of government is not elected by the people? How are they chosen? Why do you think this branch of government is not elected?

2) What power does the President have against Congress?

3) What power does Congress have against the President?

4) Why does each branch have power against one or more of the other branches?

5) Create a chart showing the checks and balances of the 3 branches of government.

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The Articles of Confederation The first constitution of the United States after winning the

Revolutionary War against the English, it had the following characteristics:

1) No separation of powers. 2) Central government could not tax the states. 3) Unanimous approval to change the Articles (law)4) 9 of 13 states required to pass new laws 5) Under the Articles, Congress did not have the power

to control who the states trade with and for how much.

Discussion Questions

6) Why would the lack of separation of powers be a bad thing?

7) Why would the inability to tax the states be bad?

8) Explain whether Article 3 is good or bad and why.

9) Do you see any issue with Article 5 in the Confederation? Explain.

The Federalists favored the creation of a strong federal government that would more closely unite the states as one large, continental nation. They tended to come from the wealthier class of merchants and plantation owners. The Anti-Federalists found many problems in the Constitution. They argued that the document would give the country an entirely new and untested form of government. They saw no sense in throwing out the existing government. Instead, they believed that the Federalists had over-stated the current problems of the country.

The Anti-Federalists frequently claimed that the Constitution represented a step away from the democratic goals of the American Revolution and toward the twin evils

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of monarchy2 and aristocracy3. The Anti-Federalists feared that the Constitution gave the president too much power and that the proposed Congress would be too aristocratic in nature, with too few representatives for too many people.

They also criticized the Constitution for its lack of a BILL OF RIGHTS. The Anti-Federalists argued that the Constitution would be the end to all forms of self-rule in the states. They also felt that so large a country as the United States could not possibly be controlled by one national government. Some wanted the United States to break up and re-form into three or four different countries.

DIRECTIONS: Answer the following questions as both a Federalist and Anti-Federalist:

1. What is the best form of government? 2. What rights must the government protect? 3. Which government powers should be granted to the

states, and which to the federal government?Federalists Anti-Federalists

1) 1)

2) 2)

3) 3)

DIRECTIONS: Create a graphic organizer in your notebook comparing and contrasting the Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution:

2 A country ruled by a king or queen.3 A country ruled by the elite rich.

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The U.S. Constitution The second constitution of the United States, it replaced the

Articles of Confederation and had the following characteristics:

1. Had separation of powers through 3 different branches of government

2. The central (federal) government could tax the states.

3. To change (or amend) the Constitution and thus create amendments (changes), it could be done two ways:

I. First way to create an amendmenti. Proposal by Congress (2/3 vote),

ii. followed by ratification4 by the states (3/4 vote).

II. Second way to create an amendmenti. On demand of 2/3 of the states,

ii. Congress then calls a constitutional convention to propose an amendment (2/3 vote),

iii. then ratification by the states (3/4 vote).

4. Congress can vote among themselves to pass new laws (simply majority needed i.e. 51%)

5. Congress has the power to control who the states trade with and for how much.

4 Approval.

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NOTES:

The U.S. Constitution is the highest law in the land, it is more important than any law by any state.

The Bill of Rights The first TEN amendments to the U.S. Constitution.

Amendment Rights Notes

1st

Freedom of Speech Say what you want, but no threats.

No established religion Believe in what you want. Separation of church and state.

2ndRight to keep and bear arms

You can have guns, but the government can still require a license.

3rdProtection from quartering

Government cannot force you to have soldiers in your home.

4th Protection from unreasonable search

Government cannot search you without a

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and seizure good reason.

5th

Eminent domain: Nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation

Government can force you to sell your land, as long as they pay you, and they have a good reason.

6th

Criminal Trial by jury If you have jail time you have a right to a trial by jury.

Right to a speedy trial You must go to court within 6 months of your arrest.

7th Civil Trial by jury If you are sued you have a right to a trial by jury.

8th

No excessive bail The government can’t charge you too much for bail.

No cruel and unusual punishment

No torture.

9th

Protection of rights not specifically mentioned

Even though some rights aren’t mentioned, it doesn’t mean they don’t exist.

10th

Powers not mentioned for the federal government are reserved to the states or people

Any power not mentioned for the federal government, is for the states (or people).

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DIRECTIONS: Read each scenario below, and tell me:

1. Which Amendment is involved; and2. Answer the question asked; and3. Give a specific reason why you answered as you did.

Scenario 01:

The City of Durham is planning on building a highway through John’s neighborhood. The planned highway goes right through John’s house. John refuses to move, arguing that he owns the house and land and that his parents are buried on the land. The City tells him he must leave his house and land and offer to pay him $100,000 (the land and house are worth $95,000). Who is right?

Scenario 02:

Jayna hates Governor McRory. She camps out on the sidewalk in front of the governor’s mansion with a sign saying, “McRory sucks! Down with McRory!” Jayna is arrested by the police. Was Jayna’s arrest legal?

Scenario 03:

Damarius is arrested for breaking and entering his neighbor’s home. At sentencing, the judge decides to punish Damarius and sentences him to life in prison. Was the judge’s sentence legal?

Scenario 04:

Kayla is charged with murder on January 1, 2012. The police take her to jail and due to a large caseload in the court system, they do not have Kayla’s trial until September 14, 2012. Were Kayla’s constitutional rights violated?

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Scenario 05:

Mark is found guilty of speeding, he was traveling 90 m.p.h. in a 30 m.p.h. school zone. The judge suspends Mark’s driver’s license, sentences him to jail for 2 days, and sets his bail at $5,000. Were Mark’s rights violated?

Scenario 06:

The police are chasing James through the streets of a neighborhood when James busts through a home’s door and into Amy’s living room. The police follow after and see Amy on the couch with illegal drugs in hand. One policeman arrests Amy and the rest continue to chase after James. Amy argues that her rights were violated. Is Amy correct?

Scenario 07:

Diana has a nice car and is stopped at a stop light in her nice neighborhood when a woman comes rushing up and says that she needs a ride to her husband who has just fallen and broken his leg. Diana, being kind, gives the woman a ride to a sketchy part of town, where the woman jumps out of her car and disappears behind a house. The woman robs a man at the house with a broken leg. The woman jumps back into the car with a backpack and that’s when nearby police arrest them both. Diana argues that her rights have been violated. Is Diana correct?

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North Carolina Constitution of 1776

The Provincial Congress of N.C. ratified the first state constitution in December 1776. This draft was not submitted to a vote of the people, but was accompanied by a Declaration of Rights. Although the constitution affirmed the separation of powers between the three branches of government, the General Assembly (Legislative Branch) held the true power. Until 1836, the General Assembly members were the only state officials who were elected by the people. The General Assembly picked Judges (Judicial Branch), the Governor (Executive Branch) and the members in the Council of State. Judges had life terms and governors had a one-year term. The Governor had little power and in many cases needed the consent of the Council of State to exercise the power that the office did hold. The Governor was also held to strict term limits; a person could only hold the

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Term_limits

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_Council_of_State#Council_of_State

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Governor_of_North_Carolina

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_General_Assembly

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_General_Assembly

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/North_Carolina_Provincial_Congress


office three terms in every six years. The constitution established a judicial branch, but did not well define this branch's structure. The constitution also lacked a system of local government (there was no county government). Universal suffrage5 was not an element of this constitution. Only landowners could vote for members of the Legislative branch until 1857. To hold state office required land ownership until 1868.

Directions and Discussion Questions

1. What was N.C.’s legislative branch called? What was the U.S.’s legislative branch called?

2. Which was the only branch in N.C.’s Constitution that was elected by the people? Which branches in the U.S. Constitution were elected by the people?

3. Who could vote for members of N.C.’s legislative branch?4. What kind of power did the Governor have?5. What kind of power did the N.C. judicial branch have?6. Create a Venn diagram or other graphic organizer

comparing/contrasting the N.C. Constitution with the U.S. Constitution.

5 Suffrage = voting. Universal suffrage = everyone may vote.

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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_suffrage

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_suffrage