One of the major debates at the constitutional convention was between delegates who wanted a strong

Purpose
In this activity, you will discuss when compromise is necessary to move forward with an idea, and when it is not. When have you made compromises to move things forward? When is compromise not an option?

Process
In your group, read Ben Franklin’s speech. 

“I confess that I do not entirely approve of this Constitution at present, but Sir, I am not sure I shall never approve it: For having lived long, I have experienced many Instances of being oblig’d, by better Information or fuller Consideration, to change Opinions even on important Subjects, which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise. It is therefore that the older I grow the more apt I am to doubt my own Judgment and to pay more Respect to the Judgment of others.”

And 

“On the whole, Sir, I cannot help expressing a Wish, that every Member of the Convention, who may still have Objections to it, would with me on this Occasion doubt a little of his own Infallibility, and to make manifest our Unanimity, put his Name to this Instrument.”

In your group, discuss Ben Franklin’s speech. 

• What are some of his key arguments? Would you have signed the Constitution at the end of the Convention?
• Discuss as small groups a time in your life when you have compromised. Was it successful? 
• What did you gain? What did you let go of? 

After your discussion, individually write a short reflection on the purpose and need for compromise. 

The Constitutional Convention ended on September 17, 1787. As the Convention was reaching its close, Ben Franklin rose with a speech in his hand. Franklin was the oldest Convention delegate and one of America’s most beloved leaders. Franklin handed his speech to his friend and fellow Pennsylvania delegate, James Wilson, who read it aloud to the Convention. Franklin himself admitted that the new Constitution was not perfect, but he asked his colleagues to approach the document with humility. Franklin praised the work of his fellow delegates and urged them to sign the new Constitution—asking anyone “who may still have Objections” to “on this Occasion doubt a little of his own Infallibility.” Later that day, 39 delegates signed the new Constitution. But even following Franklin’s powerful speech, George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and Edmund Randolph refused. Together, these three dissenters were concerned that their fellow delegates had refused to write a Bill of Rights into the new Constitution and had crafted a powerful national government that was destined to seize political power, swallow up the states, and abuse the rights of the American people. The Convention’s closing days were a sneak peek of the looming battle over the ratification of the Constitution.

Launch
Give students time to read the speech and have a discussion in small groups. Prompt them to describe a time when they have questioned compromise. 

Activity Synthesis
Discuss other areas of life when compromise is necessary. Have students brainstorm ideas of when they might have to compromise in the future.

Activity Extension (optional)
Now that students have a better understanding of the compromises at the Convention, ask the following question:

• Would you have joined or dissented and why? 

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Purpose
Despite Benjamin Franklin’s closing speech calling for all delegates to unite in signing the new Constitution, the dissenters refused to sign it on September 17, 1787—the final day of the Constitutional Convention. They worried that the delegates had created a new national government with too much power. As part of this decision, they criticized the delegates for leaving out a bill of rights. This act of dissent was central to the later framing and ratification of the Bill of Rights. Think back to our earlier discussions about the Constitutional Convention in light of these objections. Do you think that you would have joined George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and Edmund Randolph in dissenting?

Process
Think about the significance of the U.S. Constitution. Share the first idea or part of the Constitution that comes to mind.

Then, look at the Visual Info Brief: Three Delegates image of three delegates to the Constitutional Convention taken at the National Constitution Center’s Signers’ Hall Exhibit.

Answer the following questions and be prepared to engage in a classroom discussion:

1. How would you describe the delegates’ postures and stances?
2. What do you think their body language indicates about what they’re thinking and feeling? 
3. Why do you think they may feel this way at the end of the Constitutional Convention? 
4. These are statues of George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and Edmund Randolph. Today, we refer to them as the “Dissenters.” What does dissent mean to you?

Launch

Share the Visual Info Brief: Three Delegates image of three delegates to the Constitutional Convention taken at the National Constitution Center’s Signers’ Hall Exhibit. 

Record student thoughts about the Constitution on the board. After a few minutes, recognize how many ideas, concepts, or rights are found in the Bill of Rights.

Ask students if they recognize these delegates (George Mason, Elbridge Gerry, and Edmund Randolph). If not, review delegate information in the Info Brief: Meet the Dissenters document. Share with the class and emphasize that these delegates are known as the “Dissenters.” Give some information about who they were, what states they represented, and their views of the Constitution. 

Activity Synthesis
Quickly show the students the listing of rights in the Bill of Rights (short form ideas listing). Ask the students the following questions:

• Do you agree or disagree with the Dissenters’ critique of the Constitution—that it should have included a bill of rights?
• Why do you think that the delegates left a bill of rights out of the Constitution? 
• Following Primary Source: Dissenters at the Constitutional Convention at the Convention, would you have joined the Dissenters? Would you have refused to sign the Constitution? Why, or why not?

Activity Extension (optional)
Have students choose one of the Dissenters and learn more about him. Ask students to reflect on another moment when dissent has played an important role in American history, or in their own life.

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Purpose
When crafting a new Constitution, the framers were concerned about the threats posed by a powerful new national government. To guard against potential abuses of power, the Founding generation divided power.

In this activity, you will explore the separation of powers and federalism.

Process
Complete the Activity Guide: Separation of Powers, Checks and Balances, and Federalism Reflection worksheet. Discuss with your group your understanding of the separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism.

After your discussion, your teacher will lead you through an activity to determine your understanding of separation of powers and checks and balances, in particular. 

Launch
Open the discussion by asking students what they know about separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism. Then, ask them whether there's anything they wonder about those key principles.

Activity Synthesis
After students complete their group discussions, lead them through the Activity Guide: Separation of Powers and Federalism: Whose job (or check), is it? document. You may distribute the document or use it to lead class discussion. 

Now that students have a better understanding of the separation of powers, ask students to identify examples of when a branch has the sole power to work alone and when a branch must work with another branch to take action.

Ask the students these follow-up questions:

• Which jobs are standalone jobs of one of the branches of government?
• Which jobs are overlapping?
• Why did the founders separate power between the branches and included connections and overlap between jobs (checks and balances)?

As part of the discussion, connect the principles of the separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism to the broader theory of our republic: the need to both check abuses of power and create a government that creates policy that serves the common good (by slowing politics down, blocking bad ideas, curbing abuse, promoting deliberation, valuing principled compromise, etc.).

Students should see not only the value of checking government abuse, but also the constructive parts of our complicated system—how it might promote good policy—and also reflect on whether they think that the founders struck the right balance.

To frame this part of the discussion, ask students to reflect on the following questions: 

• How does this system of separating power act as a tool to ensure better outcomes? 
• How does the entire system work together to slow down politics, limit abuses, promote deliberation and compromise, and force us to work together to achieve common purposes (but only when the ideas are consistent with the Constitution and attract broad support)?

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Purpose
In this activity, you will explore how Congress works and learn about how the founders expected it to work. You will discuss the value of using a slow and deliberative process to make national laws. However, you will also debate the tradeoffs of this system. 

Process
What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the word Congress? Next, review the Visual Info Brief: Political Cartoon image and explain what the political cartoonist is trying to say about Congress. Finally, list three words or terms that you hear people say about Congress outside of this class. Think about the ways that the news portrays Congress.

After reviewing the image, answer the following questions:

• What is the cartoonist trying to say about Congress?
• List three action words that explain what you hear people saying about Congress.

Now, review the following quotes about Congress’s lawmaking process by a leading scholar of the founding era and of the constitutional thought of James Madison and Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 70

 
“Madison’s overall aim was not to stymie the will of the majority, but rather to place obstacles in the path of factions, including majority faction. At the same time, he sought to facilitate the development of a just majority, or in other words, the reason of the public. . . . Too swift and facile political communication allows the mere will of the majority, or sheer power, to rule in the regime.   The slow, measured process of the communication of ideas, however, refines and modifies the will of the society, subjecting power to the test of right reason.”
- Colleen Sheehan Professor, School of Civic and Economic Thought and Leadership, Arizona State University

“The differences of opinion, and the jarrings of parties in [Congress], though they may sometimes obstruct salutary plans, yet often promote deliberation and circumspection, and serve to check excesses in the majority.”
Alexander Hamilton, Federalist No. 70

Reflect on the quotes and record your answers to the following questions:

• What is the scholar trying to say about Congress and the value of a demanding political process?
• List three ideas that explain how Congress is supposed to work.

Launch
Ask the students the first thing that comes to mind when they hear the word “Congress.” Write ideas on the board and note any patterns.

Give students time to analyze the political cartoon and as a group answer the guiding questions. 
What is the cartoonist trying to say about Congress? The goal of this analysis is to address the impressions that students may already have—that Congress is dysfunctional, with a lot of partisan fights. The system can be nasty. It can be slow. Often, Congress struggles to get anything done—even when it seems to many Americans like there are serious problems worth addressing.

Then, you can pivot to the founders’ vision and the benefits of the system. Give students time to analyze the scholarly quotes about the value of a demanding political process and as a group answer the guiding questions. 

The Colleen Sheehan quote is from the following article: A Madisonian Constitution for All.   

Activity Synthesis

• What are the benefits of a slow, deliberative process? Why do you think that the Founding generation designed it this way? 
• What are the drawbacks of such a system?  
• How can such a process benefit a growing (and diverse) society with different needs and viewpoints? 
• What are some of the challenges of such a system in this context?

Activity Extension (optional)
Now that students have a better understanding of the debate, ask the following question:

• What are examples of the advantages and disadvantages of a slow lawmaking process? 

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Purpose
Article II “vest[s]” the “executive Power . . . of the United States” in a single president. It sets out the details for how we elect a president (namely, through the Electoral College) and how we might remove one from office (namely, through the impeachment and removal process). It also lists some of the president’s core powers and responsibilities. In this activity, you will explore the role of the president in our constitutional system. 

Process
Read the first line of Article II of the Constitution. 

The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.

Think about executive power and participate in a class discussion facilitated by your teacher. Answer the following questions:

• What reactions do you have to the opening text of Article II? What do you think it means?
• What is “the executive Power?”
• This text tells us that the Founding generation created a single chief executive—the president. Why do you think the founders decided to place the executive power in the hands of a single person rather than a committee? What are the benefits of a single chief executive? What are the potential downsides?
• What is the role/job of the executive branch? Who else is part of the executive branch?

After discussing the first line of Article II with your class, brainstorm a current list of roles/jobs for the president. Record them and share with your classmates.

Review the Info Brief: Presidential Roles document for a comprehensive list.

Launch
Provide students with a summary of the three branches of government. Within the national government, the executive branch is responsible for enforcing the laws. We commonly think of the president as the most powerful elected office in all of the world. Yet, the Constitution actually grants far fewer explicit powers to the president in Article II than it does to the Congress in Article I.

Give students time to read the first line of Article II. 

Over the course of the week, ask students to try to match some of the key jobs of the president with what is spelled out in the Constitution.

Note: The 22nd Amendment limits the president to two terms in office. This is an example of a norm established by George Washington, held over time, violated by Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and then written into the Constitution. This is a great example to share with students of how a presidential norm may be written into the Constitution.

Activity Synthesis
Ask students to discuss recent presidents and the roles they took on during their terms in office.

Activity Extension (optional)
Now that students have a better understanding of the roles/jobs of the president, ask them to find a news article that demonstrates one or more roles of the president.

You can also ask students to speak to at least two adults and two peers outside of class, ask them the following questions, and write down their responses.

• What is the job of the president?
• What is the job of the executive branch?

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Purpose
So, how does a constitutional case get to the Supreme Court? Someone—often a single person—goes to court and argues that a law, an arrest, or a regulation is in conflict with the Constitution. When this happens, they may eventually be able to petition the Supreme Court to hear their case. However, the Supreme Court has broad discretion to choose which cases it decides each year. The Supreme Court receives about 10,000 petitions per year, and only agrees to hear about 65 of them. That’s not a lot! In this activity, you will study a real case and analyze how it got to the Supreme Court.

Process
Begin by reading the Common Interpretation: Article III, Section 1 and the Info Brief: How Does a Case Get to the Supreme Court document for background information about Article III and the federal court system. Summarize by writing a paragraph how the judicial branch works today. 

Next, work as a group to chart the path of a case to the Supreme Court. Your group will choose a historical case from the list of choices provided. Read about the case and work with your group to build a simple road map graphic to show the progression of this case to the Supreme Court. Be creative in your design. You can draw the path, sketch it out in a Word document, or use tools such as Piktochart.

Select a case from the historical case list.

Compare your roadmap to the one provided on how the typical case gets to the Supreme Court today.

Launch
Have students read Common Interpretation: Article III, Section 1 and Info Brief: How Does a Case Get to the Supreme Court. Then, discuss with students how the judicial branch works and how the cases start with We the People and get to the Supreme Court. 

Activity Synthesis
As a final activity, have students select a historical court case to build their path to the Supreme Court infographic. Students should identify the typical path, short-cuts, and areas where cases get blocked by exploring data on how many cases are heard at each level of the court system and analyzing what are the criteria for cases to get past certain checkpoints. 

Activity Extension (optional)
Now that students have a better understanding of how a case gets to the Supreme Court, ask the following questions:

• What is one thing you learned about cases that reach the Supreme Court?
• What surprised you about these cases?
• Were there any similarities?
• If you were to write a letter to the people in these cases before they took up the fight, what would you tell them?

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Purpose
In this activity, you will discuss the five freedoms enshrined in the First Amendment.

Process
As a class, list the first words that come to mind when you hear the words “First Amendment.” What freedoms are enshrined in it?

Read the text of the Primary Source: First Amendment as a class and identify the five freedoms. Highlight, circle, and label the key freedoms and key information along with your classmates.

Your teacher will lead you through a discussion on the First Amendment as a group.

In small groups answer the following questions: 

• Why do you think that these five freedoms were included in the First Amendment? Why are they important? Why might the Founding generation have valued them? Are there any principles (or broader theories) that connect the First Amendment’s five freedoms?
• How does each freedom offer something distinct?
• How do these freedoms overlap and/or reinforce one another?
• What are some ways that you might exercise your First Amendment freedoms today?

Be prepared to discuss your answer as a class.

Launch
Begin by asking students what they know about the First Amendment and what freedoms are in it. Next, display the First Amendment’s text or provide copies for all students to view. Read the words out loud. 

The First Amendment 
Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

As a class, have the students identify the five freedoms, circle them, and label them for the whole group. 

Guiding Question:

• What freedoms are in the First Amendment?

Discuss examples of how someone might exercise their First Amendment rights. This does not have to be exact, and some informal examples are great, as well. Possible examples: 

• I don’t agree with the time my school starts, and I speak up at a school board meeting. 
• I have a different place to worship than my friends do, or I don’t go to a place of worship at all. 
• I am going to start my own blog to discuss changes I want to see in Congress. 
• Our courthouse does not allow skateboarders. I am going to write a letter and then protest.

Activity Synthesis
In small groups, have students reflect on why the First Amendment’s five freedoms are grouped together. Highlight any comments that identify the freedom of belief, expression, or conscience. Talk about how these five freedoms give us all the right to develop our own ideas (and cultivate our own beliefs); worship (or not) freely; communicate our ideas to other people; get together with others to discuss issues, plan activities, and engage in expressive acts like protests and parades; and petition the government. Throughout American history, many of these First Amendment rights have often been important to unpopular groups, those representing minority groups with little political power or voice from all perspectives.

Guiding Questions:

• Why do you think that these five freedoms were included in the First Amendment? Why are they important? Why might the Founding generation have valued them? Are there any principles (or broader theories) that connect the First Amendment’s five freedoms?
• How does each freedom offer something distinct?
• How do these freedoms overlap and/or reinforce one another?
• What are some ways that you might exercise your First Amendment freedoms today?

Activity Extension (optional)
Now that students have a better understanding of the five freedoms protected by the First Amendment, ask them what would happen if these freedoms were not protected by the Constitution? What are some of the dangers?

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Purpose
In this activity, you will get a better understanding of key terms of the Fourth Amendment and read how two top scholars explain the Fourth Amendment’s text, history, and case law. 

Process
Review the words below in the Activity Guide: Key Terms - Fourth Amendment worksheet about the Fourth Amendment’s key terms. 

• Search
• Seizure
• Privacy     
• Reasonable
• Warrant 
• Probable cause
• Exclusionary rule
• Third-party doctrine

Then, read the Fourth Amendment Common Interpretation Essay by Barry Friedman and Orin Kerr.  

Fourth Amendment: Search and Seizure  

• Text of the Constitution
• Common Interpretation

Finally, paraphrase the key terms in the Activity Guide: Key Terms - Fourth Amendment worksheet in your own words or give examples from the essay. Hint: If you have any trouble, check out the video again for extra information on each term and note the timestamp for future help.

Launch
Before beginning the activity, students list words that come to mind when they think of the Fourth Amendment. Whenever relevant (or helpful), they can connect the list of words in this activity to concepts of digital privacy. 

• Search
• Seizure
• Privacy     
• Reasonable
• Warrant 
• Probable cause
• Exclusionary Rule
• Third-Party Doctrine

Activity Synthesis
Have students complete the Activity Guide: Key Terms worksheet and list where in the video these terms can be found. Next, have students read the Fourth Amendment Common Interpretation Essay by Barry Friedman and Orin Kerr and then paraphrase the key terms. Remind students to reference the video for help if needed and note the timestamp in the video where they can find the terms for future activities. 

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Purpose In this activity, you will compare and contrast the founding story of America’s fight for liberty with the founding story of existence of slavery. You will first examine an image and speech of Patrick Henry, embodying young America’s push for independence. Then compare that image and speech with a letter written by the same author on the issue of enslavement. Reflect on the relationship between America’s fight for independence and the desire of some of those same Founders to preserve the institution of slavery. Finally, read a passage from Harriet Tubman and reflect on her fight to end slavery.

Process
In small groups, examine the artwork capturing Patrick Henry's famous speech, entitled “Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!” Then, read an excerpt of Henry’s famous speech of the same title. Finally, compare the image and Henry’s speech to a letter written by Henry during the same time period. 

View the image and quotes below, or review the Visual Info Brief: Patrick Henry and Slavery slides.

Discuss as a large group the contradiction between young America’s fight for freedom with the existence of chattel slavery during the same period.  

“Give Me Liberty, or Give Me Death!”
This lithograph captures the moment when Patrick Henry delivered his famous speech on the rights of the colonists before the Virginia Assemblywho  convened at Richmond, March 23, 1775. Henry’s famous speech became the battle cry of the American Revolution:

“Gentlemen may cry, Peace, Peace – but there is no peace. The war is actually begun! The next gale that sweeps from the north will bring to our ears the clash of resounding arms! Our brethren are already in the field! Why stand we here idle? What is it that gentlemen wish? What would they have? Is life so dear, or peace so sweet, as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? Forbid it, Almighty God! I know not what course others may take; but as for me, give me liberty or give me death!”

Patrick Henry, Letter to Robert Pleasants, January 18, 1773
This excerpt is from a letter authored by Patrick Henry during the same time period. He wrote it to Robert Pleasants two years earlier. Henry was a slaveholder.

“Is it not amazing that at a time when the rights of humanity are defined and understood with precision, in a country, above all others, fond of liberty . . .  that in such an age and such a country we find men professing a religion the most humane, mild, meek, gentle and generous, adopting a principle as repugnant to humanity as it is inconsistent with the Bible and destructive to liberty?

I shall honor the Quakers for their noble efforts to abolish Slavery. It is equally calculated to promote moral and political good.

Would any one believe that I am master of slaves by my own purchase? I am drawn along by the general inconvenience of living without them. I will not—I cannot justify it, however culpable my conduct. I will so far pay my devoir to Virtue, as to own the excellence and rectitude of her precepts, and to lament my want of conformity to them. I believe a time will come when an opportunity will be afforded to abolish this lamentable evil.”

Launch
From the very beginning of the American republic, Americans battled over the institution of slavery—with each side laying claim to the Constitution’s text and history to defend its position.

A range of voices—both pro-slavery and anti-slavery—turned to the Constitution’s language and constructed arguments to favor their side of the great constitutional battles over slavery in the 1800s. We’ll cover many of those constitutional debates in detail in this module.

Activity Synthesis
We are using Patrick Henry here as a stand-in for many leaders in early America. Through this activity, we will try to help students understand the complexity of this context in early America, a conflict between America’s founding principles and the existence of chattel slavery. Share the image, speech, and letter, found on the Visual Info Brief: Patrick Henry and Slavery slides, and discuss as a large group. 

• How can Patrick Henry and many of his fellow slaveholder revolutionaries push for a revolution based on the principle of freedom, while still holding enslaved people in bondage? How can we be this and that at the same time? (Project both on board) 
• How does Patrick Henry explain this contradiction in his own words?
• How might future reformers use the sorts of founding principles contained in Henry’s famous speech and in canonical documents like the Declaration of Independence to challenge the institution of slavery?
• Was your group aware of this acknowledgement of the evils of slavery by the leaders of the American Revolution? 

As a final reflection, share the power of Harriet Tubman.

The quote below is from a biography of Harriet Tubman. Echoing Patrick Henry, Tubman writes about her work on the Underground Railroad and the fight for liberty:

“Harriet was now left alone, . . . She turned her face toward the north, and fixing her eyes on the guiding star, and committing her way unto the Lord, she started again upon her long, lonely journey. She believed that there were one or two things she had a right to, liberty or death.”

After making her own escape, Tubman returned to the South 19 times to bring over 300 fugitives to safety, including her own aged parents.

Activity Extension (optional)
Now that students have a better understanding of the complexity of our founding story, ask the following question: Have you seen similar complexity in other periods in American history? With other key figures?

What is the role of America’s founding creed (perhaps, most notably, as written into the Declaration of Independence) in pushes for reform? How has our nation’s founding creed served as both a tool to expose our contradictions and a north star guiding us to do better? 
 

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The 19th Amendment bans discrimination at the ballot box based on sex. The battle for women’s suffrage was a long one, involving generations of brave reformers pushing for change at national, state, and local level.

To begin, read Info Brief: The Women’s Suffrage Movement.

Then, your teacher will break your class into groups. Each group should build a women’s suffrage timeline, using the info brief and the National Constitution Center’s Drafting Table tool.

From there, use the Interactive Primary Source Tool: Historic Debates for and Against Suffrage to create a chart of the main arguments for and against women’s suffrage.

Finally, your group will share what you learned and reflect on the battle for women’s suffrage over time and what that story can teach us about the process of constitutional reform within the American constitutional system. We will return to this big question about constitutional reform in Module 15.
 

The 19th Amendment bans discrimination at the ballot box based on sex. The battle for women’s suffrage was a long one, involving generations of brave reformers pushing for change at national, state, and local level.

To begin, have the students read Info Brief: The Women’s Suffrage Movement.

Then, break the class into groups. Each group should build a women’s suffrage timeline, using the Info Brief and the National Constitution Center’s Drafting Table tool.

From there, each group will use the interactive Debates webpage for and against suffrage to create a chart of the main arguments for and against women’s suffrage.

Finally, as a class, each group will share what they learned and reflect on the battle for women’s suffrage over time and what that story can teach us about the process of constitutional reform within the American constitutional system. We will return to this big question about constitutional reform in Module 15.

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Purpose
The 14th Amendment’s powerful language transformed the Constitution forever. In this activity, you will analyze the text of the 14th Amendment, break down its key parts, and explore the big ideas enshrined in its text.

Process
Watch the video of Reconstruction historian Eric Foner discussing the origins and meaning of the 14thAmendment. Video: Eric Foner on the Origins and Meaning of the 14th Amendment.

Next, complete the Activity Guide: Introduction to the 14th Amendment worksheet. Split up into groups, review your assigned a key clause of the 14th Amendment,  and share with the larger group.

As background support, review the Info Brief: Reconstruction and America’s “Second Founding.”

Finally, present your group’s assigned clause to the class. If this is not your section, take notes and complete your worksheet. Your class will then discuss the big ideas contained in the 14th Amendment and how the amendment remains relevant today. Explore the following key questions:

• Why do you think that the Reconstruction generation added that language to the Constitution? 
• What big idea did it write into the Constitution?
• How did it respond to the Civil War and the challenges of Reconstruction in its own time?
• How does it remain relevant today? What are some of the modern debates over its meaning and application?

At the end of this module, you will build your own virtual exhibit, so begin to take notes on the stories, images, primary sources, and Supreme Court cases that you may want to include in your exhibit. Think about what stories you will tell. 

Launch
Review the big ideas of the 14th Amendment. There are multiple parts to the 14th Amendment. Focus on Sections 1 and 5. 

As background, watch Eric Foner on the Origins and Meaning of the 14th Amendment and review Activity Guide: Introduction to the 14th Amendment.

Read the Amendment over as a class and then have students complete the worksheet in groups. Assign each group a key clause of the 14th Amendment. Have them read the Common Interpretation essay in the Interactive Constitution, use the Drafting Table tool to explore the debates over their clause and its framing history, and complete a chart on their assigned clause.
 

Activity Synthesis
Have students present their assigned clause to the class. Groups should address the following key questions:

• Why do you think that the Reconstruction generation added that language to the Constitution? 
• What big idea did the clause write into the Constitution?
• How did it respond to the Civil War and the challenges of Reconstruction in its own time?
• How does it remain relevant today? What are some of the modern debates over its meaning and application?

Then as a class, have students summarize the significance of the 14th Amendment as a whole and its big ideas. What did it add to the Constitution? 

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Launch
Before the activity begins, see if students can remember some of the amendments from the video. Project all 27 amendments on the board for students to see main groupings.

Then have students read the Info Brief: Periods of Constitutional Change and the 27 Amendments. 

Activity Synthesis
As a class, have students share some of the most interesting facts about America’s 27 amendments. Then ask students to explore any big themes or patterns that they see across the various amendments. Share with students the groupings of amendments from the previous worksheet as a visual. Ask students to group the amendments in the category provided. 

Activity Extension (optional)
After you review all 27 amendments, ask the students whether they see any other patterns or groupings  other than by ratification year? Reshuffle to align under these groupings.

1. Historical events
2. Social movements
3. Critics of the Constitution
4. Controversial Supreme Court decisions
5. Lessons learned over time
6. Any others?