7-12 Lesson Plans (Constitution Period)

David Hume

Students will be exposed to Madison’s famed work Federalist # 10 and have the opportunity to make connections to Scottish philosopher David Hume who was highly influential to the “Father of the Constitution.” Students will also work in pairs to come up with their own interpretation of the influence of factions in American making both historical and contemporary connections.

The Federalist Party

In this lesson, students will investigate the origin of political parties, identify the platform of the Federalist Party, and compare and contrast the main views of the Federalists with the Anti-Federalists.   With their findings, students will develop campaign posters reflecting these views.

Origins of Federalist PowerPoint

The Federalist Papers

Use Madison’s Federalist Paper #10 to learn about the role of factions in government, the fears over degeneration of republics, and the remedy in an “extended republic.”

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"Precedent" Washington

The U.S. Constitution allocates more text to the process of electing and removing a president than it does to explaining the powers of a president.  As a result, the presidency of George Washington took on the added responsibility of having to establish precedents.  Many of these precedents have strong implications on the current role of the Executive Branch and separation of powers today while others have been overruled.  This lesson requires students to develop PowerPoint presentations on one of the precedents established during the Washington presidency.

John Adams, The Massachusetts Constitution and Convention

This lesson invites students to identify the contributions that John Adams made to the United States Constitution and to understand the innovative nature of his contributions.  Using cooperative learning groups and guided Internet research (via Web Quest) the students will

The Northwest Ordinance

The lesson uses technology in the form of a Treasure Hunt as an activity for students to research pre-selected Internet sites to gain an understanding of the Northwest Ordinance. Through web-based guided research, students will develop an understanding of why the Confederation Congress found land ordinances to be necessary and what significance the Northwest Ordinance had on the period and into the nation’s future.

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