5 6 words of freedom the US constitution

Bộ sách Scott Foresman social studies grade 5 gồm các quyển sau: 5.1 Uncovering Amerias Past 5.2 Vespucci Sails For America 5.3 Making Connections American Indians and Settlers 5.4 Conflict in the Colonies 5.5 Turning Points in the Fight for Freedom 5.6 Words of Freedom The US Constitution 5.7 Spreading Across the Continent 5.8 The Search for Land, Gold, and a New Life 5.9 Civil War Heroines 5.10 The Great Depression 5.11 The Home Front 5.12 Rockets and Satellites 5.13 When Everyone Became a Hero 5.14 New Problems New Solutions 5.15 Touring the United States

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Scott Foresman Social Studies

Nonfi ction Draw Conclusions • Captions

• Headings

ISBN 0-328-14895-4

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Fascinating Facts

health was so poor that he had to be carried to the

sessions in a chair Still, he rarely missed a session

Declaration of Independence At the time the declaration

was signed, he was in New York serving as the

commander of the Continental Army

Convention were lawyers or had studied law

by Kristin Cashore Scott Foresman Social Studies

Nonfi ction Draw Conclusions • Captions

• Headings

ISBN 0-328-14895-4

ì<(sk$m)=beijfa< +^-Ä-U-Ä-U

Fascinating Facts

health was so poor that he had to be carried to the

sessions in a chair Still, he rarely missed a session

Declaration of Independence At the time the declaration

was signed, he was in New York serving as the

commander of the Continental Army

Convention were lawyers or had studied law

by Kristin Cashore

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delegate compromise legislative branch executive branch judicial branch checks and balances

ratify

Write to It!

Have you ever made a compromise with someone? In the compromise, what did you have to give up? What did the other person have to give up? What made the compromise worthwhile? Write one paragraph in which you explain the compromise you made and why you made it

Write your compromise on a separate sheet of paper.

ISBN: 0-328-14895-4

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The leaders who met at the Constitutional Convention

in 1787 had many different opinions about how the

country should be run Fortunately, they were willing to

make compromises In this book you will read about

some of the people who came together to bring the

Constitution to life

Editorial Offices: Glenview, Illinois • Parsippany, New Jersey • New York, New York Sales Offices: Needham, Massachusetts • Duluth, Georgia • Glenview, Illinois Coppell, Texas • Sacramento, California • Mesa, Arizona

by Kristin Cashore

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The United States Constitution

In 1783 the American Revolution came to an end However,

the end of the war did not bring an end to the troubles that the

young nation faced

In 1781 the Continental Congress wrote the Articles of

Confederation With the Articles, American leaders established

a weak central government with one branch—Congress They

remembered what it was like to suffer under British rule They

did not want America’s central government to be strong and

tyrannous, like Britain’s was

The powers of Congress were so limited that, for example, it

could not tax the people This meant that Congress had little money

to run the country It also could not make trade laws with other

nations Therefore, the United States was unable to create strong

trade relations with other nations Because of the weak central

government, our nation was neither stable nor strong

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Many of our nation’s early leaders met at the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

When the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia in 1787, they knew that the United States needed a more effective government Some wanted the government to be strong so that the country would be stable Others wanted the government to be weak to protect the rights of the people

After a lot of debate and many compromises, the delegates wrote the United States Constitution The Constitution created

a strong central government with three branches: the legislative branch, the executive branch, and the judicial branch The Constitution, however, also protected the people by creating checks and balances and leaving many powers to the states It was also decided that the Constitution could also be amended

The people who wrote the Constitution did not always agree, but

in their wisdom, they came together and cooperated Each person’s contribution was important

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George Washington: The Leader of the

Constitutional Convention

The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were

lawyers, soldiers, businesspeople, and merchants More than

half of the delegates had fought in the Revolutionary War, and

many had helped write their states’ constitutions But even

among these distinguished people, one stood out as a leader:

George Washington

Washington was a popular man Against all odds, he had led the

American troops to victory in the Revolutionary War Many admired

and respected him Washington was a true American Patriot He

did not want personal power He wanted what was best for the

people Washington put his own glory aside and worked instead for the good of the country and its citizens

George Washington wanted what was best for the people, not what was best for himself.

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Washington was one of the people who called for the Constitutional Convention He could see that the government

of the United States was not effective Washington knew that the states would not work well together unless the central government was made stronger He favored a new Constitution and a more powerful national government

The delegates unanimously elected Washington as the leader

of the Constitutional Convention For many of the delegates, Washington was a symbol of dignity, stability, authority, and restraint They wanted a government that was very much like Washington, strong but protective of the rights of the people His presence at the convention was essential With his leadership the delegates were able to come together, put aside their differences, and create a government for the good of the people

George Washington was admired by many during the Revolutionary War.

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James Madison:

“The Father of the Constitution”

James Madison of Virginia contributed greatly to the Constitution

Like George Washington, Madison believed in a strong central

government He came to the convention with a unique plan for

the nation He had worked out this plan with the help of the other

Virginia delegates It was called the Virginia Plan

Madison’s plan involved throwing out the Articles of

Confederation and establishing a different kind of government

Under the Articles of Confederation, Congress was unicameral,

which means it had only one house The Virginia Plan featured a

legislature that would be bicameral, or having two houses

This is the first page of James Madison’s Virginia Plan, which became,

in large part, the basis for the United States Constitution.

7

Madison’s plan also called for three branches of government, none of which were allowed

to become too powerful

It supported the idea of a strong national government

to hold the states together

The delegates rejected many of the details of Madison’s Virginia Plan, but

in the end, his key ideas were included in the Constitution

The Constitution created a republic with three branches

of government and a system

of checks and balances

to keep each branch from becoming too strong

Madison was one of the most regular speakers at the convention His Virginia Plan was very influential

Madison also contributed to the wording of the Constitution and kept thorough notes on the debates that took place Madison was exceptionally active in the making of the Constitution

James Madison is called

“The Father of the Constitution.”

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Benjamin Franklin: “The Sage of the

Constitutional Convention”

A sage is a wise person who is honored for his or her experience

and judgment Benjamin Franklin, a delegate from Pennsylvania,

was called “The Sage of the Constitutional Convention.”

Like Washington and Madison, Franklin believed that the

country needed a strong central government At the age of

eighty-one, he was the oldest delegate to the convention He

contributed his wisdom and his experience to the framing of the

new Constitution

Benjamin Franklin believed in a strong national government.

In his lifetime, Franklin was a writer, a scientist, an inventor,

an ambassador, and a political leader He had great curiosity,

an adventurous spirit, and a love of knowledge The delegates respected him, and he was often able to soothe their tempers when arguments broke out Franklin knew the wisdom of compromise

Franklin was not happy about everything in the final Constitution, but he signed the document anyway In his own words, “I expect no better because I am not sure, that it is not the best.” He encouraged other delegates who did not like the Constitution to sign it He knew that it would not be easy to build the government that they had designed on paper, but he also believed that nothing was more worth trying for

In addition to his other occupations, Benjamin Franklin was an inventor Some of his many inventions include the lightning rod, the Franklin stove, and bifocal glasses.

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Alexander Hamilton:

“The Champion of the Constitution”

New York delegate Alexander Hamilton believed that the

United States needed a stronger central government However,

Hamilton’s ideas were more extreme than those of most of the

other delegates

Hamilton believed that senators and the leader of the

executive branch should serve for life He also thought that

state governments were unnecessary, and that all power should

be given to the central government Most of the delegates

disagreed with Hamilton’s ideas They felt that the strong

government Hamilton wanted was too similar to the tyrannous

government of Britain

Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay wrote a collection of essays

called The Federalist

in support of the Constitution.

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Hamilton was not completely happy with the Constitution He was afraid that the new government would be too weak to last

However, he knew the importance of compromise, and he knew that the Constitution was better than the Articles of Confederation

He put his own opinions aside and signed the document

Hamilton did not stop there He wrote essays encouraging the states to ratify the Constitution He spoke out in support of the document One after another, the states agreed to ratify it With the help of leaders like Alexander Hamilton, people who were brave enough to put their own opinions aside, the Constitution became law

Alexander Hamilton wanted

a strong central government.

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Other Voices

Washington, Madison, Franklin, and Hamilton were all in favor

of a strong national government However, there were plenty of

delegates at the Constitutional Convention who were not George

Mason, another Virginia delegate, was one of them

Mason voiced concern that a strong government would lead

to a President who was like a king He worried that the central

government would have too much power over the states He also

worried that a strong government would not protect the rights of

the people, such as freedom of the press and freedom of religion

George Mason proposal to include a bill of rights in the Constitution was defeated.

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Mason was not the only person who spoke out for the rights of the people Thomas Jefferson was not a delegate

to the Constitutional Convention He was in Europe, serving

as the American Minister to France However, Jefferson made

it known that while he was in favor of a strong government,

he also believed that the Constitution needed a bill of rights

In fact, many delegates and many citizens across the nation voiced concern about this Mercy Otis Warren, a writer from Massachusetts, wrote a criticism of the Constitution One of her main complaints was that it contained no bill of rights

So many people wanted a bill of rights that most state governments insisted, as a condition of ratification, that the first Congress add a bill of rights that would guarantee freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and a number

of other basic freedoms

Mercy Otis Warren supported individual rights.

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Another important voice belonged

to Roger Sherman from Connecticut

Sherman came up with one of the

most important compromises in

the Constitution

Many delegates disagreed about

the number of representatives each

state should have in Congress

The larger states thought that

the number should be based on

population This meant that Virginia,

for example, would have more

representatives than Delaware

However, the smaller states were afraid of losing what little power

they had They insisted that every state have the same number of

representatives, regardless of population

Roger Sherman came up with a solution He suggested that

Congress should have two houses The number of members in

one house of Congress should depend on state population, while

the number of members in the other house should be the same

for every state After much debate the delegates agreed The

agreement became known as the Great Compromise Because of

Roger Sherman’s suggestion, the delegates were able to proceed

with their task of creating the Constitution

Roger Sherman came up with the Great Compromise.

Cooperation and Compromise

On September 17, 1787, thirty-nine of the fifty-five delegates

to the Constitutional Convention signed the Constitution Some

of the delegates, such as George Washington and Benjamin Franklin, were among the most famous people in the country

Others, such as Roger Sherman, were less well-known people whose contributions were equally important For the signers of the Constitution, the document was a triumph of cooperation and compromise Almost all of them had concerns about the Constitution, but they were determined to create the greatest government they could They knew that the Constitution was the very best they could do and hoped that it would build a strong and free nation

By late summer of 1788, the Constitution had been ratified by eleven states and became law Slowly, our country formed and grew around its Constitution

The Constitution that worked for our young nation long ago still works today For this accomplishment we must thank the leaders

of the Constitutional Convention who came together in the spirit

of strength, liberty, cooperation, and compromise

The United States Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787.

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Glossary

checks and balances a system in which each branch of government checks the power of the other branches

compromise a deal in which each side gives up something in order to reach an agreement delegate a representative

executive branch the part of the government that is in charge of enforcing our nation’s laws judicial branch the part of the government that

is in charge of interpreting our nation’s laws legislative branch the part of the government that makes our nation’s laws

ratify to approve

Vocabulary