From Grievance to Government
Did colonial grievances influence the creation of the Constitution and Bill of Rights?
In this lesson students investigate how colonial grievances expressed in the Declaration of Independence influenced protections later included in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Through primary source analysis and station activities, students examine specific grievances and connect them to constitutional protections designed to prevent abuses of government power. Students synthesize their learning by creating a one-page visual demonstrating how the experiences of the colonists helped shape a government designed to protect individual rights.
Objectives:
- Students will examine the Declaration of Independence and learn about the grievances included.
- Students will evaluate how the government derives power from the consent of the governed.
- Students will identify how the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights have been shaped by the Declaration of Independence.
Assessment:
- Students will answer the compelling questions with written responses (or orally, based on student needs).
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Protecting Natural Rights: The Bill of Rights and Government Power
Students will investigate how governments protect people’s natural rights by examining the Bill of Rights, grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence, and different forms of government. Through source analysis, collaborative discussion, and constructive dialogue activities, students will evaluate how democratic governments protect individual freedoms and how constitutional rights continue to shape civic life today.
Expanding the Vote
Students will explore the tension throughout United States history in expanding the elective franchise. This tension draws into question some of the Declaration of Independence’s founding principles: popular sovereignty, republicanism, and equality.
To Expand or to Limit, That Is the Question
Students will connect prior experience of expansion and contraction of voting rights to current debates.