Birth Of The Constitution | History in a Nutshell - Episode 1

After the American Revolution, the new United States of America needed to form a permanent government of its own. Why did the Articles of Confederation fail, and how did the U.S. Constitution come to be? This episode of "History In A Nutshell" answers those questions!

Standards

• 4-4 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the beginnings of America as a nation and the establishment of the new government.
  • After independence was declared, Americans were faced with creating a new form of government that would embody the ideals for which they had fought. To understand the development of these United States into a new nation, the student will utilize the k...
    • 4-4.1 Compare the ideas in the Articles of Confederation with those in the United States Constitution, including how powers are now shared between state and national government and how individuals and states are represented in Congress.
• This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the process which led to the formation of the U.S. government, including the convening of the Continental Congresses, the passage of the Articles of Confederation, and the adoption of the U.S. Constitution.
  • 4.2.P Analyze the sequence of events that led to the establishment of the U.S. as a democratic republic.
• 7-2 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the concepts of limited government and unlimited government as they functioned in Europe in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries.
  • The relationship between citizens and their government is a fundamental component of political rule. To understand the role of constitutions, the characteristics of shared powers, the protection of individual rights, and the promotion of the common go...
    • 7-2.5 Explain how the Enlightenment influenced the American and French revolutions leading to the formation of limited forms of government, including the relationship between people and their government, the role of constitutions, the characteristics o...
• 8-3 The student will demonstrate an understanding of South Carolina’s role in the development of the new national government.
  • Independence from Great Britain made the creation of a new national government and individual state governments imperative. To understand how and why these governments were created, the student will utilize the knowledge and skills set forth in the fo...
    • 8-3.3 Explain the basic principles of government as established in the United States Constitution.
• Political and economic developments underscored how the colonists in British North America had become uniquely American, prompting the development of a new nation. Drawing on their experience under British rule, the founding generation created a government with shared powers between the state and federal institutions.
  • This indicator was designed to encourage inquiry into the development of the Constitution, Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and representative democracy.
• This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into Atlantic exploration, colonialism, trade networks among African kingdoms and the increasing interaction between Asian countries due to trade.
  • This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the European Enlightenment, and how the ideas of the Enlightenment led to the British, American, French, Haitian, and Latin American Revolutions.
• USG-2 The student will demonstrate an understanding of foundational American political principles and the historical events and philosophical ideas that shaped the development and application of these principles.
  • As it exists today, the United States Constitution is a product of numerous influences that were critical not only to its inception but also to its evolution over time. The principles set forth in the Constitution serve as the framework upon which Uni...
    • USG-2.4 Evaluate significant American founding documents in relation to core political principles, including the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, state constitutions, the United States Constitution, The Federalist papers, and...
• This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the crucial events and conflicts that led to the ratification of the United States Constitution. This indicator also encourages inquiry into the major debates and compromises at the Constitutional Convention and how economic, political, and social goals impacted the formation of the new government.
  • USG.1.CC Analyze the major debates and compromises underlying the formation and ratification of the Constitution.
  • This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the historical and philosophical origins of American government and the purpose of government in a democracy. This includes inquiry into the legacies of Greek democracy and Roman republicanism, as...
  • USG.1.IN Interpret founding documents and principles that led to the creation of the American constitutional democracy.
• USHC-1 The student will demonstrate an understanding of the conflicts between regional and national interest in the development of democracy in the United States.
  • Contemporary democratic ideals originated in England, were transplanted to North America by English settlers, and have evolved in the United States as a result of regional experiences. To understand this evolution of democracy and the conflict between...
    • USHC-1.4 Analyze how dissatisfactions with the government under the Articles of Confederation were addressed with the writing of the Constitution of 1787, including the debates and compromises reached at the Philadelphia Convention and the ratification...
    • USHC-1.5 Explain how the fundamental principle of limited government is protected by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, including democracy, republicanism, federalism, the separation of powers, the system of checks and balances, and individual ri...
• This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into how the concept of federalism took hold in the early United States. In addition, this indicator promotes inquiry into the progression from a nation skeptical of a strong central government to a nation accepting of a division of power between the states and federal government.
  • This indicator was developed to encourage inquiry into the relative causes and effects of the American Revolution through an analysis of the political and social progression of colonial desires for reform to colonial desires for independence. In addit...
  • USHC.1.P Summarize the changing relationship between individuals and the government during the period 1607–1800.

Resources