Government of the Colonial Days
Welcome to the time of the colonist. You
have just got off the boat and are now part of the colonies. As a well
educated person you are interested in how this new place is run. You
are interested in the government from the Continental Congress to the
Constitution.
Task
Your city's government has nominated you to be the town historian.
Your new job is to find information on the Continental Congress and the
Constitution. When you have gathered all of your information you are to
type a 1-page, single-spaced, 12 point font report on your findings.
Your report must cover the essential questions listed below.
- Who is the primary author of the Constitution?
- When was the first time the Continental Congress got together?
- Where did the first Continental Congress meet?
- When was the Constitution written?
- When was the Constitution ratified by all the colonies?
- Do you think the Constitution was necessary for the colonies?
Explain your answer.
- Is the Constitution still relevant today? Explain your answer.
- Pick two of the original ten amendments and choose the two that
you feel are the most important and why?
References
click
here to go to the Bill of Rights (original ten amendments to the
Constitution)
click
here to go to the U.S. Constitution
click here to
go to site American Memory
click
here to go to site Early America
click here to
go to site Colonists Rights
The Process
- The first step is to go to the web sites listed in the resources.
- The next step is to go through the web sites and find the
information. So you can answer the questions listed above.
- The next step is to write down all of the information that is
needed to answer the questions.
- After you have written down the information you need, put the
information you found in a report.
- Next take your report and give it to the town's mayor (the
Teacher).
Learning Advice
- The easiest way to take down the notes that you will need is
to just write down phrases, key words, and short sentences.
- Do not write down whole paragraphs because it takes a lot
more time and you are the one who is writing the report. Do not copy
other people's words.
- Remember to give credit to where credit is due. If you borrow
some information from the references, cite where you found the
information.
- The most important advice I can give you is to have fun.
Conclusion
After, you have completed this webquest you will have a better
understanding of what the Continental Congress did. You will have a
better idea of how the Constitution came about and the role the
Continental Congress played in creating the Constitution. You will know
who the principal author of the Constitution is and some other major
figures in the creation of the Constitution. If you could add a
Constitutional amendment what would it be and why? Do you think the
authors of the Constitution did a good job or did they do a poor job?
Explain your answer.
Borrowed from :
http://www.montana.edu/webquest/socialstudies/grades6to12/tholt/
Updated by Matt Stuard 11/15/04