Rethinking the US Rethinking the US Constitutional Constitutional Convention Convention

Constitution Role Play:Constitution Role Play:

Who wasn’t invitedWho wasn’t invited

Difficulty in setting up a new Difficulty in setting up a new nationnation

Importance and difficulty of writing Importance and difficulty of writing a set of laws to govern a new nationa set of laws to govern a new nation

11stst time in human history that time in human history that revolution waged for the purpose of revolution waged for the purpose of having the governed involved in having the governed involved in determining how they were to be determining how they were to be governed- at least some of themgoverned- at least some of them

Some issues at the Some issues at the ConventionConvention

SlaverySlaveryBalancing power between Balancing power between

big states and small statesbig states and small statesBranches of governmentBranches of government

Two key questions at Two key questions at our Conventionour Convention

SHOULD SLAVERY SHOULD SLAVERY BE ABOLISHED?BE ABOLISHED?

WHO SHOULD HAVE WHO SHOULD HAVE THE RIGHT TO THE RIGHT TO VOTE? VOTE?

Chronology of Pre-ConventionChronology of Pre-ConventionVocabularyVocabularyShort lecture on groupsShort lecture on groupsShort video explaining the dynamics of Short video explaining the dynamics of

race and class in the coloniesrace and class in the coloniesReceive roles and folder with position Receive roles and folder with position

paper outline (speech outline) /answer paper outline (speech outline) /answer questionsquestions

Alliance buildingAlliance buildingSpeech writing and practice oral Speech writing and practice oral

presentations presentations Create signs/ decorateCreate signs/ decorate

Role play chronology Role play chronology

Opening statements from each Opening statements from each group.group.

Other groups may respondOther groups may respondAsk for formal proposals from groupsAsk for formal proposals from groupsVoting on the proposalsVoting on the proposalsReflection writing Reflection writing

What do I need to turn in?What do I need to turn in?

VocabularyVocabularyRole play worksheets with Role play worksheets with

questions and answersquestions and answersSpeechesSpeechesReflection questionsReflection questionsRole play evaluationRole play evaluation

Who was invited?Who was invited?

Male southern plantation Male southern plantation ownersowners

Northern merchants and Northern merchants and bankersbankers

What groups What groups weren’tweren’t invited to invited to the Constitutional Conventionthe Constitutional Convention

White workers/indentured White workers/indentured servantsservants

Enslaved AfricansEnslaved AfricansFree African AmericansFree African AmericansWhite womenWhite womenNative Americans Native Americans

White workers/indentured White workers/indentured servantsservants

Worked in the Worked in the colonies for four colonies for four to seven years to seven years to pay for to pay for passage from passage from EuropeEurope

Promised land Promised land and food when and food when indenture was indenture was overover

Enslaved African-AmericansEnslaved African-Americans

African slavery African slavery develops in develops in Virginia after Virginia after fewer indentured fewer indentured servants were servants were available to work available to work tobacco fieldstobacco fields

Slavery Slavery developed “one developed “one law, one person law, one person at a time.” at a time.”

Free African –Americans Free African –Americans

Very few in the Very few in the southsouth

Constantly in fear Constantly in fear of being sold into of being sold into slaveryslavery

Northern blacks Northern blacks able to speak out able to speak out more freely than more freely than those in the south those in the south about injustices of about injustices of slavery slavery

Iroquois LeagueIroquois LeagueThe “five tribes”- The “five tribes”-

lived in what is lived in what is now NYnow NY

Well plannedWell plannedBased on Based on

Constitution that Constitution that spelled out how spelled out how to choose to choose leaders and leaders and conduct businessconduct business

White women in the coloniesWhite women in the colonies

““Remember the Remember the Ladies.”Ladies.” Abigail Abigail Adams Adams

Women had no Women had no rights to their rights to their children, to children, to property and when property and when she married, all she married, all property went to property went to her new husband.her new husband.

What was decided at What was decided at the real conventionthe real convention

Slavery and the Constitution Slavery and the Constitution

Slavery and the slave trade would be Slavery and the slave trade would be allowed to continue until at least allowed to continue until at least 1808.1808. ( Article 1, Section 2 clause 3; ( Article 1, Section 2 clause 3; Article 1, Section 9)Article 1, Section 9)

The word “slavery” is nowhere to be The word “slavery” is nowhere to be found in the Constitutionfound in the Constitution

Fugitive slave law enactedFugitive slave law enacted (Article 4, (Article 4, Section 2)Section 2)

THREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISETHREE-FIFTHS COMPROMISE:: slaves would be counted as 3/5’s slaves would be counted as 3/5’s

of a person for purposes of of a person for purposes of taxation and representation for taxation and representation for

white populationwhite population

Large states / small statesLarge states / small states

Lower House of RepresentativesLower House of Representatives: : states would get representatives states would get representatives based on their populationbased on their population

Upper HouseUpper House: The Senate: Each : The Senate: Each state gets two representatives no state gets two representatives no matter how many people in the matter how many people in the state.state.