U.S. Constitution Activity

Directions: Where links are provided, use them find the answers to the questions. Otherwise use your online skills to find the answers.

1. Why has September 17th been declared Constitution Day? Use your online searching skills to find the answer.

2. How many Amendments are there to the U.S. Constitution?

Why was it necessary to amend it?

How many amendments have failed to be accepted by the States?

3. Name the people that the U.S. Constitution applies to today.

Have people always been treated equally under the U.S. Constitution? Explain.

4. Read about the French Fry case. Which amendment(s) do you think apply to this case?

5. Use the information at the National Archives to answer these questions:

a. How many delegates attended the Constitutional Convention?

b. What percentage of the delegates attending the Constitutional Convention, signed the Constitution?

c. Select a delegate who did not sign. Why did he not sign it?

6. How many months did it take for the states to ratify the Constitution, after it was signed by the delegates?

7. Do you agree with how the Constitution is applied to the rights of students? Explain why you agree or disagree.

8. Use the Interactive Constitution web site to answer these questions.

a. If you are to appear in court for a crime, which amendment(s) are especially important to you?

b. You decided to run for election to the House of Representatives. What are the qualifications? Assuming you are elected, when will you have to run for reelection?

c. Article IV, Section 1 says "Full Faith and Credit shall be given in each State to the public Acts, Records, and judicial Proceedings of every other State. And the Congress may by general Laws prescribe the Manner in which such Acts, Records and Proceedings shall be proved, and the Effect thereof." What does this mean to a person who moves from Fairbanks, Alaska to Providence, Rhode Island?

d. What are the qualifications of the President?

e. Which elected official(s) can declare war?

f. You write an article about how the school lunches high in calories and fats. The teacher in charge of the school newspaper will not print the article in the paper. Which amendment applies to this issue? Explain.

Extra:

Complete this essay - The people made the Constitution

Take this virtual tour of the US Capitol Building

Freedom In America: Some Assembly Required - electronic field trip

Explore: Civics & Constitution Projects, Essays, Elections & Voting, Quotes, Resources | Mrs. O'Hora's Pennsylvania Projects

Posted 9/2005 by Cynthia J. O'Hora Released to public domain for not for profit use.

Save a tree use a digital answer format - Highlight the text. Copy it. Paste it in a word processing document. Save the document in your folder. Answer on the wp document in a contrasting color (not yellow) or a different font (avoid , fancy artistic fonts). Please do not put them on the web because they will show up in a search engine making them like the odd question answers in the back of the math text.. Or perhaps you have the resources to record verbal answers. If you do, be sure to first read / record the question. Then record the answer immediately after it. Make your own answer format