"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

National Constitution Day will be observed on Monday, September 18^th!  This year for Constitution Day we are rolling out a new unit plan that features the hand-written drafts of the Articles of Confederation and U.S Constitution!

As the Framers drafted different versions of our founding docu­ments, their ideas of what it meant to be a republic also changed. The Historical Society of Pennsylvania, a member of the Civics Renewal Network, presents four engaging lessons that allow stu­dents to explore the emergence of national consciousness through language.

Starting with the Declaration of Independence, students will dis­cover how language and words can represent larger ideas while trying to figure out how Jefferson wanted this masterpiece to be heard aloud. Moving into the Articles of Confederation, students will compare and contrast a draft with the final version to iden­tify, not only the strengths and weakness of this document but also the evolving perception the Framers had of themselves and the Republic’s identity during the Age of Revolution. Finally, the students will encounter two lessons concerning the United States Constitution. The first lesson will introduce them to the overarch­ing ideas of the Seven Principles, and the second will build upon some of those principles by examining the Preamble in both a draft form and its final version.

If you are looking for more ways for your students to get involved on Constitution Day, our partner the Civics Renewal Network is hosting a Preamble Challenge and provides a wealth of available classroom resources on their website.