What s the Contitution?The Constitution is the highest law in the United States.

All other laws come from the Constitution. It says how the government works. It creates the Presidency, Congress and Supreme Court.

The Constitution can be changed by an “amendment.” Among the amendments is a list of the rights of the people. By listing these rights, they are made special. It is illegal for the government to violate those rights.

Why ws the Contitution needed ?In 1776, the thirteen colonies declared independence from England. They wonthe Revolutionary War and became the United States of America. The Articles

of Confederation were written as governing documents, but there were several problems with the Articles. One problem was that Congress could pass laws but could not force states to abide the laws.

The United States was a brand new country whose government did not work well. Something had to be done, so from May to September 1787 a group of men known as the Framers (or Founding Fathers) met in Philadelphia to “ x

the Articles” and write a new plan of government for the nation. The meeting was called the Constitutional Convention. The plan was the United States Constitution.

Who were the Framers?The Framers were 55 men from 12 of the 13 states (at that time there were only 13 states and Rhode Island did

not participate). Each state had ideas for the new government. A few of the delegates (a person chosen to represent others at the conference) included James Madison, Ben Franklin and George Washington.

Dd Everyone Agree?At rst, the delegates had trouble agreeing on things. They were not sure what powers the national government

should have, how long the president should serve or how states should be represented in Congress. A few weeks went by, and after much talking and making speeches, they could not reach a decision.

Finally, after four months of hard work and compromise, a plan that was acceptable to almost everyone was developed. On September 17, 1787, the Constitution of the United States of America was completed and signed by 39 of the delegates.

Ratifing the ContitutionThe Constitution was sent to the states for approval (called rati cation.) Once nine states had rati ed it in 1789,

the Constitution became the law of the land for those states. The rest of the states soon followed.

Why ddn’t ll deleaes sign?

Some delegates did not want to ratify the Constitution. A major reason was that it did not have The Bill of Rights. The Bill of Rights is a list of rights that belong to the people such as: the right of free speech; the right to practice your own religion; the right to be silent if you are arrested. In 1791, ten of twelve changes were agreed to and added to protect our rights as citizens of the United States of America.

The Contitution TdyThe United States Constitution has been in force

longer than any written constitution in the world today. It is called “the Living Document” because its words are still used today and can be amended as the needs of our nation change. As of 2006, there are 27 amendments. Not all of them involve rights, but many do.

Text sources:http://www.usconstitution.net/constkids4.htmlhttp://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/http://www.constitutioncenter.org/ConstitutionDay/Resource_List.aspx?type+2http://www.BillofRightsInstitute.org

DID YOU KNOW? 1. George Washington was chosen to lead the Constitutional Convention.

2. The U.S. Constitution was prepared in secret, behind locked doors with guards.

3. Of the written national constitutions, the U.S. Constitution is the oldest and shortest.

4. Benjamin Franklin was 81 years old when he was a delegate at the Constitutional Convention.

5. More than 11,000 amendments have been introduced in Congress. Thirty-three have gone to the states to be ratifi ed and twenty-seven have received the necessary approval from the states to actually become amendments to the Constitution.

ACTIVITYDefi ne these words and use each in a sentence. • delegate• ratifi cation• Bill of Rights• amendment

NEWSPAPER ACTIVITY• Search through the newspaper to fi nd articles or pictures that relate to the Constitution. (This may be an article about rights or any type of patriotic picture). • Explain how the United States Constitution relates to the article or picture. • Discuss with the class your thoughts about the United States Constitution.

COMING ATTRACTIONSReading SeriesWatch tomorrow, September 17, for parts 5 and 6 of the Electing a President Reading Series

kidsINKSeptember 30 — TBAOctober 14 — 40 assets sponsored by Dayton Area Conference on Youth

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The Newspapers in Education (NIE) program strives to promote literacy and responsible citizenship in children and young adults through the inclusion of newspapers with regular classroom curricula.

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nie.daytondailynews.com937-225-7425 • 937-225-7364

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UNITED STATES CELEBRATE

The Contitution!

Determine the meanings and pronunciations of unknown words by using dictionaries, thesauruses, glossaries, technology and textual features, such as defi nitional footnotes or sidebars.

Give examples of documents that specify the structure of the state and national governments in the United States and explain how these documents foster self-government in a democracy.