This document provides an overview of key events that led to the establishment of the US Constitution. It discusses the struggles for freedom and independence from Britain by the pilgrims and founding fathers. It then outlines the creation of the Declaration of Independence and the Revolutionary War. Finally, it examines the principles behind the Constitution such as separation of powers and checks and balances that established the three branches of government.

1. A Fight for Freedom-
Events that lead up to the
Constitution
by Elisabet Melin

2. My people
 Read/listen to the poem My people by
Langston Hughes on page 90 in Progress
Gold B.
 Do exercise 154

3. Introduction to the USA
 How much do you know about America?
 Take the quiz on page 247-248. Work in
teams of 3-4.

4. National anthem

5. ”The Land of the Free”
 1. Struggle for freedom.
 2. The Founding Fathers

6. The Pilgrims
 The Puritans
 Pilgrims – The
Mayflower
 Plymouth 1620 – the
Mayflower Compact
 Harsh winters –
difficult to survive
 In November 1621 -
the first Thanksgiving

8. The American Revolution -
Background
 Free? Not so much
 1760s – 13 British colonies
 The Boston Tea Party in 1773

11. 5 minutes about the revolution

http://beta.sli.se/apps/sli/prodinfo.php?db
=33&article=U31446-01

12. What happened next?
 New laws
 The First Continental
Congress in 1774

13. House of constitution in
Philadelphia

15. Slavery
 First African slaves 1619
 Tobacco production
 17th and 18th centuries
 Slavery important for the economy

16. 5 minutes about slavery
 5 minutes about slavery

17. The Gullah People
 Slaves from West Africa
 Called the Gullah people because of their
special language.

18. Looking Back
 The Quander family – trace ancestry back
to slavery – taken from Ghana to the US.
 Slavery part 2

19. The Revolutionary War
 The revolutionary war between
England and the American
colonists broke out in April
1775.
 Second Continental Congress
 Declaration of Independence

20. The Declaration of Independence
 In the Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jefferson,
the colonists declared themselves Independent from Britain
 The words bear tremendous symbolic value to Americans today:
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that
all men are created equal, that they are
endowed by their Creator with certain
unalienable Rights, that among these are Life,
Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.

21. Peace at last
 But England did not accept their
declaration and the war kept going.
 The Treaty of Paris 1783

22. The Constitution
 Rules
 They met to write the constitution which
was finished in 1787. George Washington
was the chairman.

23. Principles behind the constitution
 George Washington and the other
Founding Fathers wanted to avoid:
Chaos Power abuse
How?

24. Solution
A strong central government.
Separation of powers=
The government is divided
Into three groups with
different
powers.
Checks and
balances=
The three groups
control each other so
that no group can
abuse their power.

25. The 3 Branches of the National
Government

26. The Executive Branch
 The President and his
administration: 1 Vice
President + 13
Secretaries of State
(ministers)
 The president
a) Is Commander-in-chief
b) Carries out laws
c) Writes the budget
d) Makes treaties with other
nations

27. Could YOU be the President?
 35 years old
 Born in the U.S.A
 U.S. resident for no less than 14 years

28. The Judiciary Branch
 Consists of 9 justices appointed for life by the
President.
 Precedent

29. Checks and Balances
The Executive Branch
The President
Enforces laws
The Judicial Branch
The Supreme Court
Interprets laws
The Legislative Branch
The Congress
Declare laws
unconstitutional
Approve judges Makes laws

30. The Bill of Rights
 10 amemendments added.
 Purpose of Bill of Rights
 Today, many Americans are still sceptical
towards the government and these people often
refer to the Bill of Rights.
 The Second Amendment is the one most
debated today:
 A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the
security of a free State, the right of the people
to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

31.  The Second Amendment is the one most
debated today:
 A well regulated Militia, being necessary to
the security of a free State, the right of
the people to keep and bear Arms, shall
not be infringed.

32. Further amendments to the
constitution
 Guess the year when:
 Women were allowed to vote?
 People of different colour were allowed to
vote?
 Slavery was outlawed?
 The voting age was lowered to 18?

33. Elections to the senate
 Mid-term elections - senate

34. Textbook
 Do exercises 157-159 (pages 248-249)