- Virginia House of Burgesses established in 1619, laying the groundwork for representative government in the colonies. The Mayflower Compact of 1620 established self-government for the Plymouth colony. The French and Indian War in the 1750s led the colonies to realize the need to unite. - The Stamp Act of 1765 and the battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775 increased tensions between the colonies and Britain. This led to the Declaration of Independence in 1776 and the start of the Revolutionary War.

1. Time Line
For each event, write a • Virginia House of
brief description of Burgesses
what happened and • Mayflower Compact
explain how the event • French & Indian War
impacted American
• Stamp Act
government.
• Battles at Lexington and
Begin your timeline with
1619 and end with Concord
1776. • Declaration of
Independence

2. Ch. 3 Directed Reading
1. How did state constitutions lay the
groundwork for the U.S. Constitution?
2. What were the main weaknesses of the
Articles of Confederation? What did these
weaknesses mean for the national
government?
3. What were three of the major challenges
that the Constitutional Convention delegates
faced, and how was each resolved?

3. Federalists v. Anti-Federalists
• Create a T-chart to compare the main
arguments of the Federalists and the Anti-
Federalists. Identify at least three arguments
for each side.
• Answer the following question: How was the
debate over the ratification of the Constitution
resolved?

4. Constitutional Convention Journal
Write three journal entries from the perspective of
a delegate to the Constitutional Convention.
Date each entry. Address each of these topics in
one or more of your entries:
– Which ideas most influenced you in the
development of the Constitution? Where did these
ideas come from?
– What were the greatest challenges in developing the
Constitution? How were these challenges resolved?
– Do you think the states should ratify the
Constitution? Why or why not?