Ch 2: U.S. Constitution, State Constitutions & Articles of Confederation
About This Chapter
Who's It For?
Anyone who needs help learning or mastering the history of the American government's founding documents will benefit from the lessons in this chapter. There is no faster or easier way to learn about the history of the main documents of American government. Among those who would benefit are:
- Students who want to learn a broad topic in a short amount of time
- Students who are looking for easy ways to identify the most important information on the topic
- Students who have fallen behind in memorizing events and people associated with the U.S. and state constitutions and Articles of Confederation
- Students who prefer multiple ways of learning about the U.S. Constitution (visual or auditory)
- Students who have missed class time and need to catch up
- Students who have limited time to study for an upcoming exam
How It Works:
- Watch each video in the chapter to review all key topics.
- Refer to the video transcripts to reinforce your learning.
- Test your understanding of each lesson with a short quiz.
- Complete your review with the U.S. Constitution, State Constitutions, and Articles of Confederation chapter exam.
Why It Works:
- Study Efficiently: Skip what you know, review what you don't.
- Retain What You Learn: Engaging animations and real-life examples make topics easy to grasp.
- Be Ready on Test Day: Take the U.S. Constitution, State Constitutions and Articles of Confederation chapter exam to make sure you're prepared.
- Get Extra Support: Ask our subject-matter experts any U.S. Constitution question. They're here to help!
- Study With Flexibility: Watch videos on any web-ready device.
Students Will Review:
This chapter summarizes the material students need to know about U.S. and state constitutions and the Articles of Confederation for a standard U.S. Constitution course. Topics covered include:
- The new U.S. government's formation after ratification
- The Preamble and articles of the Constitution
- The first ten amendments
- Amending the Constitution
- State constitutions after the Revolution
- Strengths and weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation
- The Great Compromise
1. The Ratification of the Constitution and the New U.S. Government
To support its operations, the new U.S. government needed a ratified U.S. Constitution. But not everyone in the U.S. agreed with the edicts of the new constitution. Learn about the states' debates regarding the U.S. Constitution and its ratification. Understand the perspectives of the Federalists and the Antifederalists. Explore the ~'Federalist Papers~' and understand the role these documents played in ratifying the U.S. Constitution.
2. The US Constitution: Preamble, Articles and Amendments
The basis for the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government are formed by the first three articles of the U.S. Constitution. Learn about the preamble, articles, and amendments that form the most important document of the United States.
3. The Bill of Rights: The Constitution's First 10 Amendments
The Bill of Rights is one of the most important documents in America because it protects the rights of citizens. Learn about the history of the Bill of Rights and review the Constitution's first 10 amendments.
4. The Process of Amending the Constitution
Any additions added to the United States Constitution are called constitutional amendments. Discover how to propose and ratify an amendment and take a look at the Bill of Rights along with other amendments in this lesson.
5. Creating State Constitutions After the American Revolution
Discover how the state constitutions were created after the American Revolution. This lesson looks at three examples of the radically different views on the states' organization which include Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Massachusetts.
6. Articles of Confederation: Strengths & Weaknesses
The Articles of Confederation established the Continental Congress after the American Revolution and brought together the different states as a single federal unit. Understand the history and drafting of the articles, as well as its strengths, weaknesses, and eventual downfall.
7. The Constitutional Convention: The Great Compromise
Learn how the Constitutional Convention was convened to amend the Articles of Confederation and understand how the delegates abandoned that purpose. Explore the Great Compromise, and review the New Jersey Plan, Virginia Plan, three-fifths compromise, and other agreements that helped established the U.S. Constitution.
8. The Elastic Clause of the Constitution: Definition & Example
The necessary and proper clause, or elastic clause in the U.S. Constitution granted Congress implied powers that give the government the ability to be flexible and adapt to the modern needs of the people. Learn the definition of the elastic clause and study an example of how it was used in the creation of the Bank of the United States by Congress despite the objections of some states.
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Other Chapters
Other chapters within the The Constitution Study Guide course