american history
TRANSCRIPT
A Fight for Freedom-Events that lead up to the
Constitution
by Elisabet Melin
My people
Read/listen to the poem My people by Langston Hughes on page 90 in Progress Gold B.
Do exercise 154
Introduction to the USA
How much do you know about America?
Take the quiz on page 247-248. Work in teams of 3-4.
National anthem
”The Land of the Free”
1. Struggle for freedom.
2. The Founding Fathers
The Pilgrims
The Puritans
Pilgrims – The Mayflower
Plymouth 1620 – the Mayflower Compact
Harsh winters –difficult to survive
In November 1621 -the first Thanksgiving
The American Revolution -Background
Free? Not so much
1760s – 13 British colonies
The Boston Tea Party in 1773
5 minutes about the revolution
http://beta.sli.se/apps/sli/prodinfo.php?db=33&article=U31446-01
http://beta.sli.se/apps/sli/prodinfo.php?db=33&article=U31446-01
What happened next?
New laws
The First Continental Congress in 1774
House of constitution in Philadelphia
Slavery
First African slaves 1619
Tobacco production
17th and 18th centuries
Slavery important for the economy
5 minutes about slavery
5 minutes about slavery
The Gullah People
Slaves from West Africa
Called the Gullah people because of their special language.
Looking Back
The Quander family – trace ancestry back to slavery – taken from Ghana to the US.
Slavery part 2
The Revolutionary War The revolutionary war between
England and the American colonists broke out in April 1775.
Second Continental Congress
Declaration of Independence
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.
Peace at last
But England did not accept their declaration and the war kept going.
The Treaty of Paris 1783
The Constitution
Rules
They met to write the constitution which was finished in 1787. George Washington was the chairman.
Principles behind the constitution
George Washington and the other Founding Fathers wanted to avoid:
How?
Chaos Power abuse
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.
The 3 Branches of the National Government
The Executive Branch
The President and hisadministration: 1 Vice President + 13 Secretaries of State (ministers)
The presidenta) Is Commander-in-chiefb) Carries out lawsc) Writes the budgetd) Makes treaties with other
nations
Could YOU be the President?
35 years old
Born in the U.S.A
U.S. resident for no less than 14 years
The Judiciary Branch
Consists of 9 justices appointed for life by the President.
Precedent
Checks and BalancesThe Executive Branch
The President
Enforces laws
The Judicial Branch
The Supreme Court
Interprets laws
The Legislative Branch
The Congress
Makes lawsApprove judges
Declare laws
unconstitutional
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.
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.
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?
Elections to the senate
Mid-term elections - senate
Textbook
Do exercises 157-159 (pages 248-249)