Constitution Reading for Elementary Students
Readings that provide an overview of the development of the Constitution and the major items discussed at Constitutional Convention.
Option A
Lexile: 980
Word Count: 820
Vocabulary: rule-makers, taxis, boss, ratify, accord, referee, executive, veto, smoothly, outline
Have you ever wondered how the United States government came to be the way it is today? Before 1787, when the United States had just won its freedom from Britain, there was a set of rules called the “Articles of Confederation,” but they didn’t work very well.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government couldn’t do important things like collect taxes, make trade rules, or even have a strong army. The government needed more power, but not too much.
Time for a Change: Constitutional Convention
In 1787, a group of people met up in Philadelphia to talk about how to make things better. These people include leaders you may have heard of: George Washington, James Madison, and Alexander Hamilton to name a few. They all came with their own ideas for how the government should run and especially how each state should be represented. Their goal was to draft a document that would direct how the government would run and what responsibilities it would have. This would become the Constitution.
Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan
Some people, like James Madison, had an idea for a government called the “Virginia Plan.” It said there should be two groups in Congress – one for big states and one for small states – and they would make laws representing the people. But others thought that plan was too dangerous and might make the big states boss the small states around. So, a man named William Paterson came up with the “New Jersey Plan,” which kept things fairer by giving each state an equal say.
The Great Compromise
After months of talking, arguing, and thinking, they finally figured out a way to please everyone. They made a “Great Compromise.” This said there would be two parts of Congress: one part where each state had the same number of representatives (called the Senate) and another part where states had different numbers of representatives (called the House of Representatives). This was a brand new idea: no one had created a government like this before.
The Constitution of the United States
This group of people created a document called the Constitution. The Constitution outlined the plan for the government, what kinds of powers it had, how the government would be chosen, and how the national government related to state governments. In short, the Constitution explains the basic ways that America’s government should run.
Three Branches of Government
The Constitution includes the outlines of the United States’ three branches, or three parts, of government.
Legislative Branch: This is the part that makes laws. It’s like the rule-makers. The Congress we talked about earlier is part of this branch, with the House of Representatives and the Senate working together to create laws. The Constitution says what Congress can and cannot do. They made sure the Congress could make laws, keep the country safe, and make sure states worked together.
Executive Branch: This part is like the managers. They carry out the laws that the legislative branch makes. The head of this branch is the president, who leads the country and helps make sure things are running smoothly.
Judicial Branch: This is the group that makes sure laws are fair and followed. It’s like the referees of the government. The highest court in this branch is the Supreme Court, which makes sure everyone follows the rules in the Constitution.
Checks and Balances
The people who made the Constitution wanted each branch of government to keep an eye on the others. Each branch has powers, but it also has limits. This way, no branch could get too powerful and make all the decisions. They called this “checks and balances.” Imagine it like a big game where everyone has a different role, and they all need to work together to win.
For example, if the legislative branch makes a new law, the president in the executive branch can decide if it’s a good idea and sign it into law or say no. This is called the power of the veto.
If the president does something that goes beyond the Constitution, the judicial branch can look at it and decide if it’s fair or not according to the rules in the Constitution.
The president can pick judges and the legislative branch gets to approve those picks. They all must follow the rules.
Time to Ratify
Once everything was decided, they needed people to agree. Some folks were excited about the new plan and called themselves “Federalists.” Others worried that the government would have too much power and took the name “Anti-Federalists.” They all wrote essays and talked to people to explain their ideas.
In the end, the Constitution was signed, and the United States had a new and improved government! The story of how it happened shows how people can work together, make compromises, and build a strong country that’s fair for everyone.
Option B
Lexile: 970
Word Count: 478
Vocabulary: taxis, boss, executive, brand-new, outline, talking, improved, judicial, compromise, legislative
Have you ever wondered how the United States government came to be the way it is today? Before 1787, when the United States had just won its freedom from Britain, there was a set of rules called the “Articles of Confederation,” but they didn’t work very well.
Under the Articles of Confederation, the national government couldn’t do important things like collect taxes, make trade rules, or even have a strong army. The government needed more power, but not too much.
Virginia Plan and New Jersey Plan
The Constitutional Convention came together to decide on a new government and one of the main problems was how states would be represented in this new government. There was a plan called the “Virginia Plan.” It said there should be two groups in Congress – one for big states and one for small states – and they would make laws together. Some people thought that plan might make the big states boss the small states around. They came up with the “New Jersey Plan,” which wanted to give each state an equal say.
The Great Compromise
After lots of talking, arguing, and thinking, they finally figured out a way to please everyone. They made a “Great Compromise.” This said there would be two parts of Congress: one part where each state had the same number of people (called the Senate) and another part where states had different numbers of people (called the House of Representatives). This was a brand-new idea, no one had created a government like this before.
Three Branches of Government
The Constitution also includes the outlines of the United States’ three branches of government.
Legislative Branch: This is the part that makes laws. The Congress we talked about earlier is part of this branch, with the House of Representatives and the Senate working together to create laws.
Executive Branch: They carry out the laws that the legislative branch makes. The head of this branch is the president.
Judicial Branch: This is the group that makes sure laws are fair and followed. The highest court in this branch is the Supreme Court, which makes sure everyone follows the rules in the Constitution.
Checks and Balances
The people who made the Constitution knew that each branch of government should keep an eye on the others. This way, no branch could get too powerful and make all the decisions. They called this “checks and balances.” For example,
if the legislative branch makes a new law, the president in the executive branch can decide if it’s a good idea and sign it into law or say no.
Time to Sign
In the end, the Constitution was signed, and the United States had a new and improved government! The story of how it happened shows how people can work together, make compromises, and build a strong country that’s fair for everyone.