Consent of the Governed
Essential Question
What are checks and balances, and why do they exist?
Materials
Opening
Begin the class by showing the students the vocabulary card for ‘consent of the governed’. Ask students:
- What does it mean that the government gets its power from the people?
- Can you give me an example of consent of the governed?
Then say to students: “Today, we are going to read the Preamble to the Constitution and see how it establishes, or lays out, consent of the governed.” The preamble begins with the phrase We the People. What does this suggest about the source of the government’s power?”
Activity
For this activity, students will be reading Handout A and participating in a snowball discussion. In a snowball discussion, students start in pairs. Then, they combine their pair with another, creating a group of four. Students continue doubling groups until it becomes a whole group discussion.
To begin, place students in partners with Handout A. Tell students to read through the Preamble with their partner. In each section, have them explain what they read in their own words with the summarize box at the bottom of the handout and/or consider additional questions like:
- What are the main goals of the government as stated in the Preamble?
- Why do you think the Preamble lists goals like “establish Justice,” “ensure domestic Tranquility,” and “promote the general Welfare”?
- How are these goals connected to the idea of the government serving the people?
- If the government is created by and for the people, why is it important for it to achieve these goals?
After students in their partner group develop an opinion, have them combine with another group. In their group of four, students will share how they think the Preamble establishes consent of the governed. Make sure that students can defend their answers with evidence. Continue having students share and create consensus in group sizes, until it becomes a whole group discussion. Then, ask a few students to share their opinions and different ideas they heard in their groups.
Scaffolding note: For younger students, it may be appropriate to have students consider the same prompt in every snowball discussion group. This could be the summary at the bottom of Handout A or one of the discussion prompts above. Older students might be able to conduct a two-part conversation: first comparing their summary, then considering one of the discussion questions. These questions could even change at each stage of the snowball discussion for even more conversation depth.
Closing
Give students a sticky note or index card, something that can be used as an exit ticket. Have students answer two questions on their exit ticket.
- How does the Preamble establish consent of the governed?
- Where do you see the consent of the governed in our school or community?
