Alabama Social Studies SS24.6.10c
The Standard
- SS24.6.10
- Explain how events and issues of the Critical Period (1783-1789) exposed limitations of the Articles of Confederation and contributed to calls for a stronger national government.
Identify innovative ideas for democratic governance and the expansion of citizen rights that were included in state constitutions during the Critical Period.
2024 Alabama Course of Study: Social Studies
Teacher's field guide
What This Standard Means
What Students Need to Do
- Students identify new ways state constitutions organized government, such as separate branches. They also identify rights that expanded, such as voting without a property requirement for adult men in Vermont.
What Mastery Looks Like
- A student can explain how Massachusetts's 1780 constitution divided power among branches and protected free speech. They can explain how Vermont's 1777 voting rule included more men while still excluding women.
Common Misconceptions
- Students may think the U.S. Constitution created these state governments. They may also assume independence gave everyone the vote. Some confuse a change in government structure, like separate branches, with a right held by citizens.
How to Assess It
- Print two cards: 'Massachusetts, 1780: separate branches' and 'Vermont, 1777: adult men could vote without owning property.' Ask which changed government structure, which widened voting, and who still could not vote in Vermont.
Lesson moves
Ways to Teach It
Have pairs cut and sort fact cards about Massachusetts's branches and free press and Vermont's voting rule into government structure and rights.
Ask, 'How did Vermont's voting rule expand participation, and who was still left out?' Have students write two sentences.
Play a matching game with state cards and change cards: Massachusetts and separate branches, Vermont and wider male voting, New Hampshire and petition rights.
Show a school council ballot with an age rule, then ask students to compare its limits with Vermont's voting rule.
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