The Constitution: Framework for
Government in the United States
Session 3: Making a New Government

Materials

• None identified

Instructional Activities

1. This is an activity that students really enjoy.  Divide the class into groups of three or five students, (odd-numbered groups work best). Give each group the task of creating a functioning government. Place them in virtually any kind of setting, from a deserted island with no chance of rescue to a colony on a new planet. This will allow them to imagine what the Founding Fathers went through in creating an entirely new form of government.
   
   
2. Instruct students to decide how they are going to survive in their new environment, since they will be on their own without the hope of outside contact or rescue.  Have groups decide what form of government they will practice.  Here are some possible questions they need to address:
   •    Will all of the members of the group have the same rights?
   •    Will the group vote on how the government is run?  What about ties?
   •    If there are elected offices, how long will the term be?
   •    How will the group establish laws? What if someone breaks a law? How is punishment handled? Is there capital punishment?
   •    Will there be a written constitution? If so, can it be amended? How?
   
   
3. It should take groups about 45 minutes to an hour to create their new societies. Have each group record its decisions. After all groups have completed the assignment, have each group present their vision of government and how it would function.
   
   
4. After the presentations, have the students continue working in their groups to create a chart, which describes ways in which their government compares and contrasts with the one created by the Founding Fathers. This extension can easily turn into a homework assignment.