Primary Source Activity netw rks

NAME _______________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________

Primary Source Activity

The Constitution Lesson 3 The Structure of the Constitution

netw rks

Preamble to the United States Constitution

Did you ever have to write a difficult assignment for school? At first, the task may seem so hard that you do not know where to begin. In 1787, members of the Constitutional Convention met to write a new set of laws for the United States. They, too, faced a difficult task. How could a handful of men come up with a constitution worthy of the sacrifices made to form their new nation? How could they write a lasting set of laws?

Most jobs become easier when you break them down into smaller steps. Perhaps the convention's members realized that, too. They divided the U.S. Constitution into parts. The first part is known as the Preamble, or introduction. The Preamble explains the purposes of the Constitution. It also says who created the government of the United States.

Directions: Read the excerpt, paying special attention to the words. Then answer the questions that follow on the next page.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence [defense], promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

Copyright ? The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

1

NAME _______________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________

Primary Source Activity

The Constitution

netw rks

Analyzing Primary Sources

Part A

Directions: Use a dictionary or thesaurus to write synonyms-- words that mean the same or nearly the same--for each word listed below.

1. perfect 2. union 3. justice 4. domestic 5. tranquility 6. common 7. defense 8. general 9. welfare 10. blessings 11. liberty 12. posterity

Copyright ? The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

2

NAME _______________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________

Primary Source Activity

The Constitution

netw rks

Part B

Directions: Rewrite the Preamble by replacing the original wording with the synonyms you have written in Part A. Choose your synonyms carefully to avoid changing the meaning of the Preamble.

WE THE PEOPLE of the United States, in order to form a more

13.

14.

, establish

15.

, insure

16.

17.

, provide for the

18.

19.

, promote the

20.

21.

and secure the

22.

of

23.

to ourselves and our

24.

do ordain and establish this

Constitution for the United States of America.

Copyright ? The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

3

NAME _______________________________________ DATE _______________ CLASS _________

Primary Source Activity

The Constitution

netw rks

Part C

25. Evaluating One purpose of an introduction is to prepare the reader for what is to follow. It must set just the right tone, or mood. Do you think the Preamble does a good job of preparing readers for a nation's set of laws? Explain. Be sure to refer to parts of the Preamble in your answer.

_____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________ _____________________________________________

Copyright ? The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.

4

 ................
................

In order to avoid copyright disputes, this page is only a partial summary.

Google Online Preview   Download