Treason or Genius or Washington Made Me Do It!!

An Integrated, Interdisciplinary Unit Examining the Founding of our Nation Students will understand the US Constitution, the purpose of government, and the principles embedded in our founding documents. This unit is important because students need to recognize what went into creating our democratic government and why these concepts are important. As the founding fathers set forth to create a new nation, they were determined to create a government that was created of the people, by the people, and for the people. The United States Constitution is the fundamental organizing document of the United States government. It was created to provide a foundation to the creation of a fair and equitable government. This unit will introduce eighth grade students to the principles of the Constitution and its purpose and function in the US society. The documents that supported the ideas in the Constitution will be discussed and analyzed. Through this unit the students will also understand the concept of power versus authority. Finally, the students will look at the individual rights and responsibilities protected by the Constitution. This unit will meet the requirement of the Denver Public Schools social studies department's Social Studies curriculum.