In 1787, Americans knew that they needed a new plan for a strong government to make laws and make sure people followed them. Fifty-five American leaders met in Philadelphia to write the plan. On September 17, 1787, they agreed on a Constitution and sent it to Congress for approval.
Read about the Constitutional Convention. Answer the questions on the handout given to you.

1. Read the first paragraph under 1787, “The Constitutional Convention.” Then scroll down to 1788 “The Constitution is Ratified by Nine States.” What do you notice about Rhode Island?

2. James Madison wrote the “Virginia Plan.” What was included in this plan?

3. Now look at the Constitution. Click on “view text.” Look at Articles I, II, and III. How do these compare to the “Virginia Plan?”

4. Go back to the Constitutional Convention. What was the name of the compromise that completed the rough draft of the Constitution? What change did this compromise present?

5. Not everyone agreed with this constitution. What were the people called who supported the Constitution? Who opposed the Constitution?

6. The Constitution starts out with a preamble. Work in your group to rewrite the preamble in student-friendly words. Use context
clues and a dictionary to help you decide how to write your preamble.

7. After the preamble, there are seven “Articles” that tell you that a new idea is beginning. Write the topic of each of these articles:
Article I:
Article II:
Article III:

8. Nine states had to accept the Constitution before it could become the plan for the new government. Each state took time to debate
the ideas in the plan before ratifying (accepting) it. How long did it take New Hampshire, the ninth state, to ratify the Constitution?
When did all 13 states become the United States?

America During the Age of Revolution Library of Congress