This interactive DBQ by Valeri Schiller explores two essential questions: How did the debates of colonial America shape the Constitution? ~ Do these issues still affect our government and us as citizens today? A chapter excerpt from Exploring History Vol IV. http://bit.ly/2iyHMaX

1. The American Revolution brought to the forefront
colonial debates which had been happening on the
sidelines for decades. Do people have rights? What is
the role of government in protecting those rights? Who
should be represented in a government which aims to
protect every person’s rights? The 1st and 2nd
Continental Congresses, and particularly the
Constitutional Convention, would establish state and
FROM REVOLUTION
TO GOVERNMENT
1
VALERIE SCHILLER

2. personhood representation for years to come.
On the path toward government, delegates from the
colonies would represent the people in meetings and debates.
The 1st Continental Congress began the journey. In the
meantime, between meetings, founders wrote letters to each
other and to their friends, expressing perhaps more genuine
feelings about the established and potential government over the
colonies. These essential debates and letters are best learned as
a series of text and picture documents on a timeline toward the
Constitution.
In this lesson, after offering the essential question, I move
2
Previous image: Outside of Independence Hall, Philadelphia
https://www.flickr.com/photos/iceninejon/4926623160
Current image: Inside of Independence Hall Assembly Room
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Independence_Hall_Assembly_Room.jpg
from the 1st Continental Congress, to the 2nd Continental
Congress, to a powerful quotation from an Alexander Hamilton
letter, onward to the first constitution, the Articles of
Confederation. In response to the new and flawed government,
George Washington and Henry Knox offer words to their friends
and to each other which demonstrate the powerful undercurrent
sweeping the country toward the Constitution. The Constitutional
Convention serves as the final clash of ideas toward the
ratification of the document which continues to govern our
country today.

3. Essential Questions:
How did the debates of
colonial America shape
the Constitution?
Do these issues still
affect our government
and us as citizens today?
3
The US Capitol Building as it stands
today.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:US_Capitol_South.jpg

4. 4
The British’s punishment for the Boston
Tea Party, the Intolerable Acts, convinced the
colonists it was time to take larger measures.
Delegates from the 13 colonies (other than
Georgia) gathered at Carpenters’ Hall in
Philadelphia from September 5 until October
26, 1774, to reach a resolution.
At the 1st Continental Congress, there
was a great deal of disagreement among
delegates. Most of the delegates at this time
still felt strong ties to the mother country. They
simply wanted to be treated fairly.
Conservatives, reluctant to meet in secret, were
still loyal to Great Britain and preferred finding
compromise and reconciliation. On the other
hand, some delegates demanded change.
Radicals, like cousins John and Samuel Adams,
believed colonists deserved rights and liberties
as Americans. Some also began to see the
colonies as united, and used Benjamin
Franklin’s famous cartoon “JOIN, or DIE” to
recruit support. Extreme radicals even called
for independence.
As a result, the delegates decided to
pursue three actions: (1) a petition to King
George III, recognizing common causes and
unity, but calling for the removal of excess
control over the colonies, particularly in
Boston; (2) a boycott of British goods to
continue until the Intolerable Acts were
repealed; and (3) a call to meet again the
following May should Parliament not address
their grievances.
Carpenters’ Hall, Philadelphia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_Continental_Congress; https://
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Join,_or_Die

5. Second Continental Congress, 1775-1781
Independence Hall, Philadelphia
The British Parliament took no official
recognition of the colonists’ petition. As a
result, the delegates reconvened the following
May at Philadelphia’s Independence Hall. The
Congress issued their final attempt at avoiding
war, an Olive Branch Petition to Parliament, to
no avail. Colonists decided this was the final
straw. Support for independence dramatically
increased. With the first shots at Lexington
and Concord, the American Revolutionary
War officially began.
Soon, the Congress selected a
Committee of Five to draft and present a
Declaration of Independence from Britain to
the world. Featured to the bottom-right, the
Committee--Roger Sherman, Benjamin
Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, John Adams, and
Robert Livingston--designated Thomas
Jefferson to write the first draft. After
incorporating changes the other members
proposed, Jefferson produced a final copy.
The Committee presented the document to the
“Committee of the Whole” (featured to the
top-right).
Yet, even after approving the
international document, delegates debated
how independent the now declared states
were. The Congress had the authority to
appoint ambassadors, raise armies, and sign
treaties, but was without any power to tax.
While creating the first constitution, delegates
from large and small states debated
representation. The small states won the
debate: each state, regardless of size, would
have a single vote under the Articles of
Confederation.
Top painting by John Trumbull (1819)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Committee_of_Five

6. “...It may be pleaded, that Congress had
never any definitive powers granted them
and of course could exercise none—could
do nothing more than recommend. The
manner in which Congress was appointed
would warrant, and the public good
required, that they should have considered
themselves as vested with full power to
preserve the republic from harm. They
have done many of the highest acts of
sovereignty, which were always chearfully
submitted to—the declaration of
independence, the declaration of war, the
levying an army, creating a navy, emitting
money, making alliances with foreign
powers, appointing a dictator...all these
implications of a complete sovereignty
were never disputed, and ought to have
been a standard for the whole conduct of
Administration. Undefined powers are
discretionary powers, limited only by the
object for which they were given—in the
present case, the independence and
freedom of America. The confederation
made no difference; for as it has not been
generally adopted, it had no operation.
But from what I recollect of it, Congress
have even descended from the authority
which the spirit of that act gives them,
while the particular states have no further
attended to it than as it suited their
pretensions and convenience. It would take
too much time to enter into particular
instances, each of which separately might
appear inconsiderable; but united are of
serious import. I only mean to remark,
not to censure.
But the confederation itself is
defective and requires to be altered; it is
neither fit for war, nor peace. The idea of
an uncontrolable sovereignty in each
state, over its internal police, will defeat
the other powers given to Congress, and
make our union feeble and precarious.
Alexander Hamilton had already proven himself capable to
General George Washington, while Hamilton served in the
Continental Army.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alexander_Hamilton
“make our union feeble
and precarious”
A Letter from Alexander Hamilton to friend James Duane
3 Sept 1780
...The confederation gives the states
individually too much influence in the
affairs of the army; they should have
nothing to do with it. The entire formation
and disposal of our military forces ought
to belong to Congress...It may be
apprehended that this may be dangerous
to liberty. But nothing appears more
evident to me, than that we run much
greater risk of having a weak and
disunited federal government, than one
which will be able to usurp upon the
rights of the people...”
Founders Online, National Archives

7. The 2nd Continental Congress
appointed a committee to draft the
United States’ first constitution, the
Articles of Confederation. The
committee completed an approved
version which was sent to the states
for ratification on November 15,
1777. The debates surrounding
ratification would drag on for four
years, due to land claims, before all
13 states signed on in agreement.
A major debate of the 2nd
Continental Congress was between
federalists and anti-federalists. The
federalists believed in stronger
federal power, while the anti-
federalists advocated for state
power. In effect, the anti-federalists
won. The Articles of Confederation
created a loose confederation of
sovereign states. The weak central
government was designed to leave
most of the power to the individual
state members. Following from the
foundational debate between small
and large states, under the Articles,
each state, regardless of size,
would receive a single vote.
The thirteen Articles of the
document set forth the following:
(1) “This confederacy shall be 'The
United States of America’.”
(2) “Each state retains its
sovereignty, freedom, and
independence, and every
power, jurisdiction, and right,
which is not by
this Confederation expressly
delegated...”
(3) “States...enter into a firm league of
friendship with each other, for
their common defense, the security
of their liberties, and their mutual
and general welfare, binding
themselves to assist each other,
against all force offered to, or
attacks made upon them...”
(4) Establishes for the free people of
each state equal treatment under
the law and freedom of movement
between states, except for
“paupers, vagabonds, and
fugitives from justice.”
(5) Allocates one vote in Congress to
each state. State legislatures would
appoint members of Congress.
(6) Asserts only the central
government can declare war. An
individual state can wage war only
with the permission of Congress.
The exception is if a state is
invaded or under imminent attack.
However, each state must have a
ready and well-trained militia.
Regardless of federalist
complaints, the Articles functioned well
enough to direct the country through
the war’s ending and accompanying
international and territorial issues.
Many found the biggest issue was
when the Confederation needed to
secure war resources from the states.
The Articles of Confederation, 1781-1787
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/
File:Articles_of_confederation_and_perpetual_union.jpg

8. A Letter from George Washington to friend Benjamin Harrison
18 Jan 1784
Following the end of the Revolutionary War, George Washington was
seriously concerned about the state of the federal government for the
new nation.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/George_Washington
“A half-starved limping
Government”
“...The disinclination of the individual
States to yield competent powers to
Congress for the Federal Government,
their unreasonable jealousy of that body
and of one another, and the disposition
which seems to pervade each, of being
all-wise and all-powerful within itself, will,
if there is not a change in the system be
our downfall as a nation. This is as clear
to me as the A, B, C; and I think we have
opposed Great Britain, and have arrived
at the present state of peace and
independency, to very little purpose, if
we cannot conquer our own prejudices.
The powers of Europe begin to see this,
and our newly acquired friends the
British, are already and professedly
acting upon this ground; and wisely too,
if we are determined to persevere in our
folly. They know that individual
opposition to their measures is futile, and
boast that we are not sufficiently united
as a Nation to give a general one! Is not
the indignity alone, of this declaration,
while we are in the very act of
peacemaking and conciliation, sufficient
to stimulate us to vest more extensive and
adequate powers in the sovereign of
these United States? For my own part,
altho’ I am returned to, and am now
mingled with the class of private
citizens, and like them must suffer all the
evils of a Tyranny, or of too great an
extension of federal powers; I have no
fears arising from this source, in my
mind, but I have many, and powerful
ones indeed which predict the worst
consequences from a half-starved,
limping Government, that appears to be
moving upon crutches, and tottering at
every step. Men, chosen as the
Delegates in Congress are, cannot
officially be dangerous; they depend
upon the breath, nay, they are so much
the creatures of the people, under the
present constitution, that they can have
no views (which could possibly be
carried into execution,) nor any
interests, distinct from those of their
constituents. My political creed
therefore is, to be wise in the choice of
Delegates, support them like Gentlemen
while they are our representatives, give
them competent powers for all federal
purposes, support them in the due
TeachingAmericanHistory.org, Ashland University

9. A Letter from Henry Knox to friend George Washington
21 Dec 1786
“The insurgents who were
assembled at Worcester in
Massachusetts have disbanded. The
people at Boston seem to be glad at
this event and say it was the effect of
fear. But the fact is that the insurgents
effected their object, which was to
prevent the Court of Common Pleas
from proceeding to business. It is
probable that the seizing some of the
insurgents at Middlesex occasioned a
greater number of them to assemble at
Worcester than otherwise would have
assembled merely on Account of
preventing the common Pleas.
By Private Letters of the 13th from
Boston it appears that government
were determined to try its strength by
bringing the insurgents to action but
were prevented by the uncommon
deep snows, which are four and five
feet on a level.
The commotions of Massachusetts
have wrought prodigious changes in
the minds of men in that State
respecting the Powers of Government
every body says they must be
strengthned, and that unless this shall
be effected there is no Security for
liberty or Property.
Such is the State of things in the
east, that much trouble is to be
apprehended in the course of the
ensuing year.
I hope you will see Colo. Wadsworth in
Philadelphia in a few days. I expect he
will be here on Saturday next.”
After befriending General George Washington, Henry Knox rose to the
position of chief artillery officer and would accompany Washington
during his war efforts.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
File:Henry_Knox_by_Gilbert_Stuart_1806.jpeg
“no Security for
liberty or Property”
Shays’ Rebellion was the defining event which tipped
the United States toward establishing a stronger
central government.
http://www.history.com/news/how-shays-rebellion-
changed-america

10. The Constitutional Convention, 1787
Independence Hall, Philadelphia
In the midst of Shays’ Rebellion,
delegates called for a meeting to
discuss needed improvements to the
Articles. Fearing a bias against small
states, Rhode Island delegates
boycotted the convention. The
delegates at the convention
unanimously elected George
Washington president.
From May 25 to Sept 17, 1787,
twelve of the thirteen states met at
Independence Hall in Philadelphia to
debate the merits and demerits of the
Articles, and discuss a possible new
government. Even before all of the
delegates arrived, James Madison had
already begun drafting the Virginia
Plan, which favored representation for
large states, based on population.
Madison’s plan also proposed a
bicameral legislature. In response, the
New Jersey Plan would reassert an
Articles-style unicameral legislature,
which favored representation for small
states, based on a single vote for each
state, regardless of size. In the end,
both sides won. The Connecticut
Compromise, following Madison’s two-
chamber model, satisfied the large
states representation by population via
the House of Representatives, as well
as assured the small states equal
representation via the Senate.
Similarly, delegates tussled over
personhood representation. Whether
slavery would still be allowed under
the new Constitution was heavily debated, for
the southern states had the majority of slaves.
Many southern delegates refused to join the
Union if slavery was not allowed. Northern
delegates insisted, at the very least, the Union
not participate in the international slave trade.
In the end, the states compromised, keeping
slavery but planning for the elimination of the
slave trade.
However, the states also conflicted over how
slaves would be represented. The northern states
determined slaves were property, that they should
be counted for taxation but not for
representation. Southern states preferred to count
slaves only for representation. Ultimately, the
three-fifths compromise catered to the south by
counting slaves as three-fifths of a person for
representation.
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Scene_at_the_Signing_of_the_Constitution_of_the_United_States.jpg

11. During the Constitutional
Convention’s final session,
after months of debates and
compromises, the final draft
of the document was
complete. Between 1787 and
1788, eleven of the thirteen
states ratified the
Constitution, more than
enough to begin the new
government. However, while
the Federalists wanted to go
ahead with the new, more
powerful, government, the
Anti-Federalists disputed the
proposed Constitution.
Alexander Hamilton, John
Jay, and James Madison
would go on to publish the
Federalist Papers in support
of the new government.
The Constitution has
three sections: the Preamble,
the Articles, and the
Amendments. The Preamble
sets forth the framework of
the document, the Articles
explain the function of the
branches of government, and
the Amendments define the
rights of the people. While
the Articles were a
The U.S. Constitution, 1789--
As people, particularly
judges, have examined the
document over the years,
interpretations of the
framers’ work have been
limitless. While concepts
such as separation of
powers and checks and
balances are more obvious,
just how those concepts
apply to specific situations
has been challenging.
Courts at different levels of
the country cannot agree
on a single interpretation of
the powers of government
nor the rights of the people
and of individuals.
However, should politicians,
journalists, academics, and
everyday people learn
more about the historical
background of the
document’s development,
one of compromise, people
would be less likely to insist
on framers’ priorities and
perhaps be more
appreciative of the nuances
and complexities the
document holds for its
readers.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thorne-enterprises/498309798
response to the debates of the
Constitutional Convention
surrounding the needs of the
legislative, executive, and judicial
branches, the Amendments were a
last minute addition. Originally,
the Constitution did not include a
Bill of Rights.
According to Anti-Federalists, such as
Thomas Jefferson, Patrick Henry, and
Samuel Adams, the limitations of
government were not clear. Thus,
Federalist James Madison drafted
additional articles, which would later
become a separate section called the
Amendments.

12. 12
To return to the essential questions:
(1) How did the debates of colonial America shape the
Constitution? and
(2) Do these issues still affect our government and us as citizens
today?
It is important to consider counterarguments to traditional
narratives about the debates and compromises of colonial America
toward the Constitution. For example, Charles Beard’s Economic
Interpretation of the Constitution of the United States claims the
framers were motivated primarily by their status as wealthy white
men, molding the Constitution toward their own interests of
protecting personal property. He points to the traits of those
delegates who attended the Constitutional Convention as evidence.
Howard Zinn’s People’s History of the United States follows Beard’s
interpretation and concludes that the Constitution was written to benefit
wealthy people. On the other hand, legal theorist Ronald Dworkin offers a
“moral reading” which finds the Constitution was written to emphasize the
country’s moral principles, such as it is wrong for the government to censor
an individual. Judges who interpret the Constitution every day, Dworkin
argues, follow this ideology.
While there are many interpretations of how the Constitution came to
be, the interpretation a reader follows will often predict their view of the
effectiveness of government today. As the future path of the U.S. government
becomes evermore uncertain, it is increasingly important that professionals
and citizens remain vigilant historians, keeping a critical eye on the
information they are presented before reaching a conclusion.
https://www.flickr.com/photos/thorne-enterprises/498309798

13. REFLECTION
Learning the document-based lesson "From Revolution to
Government," which covers the debates leading up to the Constitution,
has been both advantageous and disadvantageous to me as a teacher.
As a teacher, it is valuable to be familiar with technology such as Google
Slides and eBook, in case I have the opportunity to share it with students
in a future classroom. As a historian, it is always helpful for me to see old
content in a new way. Dealing with often complex software, it is essential
that I am able to guide my students toward an ease of access. At the same
time, the classrooms I have taught in have little, if any, access to digital
technology. The technology they do have access to is definitely not this
kind. I do not anticipate a generous donation from the Steve Jobs
foundation any time soon. Nor do I expect this type of technology to
become cheap enough for our state and local government to suddenly
invest. So, I am unsure of when as a teacher I will actually put this
knowledge into practice. I do know as a teacher I will be teaching most
lessons without much technology but with a lot of discussion. I wished we
would have spent more time learning how to generate and hold in-class
discussions. Even more valuable than the technology tools we have
focused on in class are the communication tools we always have access to
as human beings.
However, as an adventurer of technology, I believe this experience
has been advantageous. Gaining greater familiarity with foreign
technology and learning more in general is always a plus. Nevertheless, I
would have preferred focusing on a smaller quantity of programs in more
depth. Even though I learned Google has a multitude of programs to offer
that I have access to, I would have preferred more time to learn about
their features. At the end of the class, I will have a basic understanding of
many tools rather than a deeper understanding of a few tools. Perhaps
this is where my adventurous spirit will have to come into play.
Connect with Valerie on
Linkedin!
Thanks for reading!

14. Exploring History Vol IV
University of Portland Students
Peter Pappas, Editor

15. This eBook is a collaborative project of Peter Pappas
and his Fall 2016 Social Studies Methods Class
School of Education ~ University of Portland, Portland Ore.
Graduate and undergraduate level pre-service teachers were assigned the
task of developing an engaging research question, researching supportive
documents and curating them into a DBQ suitable for middle or high
school students.
For more on this class, visit the course blog EdMethods
For more on this book project and work flow tap here.
Chapters in chronological order
1. Mysterious Bronze Age Collapse by Sam Hicks
2. From Revolution to Government by Valerie Schiller
3. Imagination, Innovation & Space Exploration by Molly Pettit
4. The Real Romanovs by Kelly Marx
5. World War I: The Human Cost of Total War by Anna
Harrington
6. Collectivization and Propaganda in Stalin’s Soviet Union by
Clarice Terry
7. Holy Propaganda Batman! by Karina Ramirez Velazquez
8. The Nicaraguan Literacy Crusade by Scott Hearron
EXPLORING HISTORY: VOL IV
i
Engaging questions and historic
documents empower students to be
the historian in the classroom.

16. Peter Pappas, editor
School of Education ~ University of Portland
His popular blog, Copy/Paste features downloads of his instructional
resources, projects and publications. Follow him at Twitter @edteck.
His other multi-touch eBooks are available at here.
© Peter Pappas and his students, 2016
The authors take copyright infringement seriously. If any copyright holder has
been inadvertently or unintentionally overlooked, the publisher will be pleased to
remove the said material from this book at the very first opportunity.
ii
Cover design by Anna Harrington
Cover image: Timeless Books
By Lin Kristensen from New Jersey, USA
[CC BY 2.]
via Wikimedia Commons