The rights provided in the Bill of Rights were based on several documents and precedents from England and the early American colonies. Documents such as the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Massachusetts Body of Liberties and the Virginia Declaration of Rights all inspired early Americans to include specific rights in the first ten amendments to the Constitution. This lesson provides an overview of these early documents and has students compare them to the Bill of Rights in the United States.
WARM-UP:
Have the students answer the following questions before beginning the lesson. Discuss the answers with the students after they have time to respond.
EXPLORATION:
Have the students view each of the videos clips below and answer the questions on the handout.
After students complete these videos and questions, review the students answers and clarify any misconceptions.
HANDOUT: Predecessors to the Bill of Rights (Google Doc)
Video Clip: Magna Carta and Individual Rights (3:13)
Describe the events surrounding the creation of the Magna Carta.
Why did the barons feel that the Magna Carta was necessary?
Video Clip: England's Glorious Revolution of 1688 and the English Bill of Rights (3:21)
Explain the transition of power from James II to William of Orange.
Why was the English Bill of Rights created in 1689?
Video Clip: Individual Rights and the Early American Colonies (3:24)
Explain how the royal colonial charters allowed for colonists to set up their own political structures. What were limitations to these charters?
What does Mr. Witte mean when he describes the colonies as a "laboratory" to try out ideas?
Describe the religious freedoms that were established in Rhode Island, Maryland and Pennsylvania.
Video Clip: Massachusetts Colony's Body of Liberties and Due Process Rights (6:07)
Explain the creation of the Massachusetts Body of Liberties in 1641.
What were inspirations for the Massachusetts Body of Liberties?
Video Clip: Virginia Declaration of Rights (4:38)
Explain some of the ideas that were included in the Virginia Declaration of Rights.
Video Clip: The Creation of the Bill of Rights (3:34)
What was the main concern of the delegates to the Constitution Convention? What rights were originally included in the Constitution?
Describe the consideration given to including a Bill of Rights during the Constitutional Convention.
Explain the debate over the Bill of Rights between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Describe the views of each group.
APPLICATION:
After having the students view the videos, the students will use the chart on the handout to create a list of specific rights that were included in the documents that influenced the Bill of Rights.
They should indicate which documents included these rights and identify where in the Bill of Rights each right is located.
CONCLUSION:
As a culminating activity, the students will provide a written response to the following prompt:
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:
Student Bill of Rights- Using the ideas from the documents that influenced the Bill of Rights, create a bill of rights for students. What rights should you have in school?
Amendments to the Amendments- Review the list of rights that are specifically mentioned in the Bill of Rights. What other rights do you think should be directly stated in the Bill of Rights?
EXTENSION ACTIVITIES:
Additional Writing Prompts-
How does the creation of the Bill of Rights in the United States compare to the creation of the previous documents?
To what extent was the situation in the American colonies uniquely setup for the establishment of a new form of government?
Using examples from the video clips, how have documents that have guaranteed rights for citizens also served to limit government?
Chief Justice Roberts discussed the creation of Magna Carta in 1215 in England. He explained the significance and impact on democracy and liberty today.
President Barack Obama speaks to the British Parliament, on May 25, 2011, about the English roots of our democratic principles.
In this lesson, students will examine some of the founding principles that emerged from this meeting as well as hear about some of the people who participated. Procedures