The Constitutional Convention of 1787

By 1786, it became apparent to many American founders that there were serious problems with the Articles of Confederation. A three-lesson unit focuses on the debates that lead to the 1787 Constitution Convention, as well as the compromises reached that lead to a new constitution. The unit begins with high schoolers examining primary source materials to gain an understanding of why some believed there needed to be drastic changes to the Articles. The second lesson looks at the debates about how to select representatives to congress and the relationship between national and state governments. The final lesson focuses on the arguments about what should be the powers of the president.