SOL STUDY GUIDE FOURTH GRADE POLITICAL GROWTH AND WESTERN EXPANSIONCharters of the Virginia Company of London (1606, 1609, 1612) + Authorized the establishment of colonies « Allowed for a representative form of government + Extended English rights to colonists Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776) Formed the basis of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution Isa part of the Virginia Constitution * Written by George AMason Declaration of Independence (1776) ¢ Listed basic rights of individuals including life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness * Explained why the colonies should break away from England Wos adopted on July 4, 1776 by the Second Continental Congress “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another... ." * Written by Thomas Jefferson Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (1786) + Separated church and state + Established religious freedom Was the basis for the first amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which guarantees freedom of religion * Written by Thomas JeffersonName — B= Creating Our Constitution es Ee aes Use each word in the feather pen once to fill in the blanks. When the United States declared its independence from) ____ in 1776, each colony had its own government. It became important to have an agreement unifying all thirteen colonies. Under the first written agreement, called the Articles of were more powerful than the colonies as a Confederation, individual whole. Problems arose with the Articles and a meeting was called to change them. James Madison asked all {1 __. states to send delegates to the Constitutional Convention Once the meeting began, the delegates decided to write a new constitution. ° Delegates debated for four @) about what rules pent should be included. After many compromises, most thirteen signed the Constitution on September 11, 1787 The founding fathers wanted to make our government strong ___ They agreed to give Congress, the lawmaking \\_ Britain J branch, more power than it had had under the previous form of 45 government. Next they created the executive brancn, headed Du by the of the United States, and made it \ colonies responsible for enforcing the laws. Finally they designed a branch court system, known as the judicial branch, responsible for Y explaining the law. delegates These® ___ branches of our government work as a ipitites are * three or system of checks and balances. Power © divided so that no one _____ totally controls our months country. Ny The United States Constitution is the basic set of e uo) that governs our country. It is the supreme law of the land and guarantees to U.S. citizens certain liberties, or freedoms. Challenge! Using the information on this page, write a five-question quiz on the back of this paper. Then trade your quiz with a friend.ik Vocabulary Name We the People ... The United States Constitution consists of three main parts. The preamble introduces the Constitution and states its purpose. The seven articles outline how our government is organized. The amendments are changes in or additions to the original Constitution. In the 200 years since the Constitution was written, 26 amendments have been added. The first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights, were adopted in 1791. The Bill of Rights was written to protect people's individual rights. Read the preamble to our Constitution Using the words in the scroll, write a synonym for each bold faced word in the preamble, PREAMBLE We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquillity, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America } 1. union i fairness 2. justice 4 _pritemye! create 9. franquiljfy) “1-46 mot ausive \ safety \ Bidens \ freedom Seems we pieuagia ———\ 6. welfare | descendants 7. liberty well-being 8. posterity ., 2S ae Ascwe te order 9. ordain peace MOMCEtaRIE NY

hea eg roe sips ae ‘o;colonial soldiers on their way tO Yuko forte alate he Kendra Wot GEORGE'S BELIEFS ssa sama ana peo, George aay suported cid res an ope vey Ci ils he baie gs gunned fr al hes yi AT THE CONSTITUTIONAL EDUCATION CONVENTION: ‘George Mason University in Fairlais named-after George. [ AHOUSE George began bulging his home, Gunston Hall in 1755) Iwas completed in 1759. George and his rend, George Washington, ote traded seeds and vee graft from thei esaes. George made 136 speeches thatGeorge Mason was one of our Founding Fathers. He wrote the Virginia Declaration of Rights which stated that all people have rights (such as life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness) and freedoms (such as the freedom of religion and the freedom of the press). Thomas Jefferson used some of these ideas in the Declaration of Independence and later these ideas formed the basis for the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Consbchcn,JAMES MADISON After the United States gained its independence from England, James Madison helped create the mew government. He believed in the importance of having a written document explaining the roles of government. He is known as the “Father of the Constitution” because he wrote most of the U.S. Constitution. All the state delegates met during the Constitutional Convention to approve of it, but th h reed ny parts aan( Virginia Statute f Tacit of Independence, ) pl Religious Freedom Charters of the: iepnia Detain of ) fe) willed Company of LondowVIRGINIA DECLARATION OF RIGHTS I'M THE OF THE CONSTITUTION,Name Date Study Guide VS.6a-b Essential Knowledge (questions students should be able to answer): * Why is George Washington referred to as the "Father of Our Country?" * Why is James Madison referred to as the "Father of the Constitution?" © What key ideas of the Virginia Declaration of Rights are included in the Constitution of the United States of America? © What key ideas of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom are included in the Constitution of the United States of America? George Washington © George Washington, a Virginian, was elected as the first President of the United States of ‘America. He provided the strong leadership needed to help the young country and provided a model of leadership for future presidents. Thus, he is often called the “Father of Our Country.” James Madison James Madison believed in the importance of having a United States Constitution, He kept detailed notes during the Constitutional Convention. His skills at compromise helped the delegates reach agreement during the difficult process of writing the Constitution of the United States of America, This earned him the title "Father of the Constitution." George Mason * The Virginia Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, states that all Virginians should have many rights, including freedom of religion and freedom of the press. Thomas Jefferson + The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, written by Thomas Jefferson, states that all people should be free to worship as they please.Name Date Study Guide VS.6a-b Use your study guide to fill in the blanks. George Washington 1, George Washington, a Virginian, was elected the first of the United States of America. 2. He provided the strong needed to help the young country and provided a model of leadership for future 3. He is often called the of our James Madison 1, James Madison believed in the importance of having a United States 2. He kept detailed notes during the 3. His skills at helped the delegates reach agreement during the difficult process of writing the of the. United States of America. 4. He is known as the of the 4 George Mason 1, The of E states that all should have many rights, including freedom of and freedom of Thomas Jefferson 1, The Virginia for states that all people should be free to as they please.Date Name tudy Guide VS.6c Essential Knowledge (questions students should be able to answer): «What geographic factors influenced Virginians to move to the western frontier of Virginia and beyond? The Westward Movement After the American Revolution, Virginia's agricultural base began to change, and as a result, large numbers of Virginians moved west and to the deep South to find better farmland and new opportunities. Tobacco farming was hard on the soil, causing many farmers to look west and south for new land to farm, Virginians migrated into western territories, looking for large areas of land and new opportunities. As Virginians moved, they took their traditions, ideas, and cultures with them. Settlers crossed the Appalachian Mountains through the Cumberland Gap as they migrated to new lands in the west. Virginians moved west and to the deep South for better farmland and new opportunities. ‘Cumberlare op Z Atlantic OceanName Date Study Guide VS.6¢ Use your study guide to fill in the blanks: 1, After the American Revolution, Virginians moved west and deep South to find better and new opportunities. . Settlers crossed the Mountains as they migrated to new land in the west. ny Settlers also went through the Gap as they migrated to new land in the west. oy As Virginians moved, they took their traditions, ideas, and with them. s &. farming was very hard on Virginia soil