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  James Madison.
Courtesy of American Memory at the Library of Congress.

 

Subject Areas
History and Social Studies
   U.S. History - Civics and U.S. Government
   U.S. History - Colonial America and the New Nation
 
Time Required
 Lesson One: Madison Was There: One class period.
Lesson Two: The Second National Bank: Powers Not Specified in the Constitution: One or two class periods.
Lesson Three: Raising an Army: Balancing the Power of the States and the Federal Government: One or two class periods.
Lesson Four: Internal Improvements Balancing Act: Federal/State, Executive/Legislative: One or two class periods.
 
Skills
 Comparing and contrasting
Interpreting archival documents
Making inferences and drawing conclusions
Working collaboratively
 
Curriculum Unit
James Madison: From Father of the Constitution to President
 
Additional Data
 Date Created: 04/02/04
 
Additional Student/Teacher Resources
 Blackline Master for Unit (PDF)
 
Date Posted
 4/2/2004
 
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James Madison: Madison Was There

Lesson One of the Curriculum Unit: James Madison: From Father of the Constitution to President

Guiding Question

  • In what ways was Madison involved in the creation and application of the Constitution?

Learning Objectives

After completing this lesson, students will be able to:
  • List reasons why Madison is called the "Father of the Constitution."
Why is James Madison such an important figure? Why is he known as the "Father of the Constitution"? How involved was James Madison in the most important events in America from 1775 to 1817? The answers to these questions provide context for understanding the importance of James Madison's opinions on constitutional issues. They also should help students appreciate Madison's position as a president embroiled in disputes over the meaning of the document he had inspired.

Provide students with the chart "Events: 1775-1817" (see Preparing to Teach This Curriculum Unit for download instructions). Using the following biographical material about Madison on the EDSITEment resource The American President, or another teacher-approved source, ask students, working individually or in small groups, to find connections between events in the political career of James Madison and the listed events in American history from 1775 to 1817.

Assessment

Having completed the lesson, students should be able to respond effectively to the following questions:
  • What connections do students find between the historical events listed and James Madison?
  • What other events would they include on the list?
  • What state and national offices, elected or appointed, did Madison hold ?
  • What role did Madison play in the creation of the Constitution?
  • What actions did Madison take to secure ratification of the Constitution?
  • In what instances was Madison involved in disputes over the interpretation of the Constitution when he was both in and out of office?
Ask students to write a short statement (3-4 sentences) explaining why Madison is called the "Father of the Constitution." Then have the students draft outlines (no longer than one page) that they would use to support the ideas presented in their statement. The outline should be organized around the basic ideas and should indicate the specific evidence that would support their ideas if they were writing short essays (five paragraphs, for example).

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