A founding document's themes, purposes and style
Grade 11 Reading Worksheet - Building Confidence
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A League of States (founding document)
Background: [1] The Articles of Confederation were the first written plan of government for the United States. [2] Congress sent them to the states in 1777, and they took effect in 1781, when the last of the thirteen states approved them. [3] Under the Articles there was no separate executive branch, and Congress could not tax the people directly. [4] In 1787 a convention met to revise them and wrote the Constitution instead. [5] The excerpt below is copied exactly from the Articles, and a mark shows each cut.
From the Articles of Confederation (1781): [6] Article I. The Stile of this confederacy shall be, “The United States of America.” [7] Article II. Each state retains its sovereignty, freedom and independence, and every Power, Jurisdiction and right, which is not by this confederation expressly delegated to the United States, in Congress assembled. [8] Article III. The said states hereby severally enter into a firm league of friendship with each other, for their common defence, the security of their Liberties, and their mutual and general welfare,… [9] Article V. …In determining questions in the united states, in Congress assembled, each state shall have one vote.… [10] Article XIII. Every State shall abide by the determinations of the united states, in congress assembled, on all questions which by this confederation are submitted to them. [11] And the Articles of this confederation shall be inviolably observed by every state, and the union shall be perpetual;…
Word notes: [12] Stile is an old spelling of style, which here means the official name. [13] A confederacy, or confederation, is a union of states that keep their own governments. [14] Sovereignty is a state's supreme power to govern itself. [15] Expressly delegated means handed over in so many words. [16] Severally means each one separately, and a league is an agreement among equals to work together. [17] To abide by determinations is to follow decisions, and inviolably observed means kept without a single break. [18] Perpetual means lasting forever. [19] The original prints united states both with and without capital letters. [20] The cuts leave out the end of Article III, Article IV, most of Article V, Articles VI to XII, and the end of Article XIII, on how the Articles could be changed.
Luz fills the purpose row. What is the main purpose of this excerpt from the Articles?
- To set up a union that its writers expected to fail within a few years.
- To name the union and set binding rules that every member state agrees to follow.
- To persuade readers to approve the Articles by giving them the reasons why they should.
- To list the powers that each state must hand over to the United States.
Tala fills the rhetorical-feature row. Which feature does sentence 7 use, and what does it do?
- A limiting clause, which shows that Congress may take any power it finds useful.
- Equal treatment, which gives every state the same single vote in Congress.
- A limiting clause, which keeps for each state every power not expressly handed over.
- A rhetorical question, which invites each state to ask itself what power it should keep.
Jun turns to Article XIII. What do sentences 10 and 11 add to the theme of the excerpt?
- They come back to Congress, the body also named in Articles II and V.
- The league binds every state to shared decisions, and it is meant to last forever.
- Every state must obey Congress on any question Congress decides to take up.
- Each state may leave the league when its own interests are no longer served.
Pia asks why each state gets one vote. What purpose does sentence 9 serve in the plan?
- It keeps the states equal partners, so a large state has no more say than a small one.
- It gives each state a single chance to vote on whether to join the league.
- It lets the people of each state vote directly for their members of Congress.
- It shows that the small states forced the large states to accept a voting rule they disliked.
Bo looks for a list of three that names the league's goals. Which sentence holds it?
- Sentence 8, which lists common defence, the security of their liberties and their general welfare.
- Sentence 16, which explains that a league is an agreement among equals to work together.
- Sentence 7, which lists sovereignty, freedom and independence as the things that each state keeps.
- Sentence 11, which pairs keeping the Articles with a union that shall be perpetual.
Three Powers, Three Places (founding document)
Background: [1] The Constitution was written in Philadelphia in 1787 to replace the Articles of Confederation. [2] It took effect in 1788, after nine states had ratified it, and the new government began its work in 1789. [3] Its first three articles set up the three branches of the national government, one article for each branch. [4] The excerpt below is copied exactly from the Constitution, and a mark shows each cut.
From the Constitution of the United States (1787): [5] Article I, Section 1. All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States, which shall consist of a Senate and House of Representatives.… [6] Article II, Section 1. The executive Power shall be vested in a President of the United States of America.… [7] Article III, Section 1. The judicial Power of the United States, shall be vested in one supreme Court, and in such inferior Courts as the Congress may from time to time ordain and establish.… [8] Article VI. …This Constitution, and the Laws of the United States which shall be made in Pursuance thereof; and all Treaties made, or which shall be made, under the Authority of the United States, shall be the supreme Law of the Land; and the Judges in every State shall be bound thereby, any Thing in the Constitution or Laws of any State to the Contrary notwithstanding.… [9] Article VII. The Ratification of the Conventions of nine States, shall be sufficient for the Establishment of this Constitution between the States so ratifying the Same.
Word notes: [10] Legislative power is the power to make laws, and executive power is the power to carry them out. [11] Judicial power is the power to decide cases under the laws. [12] Vested in means placed in the hands of, and herein granted means given in this document. [13] Inferior courts are lower courts, and to ordain and establish is to create. [14] In pursuance thereof means following from it. [15] Notwithstanding means in spite of. [16] Ratification is formal approval, here by a special convention in each state. [17] The cuts leave out how the President and judges serve, a paragraph on debts from before 1787, and one on oaths of office.
Milo fills the theme row for the Constitution excerpt. Which theme do sentences 5, 6 and 7 develop together?
- The excerpt is about the national government that began its work in 1789.
- Government power is split into three kinds, and each kind is placed in its own branch.
- Legislative power makes the laws, and executive power carries the laws out.
- Congress holds the three powers, and then it shares some of them with the President.
Zee fills the purpose row. What is the main purpose of this excerpt from the Constitution?
- To set up a government by placing each power in a body and naming the highest law.
- To make sure that the President would hold more power than Congress does.
- To let each state choose whether its own laws or national laws come first.
- To argue that the Articles of Confederation had failed and that they needed to be replaced.
Kira spots the same words in sentences 5, 6 and 7. What feature is this, and what does it do?
- A list of examples, which shows how many courts and offices the new nation will need.
- Parallel structure, which grants each power in the same words, one branch at a time.
- A command to judges, which binds the judges in every state to national law.
- Parallel structure, which shows that Congress controls the other two branches.
Ren reads Article VI closely. What does sentence 8 add to the theme of the excerpt?
- Only the supreme Court may decide cases under the Constitution and national laws.
- It turns to the topic of treaties and the laws that Congress will make.
- Each state's own laws stay in force even where they go against national law.
- One national law ranks above state laws, and judges in every state must follow it.
Noah looks for a closing phrase that sets other laws aside. Which sentence ends this way?
- Sentence 5, which ends on the Senate and House to rank them above state law.
- Sentence 9, which ends by limiting the plan to the states so ratifying.
- Sentence 8, which ends by setting aside any state law to the contrary.
- Sentence 15, which explains that notwithstanding means in spite of.