In this lesson, students will examine a copy of twelve possible amendments to the United States Constitution as originally sent to the states for their ratification in September of 1789. Students will debate and vote on which of these amendments they would ratify and compare their resulting “Bill of Rights” to the ten amendments ratified by ten states that have since been known by this name.
Preparation
This lesson is meant to be an introduction to primary source analysis, but is best used with students who have a basic understanding of the Bill of Rights and the amendment process.
Materials: Have the requisite materials ready before the activity:
John Beckley’s copy of the Bill of Rights, 1789 as sent to the states (PDF, 9.54 MB) (one assembled copy per student or per group)
The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution, later known as the Bill of Rights (PDF, 245 KB) (one copy per student or per group)
Resources: Brief background to the lesson:
In September 1789, under the direction of John James Beckley, clerk of the United States House of Representatives and the first Librarian of Congress, twelve possible amendments to the Constitution were sent to the states for their ratification. By December 15, 1791, ten of these amendments were ratified by ten states and have since been known as the Bill of Rights.
(Note: Do not share this information with students until after lesson step 3.) Before leading students through the exploration process, teachers should make themselves familiar with the drafting and ratification of the Bill of Rights.
Teacher Tips
Check the "evaluation" tab and make changes to match the needs of your students.
Program Areas
ASE: High School Diploma
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Warm-up
Engagement
Objective: Activate prior knowledge of documents and the Bill of Rights
Activity: Document Detective
Display an image of John Beckley’s copy of the 1789 Bill of Rights (without context).
Ask students to silently observe the document for 1–2 minutes.
Prompt a Think-Pair-Share using the following questions:
What do you think this is?
Who might have written it?
What kind of information might be in it?
4. Brief discussion: “What is a document? What types do we see in everyday life?”
Introduction
Objective: Set the stage for the lesson’s inquiry and goals
Introduce the essential question:
If you lived in 1789, which of the 12 proposed amendments would you have ratified?
2. Give brief historical context (without revealing final ratified amendments):
Congress proposed 12 amendments in 1789.
Students will investigate and debate which ones deserve to become part of the Constitution.
Presentation
Objective: Analyze a primary source and model historical inquiry
Teacher Modeling:
Present one of the 12 proposed amendments using a document projector.
Define any difficult vocabulary.
Ask:
What does this amendment say in your own words?
What right is being protected?
Is it still relevant today?
Should this be ratified? Why or why not?
4. Demonstrate how to annotate and summarize the amendment on paper or a digital slide.
Practice
Engagement Enhancement
Objective: Collaborative analysis and debate
Activity: Amendment Analysis Teams
Divide students into small groups or pairs. Assign each a different amendment.
Each group:
Reads and translates the amendment into modern English.
Identifies its main idea and purpose.
Discusses whether it should be ratified (supporting arguments required).
3. Groups prepare a short persuasive presentation to the class advocating for or against ratification.
Evaluation
Engagement Enhancement
Objective: Apply critical thinking through discussion and voting Activity:Ratification Debate & Secret Ballot
Groups present their assigned amendment.
Class engages in respectful debate or Q&A.
Students cast a secret ballot for each amendment (ratify or reject).
Tally results and create a class "Bill of Rights."
Compare it to the actual 10 ratified amendments. Discuss:
What did we include/exclude?
What values influenced our decisions?
Application
Extension
Option 1: Letter to Jefferson
Read excerpts from Thomas Jefferson’s letter to James Madison (1787) regarding the need for a Bill of Rights.
Write a response as if you were a delegate explaining how the final amendments addressed his concerns.
Option 2: Then vs. Now Analysis
Research one of the two amendments that were not ratified in 1791.
Write a short argument about whether it should be added to the Constitution today.
Assessment Tools
Group amendment analysis notes
Participation in debates and discussions
Persuasive presentations
Written letter or amendment analysis (rubric-based)
Resources and Materials John Beckley’s 1789 Copy (PDF) Final Ten Amendments (PDF) Primary Documents on the Bill of Rights – Library of Congress
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The Bill of Rights.png - Screenshot of The Bill of Rights: Debating the Amendments Lesson
View Subjects
Social Studies
U.S. History
View Tags
congress, constitution, document, government, library of congress, petition, ratification, representative, rights, state, amendment, amendments, America, Bill of Rights
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