This paper examines the contributions of Charles Pinckney III to the U.S. Constitution. When the minutes of the Constitutional Convention were released 30 years after the convention, the Pinckney Plan had been lost. The Secretary of State, John Quincy Adams, who had opened the minutes, asked Pinckney to submit his draft for publication. Pinckney…

Describes the evolution of the position of Speaker of the House of Representatives from being barely mentioned in the Constitution to being one of the most powerful political positions in the United States. Argues that individual speakers have greatly affected the role due to the lack of formal job description. (DSK)

Examines how John Locke's views on limited government, constitutional supremacy, republicanism, and internal checks and balances are represented in the U.S. Constitution. (Author/BSR)

The history of the United States Constitution is outlined in this account of the 1787 Constitutional Convention. The document is grouped according to 12 topical headings, which follow a brief account of the participation of George Washington and James Madison. Section 1 deals with the conceptualization and development of the Articles of…

Provides a lesson plan designed to help students better understand the concept of a constitution, distinguish constitutional law from statutory law, and recognize examples of constitutional government. (BSR)

Provides background on the historical connections between India and the United States and compares their political systems. Offers a number of learning activities designed to promote better understanding between India and the United States. (BSR)

The questions that observers of Congress have posed throughout U.S. history continue to confront citizens: how have the constitutional powers of Congress adapted to new conditions, and how has this affected Congress's relations with the other branches of government. Congress, in its constitutional design, is part of the remedy for the problems of…

Australia is an independent nation-state, federally constituted under a democratic parliamentary system. Being part of the Commonwealth of Nations, with feelings of loyalty to the Crown, Australia is also a democratic monarchy. Its political structure is discussed. (RM)

The three chapters in Unit 2 of a six-unit series on Indiana state history designed to be taught in Indiana secondary schools chronicle the need for rewriting the Constitution of 1816, the events of the Constitutional Convention of 1850-51, and the details of the new constitution. Chapter 1 explains the reasons that Hoosiers wanted a new…

The contributions that George Washington and James Madison made to the creation of the United States Constitution are discussed. As host of the Mount Vernon Conference and president of the Philadelphia Convention, Washington brought to the growing movement for a new constitution great dignity and political stature. Washington's stamp of approval…

Through an exploration of essential documents and writings that led to and derived from the creation of the U.S. Constitution, this book chronicles U.S. history from 1775 to 1791. Major sections include: (1) the origins of the Constitution; (2) America in 1787; (3) the grand federal convention; (4) ratification of the Constitution; (5) the first…

The Chumash Indians were one of the most populous, rich peoples of aboriginal California. Though their origins are mysterious, they were reported to be a flourishing people by Spanish explorers in the sixteenth century. Missionization by Spaniards and secularization in 1833 spelled destruction, so that today only a few isolated and impoverished…

Summarizes William Sidis'"Tribes and States," a 50-year-old unpublished manuscript that retells colonial American history from an American Indian viewpoint and traces the contributions of American Indians, particularly the Penacook Federation and the Iroquois Confederacy, to American democracy and constitutional rights. (SV)

Suggested methods for principals to enhance the constitutional literacy of their students preface a speech by the Chief Justice that analyzes the historical context of the Constitutional Convention with particular reference to the problematical fear of central power. (MJL)

The only local tribe to migrate into California during recorded history, the Chemehuevi Indians had one of the largest tribal areas in California, though their population probably never exceeded 800. Today most live on the Colorado River Reservation, where they share membership with the Colorado River tribes. First mentioned in a priest's report…