VOLUME 8, ISSUE 3

Top Stories

"Debating the Bill of Rights"

[The first ten amendments to the U. S. Constitution] have not only come to seem as natural as the rights enumerated in the Declaration of Independence; after more than two centuries, they have the authority of Scripture. The ten amendments have almost become the Ten Commandments. . . .

It is surprising to discover that these fundamental rights were so nettlesome to the people charged with framing the Constitution. The arguments over the Bill of Rights were sometimes bitter, beginning with whether the federal government should protect individual rights at all.

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Primary Source of the Month:
The Bill of Rights

The Bill of Rights, the first ten Amendments of the U. S. Constitution, was ratified in December of 1791. The amendments protect American citizens against abuses of power by the government and are a testament to the philosophical beliefs upon which the nation was founded.

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Teaching Strategy: The Bill of Rights

Protecting individual rights is paramount to the success of a government. Soon after the 1789 ratification of the U. S. Constitution, Federalists and Anti-Federalists hotly debated whether a Bill of Rights needed to be added to the Constitution. Finally, in September 1789 Congress sent a list of twelve amendments to the states for consideration and adoption. The Bill of Rights went into effect on December 15, 1791 after being ratified by three-fourths of the states.

In this lesson, students examine specific Amendments within the Bill of Rights that deal with individual rights and freedoms.

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Colonial Williamsburg Teaching Resources for Your Classroom

Colonial Williamsburg offers a variety of quality instructional materials dealing with 18th-century life, including:

• Jefferson & Adams: A Stage Play (DVD)
• Jefferson & Adams: A Stage Play Teacher Guide
• Declaration of Independence (poster and lesson activities)
• Teaching Literacy Through History (lesson unit)

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Teaching News

New! Colonial Williamsburg for Teachers Facebook Page
We have joined Facebook! Visit our page to get updates on educational materials and programs such as Electronic Field Trips, Teacher Institute, conferences, and other classroom resources. You can also share photographs and video with us about projects in your classroom, discuss ideas with other teachers, or ask us questions. Even if you are not on Facebook, you can see our page!

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New! 1776: A New Look at Revolutionary Williamsburg
Colonial Williamsburg and National Geographic have published a new book about the American Revolution. Written for children ages 8–12, the book tells the stories of the daily lives of the not-so-famous citizens of the colonial capital of Virginia—farmers and tradesmen, women, enslaved blacks, indentured servants, and Virginia Indians—leading up to the Revolutionary War.

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Quotation of the Month

"THE Conventions of a number of the States, having at the time of adopting the Constitution, expressed a desire, in order to prevent misconstruction or abuse of its powers, that further declaratory and restrictive clauses should be added: And as extending the ground of public confidence in the Government will best insure the beneficent ends of its institution."

—Preamble to the Bill of Rights, 1791

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