Lesson Two of Curriculum Unit:Lost Hero: Who Was Really Our First President?
Curriculum Unit
Lost Hero: Who Was Really Our First President?
Lost Hero: Starting a Government from Scratch
Lost Hero: The “To Do List” of the Continental Congress
Lost Hero: Was John Hanson Actually the First President?
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
Lost Hero: Was John Hanson Our First President?: Four class sessions for the individual lessons, or more.
Skills
Interpreting primary documentsWorking collaboratively Comparing and contrastingGathering, classifying and interpreting written informationMaking inferences and drawing conclusionsGraphic representation of information
—Curriculum Unit Overview—
From 1781 to 1782 he was “President of the United States in Congress Assembled” under the Articles of Confederation. As the presiding officer of Congress, Hanson was responsible for initiating a number of programs that helped America gain a world position.—John Hanson Statue on the website The Architect of the Capitol, a link from the EDSITEment resource Congress Link
Introduction
At the time the Founders were shaping the future of a new country, John Adams suggested the President should be addressed as “His Excellency.” Happily, others recognized that such a title was inappropriate. Though the proper form of address represents only a small detail, defining everything about the Presidency was central to the idea of America that was a work-in-progress when the nation was young.
In this lesson, students look at the role of President as defined in the Articles of Confederation and consider the precedent-setting accomplishments of John Hanson, the first full-term “President of the United States in Congress Assembled.”
Note: This curriculum unit may be taught either as a stand-alone unit or as a prequel to the complementary EDSITEment unit Before and Beyond the Constitution: What Should a President Do?
Guiding Questions:
How was the role of “President” defined in the Articles of Confederation?
What important developments occurred during John Hanson's term as the first full-term “President of the United States in Congress Assembled”?
How did they affect the future of the U.S. and the office of the President?
Learning Objectives
After completing the lessons in this unit, students will be able to:
Describe the role of “President of the United States in Congress Assembled” under the Articles of Confederation and explain how the President was elected.
Describe some of the actions of John Hanson in his role as “President of the United States in Congress Assembled.”
List some of the problems and accomplishments that occurred under the Articles of Confederation.
Preparing to Teach This Curriculum Unit (see EdSITEment source's page linked)
...(From this outline, straight to the lesson -
the rest of the EdSITEment.co topics and suggested links, from here, for the rest of this post as follows..
... then on to- reflecting benefits to a "To Do List" For Today" fOR COMMENTS ; that is, if I can notdraw up one my own)
see source page link- http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=454
Preparing to Teach This Curriculum Unit
Review the lesson plan. Locate and bookmark suggested materials and other useful websites. Download and print out documents you will use and duplicate copies as necessary for student viewing.
Download the blackline masters for this unit, available here as a PDF file. Print out and make an appropriate number of copies of any handouts you plan to use in class.
Students with an understanding of the fears of the Founders regarding a powerful executive will benefit the most from this lesson. When discussing the structure of the Executive sketched in the Articles of Confederation, it is useful to refer back to the complaints of the colonists as summarized by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. Help students understand why and how the Founders were cautious. Consult the following EDSITEment lessons for grades 6-8 for more information on:
The Declaration of Independence.
Lesson: Jefferson vs. Franklin: Renaissance Men
Jefferson vs. Franklin: Revolutionary Philosophers
The defects in the Articles of Confederation and the debates in the Constitutional Convention.
Lesson: The Federalist Debates: Balancing Power Between State and Federal Governments
The debates in the Constitutional Convention.
The Constitutional Convention: Four Founding Fathers You May Never Have Met
The Constitutional Convention: What the Founding Fathers Said
On March 1, 1781, the Articles of Confederation, which had been passed by the Continental Congress in 1777, finally came into force with ratification by Maryland. On October 19 of the same year, British General Cornwallis surrendered a large army to General George Washington, effectively ending the Revolutionary War. Days later, the Continental Congress elected John Hanson of Maryland the "President of the United States in Congress Assembled" with no dissenting votes. On paper, the role was largely ceremonial, with its only specified duty being presiding over the Congress; however, some people believe Hanson was integral to a number of important actions. Many of the initiatives begun during Hanson's term in office were realized later when Washington was Chief Executive (for example, the census and Postal Service).
The EDSITEment-reviewed website Digital Classroom offers The Declaration of Independence: A History and The Constitution: A History for background on those fundamental documents as well as the Articles of Confederation.
Unless otherwise specified, historic documents referred to in the lesson plan are available on the EDSITEment resource Avalon Project at the Yale Law School.
The handout "Documents for John Hanson's Term as President of the United States in Congress Assembled," on pages 3-8 of the PDF file (see download instructions, above), uses very brief excerpts from the records of the Continental Congress. The documents are intended to represent a sample of the problems and accomplishments of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation during John Hanson's tenure as President. The interesting but relatively inconsequential question about Hanson's place in history serves in this lesson as a hinge into the more important question of the problems with the Articles of Confederation that eventually led to the drafting of the U.S. Constitution.The records of the Continental Congress are presented to students in their original language. Some difficult terms, indicated by underlining, are defined in parentheses. Some grammar and spelling has been standardized. In many classes, students will be able to understand the text sufficiently for the requirements of this lesson; some classes will benefit by simply going through a few (or all) of the documents as a whole class. The passages are all short but vary in length; if students will be looking at them in groups, assign groups and passages accordingly. There are 12 documents; use all of them or choose those most appropriate for your class. Some representing defects in the Articles and accomplishments of the Congress are marked.
For further reading, consult the Recommended Reading List provided here as a PDF file.
Unit Lessons
Lesson One: Starting a Government from Scratch
Lesson Two: The “To Do List” of the Continental Congress
(This is a "'You Are Here Now" as this blog post has reflected so far...)
Lesson Three: Was John Hanson Actually the First President?
Selected EDSITEment Websites
American Memory [http://memory.loc.gov/]
A Century of Lawmaking [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lawhome.html]
Asking the States to Help Out With a Census [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(dg018252))]
Asking the States to Provide the Troops They Promised [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(dg018252))]
Asking the States to Send Representatives to Congress [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(dg018507))]
Communicating With a Head of State [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(dc00516))]
Defects in the Articles of Confederation [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/defects.html]
Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/bdsdhome.html]
Franklin Authorized to Secure a Loan [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc02227))]
George Washington to John Hanson dated November 30, 1781 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field(DOCID+@lit(gw230399))]
George Washington to John Hanson, November 30, 1781 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/mgw:@field(DOCID+@lit(gw230399))]
Giving Washington Authority to Negotiate a Treaty with Britain [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc02324))]
Granting Authority for Benjamin Franklin to Negotiate with a Head Of State [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc02333))]
Hanson Elected President [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc02182))]
Hanson Re-Elected By His State While Serving As President [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc021103))]
Hanson's Proclamation Instituting Thanksgiving Holiday [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/bds:@field(DOCID+@lit(077-1))]
John Hanson to Nathanael Greene 29th. Jan. 1782 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(dg018319))]
John Hanson to Philip Thomas Philadelphia Nov. 13th 1781 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(dg018197))]
Journals of the Continental Congress [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/amlaw/lwjc.html]
Journals of the Continental Congress Monday, December 17, 1781 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc021112))]
Journals of the Continental Congress: November 10, 1775 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc00344))]
Journals of the Continental Congress: November 9, 1775 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc00343))]
Journals of the Continental Congress: Wednesday, November 21, 1781 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc02194))]
Journals of the Contintental Congress: Thursday, November 1, 1781 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc02180))]
Last Engagements of the Revolutionary War [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/1782.html]
Starting A Department Of Foreign Affairs [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc02237))]
The Next Election for President Monday, November 4, 1782 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(ed0055))]
The To Do List of the Continental Congress [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc02125))]
American Treasures from the Library of Congress [http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/]
About Common Sense [http://www.loc.gov/exhibits/treasures/trm028.html]
American Studies at the University of Virginia [http://xroads.virginia.edu/]
From Revolution to Reconstruction [http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/index.htm]
Common Sense [http://odur.let.rug.nl/~usa/D/1776-1800/paine/CM/sensexx.htm]
National Museum of American History [http://americanhistory.si.edu/]
The American Presidency: John Hanson Mug [http://americanhistory.si.edu/presidency/2a1a.html]
Avalon Project at the Yale Law School [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/avalon.htm]
Articles of Confederation [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/contcong/07-12-76.htm]
The Constitution of the United States [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/usconst.htm]
The Declaration of Independence [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/declare.htm]
Federalist Papers [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed.htm]
Federalist Papers : No. 69 [http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/federal/fed69.htm]
Congress Link [http://www.congresslink.org/]
About Government [http://www.aboutgovernment.org/legislativebranch.htm]
Architect of the Capitol Home Page [http://www.aoc.gov/]
John Hanson Statue [http://www.aoc.gov/cc/art/nsh/hanson.htm]
Biographical Directory of the United States Congress [http://bioguide.congress.gov/]
HANSON, John, 1715-1783 [http://bioguide.congress.gov/scripts/biodisplay.pl?index=H000177]
Digital Classroom [http://www.archives.gov/digital_classroom/index.html]
The Constitution: A History [http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/charters_of_freedom/constitution/constitution_history.html]
The Declaration of Independence: A History [http://www.archives.gov/exhibit_hall/charters_of_freedom/declaration/declaration.html]
EDSITEment [http://edsitement.neh.gov]
Lesson: The Federalist Debates: Balancing Power Between State and Federal Governments [http://edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=425]
Lesson: Jefferson vs. Franklin: Renaissance Men [http://www.edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=413]
Jefferson vs. Franklin: Revolutionary Philosophers [http://www.edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=414]
The Constitutional Convention: Four Founding Fathers You May Never Have Met [http://www.edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=401]
The Constitutional Convention: What the Founding Fathers Said [http://www.edsitement.neh.gov/view_lesson_plan.asp?id=402]
Internet Public Library [http://www.ipl.org]
Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids: The Articles of Confederation [http://bensguide.gpo.gov/6-8/documents/articles/index.html]
Constitution Society [http://www.constitution.org/]
Bill of Rights (Britain, 1689) [http://www.constitution.org/eng/eng_bor.htm]
Cato #5 Executive Power [http://www.constitution.org/afp/cato_05.htm]
Official Web Site of the British Monarchy [http://www.royal.gov.uk/]
William III and Mary II [http://www.royal.gov.uk/output/Page100.asp]
Their Stamp on History [http://www.stamponhistory.com/]
John Hanson [http://www.stamponhistory.com/2003/09/07/0006]
US History.org [http://www.ushistory.org/]
Brief Biography of Thomas Paine [http://www.ushistory.org/paine/]
Learner.org [http://www.learner.org/]
Olive Branch Petition [http://www.learner.org/channel/workshops/primarysources/revolution/docs/olive.html#top]
The Coming of Independence: Transcript, Page 3 [http://www.learner.org/biographyofamerica/prog04/transcript/page03.html]
Papers of George Washington [http://www.virginia.edu/gwpapers/]
George Washington's Life and Times (Designed for middle and high school students) [http://gwpapers.virginia.edu/lesson/life/index.html]
Standards AlignmentView your state’s standards
(now, the lesson)
Lost Hero: The “To Do List” of the Continental Congress
Lesson Two of Curriculum Unit:Lost Hero: Who Was Really Our First President?
IntroductionStudents with an understanding of the fears of the Founders regarding a powerful executive will benefit the most from this lesson. When discussing the structure of the Executive sketched in the Articles of Confederation, it is useful to refer back to the complaints of the colonists as summarized by Jefferson in the Declaration of Independence. Help students understand why and how the Founders were cautious. Consult the following EDSITEment lessons for grades 6-8 for more information on:
The Declaration of Independence.
Lesson: Jefferson vs. Franklin: Renaissance Men
Jefferson vs. Franklin: Revolutionary Philosophers
The defects in the Articles of Confederation and the debates in the Constitutional Convention.
Lesson: The Federalist Debates: Balancing Power Between State and Federal Governments
The debates in the Constitutional Convention.
The Constitutional Convention: Four Founding Fathers You May Never Have Met
The Constitutional Convention: What the Founding Fathers Said
Guiding Questions:
How was the role of "President" defined in the Articles of Confederation?
What were the weaknesses in the Articles of Confederation regarding the role of the President?
Learning Objectives
After completing this lesson in the unit, students will be able to:
Describe the role of "President of the United States in Congress Assembled" under the Articles of Confederation
Explain how the President was elected.
The Continental Congress had a lot to do and a leader with very little power. What happened? For one thing, the Congress assigned a committee to make up a kind of “to do list.” Share with students “The Continental Congress's To Do List” on pages 1-2 of the PDF file (see Preparing to Teach This Lesson, in Curriculum Overview, for download instructions). Directions for the teacher are provided on the document.
Guiding Discussion Questions:
What items are on the list?
Did the students list any of the same things in their exercise in Lesson 1?
The committee made a very long list.
What would make it possible for the Congress to start working on all those important matters?
(If desired, you can access the complete text at Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789 Wednesday, August 22, 1781 on the EDSITEment-reviewed website American Memory.)
On November 5, 1781, less than three months after the “To Do List” was brought to Congress, and just days after the victory at Yorktown, the delegates held an election. Share with the class the results as stated in The Journal of the Continental Congress for November 5, also available on American Memory:
Congress proceeded to the election of a President; and the ballots being taken, the honorable. John Hanson was elected.
Judging from this account, Hanson's choice was apparently unanimous, even though there were present other highly qualified potential candidates. If desired, students can look at the record of the next election for President on Monday, November 4, 1782 (also on American Memory), which was contested.
John Hanson was the first person in the United States who served a full term in an office referred to as “President of the United States,” though Hanson's correct full title was "President of the United States in Congress Assembled."
Guiding Discussion Questions:
Should John Hanson be considered the first U.S. President?
What did he do as President?
Student Activity:
Students will learn more about Hanson himself later, but now they will consider what the Continental Congress did while Hanson presided. With students working in small groups or in a whole-class setting, share the handout "Documents for John Hanson's Term as President of the United States in Congress Assembled" on pages 3-8 of the PDF file (see Preparing to Teach This Lesson, in the Curriculum Unit Overview, for download instructions).
If students work in groups on particular documents, they should be prepared to share with the class answers to all of the following questions, based on information contained in their document. (Take groups in chronological order.)
Guiding Questions
What date is on the document?
What is the document about?
Does the document show the Congress trying to do something on its "To Do List"? What?
Does the document discuss anything that resembles what happens today? If yes, in what way?
Does the document contain anything surprising about the President? If yes, in what way?
Does the document show that the country was doing well, having problems, or neither? In what way?
Is anyone familiar mentioned in the document? Name him.
Does the document illustrate a power or responsibility of the President? If yes, in what way?
Assessment:
Discuss students' overall impression of the documents. They should be prepared to answer the following questions and provide evidence for their answers.
Judging from the documents, what was the Congress accomplishing? Where was it having difficulties?
The article Defects in the Articles of Confederation on the EDSITEment resource American Memory lists three of the important defects of the Articles of Confederation. Which documents from Part 3, above, demonstrated these problems?
Congress Can Not Improve Poor Attendance by Delegates (Document #7: Asking the States to Send Representatives to Congress)
Congress Pleads with the States to Contribute Money to the National Treasury (Document # 3: Urging the States to Send Required Money and Troops)
Congress is Unable to Control Commerce Between America and Foreign Nations (Document #4: Trying to Stop Trade with England)
Next lesson
Previous lesson
Return to Curriculum Unit: Lost Hero: Who Was Really Our First President?
Selected EDSITEment Websites
American Memory [http://memory.loc.gov/]
Journals of the Continental Congress, 1774-1789 Wednesday, August 22, 1781 [http://memory.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/r?ammem/hlaw:@field(DOCID+@lit(jc02125))]
Defects in the Articles of Confederation [http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/bdsds/defects.html]
Standards AlignmentView your state’s standards
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment