Dramatizing+Social+Studies+Script

 ·  Declaration of Independence  ·  United States Constitution  ·  Bill of Rights  ·  Pennsylvania Constitution || Power, Authority, and Governance Civic Ideals and Practices || ** Characters  ** Narrator George Washington Benjamin Franklin James Madison Governor Randolph ** Setting  ** September 17, 1787 Constitution Hall in Philadelphia, PA  **  Props  ** Printed copy of the Constitution Name tags for each character ** Narrator: **Over two hundred years ago, America became a new country. There were thirteen colonies that were not getting along. So, they needed a plan to work together. The leaders of each of the colonies decided to meet in Philadelphia. Many important men came including George Washington and James Madison from Virginia, as well as Benjamin Franklin who came to represent Pennsylvania. ** George Washington: **Boy! That sure was a long trip in all of the bad weather. ** Benjamin Franklin: **But now that we’re here, let’s go into Independence Hall and get to work. ** James Madison: **I think George Washington should be the leader of this meeting. ** George Washington: **I would like James Madison to write down everything that we talk about at this meeting. I would like everything in these meetings to be a secret, so we must close the windows and doors. ** Governor Randolph: ** I think we should have a new government. This government should have three parts: a president, a group to make the laws and a group to make sure the laws are fair. Each state should get to vote on these laws. Big states should have more votes than smaller states. ** Narrator: ** Some people disagreed that the bigger states should have more votes. After some arguing, then men decided to work together and come up with a plan that was fair for both the big states and the small states. It was now the middle of the summer, so some men took time to look around Philadelphia, while other wrote a rough draft of the new Constitution. ** George Washington: **Welcome back! We now have a draft of the new Constitution that I would like all of you to examine. ** Narrator: **By the end of the month, after discussing each part, everyone was in agreement of the new Constitution. ** George Washington: **I have chosen a committee to write the final draft. We will call ourselves the Committee of Style and Arrangement, and will make sure every word is just right. ** Narrator: **Finally, the Constitution was complete. Copies were printed and given to each leader. ** George Washington: **I will be the first person to sign the Constitution and I would like each of you to sign it also. ** Narrator: **On Monday, September 17, 1787, 39 men signed the new Constitution. ** George Washington: **Since James Madison never missed a meeting and wrote every word, I would like to name him the Father of the Constitution. ** Narrator: **Each leader had to go back to his state and get the people to approve the new Constitution. Nine of the thirteen states had to vote for the new Constitution. By June 21, 1788, the ninth state voted yes. Parades and celebrations were held in many cities. It was time to set the date for the first election, by the people, of a President of the United States. George Washington was everyone’s choice. ** George Washington: **I promise to serve my country well. ** Narrator: **The new government seemed strong. Over the years, there have been some new additions to the Constitution to protect people’s rights and freedoms. Today, over 200 years later, we are still using the Constitution to run our country. It is the oldest set of written rules for running a country in the world. ||
 * Dramatizing Social Studies **
 * Activity Category ||  History/Government  ||
 * Activity Title  ||  Signing the Constitution  ||
 * Number of Members ||  Britney Underhill, Kerri Ward, Amanda Hiltwine  ||
 * Time of the Activity ||  15 Minutes  ||
 * PA Standards || **5.1.3.D: ** Identify key ideas about government found in significant documents:
 * NCSS Themes ||  People, Places and Environments
 * ** Script  ** ||