Competency Three:

Knowledge of the founding documents and how they have shaped the nature and functions of our institutions of self-government

Students should be able to recall, identify, and explain documents from the founding era (1776-1791). Students should be able to identify the influences of earlier documents on the founding of the United States and conceptions of government within a provided context. Note that most documents are covered by the state K-12 civics and U.S. government benchmarks. Click the hyperlinks for relevant CPALMS references where applicable.

Which documents should students be familiar with?

Core Documents:

1. Declaration of Independence (1776)
   1. The Influence of Enlightenment Ideas
   2. Intellectual Influences of Various Primary Documents
   3. Ideas and Principles that Shape the United States as a Constitutional Republic
   4. How Ideas and Principles Contributed to the Expansion of Civil Rights Over Time
2. The Constitution of Massachusetts (1780)
   1. Its Influence on the Development of the United States as a Constitutional Republic
3. The Articles of Confederation (1781)
   1. Intellectual Influences of Various Primary Documents
   2. Ideas and Principles that Shape the United States as a Constitutional Republic
   3. Strengths and Weaknesses of the Articles and How They Reflect the Declaration of Independence and Influenced the U.S. Constitution
4. The Northwest Ordinances (1784, 1785, 1787)
   1. Intellectual Influences of Various Primary Documents
5. Federalist Papers (i.e., No. 10, No. 14, No. 31, No. 39, No. 51)
   1. Students should be able to recall authors and central arguments of the listed papers; other Federalist papers may potentially be included, but context will be provided.
      1. Ideas and Principles that Shape the United States as a Constitutional Republic
      2. Arguments in Favor of Ratification of the United States Constitution
6. United States Constitution (1787)
   1. Note that this document will overlap with other competencies. Students should be familiar with:
      1. The Influence of Enlightenment Ideas
      2. Intellectual Influences of Various Primary Documents
      3. Ideas and Principles that Shape the United States as a Constitutional Republic
      4. How Ideas and Principles Contributed to the Expansion of Civil Rights Over Time
      5. Arguments in Favor of Ratification of the United States Constitution
7. Bill of Rights (1791)
   1. Note that this document will overlap with other competencies. Students should be familiar with:
      1. Intellectual Influences of Various Primary Documents
      2. How Ideas and Principles Contributed to the Expansion of Civil Rights Over Time
      3. Ideas and Principles that Shape the United States as a Constitutional Republic
      4. Arguments in Favor of Ratification of the United States Constitution