This Government in Action | Preamble to the Constitution Activity! applies the six goals of government in the Preamble to the Constitution to real actions taken by the U.S. Legislative, Executive, and Judicial branches. Students connect examples of real government actions to the various purposes of government listed in the Preamble, from ”establish Justice” to securing the “Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our posterity”! If you’re looking for extra practice on the purposes of government for your Preamble unit, this worksheet makes for great enrichment for both middle and high school Civics, American Government, and American History classes!
Aligned to the Florida State Standard for Middle School Civics, SS.7.CG.1.8, Explain the Purpose of the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution, this resource includes:
✯ The Preamble: Government in Action worksheet
- Students read six real-life examples of government actions, both historic and from the present-day and connect them to the goals of government listed in the Constitution’s Preamble.
Examples include:
- The President of the United States appoints federal judges who, once approved by the Senate, will preside over District Courts and U.S. Courts of Appeal in lifelong terms. (Establish Justice)
- After Shays’ Rebellion proved the Articles of Confederation wasn’t working, the Founding Fathers gathered at the Constitutional Convention to create a new, better government. (Form a more perfect Union)
- In 1998, the Supreme Court settled New York v. New Jersey, a dispute between the two states over which one of them owned Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. (insure domestic Tranquility)
Aligned to the Florida State Standard for Middle School Civics, SS.7.C.1.6 Preamble of the U.S. Constitution, this resource demonstrates comprehension of the Preamble’s purpose, and helps students connect the historic document with government today!
This resource comes as a non-editable PDF and includes an Answer Key. There is also a digital version available through TPT Easel, which can be assigned directly to Google Classroom or shared with your students via a link!
What other teachers are saying about this resource:
“Great one stop shop purchase”
This was a great resource to use in my classroom. It helped me add pertinent information that I lacked in my previous presentations. This is a great one stop shop purchase for a new teacher or a teacher looking to spruce up their presentations.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Alex G.
“Kept them engaged the entire class period”
My students found the resource interesting and it keep them engaged the entire class period. Thank you for creating this and I look forward to seeing more of your products in the future.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Antonio C.
“Really like the range of scenarios”
I really like the range of scenarios & how specific they were. I used this in my hybrid classroom with in-person & remote students at the same time.
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
— Elizabeth Morgan
More Happy Teacher Products You Might Enjoy:
✩ Preamble to the Constitution Annotated Close Read
✩ “We the People” Preamble to the Constitution One-Pager Activity
Become a happy teacher — join the email list!
Never miss a new product or a sale by signing up for an email subscription! I send monthly emails recapping new products, updates, and upcoming sales.
You can also follow Happy Teacher Resources on social media: Instagram | Facebook | Pinterest
