constitution vocabulary

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Constitution Vocabulary

monarchy a nation or government ruled by or in the name of a monarch whose power is either absolute or limited by a constitution.

cabinet a group of governmental officials who head various departments in the Executive Branch and advise the president or a Chief Officer.

allegiance devotion or loyalty to a person, country, or cause.

federalism the principles of federal government.

capitalism an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned, and prices are chiefly determined by open competition in a free market.

oath a solemn pledge to do something, especially a promise to tell the truth, as in a court of law.

delegate a person who is authorized to speak or act for one or more others, such as a representative to a conference or convention.

political of, relating to, or concerned with the theory or practice of politics.

legislature a governmental assembly authorized to make, change, or revoke the laws of a state or nation.

democracy a form of government in which power ultimately rests with the people, either directly or through elected representatives.

amendment an addition to, change of, or deletion from a document such as a legislative bill or contract.

sovereign a monarch or other royal ruler.

citizen a person belonging by birth or naturalization to a political and geographic entity, especially a nation.

adjourn to end the proceedings of (a meeting or the like) for a period of time.

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Constitution Cryptogram Directions: Unscramble the words by placing the correct letter in the shaded boxes. Use the numbered boxes to complete the answer to the riddle.

RIDDLE:

Who is often called the "Father of the Constitution?"

OAYHNRCM

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BTINAEC

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7 9

HTOA

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8 2

RSGVEEINO

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5

ICNEZIT

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NJUDAOR

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1

NLGCELEAIA

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MEMNDTAEN

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6 3

LAEGETED

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4

ANSWER:

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1 2 3 4 5 3 2 6 7 5 8 9

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Constitution Group Creative Writing

Directions: As a group, you have 25 minutes to write a brief story using the words/phrases below.

allegiance

amendment

political

delegate

sovereign

citizen

capitalism

democracy

federalism

legislature

cabinet

impeachment

adjourn

monarchy

oath

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Constitution Maze

Help the pen find its way to the Constitution.

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Constitution Acrostic Poem

An acrostic poem is one where you choose a word or name and use each letter in the name as the beginning of a word or line that tells something about that person or topic.

Example: An acrostic poem using the word "friend."

Frank, from my class,

Really helped me when I got hurt. He ran to the nurse and got

Ice for my leg.

Even when I lost

Nelly, my pet frog, his mom

Drove us all around looking for her.

Write an Acrostic Poem using the word below.

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O

N

S

T

I

T

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T

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O

N

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Constitution Vocabulary Quiz

Directions: Match the vocabulary words on the left with the definitions on the right.

1. allegiance a nation or government ruled by or in the name of a monarch whose power is either absolute or limited by a constitution.

2. legislature a group of governmental officials who head various departments in the Executive Branch and advise the president.

3. sovereign devotion or loyalty to a person, country, or cause.

4. democracy the principles of federal government.

5. political an economic system in which the means of production and distribution are privately owned, and prices are chiefly determined by open competition in a free market.

6. monarchy a solemn pledge to do something, esp. a promise to tell the truth, as in a court of law.

7. federalism a person who is authorized to speak or act for one or more others, such as a representative to a conference or convention.

8. citizen of, relating to, or concerned with the theory or practice of politics.

9. capitalism a governmental assembly authorized to make, change, or revoke the laws of a state or nation.

10. amendment a form of government in which power ultimately rests with the people, either directly or through elected representatives.

11. adjourn an addition to, change of, or deletion from a document such as a legislative bill or contract.

12. delegate a monarch or other royal ruler.

13. cabinet a person belonging by birth or naturalization to a political and geographic entity, esp. a nation.

14. oath to end the proceedings of (a meeting or the like) for a period of time.

Name ___________________________ Date _______________


Constitution Reading Comprehension Worksheet

Directions: Read the passage and answer the questions below.

SEARCH AND SEIZURE

History and Scope of the Amendment

History: Few provisions of the Bill of Rights grew so directly out of the experience of the colonials as the Fourth Amendment, embodying as it did the protection against the utilization of the ``writs of assistance.'' But while the insistence on freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures as a fundamental right gained expression in the Colonies late and as a result of experience, there was also a rich English experience to draw on. ``Every man's house is his castle'' was a maxim much celebrated in England, as was demonstrated in Semayne's Case, decided in 1603. A civil case of execution of process, Semayne's Case nonetheless recognized the right of the homeowner to defend his house against unlawful entry even by the King's agents, but at the same time recognized the authority of the appropriate officers to break and enter upon notice in order to arrest or to execute the King's process. Most famous of the English cases was Entick v. Carrington, one of a series of civil actions against state officers who, pursuant to general warrants, had raided many homes and other places in search of materials.

1. In your own words, what do words ‘writs of assistance' mean?

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2. Why do feel it so important to colonists to have search and seizure amendments added to the constitution?

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3. Referring to the passage, who do you think Nathan Semayne was?

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4. Should anyone have the right to search your home? Explain your answer.

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Constitution Word Search Worksheet

Directions: All words are positioned left to right.

S K R N O Z T R O K A L R I K C G O G V S I N

B U F T K I N M K E X J J H O C O A U R S I E

T N I N Z V P I Z B F V A Q N O H V Z I D R Y

M E M A T D E L E G A T E C A B I N E T R D S

T Z G B X E E N B K B U Z R Z C K O J N K L S

N Y P F Y F J Q O T O E Y A M E N D M E N T E

F Q M A K P H A Q A P J A V L N T H W G M V M

K P O L I T I C A L F E D E R A L I S M V F S

T N X V M N U C X Q C A P I T A L I S M W P I

Z V L E G I S L A T U R E R P W N L U Y F O H

Y V M O N A R C H Y S O V E R E I G N E B S S

D N Z I Z U O Z S N I X Z Y D Q J S M U V M H

K R Z D E M O C R A C Y D Q I Z X O V P U L Q

O V X I Q G V S A L L E G I A N C E Q F H M J

B G B I I M P E A C H M E N T U S D M U O L U

L W P I K C A A D J O U R N W C I T I Z E N J

G F X L G O V R R H G O A T H Z A V Z U A E G

G B V V F S U V S S B M H E W C D E R I F L H

OATH

CITIZEN

SOVEREIGN

ADJOURN

IMPEACHMENT

ALLEGIANCE

DEMOCRACY

CAPITALISM

AMENDMENT

FEDERALISM

DELEGATE

LEGISLATURE

CABINET

MONARCHY

POLITICAL

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U.S. Constitution Timeline

Do the Research

Directions: List at least one major event with the date that happened in the box on the left and describe the event in the box to the right.

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Comparing U.S. Life Before and After The U.S. Constitution VENN Diagram

Life Before The U.S. Constitution

Life After The U.S. Constitution

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Answers to Cryptogram OAYHNRCM: Monarchy BTINAEC: Cabinet HTOA: Oath RSGVEEINO: Sovereign ICNEZIT: Citizen NJUDAOR: Adjourn NLGCELEAIA: Allegiance MEMNDTAEN: Amendment LAEGETED: Delegate Riddle: James Madison

constitution vocabulary

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