The Purposes of Government

This lesson has students learn about the purposes of government specified in the preamble of the Constitution. Students will use C-SPAN video clips to define what is meant by “establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty.” As practice, students will apply their knowledge of these purposes by viewing real-life examples of government actions and identifying the relevant purpose of government. This lesson works well in classrooms with one-to-one devices and can be adapted to flipped classrooms.

View Resource
Resource provided by C-SPAN Classroom

Grades

9, 10, 11, 12, 7, 8

Resource Types

Primary Sources, Media

Teaching Strategies

Individual Work

Constitution Articles

Preamble