Educator Resources

• Handout B: How Is Government Limited in the Constitution? Answer Key

Student Handouts

• Handout A: Limited Government Cards
• Handout B: How Is Government Limited in the Constitution?
• Handout C: McCulloch Case Background
• Handout D: The United States Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 18
• Handout E: An Old Whig
• Handout F: Brutus No. 1
• Handout G: Federalist No. 33
• Handout H: Federalist No. 39

 

• natural rights
• First Amendment
• Articles of Confederation
• James Madison
• liberty
• John Locke
• checks and balances
• consent of the governed
• Constitution
• Thomas Jefferson
• Declaration of Independence
• Fourth Amendment
• Founders
• Magna Carta
• Eighth Amendment
• limited government
• Bill of Rights
• separation of powers

Divide the class into seven groups. Assign each group of students one of the 7 cards from Handout A to analyze.

In their assigned groups, have students discuss their passage from the Constitution and identify the features of limited government reflected in their assigned portion. Students should complete the assigned section of Handout B: How Is Government Limited in the Constitution?

After students complete their section, discuss each section as a whole group so that students can complete the rest of their graphic organizer.

The Role of Government: McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)

Students will trace the arguments found in the Federalist and Anti-Federalist Papers and in McCulloch v. Maryland (1819) to determine how the “Necessary and Proper Clause” has been understood and interpreted.

Have students read Handout C: Case Background; Handout D: The United States Constitution, Article I, Section 8, Clause 18; Handout E: Federalist No. 33; Handout F: Federalist No. 39; Handout G: An Old Whig; and Handout H: Brutus No. 1. Each student should write an essay comparing and contrasting the documents to explain how the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists understood the phrase “Necessary and Proper,” and how the Supreme Court interpreted this phrase with regards to the creation of a national bank.

Extend

• Have students use their essay outline to write an essay comparing and contrasting the documents to explain how the
  Federalists and the Anti-Federalists understood the phrase “Necessary and Proper” and how the Supreme Court interpreted this phrase with regard to the creation of a national ban.
• Have students research a recent policy decision made by the Federal Government, and determine whether or not the decision met their criteria of “necessary” and “proper”.