The path to a more perfect union was rockier than most history books would lead you to believe. Young historians read “Antifederalist No. 47,” written by James Madison (under the pen name “Centinel”), which sharply criticizes the distribution of power in John Adams’ newly proposed American government. After reading, they answer several questions about the author’s purpose and main idea.

Concepts

the anti-federalists, the federalists and anti-federalists, american history

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Additional Tags

social studies

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Instructional Ideas

• Flip the class by assigning the handout as homework
• Build media literacy skills by asking pupils to research the answers online

Classroom Considerations

• Requires teachers to complete some prep work, such as printing and distributing handouts

Pros

• Includes an answer key
• Provides a variety of questions that test for knowledge of several important concepts

Cons

• None

Common Core

RI.8.1 RI.9-10.1 RI.11-12.1 RH.6-8.1 RH.9-10.1 RH.11-12.1