Module 7: Chapter 7 Creating Republican Governments, 1776–1790

Image from Chapter 7 of U.S. History (opens in new window) from OpenStax, licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License v4.0 with the image information: Figure 7.1 John Trumbull, Washington’s aide-de-camp, painted this wartime image of Washington on a promontory above the Hudson River. Just behind Washington, enslaved William “Billy” Lee has his eyes firmly fixed on his slaveholder. In the far background, British warships fire on an American fort.

 Module 6 covered how the United States won its independence from Great Britain, which was an unprecedented and astounding achievement in its own right.  This week, you will be learning about something that is perhaps an even more impressive achievement, namely, the establishment of a stable and long-lived representative government.  As you will learn, it was not easy, but in the end, the founders made enough compromises to put a new Constitution in place that proved to be a good start but also contained many flaws that would need correction through the amendment process over the next two centuries.  Some highlights of the chapter include debates about the merits of different types of governments and  the status of nonwhites and women in the new nation, the need for something beyond the Articles of Confederation, and the major decisions made at the Constitutional Convention.  This week, students will also be required to think critically and engage respectfully with classmates on a discussion board. 

Upon completion of this module, you will be able to:

1.  Demonstrate knowledge of the concepts of republicanism and monarchy. (CO 1 and 2)
2.  Recognize the unique status of women and nonwhites in the new republic. (CO 1 and 2)
3.  Recall important facts about the Articles of Confederation.(CO 1 and 2) 
4.  Identify some of the causes and/or consequences of Shay’s Rebellion. (CO 1 and 2)
5.  Show knowledge of the issues and/or solutions of the 1787 Constitutional Convention.(CO 1 and 2) 
6.  Choose and defend a position about the adoption of the Constitution on a discussion board. (CO 1-4)

To achieve these objectives:

1. Read the Module 7 Introduction above.
   
2. Read and view the materials in the Chapter 7 Pressbooks book below.
3. View Chapter 7 PowerPoint below.
4. Complete Module 7 quizzes/assignments/discussion boards based on chapter reading.

Module Pressbooks Resources and Activities