CECsst.250 TITLE: Historical Scavenger Hunt AUTHOR: Brian L. Johnson, Marana High School; Tucson, AZ GRADE LEVEL/SUBJECT: 11, Junior and senior high school students in history or government classes. OVERVIEW: Studying the individuals who make up a significant historical group of the past. PURPOSE: Often, when studying significant events in the past which involved large groups of people, it is difficult for students to keep the historical figures separate as we discuss the event. One devise that I have used is the historical scavenger hunt. RESOURCES/MATERIALS: For the group that you are studying you will need to either: a. create little data sheets for each of the people that are in the group, or b. use pre-made cards. For the group that I will use in this demonstration (Candidates at the Constitutional Convention), I use a series of cards similar to baseball cards that were put out at the time of the Bicentennial Celebration. Similar sets can be found for groups such as Revolutionary War leaders, Civil War generals, American Presidents, etc. You will then need to create questions for each of the people in the group. ACTIVITIES AND PROCEDURES: The students are able to interact with each other as they search for answers to questions about the men who make up the target group. Each student uses the facts that they have to answer questions on the assignment sheet. After exhausting the facts that they have in their possession, they trade those facts to another student for that student's facts. When they have answered all of the questions, they will then have a data base to use as a basis for further discussion of the event being studied. After the students have researched and found all the answers that have been assigned, a de-briefing "Q and A" period or assignment is needed to demonstrate who did the most to contribute to the event. What they contributed and how come the event is a significant one that merits study. -------------------------------------------------------- Included here are sample questions from the Constitutional Convention scavenger hunt. All of the answers are found in the card collection of delegates to the Constitutional Convention. -------------------------------------------------------- CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION DELEGATE SEARCH Each student in the room has at least one Constitutional Convention card which can provide an answer to the questions that follow. You are to trade information with other delegates -- providing them with one answer in exchange for an answer that they have. You may trade an answer on the card(s) that you have or trade an answer that you have already received from trading with someone else. 1. This delegate from Virginia refused to sign the Constitution at the Convention largely because it did not contain a Bill of Rights. He was also opposed to slavery even though he was a slave owner himself. 2. While a regular attendee at the Constitutional Convention meetings, this Pennsylvania delegate (according to available records) played no important role at the convention. He did serve in the First Congress as a Representative from Pennsylvania. 3. A late-comer to the Convention, this Maryland delegate only attended the Convention for 11 days in August. Didn't like the proposal and returned home. 4. A North Carolina delegate. He also appeared not to play a major role in the ongoing debates. Later serving as the Governor of North Carolina and a member of the House of Representatives. He was killed in a duel in 1802. 5. Because of motion that he introduced, the proceedings of the Constitutional Convention were held in secret. Later in the Convention, he introduced the Fugitive Slave clause -- hoping to protect the slave interests in his home state. 6. A Maryland delegate who pushed for a stronger national government, he was strongly opposed however to the national government having the power to tax exports. Served in the House of Representatives as a member of the First Congress. 7. One of the few New Yorkers who favored a strong government, his contribution came largely after the Convention was over as one of the authors of the Federalist Papers. 8. A Georgia delegate who would later serve in both the Senate and the House of Representatives, he was one of the Southerners opposed to giving Congress the power to limit the slave trade. 9. A signer of the Declaration of Independence from Connecticut, his suggestion of the Connecticut Compromise solved one of the major problems facing the Convention -- that of legislative representation. 10. A strong Nationalist from Massachusetts, he later served as a member of the Senate representing New York. 11. While pushing the States Rights position initially at the Convention, he later proposed adding to the Constitution what is now called the Supremacy Clause. 12. A former President of the Continental Congress under the Articles of Confederation, he chaired the Committee of the Whole when they debated the Virginia plan of government. A major contribution was his suggestion of staggered terms for members of the Senate. 13. A small state supporter who argued for equal representation, he also supported the selection of the Chief Executive by Special Electors, not by the people. 14. Another of the members of the First National House of Representatives, he represented the large state interests of North Carolina at the Convention. 15. A New York delegate who was adamantly opposed to doing anything other than amending the Articles, he refused to stay at the Convention meetings when it became obvious that an entirely new document was going to be the result. 16. A Connecticut delegate, he is largely responsible for the definition of treason that is found in the Constitution. He represented his home state as one of its first members of the U.S. Senate. 17. Originally a small state hardliner, he supported the Constitution once the Connecticut Compromise assured that each state would have an equal vote in the Senate. 18. While not notable for any proposals that he may have put forth, he was important to his fellow Virginians in providing a deciding vote for the national interests in the Virginia delegation. 19. Another of the New York delegates who refused to stay at the Convention when it became obvious that an entirely new government was being formed, he was a leader of the Anti-Federalist forces in New York. His death is a mystery as he vanished from a hotel that he was staying at when he was 75 years old. 20. A believer in the need for a strong central government, he represented his home state interests in opposing any attempts to limit slavery. He also proposed that no person could be subjected to a religious test as a qualification for holding public office. 21. A former member of the 1st and 2nd Continental Congresses, his work at the Constitutional Convention was the last duty of his public life. He returned to Delaware after the Convention and retired from public life. 22. A future nominee for the post of Chief Justice of the United States, he was a strong leader for the Southern position that slavery and the slave trade needed protection from the new government. 23. The introducer of the New Jersey Plan, he was opposed to proportional representation in the national legislature. He later served on the U.S. Supreme Court for 13 years as an Associate Justice. 24. The man who is largely responsible for the actual writing of the final Constitution, he was also one of the most frequent debaters at the Convention. A Pennsylvania delegate, he was a strong supporter of the need for a strong central government. 25. The elder statesman (81 years old) of the Convention, this Pennsylvania delegate has become one of the most famous Americans of his time. His accomplishments include not only politics but also inventions, publishing, and philosophy. 26. One of the "hosts" of the Convention, this Pennsylvania delegate later served time in prison because of an inability to pay his debts. 27. Another of the Southern delegates opposed to slave restrictions, his motion for a committee to resolve the fight over legislative representation was the first step toward the Connecticut Compromise. 28. The Governor of New Jersey at the time of the Convention, his position on the committee on the slave trade led to an important compromise which enabled the Constitution to become more acceptable to all delegates. 29. A Massachusetts delegate, he was considered by others to be an "Elitist" because of his frequent statements about democracy and mob rule. When he died in 1814, he was serving as Vice President of the U.S. 30. A late arriver at the Constitutional Convention, this New Hampshire delegate did not play a major role at the Convention. However, he later served as one of New Hampshire's first members of the U.S. Senate. 31. The Chairman of the Constitutional Convention, this Virginian was one of the most popular Americans of his time. It is largely because of the type of man that was that the office of the presidency has the powers that it does. 32. A future Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, this Connecticut delegate often provided help in debates by clarifying issues. Took the "odd" position that the Convention not meddle in the slave issue. 33. A Pennsylvania delegate who pushed for a strong central government, he was also a leading advocate of direct popular election of national government officials. He was one of the first Associate Justices of the Supreme Court. 34. The "Father of the Constitution", this Virginia delegate kept the most accurate records of the Convention proceedings. As a member of the First Congress, he helped write the amendments that became our Bill of Rights. He later served as Secretary of State under President Jefferson and then succeeded him as President of the U.S. 35. The Governor of Virginia at the time of the Convention, he is the man who proposed the "Virginia Plan" of government. Opposed to the Connecticut Compromise, he refused to sign the Constitution. He later served as the first Attorney General of the U.S. 36. At the time of the Convention he was serving as the Maryland Intendent of Revenue. While a strong Nationalist supporter, he never held a national office under the new government. 37. This Massachusetts delegate was one of the few to have first hand knowledge of Shay's Rebellion. While opposed to giving in to the small states on the issue of representation, he did later serve as one of Massachusetts' first Senators. 38. this North Carolina delegate is most notable for what happened to him in the years after the Convention. While serving as a U.S. Senator from the state of Tennessee, he became the first Senator ever to be expelled. 39. A "small stater", this delegate helped create the Connecticut Compromise. After the First Congress created the court system, he served as a District Court Judge for about 22 years until his death in 1812. 40. This New Jersey delegate helped decide how many Representatives each state would originally get in the House of Representatives. He also is instrumental in the formation of an Electoral College to select the President.