First Changes Made - Amendments of the 1800s - Reading Comprehension
for edHelper.com subscribers - Sign up now by clicking here!

First Changes Made - Amendments of the 1800s Reading Comprehension
     First Changes Made - Amendments of the 1800s reading comprehension (sample is shown below)



First Changes Made - Amendments of the 1800s
By Phyllis Naegeli
  

1     It's a good thing the framers of our Constitution made a way to change it. Before it was approved by the states, changes were needed. In 1791, the Bill of Rights became the first ten amendments to our Constitution. As America grew, other areas needed to change too. Since that time, seventeen amendments have been added. The first changes happened in the 1800s.
 
2     Amendment 11 was passed to change a Supreme Court decision on state rights. When a citizen of South Carolina sued the state of Georgia, the Supreme Court took the case. It decided against Georgia. Many people were upset. They said that states could not be sued. Congress stepped in and proposed Amendment 11. It changed part of Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution. The federal courts can no longer hear cases where a citizen of one state sues another state. The federal courts are also barred from hearing cases brought against a state by a foreign nation. A state must agree to a suit. That suit must be heard in the state's court system.
 
3     Amendment 12 changed the way the Electoral College was used to choose our president and vice president. Article 2, Section 1 of the Constitution states electors are to meet in their states and cast a ballot for president. The winner would be president, and the runner-up would be vice president. At first, the process went smoothly. George Washington unanimously won the first two elections. The next two elections also were without problems. However, the election of 1800 wasn't as simple. By this time, political parties had been formed in America. Loyalties were divided between the two parties. When Aaron Burr and Thomas Jefferson received an equal number of electoral votes, the House of Representatives had to decide who would be president. They voted on thirty-six different ballots before they finally chose Thomas Jefferson.

Paragraphs 4 to 10:
For the complete story with questions: click here for printable



Weekly Reading Books

          Create Weekly Reading Books

Prepare for an entire week at once!


The 1890's
             The 1890's


More Lessons
             American Government Worksheets | edHelper.com
             United States Constitution
             High School Reading Comprehensions and High School Reading Lessons


Social Studies
             Social Studies


    United States History and Theme Units  
 
    American Government  
 
    Ancient America  
 
    Ancient China  
 
    Ancient Egypt  
 
    Ancient Greece  
 
    Ancient India  
 
    Ancient Mesopotamia  
 
    Ancient Rome  
 
    Biographies  
 
    Canadian Theme Unit  
 
    Country Theme Units  
 
    Crime and Terrorism  
 
    Economics  
 
    European History: 1600s-1800s  
 
 
    Explorers  
 
    Famous Educators  
 
    Geography  
 
    Grades 2-3 Social Studies Wendy's World Series  
 
    History of Books and Writing  
 
    History of Mathematics  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
    Inventors and Inventions  
 
    Middle Ages  
 
    Renaissance  
 
    World Religion  
 
    World War I  
 
    World War II  
 
    World Wonders  
 


United States
             United States


    American Government  
 
    Black History and Blacks in U.S. History  
 
    Children in History  
 
    Government Careers  
 
    Hispanic Heritage  
 
    How Can I Help?  
 
 
    Immigration  
 
    National Parks and Monuments  
 
    Native Americans  
 
    Presidents of the United States  
 
    Women's History  
 


United States History
    A Nation Divided
(1840-1861)
 
 
    A New Nation
(1776-1830)
 
 
    After the Civil War
(1865-1870)
 
 
    American Revolution  
 
    Cold War
(1947-1991)
 
 
    Colonial America (1492-1776)  
 
    Lewis and Clark
(1804-1806)
 
 
    Pearl Harbor  
 
    Spanish American War (1898)  
 
    The 1890's  
 
    The 1900's  
 
    The 1910's  
 
    The 1920's  
 
    The 1930's  
 
 
    The 1940's  
 
    The 1950's  
 
    The 1960's  
 
    The 1970's  
 
    The 1980's  
 
    The 1990's  
 
    The 2000's  
 
    The Civil War
(1861-1865)
 
 
    The Great Depression
(1929-1945)
 
 
    The United States Grows
(1865-1900)
 
 
    The War of 1812  
 
    Wild, Wild West  
 
    World War I
(1914-1918)
 
 
    World War II  
 


50 States

             Fifty States Theme Unit


Document Based Activities
      Document Based Activities



Copyright © 2018 edHelper