Tennessee State Constitution

The first Tennessee State Constitution was written in 1796. Since then it has been rewritten several times. In this lesson students will explore how the Tennessee Constitution distributes power and authority within government. They will begin with the 1796 Constitution and then see what changes have been made in the succeeding years.

Weblink address (URL):

Home Page- source

Standards & Objectives

Learning objectives:

In the course of the lesson, the students will…

List what powers are identified in the Constitution.
Determine how powers and authority are distributed within state government.
Examine each Constitution since 1796.
Compare the Constitutions of 1796, 1834, and 1870.
Determine what has changed and what has stayed the same.

Essential and guiding questions:

What principles are the foundations of the Tennessee Constitution?
What has changed since the original Constitution written in 1796?
What was the historical context for writing the Constitution and the changes that followed?

Lesson Variations

Blooms taxonomy level:

Applying

Extension suggestions:

Have students search for the reasons the Tennessee Constitution was written in that way. What were the major influences when the state was founded?
Have students determine the historical context for each constitutional change since 1796, including each of the amendments.

Option for extension: Invite state legislators or local elected officials to come speak to the classroom about their role in government.

Helpful Hints

Materials Needed:

Copies of the graphic organizer
Copies of (or computer access to) the following primary sources (scroll down and click on “Transcription Link” to get a full transcript):
- Tennessee Constitution, 1796
- Tennessee Constitution, 1834
- Tennessee Constitution, 1870
Copies of the Tennessee Blue Book or internet access to the online version (PDFs provided)
- pgs. 687 - 710, Constitution of the State of Tennessee
- pgs. 539 - 597, A History of Tennessee