Early American Government Timeline

As governments evolve, it's helpful for students to visualize the events that contributed to the changes in sequence. Using a timeline, students will explain and analyze the evolution of America’s democratic republic. They should be sure to summarize and explain each step leading up to the eventual ratification of the Constitution. Upon completion or even during, students will be able to analyze and illustrate how government evolved over time, as well as the debates that took place surrounding government function and power. Teachers can pre-determine topics for students to cover or allow students to select what they believe are the most important things to cover.

For an alternative to the timeline layout, have students create a timeline poster to incorporate into a presentation or gallery walk. You can add more than one template to this assignment to give students lots of options, and update the instructions accordingly.

Extended Activity

Have students continue their timeline to include major changes in government. Students can use a wide range of topics and subtopics, including supreme court cases, presidential actions, and changes in legislation. Teachers may condense the wide range of possible topics to ensure a desired structure of government evolution into its present form.

Student Instructions

Create a timeline detailing the evolution of American government between the Articles of Confederations and the Constitution.

1. Click "Start Assignment".
2. Identify important events and type them into the titles of each cell.
3. Describe the battles and events in the description box.
4. Create an illustration using appropriate scenes, characters, and items.
5. Save and exit when you're done.