Constitution Day 2025: Short Research Activity

Constitution Day: Power to the People

Do they use that power wisely?

By Candace Bowen, MJE

The Constitution, signed in 1787, begins with a short preamble, spelling out its intent.

We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America. 

Thus much of the document explains how the Constitution gives power to the people – not to a king or some other ruler, but to the people themselves. In this United States, since 1787, they have been the ones making decisions and planning their destiny – not a king or other ruler.

Students attend a media tour to the Philadelphia Inquirer during the JEA/NSPA Fall National High School Journalism Convention, 2024.

Choose ONE of these ways U.S. citizens have power and explore how they use it and perhaps, at times, abuse it – or at least don’t use it wisely. Support your position with reliable, knowledgeable sources

• The people choose their representatives – in the House of Representatives and the Senate, and those who are chosen are accountable to their constituents.
• The people, through these representatives, can change the Constitution, as society’s needs and those of the citizens change over time.
• Amendments to the Constitution themselves
  • First Amendment outlines things Congress CANNOT do and protects the people, giving them power this way. Congress can’t 
    • force citizens to practice one certain religion
    • take away their freedom of speech or of the press
    • prohibit them from meeting together peacefully
    • keep them from complaining and seeking the government’s  help or being punished for asking for such help.

Bottom line: Do the People use their power wisely? Why or why not? (Format/length are up to the teacher.) A good source for more background: https://constitutioncenter.org/ 

View this activity as a Google Doc:

Class Research Activity: “Constitution Day: Power to the People”: Do they use that power wisely? by Candace Bowen, MJE

Compiled by Kristin Taylor, MJE, members of the Scholastic Press Rights Committee contributed to this set of activities around the theme “Power to the People” for teachers to use in their classrooms this Constitution Day, Sept. 17. They range from full lesson plans to quick activities and ways to promote Constitution Day in your school community. You can find all of this year’s activities in our “Constitution Day: Power to the People” overview.