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Florida Civic Literacy Exam (FCLE) Study Guide

Students should be able to recall, identify, and explain documents from the founding era (1776-1791). Students should be able to identify the influences of earlier documents on the founding of the United States and conceptions of government within a provided context. Note that most documents are covered by the state K-12 civics and U.S. government benchmarks.

Founding Document Slides and Recorded Lecture

These slides and the recorded presentation have been shared from Miami-Dade University

Concepts

Magna Carta (1215)  

English Bill of Rights (1689)  

  • Established principles later reflected and built upon in the US Bill of Rights, including of frequent Parliaments, free elections, freedom of speech (within Parliament), right to bear arms, prohibition of excessive bail and cruel/unusual punishment, etc.  
  • Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sazv35uzHKU 

Mayflower Compact (1620) 

Common Sense (1776) 

  • Pamphlet written by Thomas Paine arguing for Independence and rejecting the notion of Monarchy; established vision of American republicanism, reframing the focus from objections to Parliament’s actions to the King himself. Common Sense influenced the Declaration of Independence in so far as there is no mention of Parliament but rather a focus on the “repeated injuries” from the King. 
  • Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mwqr1NQg7PM 

Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776)  

  • Written by George Mason and adopted prior to the Declaration of Independence, this document is considered the first state-based Bill of Rights.  It declared that the purpose of government was to provide for the “common benefit” of the people. Its commitment to the protection of individual human rights influenced Jefferson’s Declaration.   
  • Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EdE9X4oDw4I 

Declaration of Independence (1776) 

  • While the U.S. formally declared its Independence via the Virginia Resolution, the Declaration made the argument against the King clearly, via 39 examples of the King’s “despotism.” The document also reflected the philosophy of the Founders and the Principles we still ascribe to: inalienable rights of equality, government by the consent of the governed, and civic duty.  
  • Video: https://www.history.com/topics/american-revolution/declaration-of-independence 

Constitution of Massachusetts (1780) 

  • Written primarily by John Adams, this state constitution delineated a separation of powers between legislative, executive and judicial branches of government, providing a model of checks/balances and separation of power found in the later US Constitution.  
  • Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bpOdwOwV8Zg  

Articles of Confederation (1781) 

  • Adopted by the Continental Congress in 1877, it served as the first “constitution” of the United States.  The Articles created a weak central government with most powers delegated to the States.  It did not have the power to tax or regulate commerce and could only be amended with the unanimous consent of the states.  
  • Video: https://youtu.be/lBWs9LpCg8I  

Northwest Ordinances (1784, 1785, 1787) 

  • Part of the lasting legacy of the government under the Articles of Confederation, the Ordinances established procedures for the orderly and equitable settlement and incorporation of newly acquired frontier areas of what is known today as the Midwest. Of particular importance is the 1787 Ordinance, which established a clear three-step process from territory to statehood and set a precedent of Congress prohibiting slavery from a particular territory. 
  • Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zvn_s3PPLoA  

United States Constitution (1787) 

  • The Supreme law of the land and governing document of the United States of America, written in 1787 then ratified not without difficulty in 1789.  See Competency Two for more information, links, etc. 
  • Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k55VdRD8DDo&t=37s 

Federalist Papers (1788) 

  • A collection of 85 essays written by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay addressing the concerns of anti-federalists and promoting the ratification of the Constitution.  Federalist #10 defended the republican form of government proposed by the Constitution and is often considered the most important of all the articles. Federalist #17 clarifies the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and its inability to govern effectively. Federalist #81 outlines how the proposed judicial system, especially the Supreme Court, would work in tandem with legislatures. 
  •  Video: https://www.loc.gov/item/webcast-10208/ 

Anti-Federalist Papers 

  • A series of articles, essays, speeches and pamphlets written by those opposed to the ratification of the Constitution. Main arguments against the document included too much power given to the federal government at the expense of the states and the lack of a Bill of Rights guaranteeing individual freedoms. Although they were unable to prevent ratification of the Constitution, their arguments impacted the enshrinement of the Bill of Rights into the Constitution. 
  • Video: https://www.civiced.org/resourcecenter/lesson.php?lesson=13&section=media 

Bill of Rights (1791) 

  • The first ten amendments to the Constitution, reflecting both the tradition of the English experience as well as the experience of the road to Revolution.  It was adopted after the Constitution was ratified in fulfillment of the promise to anti-federalists concerned about the absence of a Bill of Rights in the original document.  
  • Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yYEfLm5dLMQ