Time required – 15 minutes
Map URL: http://esriurl.com/govGeoinquiry13
Target audience – Government learners
We the People
ʅ Click the URL above to launch the map.
ʅ Click dierent ags to open the pop-ups and read the information.
? What are the common themes in these documents? [Justice, safety, self-government, the Constitution, life,
liberty, and the pursuit of happiness]
ʅ Click the button, Bookmarks. Select e 13 Colonies.
? What are the major ideals in the Gettysburg Address and the Mayower Compact? [Government of the
people, by the people, for the people.]
ʅ With the Details button underlined, click the button Show Contents Of Map.
ʅ Uncheck the box to the left of the layer name, American Ideals.
ʅ Turn on the two layers, Original 13 Colonies and Governments of 13 Colonies.
ʅ Click the button, Show Map Legend.
? What are the three forms of government that the colonies were ruled under? [Charter, royal, and proprietary]
? Which form of government was the most widely used in the colonies? [Royal]
? Did any of the colonies have a democratic republic? [No]
? Which colonies likely had the most self-rule? [Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut]
ʅ Turn o the layer, Original 13 Colonies.
ʅ Turn on the layer, Philosophical Foundations.
ʅ Select the bookmark, Foundations.
? Where are the closest and farthest (to Philadelphia) inuences of the American government? [Iroquois
Confederacy, 202 miles; Ancient Athens, 5,016 miles]
? Where did most of the philosophical inuences from? [Europe]
The ideas and inspirations that led the founding fathers to developing their ideas of
the best form of government for our new nation.
C3:D2.Civ.8.9-12. Evaluate social and political systems in different contexts, times,
and places that promote civic virtues and enact democratic principles.
C3:D2.Civ.2.9-12. Analyze the role of citizens in the U.S. political system, with
attention to various theories of democracy, changes in Americans’ participation over
time, and alternative models from other countries, past and present.
C3:D2.Civ.4.9-12. Explain how the U.S. Constitution establishes a system of government
that has powers, responsibilities, and limits that have changed over time and that are
still contested.
• Students will explain where philosophical ideals regarding our government originat-
ed, and how they have been incorporated into the U.S. Constitution.
Social Studies
Standards
Learning Outcomes
Ask
Acquire
Explore
What are “American” ideals?
What type of experience did Americans have with government?
Where did Americans get their ideas for government?
Activity
GOVERNMENT
more
from the Esri GeoInquiries
™
collection for Government
– One of the major ideas to come out of the “American experiment” is the idea of written governmental laws
and plan in a constitution.
ʅ Turn o layer, Philosophical Foundations.
? Which other countries or regions would you expect to develop similar constitutions next and why?
[Answers will vary.]
ʅ Zoom out to view the whole world.
ʅ Turn on the layer, Years Of Constitution.
? Which regions have the oldest constitutions? [Northern Europe and Canada]
– e Articles of Confederation, the rst government of the United States, were ratied in 1781.
? Why might the colonists have chosen a confederation as their rst form of government? [Most direct
access; the Iroquois were close to the new country]
? Why do you think we may have adopted ideals of government from Europe and not from other places?
[Cultural connections and trade relationships]
Analyze
Act
Where did the philosophies for American government originate?
Where did American ideals spread?
DID YOU KNOW? ArcGIS Online is a mapping platform freely available to U.S. public, private, and home schools as a part of the
White House ConnectED Initiative. A school subscription provides additional security, privacy, and content features. Learn more
about ArcGIS Online and how to get a school subscription at http://connected.esri.com.
THEN TRY THIS...
• Explore the Governments Around the World GeoInquiry, and examine how the U.S. government compares to other governments
around the world.
• Explore the e Two Koreas story map (http://esriurl.com/Geo54B) and contrast the dierent governments.
Next Steps
WWW.ESRI.COM/GEOINQUIRIES
Version Q2b 2018. Send feedback: http://esriurl.com/GeoInquiryFeedback
copyright © 2018 Esri
TURN A MAP LAYER ON AND OFFUSE THE MEASURE TOOL
• Click Measure, select the Distance button, and from the
drop-down list, choose a unit of measurement.
• On the map, click once to start the measurement, click
again to change direction, and double-click to stop
measuring.
• Hint: Position the area of interest on the map so that it is
not obscured by the Measure window.
• Make sure that the Details pane is selected, and click
Show Contents Of Map.
• To show individual map layers, select the check boxes
next to the layer names.
• Hint: If a map layer name is light gray, zoom in or out on
the map until the layer name is black. The layer can now
be turned on.
• American Government and Politics Today by Wadsworth Cengage Learning — Chapters 1 and 2
• We the People by Center for Civic Education — Chapters 1–5
• Government Alive! Power, Politics, and You by Teachers’ Curriculum Institute — Chapter 3
This GIS map has been cross-referenced to material in sections of
chapters from these high school texts.
TEXT
REFERENCES
