The online tool for teaching with documents, from the National Archives

The Constitution in Action: Article I (Lab Team 2)

Focusing on Details: Discussion Topic

All documents and text associated with this activity are printed below, followed by a worksheet for student responses.

Introduction

Carefully examine the document on the screen. As you analyze the document, think about how it connects to Article I, sections 8-10 of the Constitution and what big idea is contained in it by answering the questions below. Use the magnifying glass icon in the blue menu bar at the bottom of the document to zoom in and get a closer look and/or click on "View Entire Document" for more information.



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Worksheet

The Constitution in Action: Article I (Lab Team 2)

Focusing on Details: Discussion Topic

Examine the documents included in this activity and write your response in the space provided.


  • What names do you see in this document?
  • Are there any dates contained in this document? If so, what are they?
  • Are there any locations (cities, states, offices) specified in this document?
  • What is the main idea of this document? What is it about?
  • Why was this document created?
  • How does this document connect to Article I, sections 8-10 of the U.S. Constitution?
  • What big idea of the Constitution is contained in this document?

Your Response




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Activity Element

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Conclusion

The Constitution in Action: Article I (Lab Team 2)

Focusing on Details: Discussion Topic

Now that you have carefully examined the document, connected it back to the Constitution, and selected a big idea, answer the following information: 

  • Identify and describe the document.
  • Identify the specific article and section that connects to the document.
  • Quote the actual wording of the Constitution from the article and section identified.
  • Identify the big idea you chose and explain why this document is a good example of that idea.


Your Response




Document

Declaration of Intention for Albert Einstein

1/15/1936

In 1936, German-born physicist Albert Einstein filed this Declaration of Intention to become an American citizen. Worried about growing Nazi aggression, Einstein immigrated to the United States and accepted a faculty position at Princeton University. In 1940, the man who had first proposed the theory of relativity in 1905 became a citizen of the United States.
This primary source comes from the Records of District Courts of the United States.
National Archives Identifier: 596270
Full Citation: Declaration of Intention for Albert Einstein; 1/15/1936; Petitions for Naturalization, 1838 - 1988; Records of District Courts of the United States, ; National Archives at New York, New York, NY. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/declaration-intention-einstein, March 28, 2024]


Declaration of Intention for Albert Einstein

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