Why did the framers not abolish slavery at the time they wrote the U.S. Constitution?

What can you learn about a country’s government by studying its constitution?

Fifty-five men attended the Constitutional Congress. Do you think our Constitution would be different if the representatives had been women? How?

These questions and more were examined by South Jordan Elementary fifth graders at their We the People congressional hearing.

It’s based on material they studied together beforehand in classes taught by Diane Witt-Roper and Chris Gedicks. Then, the students are divided into teams, each named for framers of the constitution. 

Students wrote and presented speeches about topics in their textbook before judges asked questions to demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of the purposes of government, The Bill of Rights and the Constitutional Convention, the three branches of government, freedoms and the rights of citizens and the responsibilities of citizens.

Many students answered using historical and contemporary issues to reply to the questions.

Fifth-grader Lailah Uhlendorf was prepared for the questions.

“We learned about the Constitution, the presidency, congress, framers of our government,” she said. “It’s important to learn this now and even more in high school because we will have this knowledge when it’s time to vote and be involved in our government.”

Through the experience, Lailah, who is contemplating a future law career, has come to a better understanding of the constitution and the issues surrounding it.

“We learned about slaves and the thoughts surrounding their freedom. We were considered a free country, but were we? Girls and women didn’t have rights or freedom. How would our country have looked, what would have changed, if everyone was actually free back then?” she pondered. 

Jordan Board of Education President Tracy Miller supports the program.

“The kids learn so much about government and civics in the We the People program,” she said. “They wrestle with the same things that are our founding fathers and the framers of the Constitution wrestled with. They study and debate those issues and are able to share their own opinions and understand what it means to be civically involved.”

Miller, who has been a judge for years, said that on top of it, the students are learning other skills.

“It can be scary for these kids. It’s a formal dress event and they present in front of a panel of judges as well as an audience of parents. It’s a big deal and will get some out of their comfort zone. So not only do they need to learn the material and understand it, here they are presenting it formally. It gets them to dig deep and do hard things,” she said. “It’s a lot of extra work on the teachers to hold a program like this, but it’s one of those school experiences that they learn from and will stand out. I think this is one that the kids will remember being a part of.”

The program was interspersed with the national anthem and other patriotic songs and a slideshow at the end.

In addition to Jordan School District’s teaching and learning director Rebecca Smith and South Jordan Elementary’s principal, Bruce Eardley, and school resource officer, Det. Zachary Coy, South Jordan Mayor Dawn Ramsey asked students questions about the constitutional principles.

Ramsey wishes “every student in America had the chance to participate in the We the People program” and thanks the teachers for preparing students for their lives.

“We the People is an incredible program and I look forward to this event every year,” she said. “These brilliant students did an outstanding job presenting their knowledge about the Constitution, the founding of our nation, and the way the different branches of government work. It was impressive to see the way they stretched themselves as each student wrote and delivered a public speech, demonstrated critical thinking skills, used historical and modern-day examples to support their presentation, and performed heartwarming patriotic songs. These young people are prepared for respectful civic engagement and understand the importance of it.”  λ