Unit 3 Midterm Assignment

Unit 3 Research Project: Who Holds Power? Source Detective in Early America – Due

Feb 22, 2026 11:59 PM

U S History I Section 1LG Spring 2026 CO

This assignment assesses LO Groups 1, 2 and 5.

Purpose (Why We’re Doing This)

When the United States won independence, the revolutionaries faced a question they had never answered: Who should hold power and how should that power be limited?

The Articles of Confederation, the U.S. Constitution, the Federalist Papers, and various Anti-Federalist writings all represent radically different answers to that question.

In this assignment, youll step into the role of a historian and examine these documents without being told who wrote them, using textual clues to infer their perspective on power and authority just as historians do when working with unfamiliar sources.

Task (What To Do)

You will complete the assignment in three parts:

Part 1: Analyze Anonymous Sources (Source Detective Work)

• You will receive 4 short primary source excerpts drawn from the following:

1. Articles of Confederation
2. U.S. Constitution (Preamble + selected clauses)
3. Federalist Papers (e.g., Nos. 1, 10, 51)
4. Anti-Federalist writings (e.g., Brutus I, Cato, A Citizen)

BUT: Names, titles, and context have been removed.

• For each excerpt, complete the

Guidelines:

• Focus on how the author defines power is it centralized or dispersed? Derived from the people or from the states?
• Look for language about liberty, tyranny, factions, checks and balances, or representations–these are clues.
• Fears or Goals should explain what the author is trying to achieve or prevent.

Materials

Part 2: Make an Argument

• Write a 400500 word mini-essay responding to this question:

How did the competing visions of power expressed in these four foundational documents reflect different answers to the problems facing the new United States?

• Your essay should:
• Compare at least two documents in depth.
• Explain how their visions of power were shaped by their authors assumptions, fears, and goals.
• Use specific evidence from the excerpts to support your argument.
• Discuss at least one long-term consequence of this debate for American government and society.
• You may either write your essay at the end of the Source Detective Table or attach it as a separate submission alongside your table in the assignment dropbox.

Criteria for Success (How youll be graded)

Your work will be evaluated on:

• Accuracy and Interpretation of Sources – You correctly identify the likely origins and perspectives of the documents, using specific textual evidence to support your conclusions. Your reasoning shows careful attention to language, context, and historical meaning (not just guesses or generalizations).
• Depth of Analysis – You go beyond surface-level summaries to explain how each source defines power, why the author takes that stance, and how historical events or experiences shaped those views.
• Use of Historical Context – You connect documents to broader historical circumstances–such as wars, rebellions, debates, or political crises–to show how those events influenced competing visions of power.
• Evidence-Based Argumentation Your mini-essay builds a clear, coherent argument about how differing ideas about power shaped the development of American government and society. You use direct evidence from the sources to support your claims and explain their historical significance.
• Reflection on Perspective – Your reflection demonstrates thoughtful engagement with how perspective shapes history and why historians must always consider a sources origin, purpose, and point of view before using it as evidence. You clearly connect these ideas to what you learned in the assignment.

Rubric:

You can find the Rubric

Readinds and Sources to use:

The us constitution bill of rights:

Declaration of independence:

Articles of confederation:

Federalist Papers:

The file attached is the chart you use for first few parts