Ratified on a Promise: read-along
Ratified on a Promise as a read-along for the projector: 10 pages, 1239 words, level 14, beyond grade 8.
Page 1 of 10
On February 6, 1788, Massachusetts ratified the Constitution by 187 votes to 168, and it did so on a condition. Federalists, the plan's supporters, had agreed to recommend a list of amendments amounting to a bill of rights. Six of the states that voted afterward attached similar recommendations, so the promise did not belong to the state of Massachusetts alone. Alexander Hamilton figured that most New Yorkers opposed the Constitution, and one historian of the convention judges it probable that most Americans did. Only the promise of amendments, that account concludes, ensured a Federalist victory. Ratification and amendment were bargained together, which is an unusual way to begin a rulebook: by promising to change it.
Keys: ← → or Page Up and Page Down turn the page, Space starts and pauses the voice, Home and End jump, F fills the screen. Tapping the right side of a page goes on; the left side goes back.
How to use it
- Press Full screen (F) to put the book on the projector.
- Press Read to me (Space), or read it yourself and turn pages with the arrow keys or a tap. Pick the Pace that suits the class.
- After the last page, three questions come up to talk about.
About this book
- Level 14, beyond grade 8
- 10 pages, 1239 words, about 9 minutes aloud
- A true book, gentle
Related
About Ratified on a Promise
The Constitution barely won its ratification fights, and the Bill of Rights was the price. How amendments are made, how they rewrite the text without erasing it, who reads it, and a question still open.
Words to preview
- ratified (RAT-uh-fyd)
- formally approved
- amendment (uh-MEND-ment)
- added change
- superfluous (soo-PUR-floo-us)
- not needed
- obsolete (ob-suh-LEET)
- out of use
- repealed (rih-PEELD)
- canceled by law
- unconstitutional (un-kon-stih-TOO-shun-ul)
- against the Constitution
Questions that fit any book
- What is one new thing you learned from this book?
- Which page told you the most? What did it say?
- What would you still like to find out about this?
Questions
How long does Ratified on a Promise take to read aloud?
It has 10 pages and 1239 words, so about 9 minutes at the Steady pace and a little less at Quick. If you stop to talk on the way, plan for more.
What reading level is Ratified on a Promise?
Level 14, beyond grade 8. The library numbers its levels from 0 to 18 and puts the level of a book on its cover; levels above 13 are beyond grade 8 and have no grade. A level is a guide for choosing, so look at the pages yourself.
Whose voice is it?
Your browser's own. Read to me uses a speaking voice already on the computer, so it sounds like that computer and works without a sign-in. Voices differ: some light each word as it is spoken, and some do not, in which case the highlight follows a steady pace instead. Some browsers use an online voice; if yours does, the browser, not us, sends the words of the page to its speech service. If no voice is installed, turn the pages and read it aloud yourself.
Do students need an account?
No. Nothing is asked of anyone and nothing is sent to us. Project the page, or share the link and let students open it on their own screens.
Where does this book come from?
It was written for Peabody's library as a true book. It is not copied from a textbook or another site.
Nothing you do here is sent to us. The voice is your browser's own. No sign-in, no ads.