You will now compose an essay in which you will report on the key similarities and differences between your state constitution and the U.S. Constitution.  This comparison will focus on government structure and civil liberties protections. The rest of this lesson will help you complete your research and structure your essay accordingly. First, review the four components of the essay:

Discuss general similarities and differences between your state constitution and the U.S. Constitution (in terms of government and document structure).
Report on whether your state constitution includes a statement or bill of rights. Summarize the kinds of rights that are protected. How do they compare with the protections in the U.S. Bill of Rights?
Drill down to the specific right to privacy. Why is the right to privacy important? Is it explicitly mentioned in your state constitution? What are the exact words? Evaluate the scope of privacy protection offereddoes it provide more, or less, protection than the U.S Constitutions implied right to privacy?
Assess the merit of explicit versus general constitutional language in the protection of rights. Is one more preferable than another? How does the language in your state constitution compare to the language in the U.S. Constitution?  You have gathered all of the important information from your state constitution and the U.S. Constitution. Creating an outline can help ensure that all components of the essay prompt are met and can lead to more efficient writing.

Use the essay prompt and the information you gathered to create an outline. For example, the first component of the prompt reads: Discuss general similarities and differences between your state constitution and the U.S. Constitution (in terms of government and document structure).

A detailed outline for this component could be structured this way:

Discuss general similarities and differences between your state constitution and the U.S. Constitution
Document Structure
Similarities
preambles in both
articles in both
Differences:
state has more articles than U.S.
state is much longer than U.S.
Government Structure
Similarities
three branches
bicameral legislatures
Differences
legislatures have different names
jurisdiction of courts is different
Depending on your personal preference, you could write the outline and then write that component of the essay, or you could complete an outline for the entire prompt and then write all of the components at once.

Use the essay prompt and the rubric to guide your writing and ensure that you have met all of the requirements.

Select the link to access the Comparing State and U.S. Constitutions Portfolio Rubric.