Pretend you are a wealthy russian living before the revolution. write a four- to five-sentence journal entry about your life.

Sample response:  As a member of the Russian nobility, I have access to many different kinds of food and other goods. I am also very rich and live a life of power and privilege. My family owns large areas of farmland that are tended by peasants. I am very happy with my current situation, and I hope things never change.

in february 1787, congress decided that a convention should be convened to revise the articles of confederation, the nation’s first constitution. in may, 55 delegates came to philadelphia, and the constitutional convention began. debates erupted over representation in congress, over slavery, and over the new executive branch. the debates continued through four hot and muggy months. but eventually the delegates reached compromises, and on september 17, they produced the u.s. constitution, replacing the articles with the governing document that has functioned effectively for more than 200 years.