Lesson 3- Cities/Visionary Environments

Objective- Students will learn about the Articles of Confederation and the Virginia
Statute for Religious Freedom. They will learn that the Articles of Confederation
established the first form of national government for the independent states; they
maintained that major powers resided with individual states, which created a weak central
government (e.g., no power to tax or enforce laws); which led to the writing of the
Constitution of the United States of America. They will also learn that the Virginia
Statute for Religious Freedom guaranteed freedom of religious beliefs and opinions.
Afterwards students will work in their Zines and develop buildings that their citizens
would live in.

Snapshot- Q: Do our rights that are protected by our Constitution reflect on the
buildings we live and work in? How about religious buildings? What are some ways
these buildings could be changed to better support our rights as American citizens?

Hook- Show images of different cities both real and fictional.

Q: What did you notice about these cities? How were they the same? How were they
different? Were they made to serve a specific function?

Instructional Input- (Pass out notes.)

The two documents we are going to look at today are the Articles of Confederation and
the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom.
After the Declaration of Independence is written the colonies know they have to create a
central government, so they can gain support from other countries and defeat the British.

However, they were afraid of a strong central government. So, when they write the
Articles of Confederation, the first written constitution, most of the power stayed with the
individual states. The states governed themselves and remained independent from one
another. Because the central government was weak it couldnt make the states pay taxes.
The Articles of Confederation was more like a strong friendship between states to create
a stronger defense and to secure their rights during the war. It establishes the first form of
independent government in the U.S. It is later replaced by the Constitution that we still
have today.
Unlike the Articles of Confederation, the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom applies
only to Virginia. This statute calls for religious freedom in Virginia. It says that people
are free to worship how ever they want. It also calls for a separation of church and state.
This means that the government cant force to worship a certain way or pay taxes to the
church. When the Bill of Rights is being written the same ideas from the Religious
Freedom Statute are used.
Guided Practice- (Bring up images of The Ideal Temple by Niki de Saint Phalle as
well as Zine examples and other visionary environments.)
Q: We have looked at several documents so far this week. Do any of the affect the way
buildings are made? Do any buildings you know of support the rights guaranteed by
these documents?
Certain buildings support the U.S. Constitution and other founding documents, but their
purpose isnt really evident in their appearance. The artist Niki de Saint Phalle creates
monumental sculptures that serve a specific purpose, which is evident in their
appearance. Ideal Temple for Example:

Q: What do you see in this images? What do you think it is used for?
Other artists like Isaiah Zagar and Ferdinand Cheval also create spaces that whose
appearance matches its purpose.
Visionary Environments:

Q: What do these buildings/environments have in common? What are they used for? Do
they support their function?
Independent practice- Today we have looked at several different things. First we looked
at two different documents that ensure rights to certain people. Second, we looked at
different cities and buildings that reflect the purpose it was made for. Your task for today
will be to design spaces that your citizens interact with. When you are doing this I want
you to think about how the spaces you create can reflect the rights of the citizens you
made. If its a church you make, is it going to be for all religions or a specific one? If its
a government building, is it going to open to the public? Think about how its going to be
used and who is going to use it. You will have the rest of the period to sketch in your
planning booklet and work on your Zine. If you have extra time you can add color to
these pages.

Closure- (Hand out exit ticket.)

1) If you could live in any kind of building what would it look like?

2) What does the Virginia Statue for Religious Freedom promise to citizens of Virginia?

Notes Worksheet for Students:

Vocabulary:
Statute: A written law passed by a legislative body.
Articles of Confederation:

The Articles of Confederation established the first form of national government

for the independent states.

It maintained that major powers resided with individual states.

It created a weak central government (e.g., no power to tax or enforce laws),

which led to the writing of the Constitution of the United States of America.

Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom:

The Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom stated freedom of religious beliefs
and opinions.