The Electoral College is one of the more difficult institutions to understand in the U.S. Constitution, but it serves a vitally impo…
In the past eight months, the Supreme Court has heard and ruled on a number of important cases. Even in the midst of the COVID-19 pa…
There is no way the Constitution will work if the people lose their virtue. Almost every Founding Father said or wrote something alo…
As World War II raged, U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt met with Stalin and British Prime Minister Winston Churchill at the Tehr…
For all of human history, people have desired things that people in distant lands possessed in abundance. From Australian opals to C…
The Constitution gives the power of declaring war solely to Congress, while the president serves as commander in chief of the U.S. m…
The U.S. Constitution divides war powers between the president and Congress. The delegates to the Constitutional Convention were foc…
The liberalism of the post-1960s is usually associated with cultural or “lifestyle” permissiveness, a moral relativism regarding…
The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 resulted in the New Deal he proposed, a fundamental shift in the American political ec…
In America’s free society, entrepreneurs of many kinds start businesses that create the nation's wealth. The Founders established …
The overall wealth of the United States has been achieved because of the free enterprise system. The U.S. has a limited government, …
As buyers purchase goods and services, they signal to the producers what ought to be made. If people want to wear pants with farm an…
Prices are created through interactions between sellers and buyers. Supply (sellers) and demand (buyers) is the first, most recogniz…
When we hear the term “economics,” we tend to think about ups and downs in the economy as well as graphs mysteriously depicting …
Americans celebrate volunteers and public servants, intuitively recognizing that there is something of great value in helping your c…
Debating matters of public concern is essential in a free, self-governing society. If citizens were not free to decide after listeni…
Why does the United States have more elections than any other country? This lesson explores the role that voting plays in our system…
From the Founding to the present, Americans have always expressed a distrust of political parties. Hardly a day passes without someo…
Through the Constitution’s system of federalism power was divided between national and subnational governments allowing citizens t…
The United States was founded through a deliberative process that examined the wisdom and experience of the ages to discern human na…
What many today might call “rights,” such as federally-guaranteed social security payments, disability payments, food stamps, ed…
Decades later, both the purpose and the consequences of the Great Society are disputed. More fundamental is the question of the natu…
Presidents Herbert Hoover and Franklin D. Roosevelt responded to the Great Depression by asking for - and receiving - much greater p…
Part of the Civil War’s legacy was a shift in the role of the national government. The defeat of the South, Reconstruction, and th…
This lesson explores the post-Civil War Amendments and their impact on American society. In this lesson, students will analyze prima…
The ink was barely dry on the Constitution when the first challenges to its protections arose. These early challenges to the new con…
The Anti-Federalists had many objections to the Constitution, and one of them was that it did not have a bill of rights. Madison was…
After the Constitution was completed and signed by 39 delegates on September 17, 1787, many of the debates from Independence Hall co…
In 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation, the first government of the independent United State…
The Founders were students of history. From ancient to recent times, history was full of examples of experiments in free republics w…
When public safety and happiness are threatened, whether from external or internal sources, people are often willing to give up thei…
The Framers thought the best way to protect the rights of citizens would be through a government powerful enough to fulfill its cons…
The principle of due process of law means that the government must follow duly-enacted laws when it seeks to restrict or deny fundam…
While many people today use the terms “republic” and “democracy” interchangeably, America’s Founders saw important differe…
The Framers of the U.S. Constitution knew that the new government they crafted must be more powerful and effective than the governme…
The structural or institutional features of the American constitutional order only make sense in the context of what the Founders ho…
The Founders believed that the government’s authority needed to come from the people. Under the reign of King George III, the colo…
In 1787, many Americans were concerned that the Articles of Confederation did not grant enough power to the central government to pr…
The American Founders believed that justice needed to be protected. They wrote the Declaration of Independence to demonstrate to the…
The United States Founders believed that certain civic virtues were required of citizens in order for the Constitution to work. Nume…
Presidents and the Constitution (Volumes 1 and 2) will allow students to explore how specific constitutional principles have applied…
Property Rights in America provides teachers with a week of lesson plans to impart to students the ways property rights animate a fr…
Lessons in Media and American Democracy are each designed for a 45-minute class period in journalism, English, civics, social studie…
Conflict and Continuity: The Story of American Freedom serves as an educational tool for teachers to provide students with the oppor…
The Bill of Rights for Real Life is designed to lead less academically-inclined students toward a stronger and more explicit engagem…
The Founding Documents: A Three-Act Drama is an immersive, interactive dive into the Founding documents and the history that surroun…
The Bill of Rights and You: Rights and Responsibilities is designed to give students an understanding of their rights under the firs…
In this capstone project, students use the lessons of the suffrage movement to develop a website, event, or other activity that prov…
In this capstone project, students apply the lessons of the suffrage movement to address an important issue in their lives. The proj…
In this lesson, students will discuss the impact of the Nineteenth Amendment on American Society and understand the variety of issue…
In this lesson, students will examine the idea of natural rights and equality as expressed in the Declaration of Independence. They …
In this lesson, students will prepare and present their own plan for dealing with immigration in the United States. They will engage…
This lesson provides the scaffolding for you to conduct a simulation of the United States House of Representatives with your class! …
Following the Civil War, the United States would establish itself as a world economic power. The promises of freedom and opportunity…
After the Civil War, Congress grew increasingly assertive and also became more concerned with how it organized itself as a legislati…
In the early republic, Congress was a colorful, exciting, unpredictable, and contentious branch of the United States government. The…
The Framers of the Constitution had a rich intellectual foundation and long practical experience with representative legislatures to…
During the first seventy years of the republic, Congress did not greatly intervene in the commercial affairs of the states. After th…
The weakness of the national legislature under the Articles of Confederation meant that it was unable to effectively govern the coun…
Delegates at the Constitutional Convention debated the nature of representative government and how best to organize legislative bodi…
In this lesson, students will study the Supreme Court case Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2013). They will examine the facts of the case an…
In this lesson, students will explore the evolution in the United States from religious toleration to religious liberty. Students wi…
In this lesson, students will explore the views of the founders concerning the relationship between Church and State. They will exam…
In this lesson, students will gain an understanding of how the doctrine of incorporation broadened the application of the First Amen…
In this lesson, students will gain an understanding of religious liberty from the colonial period to the Founding era. They will ass…
In this lesson, students will gain an understanding of the roles John Winthrop and Roger Williams played in American history. They w…
In this lesson, students will evaluate contradictory viewpoints of liberty and security as it concerns the Patriot Act and evaluate …
In this lesson, students will evaluate contradictory viewpoints concerning liberty and security. They will evaluate Supreme Court de…
Case background and primary sources concerning the Supreme Court case of Bush v. Gore. Dealing with the 2000 election, this lesson a…
A document-based question which explores Dwight D. Eisenhower’s response to the Little Rock Crisis. This lesson asks students to a…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Korematsu v. United States. Dealing with President…
In this document-based question, students will evaluate the Founders’ and Progressives’ views on the subjects of human nature an…
A document-based question that explores the ways the concepts of liberty and property have been understood over time in the United S…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Kelo v. New London. Dealing with eminent domain an…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Lucas v. South Carolina Coastal Council. Dealing w…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Nollan v. California Coastal Commission. Dealing w…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Gonzales v. Raich. Dealing with the Commerce Claus…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of South Dakota v. Dole. Dealing with the whether or …
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of McCulloch v. Maryland. Dealing with the Constituti…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Lawrence v. Texas. Dealing with a citizen’s cons…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Griswold v. Connecticut. Dealing with whether or n…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Reno v. ACLU. Dealing with whether or not the Firs…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Texas v. Johnson. Dealing with the First Amendment…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Schenck v. United States. Dealing with the First A…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Pottawatomie v. Earls. Dealing with students’ Fo…
Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier. Dealing with the extent of…
The Fourteenth Amendment was originally written to ensure that freed slaves would be treated as citizens, but, in the twentieth cent…
The Founders wanted to be sure they preserved the right to keep and bear arms as they established their new sovereign government. Am…
Congress’ power to regulate interstate commerce, granted in the Commerce Clause, is often invoked as justification for laws regula…
The Supreme Court has protected many rights not listed explicitly in the Bill of Rights, although it has not used the Ninth Amendmen…
The Founders listed several rights guaranteed to the people in the first eight amendments of the Bill of Rights. They did not believ…
The effects of incorporation have been far-reaching and the role of the federal government has been significantly transformed. The b…
The Constitutional principle of due process, which holds that government must interact with citizens according to duly-enacted laws,…
The Founders believed that property is among the natural rights governments exist to protect. One of the ways the Founders protected…
The Founders knew that an individual’s voice is at its most powerful when he can freely come together with citizens of like mind a…
America’s Founders recognized the necessity of vigorous public debate and enshrined the right to speak freely in the Bill of Right…
One of America’s most cherished freedoms is the free exercise of religion. In a nation where people of many faiths live side-by-si…
The original thirteen states that formed the United States included individuals from a variety of religious traditions. To ensure th…
The debate over the Bill of Rights at the Founding was not an argument over whether rights exist, but about how best to protect thos…
In this lesson, students will explore the events and philosophies from British and colonial history that shaped the Founders’ idea…
For the Bill of Rights to remain more than what Madison referred to as a “parchment barrier,” citizens must understand the purpo…
In this lesson, students will explore the structure, purpose, and significance of the Declaration of Independence. Students will ana…
In this lesson, students will study the Constitution from three perspectives: structure, content, and underlying principles. They wi…
Congress was designed to be a slow and deliberative body with the intention that it provide stability and place the public interest …
The American system has more elections than any other country in the world thanks to its system of federalism. Learn more with this …
Our form of government is founded on the belief that all people possess equal rights. This lesson explores the foundation of that be…
The Founders paid close attention to the rights of the accused because they realized that the government had the power both to prose…
This lessons explores the nature of the unnamed rights described in the Ninth Amendment and examines the arguments around who should…
The Supreme Court, recognizing changes in society and technology, has applied the First Amendment’s protections in some ways that …
For much of American history, the Supreme Court had very little to say about the Second Amendment until 2008 when the Court heard ar…
The proper division of power between the national government and state and local governments has always been a question that our cou…
The Constitution delegates certain powers to each branch of government. However, throughout the 20th century Congress increasingly b…
Incorporation is a difficult concept to grasp but is an important constitutional principle. This lesson provides activities that hel…
Members of the U.S. Congress experience a fundamental tension between being a trustee for the interests of the people and being thei…
For the Founders, the principle of federalism was a means of protecting liberty by limiting and dividing government power. This less…
The Founders were extremely concerned with protecting private property as a cornerstone of a free society. Property is not only phys…
In this lesson, students will examine the history and importance of press freedom and, by seeking out information on constitutional …
In 1824, New York created a law that granted Aaron Ogden a monopoly over steamboat access to the Hudson River. Thomas Gibbons held a…
Is the government required to provide a lawyer to defendants in all criminal cases? The landmark case of Gideon v. Wainwright was a …
From the first days of American history until today, the Supreme Court has been pivotal in interpreting the Constitution and shaping…
Is affirmative action constitutional or an unfair use of discrimination? This Homework Help video explores one of the landmark affir…
Is voting the only responsibility that citizens in the U.S. have? This lesson helps students draw their own conclusions about what i…
The government is just one aspect of civil society that make up our nation. Communities are another essential feature that helps con…
In this Supreme Court DBQ, students will assess the role the Supreme Court played in protecting minority rights from the tyranny of …
John and Mary Beth Tinker were punished for wearing black armbands to school to protest the Vietnam War. Did this violae their First…
Can state governments tax the federal government? McCulloch v. Maryland addressed the controversial issue of whether a National Bank…
The relationship between money and politics has always been a controversial subject. This Homework Help video examines the landmark …
This Supreme Court DBQ asks students to consider what limits should be placed on campaign financing and whether doing so would be a …
Dred Scott was a slave who sued for his freedom after he was brought to live in a free state and free territory temporarily. Explore…
The Supreme Court once again took up the issue of affirmative action in 2003 when it heard these two cases. Students will read the m…
Can universities consider race in college applications? Grutter v. Bollinger was a case brought to the Supreme Court over the use of…
This landmark Supreme Court case established fundamental precedents concerning search and seizure by law enforcement. Students will …
William Marbury was a judge appointed at the end of John Adams’ presidency, but never got his official commission papers. Once Tho…
Does the Second Amendment prevent a city from effectively outlawing handgun ownership? In 2008, Otis McDonald attempted to purchase …
What are your Miranda rights? Ernesto Miranda was arrested for kidnapping and rape and confessed to his crime during an interrogatio…
Why did the Supreme Court rule that "separate but equal" was constitutional in the 19th century? Our Supreme Court DBQ explores this…
This Supreme Court DBQ asks students to consider the constitutionality of UC Davis' special admissions program designed to foster in…
Should the "right to privacy" allow someone to have an abortion? Explore the controversial decision in the Roe v. Wade case with thi…
The Supreme Court case of Schenck v. United States made famous the phrase "shouting fire in a crowded theater." Learn more with this…
Should the meaning of the First Amendment change during wartime? The landmark Supreme Court case of Schenck v U.S. answered this que…
Do students' First Amendment rights exist at school? The landmark case of Tinker v. Des Moines established important precedents and …
Did the Constitution intend to create an absolute executive privilege? The landmark case of United States v. Nixon explored this que…
Does an individual have a right to a lawyer, regardless of the crime he or she is charged with? In 1961, Clarence Gideon was arreste…
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