Democratic Principles Teacher Resources

Students analyze the Louisiana Constitution of 1812 and then draw up a constitution for their particular school. They compare the Louisiana Constitution to the United States Constitution of 1789 and create a graphic organizer of both...

Fifth graders use the Internet to view collections of famous artists throughout the eighteenth century America. Using the artwork, they identify the themes that portrayed America as the land of opportunity. They record their findings...

Students examine the First Amendment of the Bill of Rights. During a visit to the George Bush Presidential Museum, they watch a video about the Texas v. Johnson flag burning case. In groups, they discover the role of the Supreme Court...

Eighth graders engage in hands-on activities to determine the surface areas of various objects. Using boxes, they cut them so they can lay flat and measure all the various shapes, which can be calculated and added together to equal the...

On July 24, 1935, President Franklin D. Roosevelt delivered this radio address. He urges to keep the principles of America in the forefront and begs participation of the younger citizens to involve themselves in the decisions.

Read Ralph Nader's views on taking back power from self-serving institutions and the political system. This article written in 1992 sets forth ten arguments of how democracy has been abused and the means by which citizens can regain...

In today's podcast we spell out some of the America's most important democratic principles.

Tutorial presents an introduction to the principles of the United States democratic government highlighting the differences and similarities between Roman and U.S. governments.

Online home of the sixteen-part PBS series on American history, A History of US is a storehouse of information and resources to enrich any study of America. Includes an interactive timeline, an image browser, games, quizzes, first-person...

Using the story Orb and Effy Learn About Authority, young students are guided to develop an understanding of what authority is, how it is an essential part of a democratic society, and what limits a society puts into place so that...

Here is a short biography on William Jennings Bryan, American politician of the Populist Party. Additional information can be found through the articles at the bottom of the page regarding Bryan's causes, his principles, and the Free...

A chapter taken from the U.S. State Department's "Outline of U.S. Government," that focuses on the foundation of American representative democracy. Provides comparison with other democracies, along with the essential role of the U.S....

Explore the ideas and principles of American government including its influences, foundation, and basic tenets (such as checks and balances and federalism).

The Mongo inhabit the Congo Basin of central Zaire. They speak a dialect or language within a larger group of Mongo languages. Ideological and moral principles and social reality are mirrored in the culture of the Mongo, particularly in...

On today's podcast, we learn about the social contract, a concept important for American democracy.

Explore the five basic limits on government through the true story of Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, and other fictional cases of government power gone wild.

This politically oriented site outlines the degeneration of American Democracy and the erosion of democratic principles as exemplified by unconstitutional actions on the part of the Federal and State governments, as in the examples of...

This article outlines the child's development in learning democratic principles and political attitudes.

Traces the history of the Christian Democratic Union/Christian Social Union party of Germany. Examines principles that make up the party and how it has emerged as a dominant force in German politics since WWII.

Political parties have platforms that describe their principles and issue stances in areas such as taxes, education and immigration. Answer the questions to see which party (Democratic, Republican, Green and Libertarian) is your best fit.

Discussion lesson plan that introduces and examines the concept of government by consent of the governed. Includes a reading for class distribution and references to primary source documents.

[Free Registration/Login Required] Using Activotes, students identify historical national figures from diverse backgrounds in the US who have advanced civil rights and promoted the common good. Students also explore the historical...

Beyond the instructional goals of the school library media program, this document addresses the principles and beliefs that form the basis for valuing a school library program in a democratic society.