Principles of the Declaration Teacher Resources

High schoolers examine slavery in the revolutionary and colonial eras of the United States. In this slavery instructional activity, students investigate the presence of slavery in early America, the language of the Constitution, and the...

Students examine a series of documents which discuss the contradiction in the Americans' rhetoric about slavery. They act as members of designated Committees of Correspondence in the five different colonies, communicating their...

During elections, headlines constantly lament the issue of low voter turnout. Help class members understand why this is such an important topic with relevant articles, a discussion of both sides of the issue, and a reflective essay. 

While the Constitutional Convention lay the foundation of the new government for the United States, the protections given under the Bill of Rights were controversial. Using documents, such as James Madison's and Thomas Jefferson's...

After analyzing both examples and non-examples of a variety of protests conducted by ethnic groups in Seattle and the state of Washington during the twentieth century, your class members will work to identify the key ideas and...

Learners explore the process of writing our Constitution through an interactive program. They are to put themselves in the place of the statesmen and predict how they felt at the time. They compare the founding fathers.

Learners examine discrimination laws. In this racism instructional activity, students compare and contrast de facto and de jure discrimination. Learners also explore the Bill of Rights and determine what makes some acts and speech illegal.

Students consider Lincoln's perspective. In this presidential perspectives instructional activity, students explore the political thoughts of Lincoln through a series of lessons that make use of primary source analysis. They hypothesize...

Students research the Federalists and Anti-federalists. In the lesson plan on state legislature, students use primary sources to create a brochure and write an essay that illustrates federalist and anti-federalists viewpoints.

Students examine the expectations that colonists had for lives prior to the revolution. In this colonial America lesson, students read primary documents that feature the perceptions of white men and minorities during the time period....

Learners study Benjamin Franklin including who he was, what he invented and his experiment.  In this inventive lesson students follow the steps of Ben Franklin and build a Leyden jar.

High schoolers use the Internet to read a brief description of Magna Carta (link provided). They "walk through" the document with the teacher, identifying four major themes. High schoolers read and discuss "The Rhetoric of Rights:...

Students discuss aspects of the Statue of Liberty and create their own personalized statue. Students use symbols to represent themselves in their own drawings of the Statue of Liberty.

Eleventh graders explain the structure and function of the United States government established by the Constitution. They set up a make-believe scenario: the 3 volunteers have been friends for a long time and have formed a club (the...

Students focus on the First and Ninth Amendments of the Bill of Rights. Before visiting a museum, they examine the Americans with Disabilities Act. During the visit, they work together with a museum member to watch a video and get...

Fifth graders complete an analysis of the Revolutionary War through literature. After "My Brother Sam Is Dead," students create a time capsule containing items that would be relevant during the Revolutionary War. They identify key...

Students participate in a "To Tell The Truth" game show activity in order to determine the role of Sam Adams in the Revolutionary events that took place in the Boston area. They ask questions of three students posing as Sam Adams to...

Young scholars explore the Constitution, bill of rights, framers, Supreme court cases and educational games.

Learners relate the Glorious Revolution, the American Revolution, and the French Revolution through web based research and scenarios.

High schoolers identify the powers of national and state governments. They evaluate the balance of national versus state power. They utilize worksheets imbedded in this plan to gain a deeper perspective of how the government powers are...

Pupils explore and identify the power of national and state governments. They discuss the concept of federalism and the distribution of governmental powers. As a class, they examine the balance of power between the federal and state...

In this social studies worksheet, 5th graders answer multiple choice questions about important court cases, World War II, Abraham Lincoln, and more. Students complete 14 questions.

Eleventh graders explain Davis's views on Southern Secession.  In this American History instructional activity, 11th graders read and analyze primary sources. 

Ninth graders simulate a U.S. Supreme Court hearing concerning a First Amendment case about school prayer by participating in a hearing.