Activity
Sharp School

The Bill of Rights and Supreme Court Cases Project

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
Social media and United States history combine as your young historians design a Facebook page for two major defendants of landmark Supreme Court cases. The resource includes a detailed rubric for research and page design, as well as a...
Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

The Troubled Elections of 1796 and 1800

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Congress does more than create new laws. Political scientists delve into the elections of 1796 and 1800 to understand how political parties, the Electoral College, and personal agendas affected the election process. The resource also...
Activity
Digital Public Library of America

The Fifteenth Amendment

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
Fifteen primary sources provide a context for a study of the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. The packet captures the excitement for the changes promised by the amendment as well as the backlash against it.
Activity
National Constitution Center

Thirteenth Amendment Poster

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
President Lincoln believed in the Thirteenth Amendment so strongly that he signed 14 copies of it, but died before he could see it passed on December 18, 1965. Explore the text that forever abolished slavery in America with a document...
Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Snyder v. Phelps

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Does the Westboro Baptist Church have the protection of the Constitution when protesting military funerals? High schoolers examine the 2011 Supreme Court case of Snyder v. Phelps before comparing the situation to a fictional...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Comparing the Magna Carta and English Bill of Rights with the U.S. Bill of Rights

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Just how alike are some historical documents? Discover the similarities between the Magna Carta and the United States Bill of Rights in a fast-paced activity. Historians learn the importance of both documents and the lasting impact they...
Interactive
DocsTeach

The 19th Amendment and the Road to Universal Suffrage

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Your vote matters! An informative activity focuses on the Nineteenth Amendment and explains how it paved the way for universal voting rights. Young historians analyze several documents and a complete a worksheet, describing the impact of...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Evaluating the New Departure Strategy in the Fight for Women's Suffrage

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
When women demanded their right to vote, did the Constitution already protect it? The New Departure Strategy in the women's suffrage movement made this claim through court hearings. Using documents, such as transcripts from Susan B....
Interactive
DocsTeach

The Amendment Process: Ratifying the 19th Amendment

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
The process for adding an amendment to the U.S. Constitution is long and arduous, by design. High School historians study a series of documents about the Nineteenth Amendment and, using an interactive program, drag the documents onto a...
Activity
National Constitution Center

Born in the U.S.A: Music as Political Protest

For Students 10th - 12th Standards
Though often used in shows of patriotism, Bruce Springsteen's 1985 song "Born in the U.S.A." is critical of America's role in the Vietnam war and its treatment of American veterans. High schoolers analyze the song's lyrics in an activity...
Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Texas v. Johnson

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
Which right does the Constitution weigh more heavily: the sanctity of the American flag as a symbol of national unity, or the right to burn the flag in protest? The 1989 Supreme Court case of Texas v. Johnson explores a...
Activity
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Curated OER

Express Yourself Lesson Seed 1

For Teachers 6th Standards
Make a study of the First Amendment and its relationship to freedom. Pupils rewrite the amendment and discuss the central idea before focusing on a specific phrase. After discussing, class members write a journal entry about the included...
Activity
iCivics

Do I Have a Right? Bill of Rights Edition

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
In an online engaging and animated game, pupils role play as lawyers charged with protecting rights found in amendments to the United States Constitution. As they choose appropriate amendments to match the right that has...
Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Morse v. Frederick

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
If you stop a student from expressing views that advocate drug use, are you violating their right to free speech? Use the 2007 Supreme Court case Morse v. Frederick to discuss a nuanced interpretation of the First Amendment....
Activity
Smithsonian Institution

Young People Shake Up Elections (History Proves It) Educator Guide

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
Vote, it's your civic duty! The resource provides several videos about voting in the United States. Scholars watch a series of topics ranging from youth participation to civic action. The educator's guide provides teachers with...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Extending Suffrage to Women

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Votes for women! The activity highlights the push for the Nineteenth Amendment giving women the right to vote. High school scholars learn how the Fifteenth Amendment giving African American men the right to vote helped to spark the...
Interactive
DocsTeach

Prohibition and Its Consequences

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Organized crime and speakeasies ... just another day during Prohibition. An intriguing activity explores the world of Prohibition and its consequences on life in the United States. Scholars analyze primary sources and place them on a...
Activity
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Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library & Museum

Developing Your Voice and Your Right to Free Speech

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Three activities focus on the First Amendment, especially the freedom of speech. Scholars craft a letter to the President of the United States and express their views about a topic important to them. Another activity has participants...
Activity
Teacher Web

1920's Magazine

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
What a creative and engaging project to incorporate into your studies of the 1920s! Your young historians will work in groups to design a magazine discussing the political and cultural topics of the decade, each member writing one...
Interactive
National Constitution Center

Abraham Lincoln's Crossroads

For Students 3rd - 8th Standards
History enthusiasts participate in an interactive website that brings Abraham Lincoln to life as he shares his personal experiences between 1854-1864. Scholars listen and read carefully to form their own opinions and discover if they...
Activity
Education World

Every Day Edit - Women Get the Vote

For Students 3rd - 8th
In this everyday editing worksheet, students correct grammatical mistakes in a short paragraph about suffrage. The errors range from punctuation, capitalization, grammar, and spelling.
Activity
Administrative Office of the US Courts

Engel v. Vitale

For Teachers 10th - 12th Standards
"Is school-sponsored prayer in public schools unconstitutional?" That is the question teams debate as they consider the arguments presented to the Supreme Court in Engel v. Vitale. The attorneys study the provided talking points and...
Activity
US Institute of Peace

Governance, Corruption and Conflict Simulation on Nepal

For Students 9th - Higher Ed
Can your class help the people of Nepal? Scholars take an in-depth look into the social injustices and struggling economy of a country in turmoil during a multi-day role-playing exercise. After reviewing information on the problems...
Lesson Plan
Close Up Foundation

Rights Auction

For Teachers 7th - 12th Standards
In an engaging activity on universal and unalienable rights, learners work in groups to establish a democratic nation and determine what principles they want to protect to ensure a democratic society. They conduct a "rights auction" in...