Website
Independence Hall Association

U.s. History: The Tough Issues

For Students 5th - 8th
Read about the change of plans when delegates to the Philadelphia convention decided to write a new constitution to replace the Articles of Convention. See the ideas delegates had to address concerns of large and small states.
Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: United States Bill of Rights

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia article from Wikipedia gives some background history to the creation of the Bill of Rights and contains a transcription of the first ten amendments to the Constitution in their original form.
Article
Other

James Grimmerlmann: Copyright, Technology, and Access to the Law

For Students 9th - 10th
Articles on technology and access to the law. The author discusses some innovative features of the Code from a legal standpoint, such as the number index system and the stele used to inscribe the laws.
Unknown Type
History Teacher

Historyteacher.net: The u.s. Constitution: Quiz (2)

For Students 9th - 10th
10-question multiple choice quiz is immediately scored and covers events pertaining to the U.S. Constittution.
Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: James Madison

For Students 9th - 10th
James Madison's slight stature and reserved personality gave little indication of his keen intellect and shrewd nature. No other Founder had as much influence in crafting, ratifying, and interpreting the United States Constitution and...
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: Born to Run

For Teachers 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text debating the necessity of Article II, Section 1 of the Constitution which states that only natural-born American citizens can be elected President of the United States. A question...
Article
Other

Washington Monthly: What Was Really Great About the Great Society

For Students 9th - 10th
This site offers an article from the "Washington Monthly" in which Joseph Califano, Jr. disputes the claims of conservative pundits that Lyndon B. Johnson's Great Society programs constituted a failed social experiment that wasted the...
Handout
US Department of State

Bureau of International Information Programs: History Outline: Sectionalism

For Students 9th - 10th
Article reviews several conditions of American society that sowed the seeds of civil war, particularly slavery and sectional conflict.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: The Patriot Financier Who Bankrolled the Revolutionary War

For Students 9th - 10th
A brash, self-made millionaire helped fund the fight for independence, but after the war, he ended up in debtor's prison. Without Robert Morris, the American Revolution may have been crushed under a mountain of debt and disarray. The...
Whiteboard
ClassFlow

Class Flow: Challenges Faced by the New Nation

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
[Free Registration/Login Required] This unit covers the content area featuring the challenges faced by the new nation including the writing of the Constitution, government powers, the Bill of Rights and the War of 1812.
Handout
Georgia Humanities Council and the University of Georgia Press.

New Georgia Encyclopedia: Georgia Encyclopedia: William Few Jr.

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource offers a brief biographical entry on a delegate from Georgia to the Constitutional Convention, William Few, Jr., who later served as a United States Senator.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: u.s. Presidents James Madison

For Teachers 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about James Madison, the fourth President of the United States. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Unit Plan
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Ap Us History Period 3: 1754 1800: The American Revolution

For Students 9th - 10th
This Khan Academy resource provides video lessons, detailed notes, and practice questions for the AP U.S. History Exam. The years 1754-1800 are covered.
Website
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Constitutional Rights Foundation: Who Was the Real Cleopatra? [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Article on Cleopatra explores the controversy and debate over what she was really like while looking at the larger idea of governance. Includes questions for discussion and group activity in which students debate.
Website
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Constitutional Rights Foundation: Go Boldly! Joan of Arc and the Hundred Years War [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
Articles related to leadership looks at historical figure, Joan of Arc in this issue of Bill of Rights. Includes primary source material, questions for discussion and small group acitvity.
Article
Siteseen

Siteseen: Government and Constitution: The United States Constitution

For Students 9th - 10th
Article covers the history and origins of the US Constitution.
Handout
Other

Edmund Randolph's Views on Separation of Church & State

For Students 9th - 10th
A short article that discusses Randolph's beliefs regarding religion and the role of the state.
Handout
Other

Constitutional Principle: Charles Pinckney and Separation of Church and State

For Students 9th - 10th
A short article describing Pinckney's views on religion and the role of the state. Excerpted from a book by Anson Phelps Stokes.
Article
A&E Television

History.com: Continental Congress

For Students 9th - 10th
From 1774 to 1789, the Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies and later the United States. The First Continental Congress, which was comprised of delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in reaction to...
Activity
Scholastic

Scholastic: Democracy for Kids: Understanding Rights and Responsibilities

For Students 3rd - 8th
Scholastic offers a series of printable panels and classroom activities in PDF format that focus on a U.S. citizen's right to express his- or herself. Content focuses on the Bill of Rights and its provisions for freedom of religion,...
Activity
Thomson Reuters

Find Law: Article Vi: National Duties of State Officers

For Students 9th - 10th
This resource provides information about Article VI of the United States Constitution.
Handout
Other

Georgia Constitution Web Page

For Students 9th - 10th
Here you will find the text used in the state of Georgia Constitution.
Handout
Wikimedia

Wikipedia: Full Faith and Credit Clause

For Students 9th - 10th
Learn about the Full Faith and Credit Clause of the United States Constitution (Article IV) and its impact on American citizens. Topics include the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) and the Violence Again Women Act.
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: Wanted: A Just Right Government

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Look at the tensions and differences of opinion that existed among early American states and citizens. Learn about the Articles of Confederation, why the first "constitution" didn't work, and how compromise led to the Constitution.