Article describes how the written constitutions adopted by each of the 13 colonies were the seeds of the U.S. Constitution including the Bill of Rights. Includes questions for discussion and small group activity.

Lesson and activity in which students learn about the importance of the Supreme Court, balance of power, and judicial reform.

This site from the United States Senate provides information about the evolution of the Senate as the Constitution was being written by the Constitutional Congress.

The original text of a letter from Alexander Hamilton to Governor George Clinton of New York in 1778 complaining of inadequate material for the U.S. armed forces and perception of weakness by foreign powers.

A good biography on Pinckney and his role in the formation of the Constitution.

Here you will find background information concerning the Articles of Confederation. Underneath the photo of the document, click on each page to view the original document.

A lesson plan, including an extension opportunity, addressing whether the Stolen Valor Act violates the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.

Lesson and activity on conflict of cultures in which students study U.S. overtaking lands of Mexico and California and form policy on property rights and citizenship of conquered cultures. Activity guidelines, questions for discussion...

Provides information on the Electoral College and how we use this system to elect the President of the U.S. Features links to much more information on the election.

Website with primary source material on the making of the U.S. government and Constitution explains how Marbury vs. Madison brought the power of Judicial Review to the Supreme Court.

September 17 is recognized in the United States as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. The purpose of Constitution Day and Citizenship Day is to commemorate the creation and signing of the supreme law of the land and to honor and...

The first unit of an online course on AP US Government and Politics. It explores key concepts of American government, including constitutional government, republicanism, separation of powers, checks and balances, federalism, construction...

Students will review the Amistad case and use passages from the case explore the concept of jurisdiction and how a case travels through the federal court system. Also, included are links to the background of the Amistad case, a...

Ben's Guide is a fun way to present US laws to school aged children. This site presents a thorough investigation into ways to amend the Constitution. Links to related sites are available.

See transcripts of the debates of the Federal Convention of 1787, the draft of the Constitution, or see the facsimiles of the original documents. Trace the progress of the Constitution using the historical documents themselves.

The original text of official Resolutions by members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 during the debate creating a new national U.S. Constitution.

Article discusses the War of 1812 as America's first declared war and what that meant for the future of the U.S. Includes questions for discussion and small group activity.

This article contains information about the principles used to create the Constitution of the United States.

This site from the Modern History Sourcebook of Fordham University comprises a series of articles from the New York Times detailing the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in Congress and the battle to get the...

This site is provided for by the University of Groningen. Learn about the struggle for approval by the states of the U.S. Constitution, continuous disagreements after the Constitutional Convention between the Federalists and the...

Beginning page of a Learning Adventure examines what parts of the Constitution give the branches of the Federal Government their specific powers. Those three parts are Article I, Article II, and Article III.

Article discussing 45 years of the Cold War between Russia and the U.S. Questions for discussion and small group activity.

An interactive experience with the Bill of Rights. The Our Documents group allows you to view a copy of the original Bill of Rights. There is a brief information section along with links to larger images, a typed transcript, and...

Overviews of the major elements of U.S. government, compiled and published by the White House: three branches of the federal government (executive, legislative, judicial), the Constitution, federal agencies and commissions, elections and...