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Declaration of Independence
Twelfth graders summarize sections of the Declaration of Independence and share their interpretations with classmates. They write essays on the Declaration or an essay tracing the rights of minorities from the Revolution to the present.
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Freedom to Worship
Fifth graders read the biographies of seven colonists and determine their position on the freedom of religion. They conduct a panel discussion of seven personalities and debate the religious freedom in America.
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Freedom Of Expression In Special Places
Students learn about First Amendment rights as they pertain to school and school newspapers.
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Launching Your Ship with Citizenship Lesson 4: Hoisting the Flag
Young scholars discuss the U.S. electoral process and brainstorm solutions to increase voter turnout in their community. In this democratic citizenship activity, students identify keywords in speech and video related to freedom of speech...
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Social Studies: Vocabulary
Build vocabulary and have a class discussion. Use this PowerPoint to illustrate concepts of Early American History, including, Bill of Rights, Supreme Court, elections, and the Constitution. Note: Each slide has only a single vocabulary...
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Diverse Voices - African American Ventures
Students research African American history and the Underground Railroad. In this African American history lesson, students discuss the Drinking Gourd. Students read 'If You Traveled the Underground Railroad' and discuss. Students work in...
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Constitutional Issues: Separation of Powers
Students discribe the principle and the history of separation of powers.
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Slavery and the Legal Status of Free Blacks: Rhetorical Analysis of Debates During the 1847 Illinois Constitutional Convention
Eleventh graders read actual arguments regarding the status of free blacks in Illinois and slavery in the United States more generally.
National First Ladies' Library
Presidential Illness: Constitutional Crisis?
Pupils use the internet and other sources to explore incidents where the President of the United States has become incapacitated. They research the reasons for the 25th Amendment, and solutions set in place to solve the problem of...
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Creating a Classroom Belief Statement
Fourth graders cooperatively develop a classroom belief statement that serves as their classroom constitution. Each student is involved in the creation of the statement. Each group presents their belief statement to the class.
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Social Studies: Symbols of the United States
Young scholars research the political traditions of the United States at the national and state levels. After discussing various symbols, students compose essays about the principles expressed in the Declaration of Independence and...
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The Voter
Students identify the constitutional amendments and major federal laws that have shaped suffrage in the United States.
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Due Process of Law and the Jim Crow Era
High schoolers analyze eight case studies of Supreme Court decisions regarding due process of law and their impact on American society in the early 20th century. They digest that although the 14th amendment was intended to give federal...
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The Death Penalty
Eleventh graders perform a study of the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and focus on the protection against cruel and unusual punishment in the Eighth Amendment as it relates to the death penalty. Prior to formulating a...
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Personal and Civic Responsibility
Students identify the civic responsbilities of those living in a constitutional democracy. In groups, they brainstorm a list of those characteristics of a good citizen. They participate in various scenerios to identify the...
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Researching American Democracy
Students compare Watergate and the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal. In this U.S. Constitution lesson, students define vocabulary terms and read articles regarding the impeachment process. Students respond to questions that require them to...
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Treason and Trials - Aaron Burr
Students examine the Constitutional definition of treason and research the case of Aaron Burr as first interpreted in 1807. They consider how Burr's case relates to the case of John Walker Lindh.
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What is Democracy?
Learners explore the facets of democracy. In this civic responsibility lesson, students create a definition of democracy and discuss the difference between a spectator and a participatory citizen. Learners discuss whose responsibility...
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The Anti-Slavery Movement
Eleventh graders as a class create and write a constitution for an anti-slavery society. They investigate demographics of slavery, treatment of slaves, the colonization movement, and women in the abolition movement, and present their...
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POWERS OF THE PRESIDENT: THE CASE OF LATVIA
Students compare the powers of a U.S. president to those of leaders of other countries. They pretend they are presidential advisors and make decisions as a group as to what the president has the right do in different situations.
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The Articles of Confederation
The purpose of this lesson is to assist students in discovering the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation and the foundation for creation of the United States Constitution. Students will investigate the events leading up to the...
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Electronic Surveillance: Unlawful Invasion of Privacy or Justifiable Law Enforcement
Learners state values and analyze them and the values of other students as it relates to the issue of individual privacy. They develop constitutional provisions which address issues relating to privacy with particular reference to item...
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Knowing the Ropes
Students become familiar with the Core Democratic Values that are the fundamental beliefs and constitutional principles of American society which unite all Americans. Each student is responsible for finding three pictures in magazines...
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Japanese Internment
Eleventh graders read about and discuss the Japanese Internment of World War II. In this Japanese Internment lesson, 11th graders examine the Japanese Internment. They talk about the civil rights aspect, how they would deal with being...