Two Supreme Court cases, Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education take center stage in a lesson about the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Class members research both cases to compare and contrast the rulings.

Teach young historians about the historical legacy of Rosa Parks with a multi-faceted lesson plan. Pupils follow stations and use journals to explore prominent events, analyze primary resource documents, and engage in interesting...

Eleventh graders examine the Adarand case.  For this American Government lesson, 11th graders create a list of reasons for each affirmative action program.  Students develop a defense on certain issues and present it to the class. 

Almost every American is familiar with the Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Far fewer understand the constitutional reasoning or the wide-ranging consequences of the ruling in the field of criminology. The interesting...

Baseball great Jackie Robinson fought for social justice. His efforts to push for equal access are detailed in an episode from from the Ken Burns: The Jackie Robinson Collection. After viewing the clip, class members engage in a series...

Students examine due process and equal protection. In this current events lesson, students read the provided article, "Due Process and Equal Protection for Gays and Lesbians." Students respond to the provided discussion questions and...

In this Supreme Court worksheet, students respond to 14 short answer questions regarding equal protection and gay marriage issues in the United States.

Students examine the concepts of equal protection, discrimination, affirmative action, and racial profiling. They analyze the Equal Protection Clause, participate in a mock trial, and discuss the different parts of the trial.

High schoolers study the Reed v. Reed case of 1971 that afforded women equal protection under law.

High schoolers focus on the 14th Amendment of the Bill of Rights to decide whether or not racism denies citizens of their rights under the amendment. They watch a movie, Every Two Seconds and complete a worksheet (included in the plan)...

The debate over the Equal Rights Amendment continues. To better understand the controversy, class members research the history of attempts to get the amendment ratified. In addition, pairs engage in a structured academic conversation...

Young scholars analyze the historical meaning of the equal protection clause of the Fourteenth Amendment and how it is used today, analyze the legal meaning of "equal protection of the law" by examining case studies.

How can a college board of trustees both increase cultural and racial diversity and offer all incoming students equal protection under the Fourteenth Amendment? Class members debate the question using readings about how colleges use...

Students explore the details and impact of the Plessy vs. Ferguson U.S. Supreme Court case.  For this U.S. History lesson, students participate in several group discussions and group activities that examine both sides of the famous...

Students examine affirmative action and equal protection. In this Supreme Court lesson, students examine primary documents from Regents of the U. of California v. Blake and discuss the implications of the decision.

Students examine equal protection. In this Supreme Court lesson, students  examine primary documents from Korematsu v. United States and discuss the implications of the decision with regards to Japanese internment.

Illegal immigration is an ever-changing source of consistent controversy. A reading passage about the rights of undocumented workers and illegal immigrants—and the lack thereof—guides high schoolers into a mock trial activity. Three...

Take a look at important images that depict the women's suffrage movement, the support for the Equal Rights Amendment, and wage equity for women over the last two centuries. As class members work through a lesson plan on primary source...

Students analyze and discuss a poster depicting racially separate fountains. Then they examine part of the Declaration of Independence that refers to all men being created equal and discuss the "separate but equal" doctrine.

Students investigate the Exclusionary Rule and other ways of to enforce the protections found in the Bill of Rights. They study how effective criminal control and public safety is carried out while citizens Constitutional rights are...

Can the federal government override the state government to protect the citizens of the United States? The 1962 Supreme Court case Baker v. Carr outlines the issue of equal protection under the law. Scholars investigate with a short...

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 been violated,...

A university decides not to allow a qualified scholar to enter its institution based on skin and gender—but this case is about a white female? The 2003 Supreme Court case Grutter v. Bollinger lays the foundation for open discussion and...

What is the central idea of the Fourteenth Amendment? Scholars attempt to answer the question as they read and discuss the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which guarantees all citizens equal protection of the...