National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 2: Chief Executives Compared: The Federalist Papers
Fix the Articles of Confederation or develop a new constitution? That was the question facing the Founding Fathers. Several of those in favor of a new constitution published a series of essays, collected in the Federalist Papers, urging...
Curated OER
The Bill of Rights and the Founders
Students explain similarities between historical statements of rights and their modern applications, explore ideas of "Rights of Englishmen" and natural rights, discuss evolution of concept of rights and its impact on Bill of Rights,...
Curated OER
Federalist 47
Students will analyze and evaluate political propaganda. For this lesson on the Federalist movement, students will examine the Federalist papers and analyze the Anti-Federalist argument mage against constitutional ratification. This...
Curated OER
Presidents and the Constitution: Washington, Adams, Jefferson, Madison and the Barbary Pirates
Students explore the Barbary Pirates of the Mediterranean. In this American history instructional activity, students read a narrative regarding the conflict between the Barbary Pirates and the United States under the leadership of...
Curated OER
Lesson Two: The Federalist Papers
Students identify Articles of Confederation and explain why it failed, explain argument over need for Bill of Rights in Constitution and James Madison's role in securing it's adoption, and compare and contrast ideas of Federalists and...
Judicial Learning Center
The Power of Judicial Review
Marbury v. Madison is arguably the most important landmark case in the history of the Supreme Court. A fact-filled lesson provides background information about the case and two others related to the concept of judicial review. Scholars...
Ashbrook Center at Ashland University
Bill of Rights
Do citizens need protection from the federal government? Scholars investigate why the framers of the Constitution created the first 10 amendments and what these amendments mean to citizens of the United States more than 200 years later....
Curated OER
We the People... What Conflicting Opinions Did the Framers Have about the Completed Constitution?
High schoolers study some of the disagreements about the Constitution which set the stage for the debates over its ratification. These are significant because many have to do with issues that are still discussed and debated today.
Curated OER
Second Graders Create Their Own Social Studies Book (Part I, The 5Ws of the Constitution)
Students study the United States Constitution and create a year-long cumulative activity for social studies. In this social studies lesson, students complete activities throughout the year to learn the 5Ws for the United States...
Curated OER
The Constitution and The Bill of Rights
Learners explore the Constitution and The Bill of Rights including the process of the Convention throgh a variety of websites that examine the framers, venets leading up to and after the convention games and more.
Curated OER
Why a Bill of Rights? What Impact Does it Have?
Students explore the Bill of Rights. In this Bill of Rights lesson, students compare the Federalist view of government to the Anti-Federalist view of government. Students consider the impact of the bill of rights as they take notes on...
Curated OER
How the Court Became Supreme
Students investigate how the Supreme Court changed under the leadership of John Marshall. In this Supreme Court activity, students recognize the role of the Supreme Court as well as the significance of Marbury v. Madison. Students also...
Curated OER
Worksheet #50 Questions - Amendments
In this historical quiz learning exercise, learners test their knowledge on multiple historical references that relate to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Students answer ten fill in the blank questions.
Curated OER
Establishing the Presidency
Young scholars consider how George Washington influenced the presidency. In this presidential history worksheet, students discuss the precedents Washington set and analyze a letter that Washington sent to James Madison.
Curated OER
Clear and Present Danger
Students assume identities of lawmakers, judges, writers, and protestors during times in American history when freedoms of speech and press were limited because country was on the brink of war or fighting one. Students use primary source...
National Endowment for the Humanities
Lesson 2: The Debate in Congress on the Sedition Act
Pupils research and discuss the provisions in the Constitution that supported the arguments for and against the Sedition Act. They articulate objections to and arguments in favor of the Sedition Act.
Curated OER
The Constitutional Convention Debates
Students explore the signers of the United States Convention. They answer questions about the compromise debates. Students examine the concerns of Charles Pinckney regarding the security of the Southern States against emancipation of...
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words
This exercise on the Constitution requires small groups to design a visual metaphor that expresses the concept behind one of seven principles: popular sovereignty, federalism, republicanism, separation of powers, checks and balances,...
Curated OER
The Virginia Plan and the New Jersey Plan: Student Worksheet
These guided reading questions accompany several websites on the development of the US Constitution. While some of the links have changed, they are still accessible. History or government classes benefit from reading primary source...
Curated OER
Powerful Signatures
Students experience famous historical documents that were initiated and propelled by signatures such as Declaration of Independence, U.S. Constitution. They create a school amendment using the information gathered.
Curated OER
Bill of Rights
Students define the Bill of Rights, identify and explain each amendment, and explain why these amendments were included in the Constitution.
Curated OER
Real Life Rights
Students consider modern applications to the Bill Of Rights (how does Ammendment 4 apply to locker searches?) students prepare and role play a mock trial to explore the finer points of the relevance ot the Bill of Rights in the 21st...
City University of New York
Electoral College
A presidential election is a lot like the 2004 World Series, and it's also a lot like choosing an orange in a paper bag. Apply the process of the electoral college to these two analogies with a set of lessons about government...
Curated OER
Political Traditions
Students compare and contrast the political institutions in Greece, Rome, and the United States. In groups, they take this information to determine the influences on James Madison when organizing the republic. They develop a chart and...