PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Human Rights (Lesson Plan)
A lesson for exploring and reporting on world human rights issues in which learners analyze the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and compare it to the U.S. bill of rights.
iCivics
I Civics: The Federalist Debate
The ratification debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists gives us insight into the ideas behind both sides and a better understanding of how our government developed in its early years.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: This Great Enterprise: Theodore Roosevelt and the Panama Canal
Lesson and activity on American enterprise and intervention with a focus on Theodore Roosevelt and the Pananma Canal. Includes class activity and questions for discussion and writing.
Other
National Council for the Social Studies: Cloture Motion to Cease Debate
Using the Civil Rights Bill of 1964 as an example, students will understand the congressional procedures of cloture and filibuster. An in-depth article on how a filibuster was used during debate on this bill, the actual signed cloture...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Who Will You Back? (The First American Political Parties)
Learners will produce an illustrated documentary on one of the first two American political parties.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Free Markets and Antitrust Law
Lesson in economics and democracy in which students study and analyze Adam Smith's concept of free market mercantilism and determine how it would apply to government interventions today. Includes text, questions for study, resources for...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: The Alien and Sedition Acts: Defining American Freedom
Lesson with activity in which students study and analyze the challenges surrounding constitutional rights and national security by focussing on the Alien and Sedition Act, 1798 and definitions of American freedom. Links to primary...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: The United States and the Barbary Pirates
Lesson and activity in which students analyze foreign policy challenges on paying ransom. Students study U.S. response to the Barbary pirates and apply their knowledge to modern day terrorism and foreign policy examples.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Rules of War: Choices: Truman, Hirohito, and the Atomic Bomb
Lesson and activity on rules of war and the decision to drop the atomic bomb during WWII.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Leadership: u.s. History
Lesson and activity looks at leadership in U.S. history focussing on presidents, past and present, to determine what makes a good leader. Questions for discussion and class activity guidelines included.
PBS
Now With Bill Moyers: Supreme Court and Freedom of Speech
Brief descriptions of several case studies involving decisions by the Supreme Court concerning First Amendment rights, especially freedom of speech.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: How Hate Changes Society
Government classes usually focus on the workings of the United States Government alone. In this unit of study, young scholars will compare the United States government with that of pre-Nazi Germany. This unit will demonstrate to students...
iCivics
I Civics: Federalists & Anti Federalists
Look at the debate and eventual compromise, between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists that occurred around the creation of the U.S. Constitution.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: The First Amendment
This resource presents lessons on the First Amendment. It contains many resources for use with children, and links to primary source documents.
US National Archives
National Archives: From Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act of 1875
The Dred Scott case decided that African Americans were not citizens of the United States. However, 18 years later they would have citizenship and many other rights. Students will examine the following documents to understand how and why...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Welfare to Work: The States Take Charge
Lesson on public policy, history and public debate over welfare and the Welfare Reform Act. Includes informative text with background and historical information, questions for writing and discussion, and guidelines for class debate.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Economics and Democracy
Lesson in economics and democracy in which students analyze the decision to outsource jobs and determine if globalization is a threat to American workers. Small group, independent and whole class work. Links to related material.
Library of Congress
Loc: After Reconstruction: Problems of African Americans
After reading a collection of primary texts, students will identify problems facing African Americans in the South following Reconstruction and propose solutions to those problems. In addition to providing guidelines for teachers leading...
Center For Civic Education
Center for Civic Education: We the People: Constitution Day Pdf [Pdf]
This teachers guide has activities for Constitution Day.
Other
Us Courts: Fifth Amendment Activities
Two activities and lesson plan apply landmark Supreme Court cases on the Fifth Amendment and the right to due process or fair trial for adults and juveniles accused of a crime.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress Link: Lesson Plans
The Dirksen Congressional Center provides abundant lesson plans on all aspects of the US Congress and the US Constitution. All lessons contain time frames, objectives, and links to material, and are built around Bloom's taxonomy.
Cengage Learning
Video Exercises: Lyndon Johnson Signs Civil Rights Act
Here are five "Critical thinking questions," to accompany a viewing of an "American Journey Online," video on the signing of the Civil Rights act of 1964. Though intended for students who have watched a specific video, the questions...
Broward Education Foundation
Broward Education Foundation: Let's Do Lunch! [Pdf]
The purpose of this project is to teach students the life skills they need when dining in public. The project begins with a discussion of eating out and the students are polled as to how often, if ever, they eat in a restaurant with...