Handout
Danuta Bois

Distinguished Women of Past and Present: Antoinette Louisa Brown Blackwell

For Students 9th - 10th
Antoinette Blackwell was the first American woman to be ordained as a minister. She was a champion of woman's rights and lived to vote at age 95 after the adoption of the 19th amendment into the U.S. Constitution.
Activity
Illinois Institute of Technology

Oyez Project: United States v. Butler (1936)

For Students 9th - 10th
This U.S. Supreme Court case declared the first Agricultural Adjustment Act (AAA) of the New Deal illegal because of the issue of Federalism. This resource provides an abstract containing a concise summary, a link to the full text of the...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: You've Got Rights!

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Students learn about the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and other important constitutional amendments.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Liberty!: Congress Adds a Bill of Rights

For Students 9th - 10th
Informative site recounting the events of December 15, 1791, when the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution. Learn about the Bill of Rights and the freedoms it was designed to protect!
Website
University of Maryland

Department of History: Freedmen and Southern Society Project

For Students 9th - 10th
Collection of primary documents that depict the social revolution and drama of the Emancipation in the words of the participants. Includes the voices of liberated slaves and defeated slaveholders, soldiers and civilians, common folk and...
Unit Plan
National Constitution Center

National Constitution Center: Interactive Constitution

For Students 9th - 10th
This is a wonderful way to explore the US Constitution. The actual text of the Constitution comes first, then an excellent explanation of the text follows. In addition, most of the Amendments have essays by scholars on opposing sides of...
Website
PBS

Pbs: Prohibition

For Students 9th - 10th
Home page for the three-part documentary film series covering the rise, rule, and fall of Prohibition. Extensive coverage of the consequences and people of the area with links to a plethora of first-hand photos. Readers are given the...
Handout
PBS

Wnet: Thirteen: Supreme Court Landmark Cases: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)

For Students 9th - 10th
From a PBS series about the Supreme Court, Plessy v. Ferguson is considered one of the landmark cases in the court's first 100 years. Read about the background of this important case, read about the thinking of the majority of the court...
Lesson Plan
PBS

Pbs Teachers: Foreign War and Domestic Freedom: (Civil Liberties Lesson Plan)

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A lesson plan that directs students to review the concept of civil liberties and to examine examples from American history wherein rights were restricted. They will investigate key arguments between those who seek to restrict liberties...
Primary
US National Archives

Nara: Teaching With Documents: United States vs. Thomas Cooper

For Teachers 9th - 10th
The information, documents and lessons relating to the United States vs. Thomas Cooper case. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA).
Activity
Other

Newseum: Petition Overview

For Students 9th - 10th
This well-documented resource provides an overview of the right to petition the government, as well as answers to frequently asked questions about this right. Recent cases and expected reforms are also explained.
Primary
Illinois Institute of Technology

Oyez Project: Masson v. New Yorker Magazine, Inc. (1991)

For Students 9th - 10th Standards
This summary examines the impact of the 1991 US Supreme Court decision regarding the attribution of quotes to sources used in journalistic articles. Includes links to the full case, audio files, and how the justices voted on the case.
Activity
Illinois Institute of Technology

Oyez Project: Schenck v. United States (1919)

For Students 9th - 10th
This U.S. Supreme Court case established the famous "clear and present danger" doctrine by dealing with the issue of freedom of speech. This resource provides an abstract containing a summary, a link to the full text of the decision, and...
Interactive
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Classroom: Presidential Succession

For Students 9th - 10th
This website contains an interactive timeline about the history of Presidential succession.
Graphic
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Constitutional Rights Foundation: Illustrated Bill of Rights

For Students 3rd - 8th
For elementary students, an easy to understand illustrated explanation of the Bill of Rights is offered.
Website
Colonial Williamsburg Foundation

Colonial Williamsburg: Politics in Colonial Virginia

For Students 9th - 10th
This site explores the politics involved in Colonial Williamsburg, leading up to the American Revolution. Content focuses on famous speeches, documents, and influential people.
Interactive
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Classroom: Terms and Succession

For Students 9th - 10th
Check out this interactive timeline that documents the history of terms of succession in the United States.
Website
Digital History

Digital History: President Johnson Impeached [Pdf]

For Students 9th - 10th
No love was lost between the Congress' trying to pass Reconstruction plans and President Andrew Johnson's attempts to thwart those plans. Read a short biography of Andrew Johnson to get an idea of the man. Follow the timeline of...
Lesson Plan
iCivics

I Civics: No Bill of Rights, No Deal

For Teachers 9th - 10th
In the debate over the Constitution, the Bill of Rights was a deal-breaker. In this lesson, students learn why the federalists thought the Constitution didn't need a bill of rights and why the anti-federalists refused to accept the...
Handout
Encyclopedia Britannica

Encyclopedia Britannica: Samuel Freeman Miller

For Students 9th - 10th
This entry from Encyclopedia Britannica features Samuel Freeman Miller, an associate justice of the U.S. Supreme Court (1862-90), a leading opponent of efforts to use the Fourteenth Amendment to the Constitution to protect business...
Website
Ducksters

Ducksters: Us Government for Kids: United States Bill of Rights

For Students 1st - 9th
Kids learn about the Bill of Rights of the United States government. The first 10 amendments to the Constitution.
Graphic
270 To Win

270towin: 1804 Presidential Election

For Students 9th - 10th
Provides detailed electoral facts for the presidential election of 1804 easily won by Thomas Jefferson in the first presidential election conducted following the ratification of the Twelfth Amendment to the United States Constitution.
Graphic
Curated OER

Wikipedia: United States Bill of Rights

For Students 9th - 10th
This encyclopedia article from Wikipedia gives some background history to the creation of the Bill of Rights and contains a transcription of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution in their original form.
Primary
US National Archives

Our Documents: A National Initiative on American History, Civics, and Service

For Students 9th - 10th
Our Documents is home to one hundred milestone documents that influenced that course of American history and American democracy. Includes full-page scans of each document, transcriptions, background information on their significance, and...