US National Archives
Nara: Founding Fathers: Delegates to the Constitutional Convention
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provides biographies of all 55 delegates to the Constitutional Convention.
Digital History
Digital History: The Founding Fathers' Motives [Pdf]
Read some historians' views about the Founding Fathers and their interests, perhaps economic, in writing the Constitution. Historians' views have changed over time, and in the suggested student exercises, students are asked to assess...
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: Founding Fathers
This site provides a very brief description of three of the founding fathers of the Constitution: Benjamin Franklin, Alexander Hamilton, and George Washington. The site provides links to further biographies of all three men as well as...
Other
Founding Fathers
Find information about the founding fathers and what they accomplished. Presents the Federalist Papers, The Declaration of Independence, The Bill of Rights, and The U.S. Constitution. Also includes images, quotes, a history of the...
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: Article Ii: The Creation of the Presidency
A scholarly discussion of Article II of the U.S. Constitution, which establishes the executive branch of the U.S. government. Discusses the origin of the article and the debates on executive power that took place among the Founding...
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress for Kids: Signing the Constitution
This site has a brief summary that describes the delegates to the Constitutional Convention. This group is sometimes called the "Founding Fathers."
Other
Constitution Day
Constitution Day commemorates the formation and signing of the U.S. Constitution by thirty-nine brave men on September 17, 1787, recognizing all who, are born in the U.S. or by naturalization, have become citizens. Learn about each of...
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Classroom: The Constitutional Convention
Travel back to 1787 and become a delegate to the convention in Philadelphia. As the Founding Fathers struggle to decide how the young nation will be governed, explore how very different men representing their states' conflicting...
CommonLit
Common Lit: Text Sets: Founding the United States
This is a collection of 15 Grade-Leveled texts (5-12) on the topic The Founding of America. Once the Revolutionary War was over, America's Founding Fathers had to develop a nation. Learn about the founding of American democracy, from the...
Library of Congress
Loc: America's Story: Thomas Jefferson Won the Election
The election of 1801 shaped the way we elect our president today, as Congress adopted the Twelfth Amendment to the Constitution. Features portraits of Thomas Jefferson and Aaron Burr.
PBS
Citizen Ben: Founding Father
As part of a larger site about the extraordinary Benjamin Franklin, this section focuses on his being one of founding fathers of the new United States of America. Read about the three major documents he signed as a delegate and diplomat.
Digital History
Digital History: The Debate Over Ratifying the Constitution [Pdf]
Read about why ratification of the United States' new constitution was such a struggle. Find arguments for and against ratification, and discover who supported the Federalist position and who the Anti-Federalist position. [PDF]
Other
Constitution Facts
How much do you really know about the most important document in United States' history? Take the quiz and test your knowledge. If you need some additional information, click on the US Constitution and Amendments tab and play the...
Scholastic
Scholastic: Grolier: Thomas Jefferson
A thorough biography of one of the founding fathers of America, Thomas Jefferson.
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Framing, Ratification and Amendment Quiz
Quiz yourself over the framing, ratification, and amendments to the Constitution.
Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: John Witherspoon
He was a father figure to America's Founders. A renowned theologian from Scotland, John Witherspoon educated many young men who became prominent leaders of the Founding generation. He went on to embrace the revolutionary cause. He signed...
Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: Benjamin Franklin
Although he was the old sage of the American Revolution and the Founding generation, Benjamin Franklin's considerable work in the areas of journalism, science, and invention often obscure his many contributions to the creation of the...
Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: George Mason
George Mason's ideas helped to shape the Founding documents of the United States, but few Americans remember him today. The words he used when writing the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Constitution of 1776 inspired the...
Stanford University
Sheg: Document Based History: Reading Like a Historian: Early America
[Free Registration/Login Required] The Revolution and Early America unit covers the standard eighteenth century topics that would appear in any textbook. These lessons, however, will push students to dig deeper as they read the documents...
Cato Institute
James Madison's Vision of Liberty [Pdf]
An article by the CATO institute about James Madison's vision for his writing and contribution for the U.S. Constitutional Convention. Includes information on his views of a limited government for citizens' rights.
University of Florida
Freedom of Speech: The First Amendment and the u.s. Constitution
Interactive site outlines thoughts on the First Amendment from four founding fathers. Click on their faces to find an index reflecting their thoughts. From a student project at University of Florida.
PBS
Pbs Teachers: u.s. Constitution and the Idea of Compromise (Lesson Plan)
In this activity, examine many of the opposing viewpoints held by founding fathers as they considered various compromises that made the U.S. Constitution possible, including the three-fifths compromise made to placate slave-owning states.
Library of Congress
Loc: Thomas Jefferson's Library
Resource showcases the holdings of Thomas Jefferson's personal library built around the themes of memory, reason, and imagination.
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Education: Making Friends With Franklin
Come meet Benjamin Franklin and some of his scientific friends. Learn about them through the eyes of early American portraiture. Following the introduction are three great lesson plans for teachers of language arts, science, and visual...