This resource provides terms to know related to the concepts found in the Declaration of Independence and the Preamble to the Constitution.

This divide over gun control is animated by different interpretations of the Constitution: specifically the Second Amendment, its meaning, and its applicability in 21st century America. In this eLesson your students will explore some of the constitutional issues and policy proposals that make up the gun control/gun rights debate.

In this lesson, students will confirm, negate, and build information about the nation’s changing demographic using an organizational chart; write a letter to respond to a viewpoint offered in the central text; and talk about their own multiple identities in relation to those around them.

This lesson provides a comparative review of the United States Constitution, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and the constitutions of Ghana, Nigeria and Senegal; historical context; connections with current events; and the opportunity to take and defend a position on which right or rights are most important.

Students will explore the question "What is an American" through both historical and modern lenses, discussing how the concept of American identity and the American Dream has evolved over time. Through a power point presentation, class discussion, reading historical and modern interpretations, and completing an art project, students will gain an understanding of the emergence of an American identity.

Students will read A Raisin in the Sun as they discuss and analyze the "American Dream." In this lesson, students discuss the concept of the "American Dream" and using poetry by Langston Hughes compare the "dream" to the reality experienced by particular groups who have historically struggled for access and equality. Students then further this exploration by reading and discussing Lorraine Hansberry's A Raisin in the Sun, using the play as a basis to examine the way 1950s American society particularly restricted African American access to the "American Dream." Through their reading of the play, interactive class discussion, group work, art activities and creative writing activities, students gain an understanding that the concept of the "American Dream" has been and continues to be multidimensional and complicated, particularly in terms of the historical struggles groups of people have faced in attaining equal rights, access, acceptance, etc.

Narrated by Bowdoin College Government Professor Andrew Rudalevige, "Founding Principles" provides an introductory overview and basic understanding to American government, but one that is crucial to building citizen-leaders, promoting civic engagement, and working toward the common good.
Chapter Fourteen discusses the rights of citizenship, including the right to vote and to be free from unjust discrimination.

Narrated by Bowdoin College Government Professor Andrew Rudalevige, "Founding Principles" provides an introductory overview and basic understanding to American government, but one that is crucial to building citizen-leaders, promoting civic engagement, and working toward the common good.
Chapter Thirteen discusses the Bill of Rights and the liberties and protections offered therein.

The purpose of this lesson is to help students research and investigate the world by looking at revolutions around the world and governments created as a result. In this 2 day lesson, students will look at revolutions in other parts of the world and compare and contrast them to the American Revolution. Students will examine causes of the French Revolution and will compare the types of governments that were overthrown and the new governments that were created to replace the old. Students will compare and contrast the Declaration of Independence (U.S.) and the Declaration of the Rights of Man and the Citizen (France). Students will also create presentations depicting other revolutions around the world and how similar/different they are to the American Revolution and the French Revolution. This lesson was developed by Dorothy Kerby as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

The purpose of this lesson is to help students gain a deeper understanding of how the United States government was formed, and the people/ideas that influenced the founding documents of the nation. In this lesson, students will evaluate the importance of the Articles of Confederation and identify the weaknesses that caused the delegates at the Constitutional Convention to create a new governing document. Students will be recognizing perspectives and communicating ideas about the Articles of Confederation. This lesson will consist of teacher facilitated notes and discussion opportunities that will prompt group and classroom conversation. This lesson was developed by Dorothy Kerby as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

The purpose of this lesson is to help students gain a deeper understanding of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights which contains their rights as citizens or future citizens of the United States of America. In this multi-day lesson, students will analyze the U.S. Constitution and discuss the many compromises that took place at the Constitutional Convention. They will inspect the 27 amendments to the U.S. Constitution and choose one that they feel is most important and defend their choice in a written response. Students will be recognizing perspectives, communicating ideas, and taking action by analyzing the U.S. Constitution and choosing an amendment that is most important to them and writing a letter to a future generation of adolescents to explain and defend their chosen amendment. This lesson was developed by Dorothy Kerby as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

The purpose of this lesson is to help students gain a deeper understanding of the Declaration of Independence and perspectives of the founding fathers as they constructed this document . In this lesson, students will read and analyze the Declaration of Independence, while evaluating the impact it had on the American Revolution. To guide students in their analysis, each group will be assigned a specific task while analyzing the Declaration of Independence. Students will be recoznizing perspectives as they read and analyze the ideas put forth in the Declaration of Independence and other contributing theories that impacted the document. Students wil also be communicating ideas as they work in groups to discuss the components of the Declaration of Independence. This lesson was developed by Dorothy Kerby as part of their completion of the North Carolina Global Educator Digital Badge program. This lesson plan has been vetted at the local and state level for standards alignment, Global Education focus, and content accuracy.            

With this digital collection, students will explore the subject of immigration in U.S. history with particular attention to the two and a half decades from 1890 to the start of World War I.

In this lesson plan, students examine the evolution of Latino electoral participation with specific reference to the growth of voter participation in South Texas and New York in the 1950s – 70s, as well as the impact of Latino voters in major elections of the early 2000s. Students will explore early efforts to mobilize disenfranchised voters, examine watershed campaigns and elections and consider major issues – including the politics of immigration. They will reflect on the major paradigm shifts that have occurred within the last 60 years. Teachers can complete the entire sequence of activities or choose just one of the activities as a stand-alone lesson.

Students consider the implications of the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment by learning about the landmark Supreme Court case Marsh v. Chambers.

This resource consists of eleven short documentaries which tell the story of how the Founding Fathers rejected the Bill of Rights at the Constitutional Convention in 1787.

This article helps students understand how concepts of law, justice and the rules of fair play influence more than our legal system.

A sample lesson from the Center for Civic Education's "We the People," which focuses on the ideas that influenced the founding fathers. Critical Thinking Exercises are included at the end of the chapter.