Timely Connections: Constitutional Rights of Students

Timely Connections: Constitutional Rights of Students

Every year the United States celebrates Constitution Day on September 17. How much do you know about U.S. constitutional rights? Did you know that those rights are different in the context of public schools? School officials have significant leeway when instituting and enforcing rules to maintain a safe environment conducive to learning but, over the…

Primary Source Spotlight: Three-Fifths Compromise & the Northwest Ordinance

Primary Source Spotlight: Three-Fifths Compromise & the Northwest Ordinance

Three-Fifths Compromise U.S. Constitution Article I Section 2 Clause 3 Fragment of an original letter on the slavery of the negroes; written in the year 1776, by Thomas Day, Esq James Madison correspondence related to slavery Madison Debates, Avalon Project June 11, 1787 July 11, 1787 July 12, 1787 August 8, 1787 August 25, 1787…

Primary Source Spotlight: The Iroquois Confederacy

Primary Source Spotlight: The Iroquois Confederacy

Senate Resolution 702 — 115th Congress (2017-2018) was agreed to on November 26, 2018. It recognized the contributions of Native Americans to the United States, including the Iroquois Confederacy. Whereas Congress has recognized the contributions of the Iroquois Confederacy and the influence of the Iroquois Confederacy on the Founding Fathers in the drafting of the…

Learning from the Source: Preamble to the Constitution Image Sequencing

Learning from the Source: Preamble to the Constitution Image Sequencing

Students deepen their understanding of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution with this primary source image sequencing activity. Lesson implementation Direct students to work individually, in pairs or in small groups to write a definition of the word “democracy”. When students have finished, tell them that the word “democracy” comes from two Greek words: “demos”…

Primary Source Learning: U.S. Constitution

Primary Source Learning: U.S. Constitution

Congress.gov Constitution Annotated analysis & interpretation of the U.S. Constitution Timely Connections: Constitutional Rights of Students Guided primary source analysis activities The Constitutional Amendment National Anti-Suffrage Association Lessons from the Citizen U Multidisciplinary Civics Lesson Library Find Your Freedom Beyond the Bill of Rights Citizen U Constitutional Rights Foundation Introduction to the Constitution California History-Social…

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Synopsis of the Fugitive Slave Law

Guided Primary Source Analysis: Synopsis of the Fugitive Slave Law

Review this synopsis of the fugitive slave law. Choose one of the synopsis points and find which part(s) of the fugitive law text the author drew from to create the summary. Use the text from the fugitive slave law to create your own synopsis using modern-day language. In the objections, the author states that the fugitive…

Today in History: U.S. Constitution

Today in History: U.S. Constitution

Today in History–September 17–the Library of Congress features the U.S. Constitution. After much debate and compromise, the members of the Constitutional Convention signed the final draft of the Constitution on this day in 1787. It would take just over nine months to ratify this document that would become the supreme law of the land. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section and by delving into…

Today in History: 24th Amendment Ends Poll Tax

Today in History: 24th Amendment Ends Poll Tax

Today in History–January 23–the Library of Congress features the 24th amendment, ratified on this day in 1964. This constitutional amendment barred the poll tax which, up until this time, required voters in Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Texas, and Virginia to pay in order to vote in a national election. Learn more by visiting the Today in History section and clicking the links to related…