Today in History–September 17–we celebrate Citizenship Day, which was designated in 1952 and combined with Constitution Day into a single day of recognition in 2004. The joint September 17 celebration commemorates the signing of the U.S. Constitution by the delegates to the 1787 federal convention and recognizes all who “by coming of age or by…
The Bill of Rights Ever read the Bill of Rights, Zonker? political cartoon The First Amendment in Action primary source album Supreme Court cases dealing with the first amendment Federal legislation related to the First Amendment First amendment historical newspaper coverage Recorded event videos related to the First Amendment Freedom of Speech Freedom of the…
The Equal Rights Amendment, or ERA, may not be dead, but it is not currently part of the U.S. Constitution. The resources below will help you understand the evolution of the ERA from its introduction in 1923 through today. S.J. Res. 21 – Proposing an Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution 68th Congress December 10,…
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…
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…
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…
In a Fox News interview with White House chief of staff John Kelly on Oct. 30, 2017, the former marine general said that “the lack of an ability to compromise led to the Civil War”. Kelly’s statement set off a firestorm of impassioned responses across traditional and social media about the cause of the Civil War…
Students deepen their understanding of the preamble to the U.S. Constitution with this primary source image sequencing activity. Lesson implementation We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, insure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty…
Congress.gov Constitution Annotated analysis & interpretation of the U.S. Constitution Our Constitution official podcast of the Constitution Annotated website The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution event recording Library of Congress lesson plans & activities Encouraging Student Understanding of Negotiation and the Value of Notetaking during the 1787 Constitutional Convention American…
Today in History–December 18–the Library of Congress features the state of New Jersey, which ratified the U.S. Constitution on this day in 1787; it was the third state to join the Union. Nicknamed the “Garden State” in the 19th century for its rolling farmlands, today New Jersey is known for its shoreline tourism and is also…
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–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…