Reviews the political history surrounding the development of the Northwest Ordinance of 1787. Includes a shortened and simplified version of the major articles of the Ordinance. Identifies three instructional resources for teaching about the Northwest Ordinance in secondary schools. (JDH)

Judicial review is a fundamental facet of constitutional government in the United States. Invented during the founding of the United States, judicial review has spread to most constitutional democracies of the world. This digest discusses: (1) the concept of judicial review; (2) the origin of this concept; (3) the uses of this concept in U.S.…

Geographic learning provides perspectives, information, concepts, and skills essential to viewing and understanding historical events and developments. Geographic learning is therefore essential to sound teaching and learning of history in general and U.S. history at the high school level in particular. This report contains a description of the…

This digest discusses: (1) the main ideas contained in "The Federalist Papers"; (2) reasons for teaching "The Federalist Papers" in secondary schools; and (3) how to teach ideas of "The Federalist Papers." The authors of "The Federalist" held varying ideas about government, but strongly agreed on the…

Argues that the Northwest Ordinance should be emphasized more in U.S. government and U.S. history classes. Contends that the Northwest Ordinance is an innovative instrument of self government which students should study, and discusses the global aspects of using this document. Concludes the Northwest Ordinance and the U.S. Constitution are…

Examines monolithic integration, ethnocentric pluralism, and pluralistic integration as three alternative conceptions of how the United States might best accommodate immigrants and how these theories have shaped treatment of immigration in the social studies curriculum. Pluralistic integration is presented as the approach which best matches…

This lesson emphasizes the virtues underlying John Marshall's commitment to his duties as public official and member of a family. It is based on the National Register of Historic Places registration file "John Marshall House" and information from the John Marshall Foundation of Richmond, Virginia, and the Association for the Preservation…

The Declaration of Independence is the founding document of the United States. It is part of the social studies core curriculum in U.S. schools. By the time they graduate from high school, students are expected to know the main ideas in the Declaration of Independence and their significance. This digest discusses: (1) the origins of the…

The year 2003 marks the bicentennial of the 1803 Treaty of France, by which the United States of America acquired the Louisiana Territory, an area of more than 828,000 square miles. Upon this acquisition, known as the Louisiana Purchase, the territory of the United States doubled. Historians consider the Louisiana Purchase to be a landmark event…

Great ideas about law, government, and the rights of individuals, embedded in U.S. founding documents, are the connective cords by which national unity and civic identity have been maintained in the United States from the 1770s until today. To be a citizen is to understand and have a reasonable commitment to the ideas in the founding documents.…

This ERIC Digest outlines the methods employed and the results obtained from the 1994 National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) in U.S. history. NAEP surveys collect information about students' knowledge of core subjects of the school curriculum. This particular survey was administered to a national sample of students in grades 4, 8, and…

Since its inception by the United States Congress in 1969, the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) has collected information about what U.S. students know and can achieve in core subjects of the school curriculum. The U.S. history NAEP assessments were conducted in 1986, 1988, 1994, and 2001. This digest discusses: (1) the framework…

The National Register of Historic Places maintains a database with information on more than 60,000 historic places of significance in U.S. history. This paper contends that the emerging K-12 social studies core curriculum, as exemplified by the National Standards Project, contains a number of openings for teaching about historic places.…

The principles embodied in the Northwest Ordinance of 1787 served as an intellectual highway over which poured the westward march of this nation. The story of the Northwest Territory's acquisition and the enactment of the Ordinance of 1787 is related through nine lessons and accompanying documents. Each lesson is designed to complement the…

"The Federalist Papers," a collection of 85 essays on the principles of republican government written to support the ratification of the Constitution of 1787, has been praised as an outstanding work by individuals ranging from such founding fathers as Thomas Jefferson and George Washington to contemporary scholars in history and…