In the twenty-first century, differences in the treatment of trade in alcoholic beverages in comparison to other commercial goods seem at odds with the federal regulation of interstate trade under the Commerce Clause of the United States Constitution, which prohibits "differential treatment of in-state and out-of-state economic interests that…

Describes a five-day instructional unit designed for seventh and eighth graders about the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Points out that the individual rights in the First Amendment often conflict with the rights of the majority. Provides student questions and suggestions for resources and activities. (CFR)

Reviews the constitutions of several western states that provide an absolute barrier between religion and public education. Asserts that these laws were passed after the Civil War when concern about minority religious influence in some states was high. Maintains that these state laws may be the next battleground in the ongoing controversy about…

In February 1942 (two months after the attack on Pearl Harbor, Hawaii) President Franklin Roosevelt, as commander-in-chief, issued Executive Order 9066 to relocate all persons of Japanese ancestry, both citizens and aliens, inland and away from the Pacific military zone. The Order was to prevent espionage and to protect persons of Japanese descent…

By the early 1900s, many Americans were calling child labor child slavery and were demanding an end to it. Lewis Hine, a New York City schoolteacher and photographer, believed that a picture could tell a powerful story. He felt so strongly about the abuse of children as workers that he quit his teaching job and became an investigative photographer…

Implications and ramifications of the religion clauses of the First Amendment are examined. Supreme Court rulings of the last six years concerning many issues, including government and privately sponsored nativity scenes in public places, public aid to parochial schools, and equal access of religious groups to public school facilities, are…

This unit is one of a series that represents specific moments in history from which students focus on the meanings of landmark events. Continuing narrative provides context for the dramatic moment. By studying a crucial turning-point in history, students become aware that choices had to be made by real human beings, that those decisions were the…

Introduces the censorship, and imprisonment of Jehovah's Witnesses who distributed, "The Finished Mystery," which contained antiwar statements deemed seditious during World War I. Asks students to examine a Justice Department document pertaining to the case. Helps students decide whether national security needs should override First…

Two articles in this instructional newsletter elucidate rulings by the United States Supreme Court, Circuit Court of Appeals, and District Courts affecting state sponsored school prayer: (1) "First Amendment Prayer Pendulum"; (2) "First Amendment. Rosenberger v University of Virginia." The newsletter provides the facts of the…