The first of these two booklets illustrates the presenting of an elementary class play about the U.S. Constitution. It can be used to give young children some basic information about the U.S. Constitution or as a guideline for presenting a program about the U.S. Constitution. The story provides important information about the Constitutional…

The author demonstrates why he thinks the Supreme Court has misinterpreted the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. The First Amendment states that "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof..." The author claims that the Supreme Court, based on flawed reading of the…

The historical rhetoric, mythic heroes, and values of the American Revolution have become the justification for many other contemporary "revolutions." Collective movements advocating states' independence, the abolition of slavery, women's rights, civil rights, and so on, have manipulated the concept of heroic equality as it is embodied…

Discusses constitutional interpretations relating to capital punishment and protection of human dignity. Points out the document's effectiveness in creating a new society by adapting its principles to current problems and needs. Considers two views of the Constitution that lead to controversy over the legitimacy of judicial decisions. (PS)

Agricultural and rural concerns affected the writing of the Constitution in at least three ways: (1) in the issues that led to the calling of the Constitutional Convention; (2) in the debates during the convention itself; and (3) in the ideology of government held by many of the framers. (JHZ)

This school-wide classroom guide presents both historical background on the U.S. Constitution and examples of project models and ideas to promote learning its history. Additional resource materials--films/video/television, organizations, books--and people to contact for additional resource information are listed. (MBR)

This lesson offers historical background on federal Indian policy from 1870 to 1900, focusing on the Dawes Act of 1887 (with two resources). It provides four primary source documents, including maps of Indian Territory (Oklahoma) and Will Roger's application for enrollment in the Five Civilized Tribes. The lesson relates to the powers granted to…

Discusses a faculty seminar on landmark cases in the judicial interpretation of civil rights in the United States. States that the seminar is designed as a faculty development project to enhance the teaching of the Bill of Rights. Identifies the nature of the judicial process. Includes seminar syllabus and suggested readings. (RW)

Discusses the educational benefits of cooperative learning, critiquing cooperative learning techniques and approaches. Identifies steps involved in successful teacher implementation of cooperative learning. Provides an elementary and secondary cooperative lesson plan and activities from the Learning Together approach on the U.S. Constitution,…

Describes teaching children about historical documents as a way of illustrating the reasons behind U.S. government. Explains that the course examines the U.S. Constitution, Magna Carta, Mayflower Compact, and Bill of Rights. Argues that children have firm opinions about fairness and justice. Describes a project comparing U.S. government with that…

Provides a brief overview of historical and legal scholarship on gun control and the Second Amendment to the United States Constitution. Limits its scope to works by acknowledged legal and historical scholars, avoiding contemporary pro- and anti-gun-control opinion pieces. Includes a bibliography of further resources for teachers. (DSK)

Presents a lesson for secondary students where they learn about the historical forces that have shaped the U.S. Constitution through the amendment process, examine the constitutional amending process, and discuss the freedoms of expression guaranteed by the First Amendment. Includes three student handouts. (CMK)

Designed to extend Law Day's impact, this program gives lawyers, judges, and other community leaders the opportunity to teach important lessons about the United States Constitution and the federal government. It is intended to stimulate opportunities for students to reflect on the country's constitutional heritage and gain appreciation for the…

This resource package contains ideas for local projects to celebrate the 200th anniversary of the United States Constitution. The document includes a bicentennial chronology, a selection of general projects, educational projects, air and print media projects, and fine arts projects. Six appendices feature: (1) Bicentennial Chronology; (2)…

This publication provides a brief introduction to core ideas of constitutional government in the United State as presented in "The Federalist" by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. The first of "The Federalists" papers was written by Hamilton, who joined with Jay and Madison in this series of essays to refute the…