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)

In a speech given to judges, public officials, law teachers, lawyers, and students at the East China Institute of Politics and Law, Shanghai, the author discusses the U.S. Constitution. The U.S. Constitution made possible energetic government by majority rule, while also securing individual rights in their appropriate sphere. Not only does the…

This article traces the progress of U.S. political thought and economic development over the last two centuries. Although the psychological realism of the Founders predicted much, and has served the nation well, modern needs surpass those of a small and distant national government. (PS)

Addresses the contribution of separation of powers and checks and balances in resolving the rival defects of democratic ineptitude and majority tyranny as the Founders framed the Constitution. Contends the Founders structured the government so that the three branches could keep each other in their proper places. Discusses Anti- Federalist…

As soon as World War II ended, the United States and the Soviet Union began a struggle for supremacy. It was against the backdrop of the Cold War that the threat of internal subversion and external attack began to preoccupy Congress. On February 9, 1950, Senator Joseph McCarthy gave a speech in Wheeling, West Virginia, where he claimed to have in…

This publication provides census questionnaires and instructions for decennial censuses beginning in 1790 and ending in 2000. It also presents a history of the decennial censuses from 1790 to 2000 and offers individual histories of the U.S. census from the first (1790) to the sixteenth (1940). The publication discusses the seventeenth (1950),…

This 4-day curriculum unit explores U.S. foreign policy between 1787 and 1812. During this time the United States faced a series of foreign policy challenges that threatened its survival as an independent, constitutional republic. Between 1793 and 1815, a nearly continuous series of wars pitting the French against the British engulfed the European…

Discusses the project, "First Amendment Schools," by the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and the First Amendment Center (Arlington, Virginia). Explains that these schools involve students in the community and in democracy as a means to citizenship education. (CMK)

Suggests ways the U.S. Founding Fathers went about the task of interpreting the Constitution. Discusses literalism, arguments from history concerning original intent, moral reasoning, and the concept of precedent as interpretive techniques used by the founders. Sees this variety of techniques as the basis for the U.S. tradition of discussion over…

The proper role and function of the Supreme Court in the United States' system of government has been a matter of great controversy in recent years. "The Federalist Papers," specifically the documents written by "Publius," have much insight to contribute to this debate. In "Federalist #78," Publius makes the case for…

This lesson provides a simulation in which upper elementary and middle school students establish classroom routines, participate in decision-making activities, improve their understanding of the Constitutional Convention, and differentiate among the three branches of government. (BSR)

Reviews case law, constitutional principles, and early American writings which deal with the idea of private property. Concludes that, in the future, the issues of laissez-fare capitalism, government regulation, and the welfare state will require further clarification of our conception of private property. (JDH)

In 1964, Congress passed Public Law 82-352. This civil rights act forbade hiring, promoting, and firing discrimination based on sex or race. Title VII of the act created the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to implement the law. Subsequent legislation expanded the role of the EEOC. Today, the EEOC enforces laws that prohibit…

This issue of "Bill of Rights in Action" looks at individuals who have stood on principle against authority or popular opinion. The first article investigates John Adams and his defense of British soldiers at the Boston Massacre trials. The second article explores Archbishop Thomas Becket's fatal conflict with England's King Henry II.…

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…