Offers a midterm report on United States Supreme Court Cases. The cases dealt with voting rights, affirmative action, jury bias, the handicapped status of AIDS victims, religious holidays for teachers, and political spending of nonprofit corporations. (JDH)

Highlights eight resources available from ERIC for teaching about the U.S. Constitution. (Author/BSR)

Explains that in the 1780s the main political issue in the United States was a solution to problems which would make possible the creation of a great continental power and provide for the settlement and legal organization of the lands west of the Appalachians. Elaborates by explaining the ordinances of the 1780s which brought about this change.…

Examines the work of the framers of the U.S. Constitution in their efforts to improve upon the Articles of Confederation and yet limit the power of unbridled government. (JDH)

Describes a lesson which relates the U.S. Constitution and state and federal actions to the everyday lives of high school students. Students use a time line of a person's life events in order to identify the points at which the state or federal government intervenes. The authority for this intervention is then sought in the U.S. Constitution. (JDH)

Surveys the debate over how the United States Constitution is to be regarded for purposes of judicial interpretation in federal court cases. Focuses on the views of U.S. Attorney General Edwin Meese, Ronald Dworkin, and Chief Justice William Rehnquist. Discusses the underlying values of original intent and its opposite, judicial activism.…

Explores the founding of the United States in terms of its theoretical and political perspectives. Identifies and discusses leading characteristics of thought that focus on the framing and ratification of the U.S. Constitution. Examines the meaning of "liberty under law." (LS)

Discusses the history of the U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights. Describes the evolution of constitutional rights in the United States. Explains how the Constitution, particularly the First and Fourth Amendments, has been applied to juveniles. Identifies some of the leading cases involving juvenile rights. (SG)

This constitutional casebook is the outcome of the P.A.T.C.H. Law Program of the Northport-East Northport Union Free School District in New York. The casebook provides students and teachers in grades 7, 8, 11, and 12 with a summary review of the 22 cases mentioned in the New York State Regents' 11th grade "U.S. History and Government"…

Reinforcing earlier conclusions of the Educational Testing Service, this evaluation highlights the success of the "We the People" program using the "Justice for All" textbook produced by the Center for Civic Education (CCE), the program involves students in a rigorous study of the Constitution and Bill of Rights and supports…

This collection of essays is intended for both the general reader and the specialist and is designed to provide the basic elements needed for an introductory survey and a reference aid to the role of New York State in the adoption of the federal Constitution. The collection is organized into five sections: theory, history, materials, people and…

These lectures, presented in observance of the U.S. Constitution bicentennial celebration, consider selected constitutionally significant law cases that occurred in Indiana. These cases are representative of U.S. constitutional development and of the relationship of Indiana to the U.S. Constitution. Patrick Furlong, in "The South Bend…

Presents a lesson that focuses on the development of federal powers in relation to state powers using the federally-imposed 55 m.p.h. speed limit as a case study. The activities provide for class discussion, role playing, and a moot court simulation. (BSR)

Argues for abortion rights and protection of intimate decisions and relationships. Describes the role and position of women in eighteenth century American society as a means of exposing the fallacy of the anti-abortion movement's insistence on adherence to constitutional text. Discusses the recent attempts to overturn the Roe v. Wade ruling. (PS)

Diversity in American constitutional law refers to differences among the laws of the states. However, key phrases in the Constitution have been used to ensure individual rights. The expansion of those rights has led to conflict between community needs and those of the individual, with each side referring to the Constitution for support. (PS)