The authors feel there is a need of a new and different kind of classroom conversation about free speech--one that not only considers the legal and aspirational dimensions but also weighs the practice and impact of speech in daily life. Two factors make this new conversation particularly urgent. First, the avalanche of social media communication,…

After a 72-year struggle, the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granted American women the right to vote in 1920. Coupled with the Fifteenth Amendment, which extended voting rights to African American men, the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment transformed the power and potency of the American electorate. This article invites the…

March 18, 2013, marked the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's unanimous 1963 decision in "Gideon v. Wainwright." "Gideon," a petty criminal, accused of suspicion of breaking and entry was the seminal Supreme Court case that ruled that defendants in criminal cases have the right to an attorney even if they cannot afford to…

This article describes a lesson in which students will examine several views expressed by the founders to understand the context for including freedom of the press in the First Amendment. Students will be asked to think about the role that the news media and the need to be an informed citizen continue to play in our democracy. Students will…

The process of voting is a fundamental right and privilege of any democracy. In fact, "Merriam-Webster" defines the word democracy as "a government in which the supreme power is vested in the people and exercised by them directly or indirectly through a system of representation usually involving periodically held free…

Since its founding more than 200 years ago, America has stood for the promise, if not always the practice, of freedom. On its best days, America is a nation committed to the revolutionary proposition that more freedom, not less, is the key to a vibrant, equitable, and secure democracy. However, the results of a recent national study, "The…

Designed for Grades 3-5, this lesson plan aims to let the students learn how the Constitution of the United States provided the framework for the country's democratic form of government. Students will learn how the Constitution provided for representation within the government. A short story about the Boston Tea Party gives the background related…

Reviews the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of the Hazelwood School District (Missouri) versus Cathy Kuhlmeier, where the Court heard arguments on whether a school-sponsored student publication is protected under the first amendment of the U.S. Constitution. Includes related cases, teaching procedures, and selected resources. (JDH)

Reviews the U.S. Supreme Court decision in the case of the Hazelwood School District (Missouri) versus Cathy Kuhlmeier. Offers quotes from the majority and minority opinions. (JDH)

Interprets the Hazelwood School District (Missouri) censorship case. Contends that, because classrooms are places where ideas and expressions are presented to be studied and challenged, special limitations on the free speech rights of students are misplaced. Advocates a differentiated standard for free speech in schools, a standard that is fully…

Describes the striking dichotomy of South Africa's beauty and the squalor resulting from the apartheid policies of the government. Reviews reactions of black South Africans to recent constitutional changes and details efforts to secure more sweeping reform. Includes stories of several individuals who have taken actions which oppose the system of…

Reviews facts and statistics regarding the use of emergency powers by the South African government. Details the effects of restrictions on constitutional rights and reveals that two-thirds of all killings which occurred during the state of emergency were done by security forces. (JDH)

Reprints the Bill of Rights as instituted in the 1996 Constitution of the Republic of South Africa. Most of the provisions have been summarized but the basic rights (which cannot be rescinded in even in a state of emergency) are reprinted in their entirety. Includes topics for discussion and research. (MJP)