Civic education in public schools faces major challenges. Under No Child Left Behind, many schools have favored teaching math and English rather than civics, which undermines one of the purposes of public schools--to educate students to be responsible and active citizens in democracy. A second challenge comes inside the classroom: engaging the…

"We the People...The Citizen and the Constitution" is a national civic education program that aims to help elementary and secondary students understand the history and principles of constitutional government. The program focuses on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights and fosters civic competence and responsibility among students in…

If students are to fulfill their obligations and rights as U.S. citizens they must develop the ability to make careful judgements, based on a reasoned historical perspective and a meaningful conception of the basic democratic values underlying citizenship in our constitutional order. To this end, an agenda of 12 core civic values that are…

Writers in this journal have presented a number of strategies that sociology teachers can use to facilitate the expression--and serious analysis--of unpopular opinions. This article contributes to this dialog by illustrating the application of a Bill of Rights learning module. In this module, students are expected to create a document that…

Argues that it is impossible to teach U.S. history without discussing how law influences economic and social behavior. Examines five ideas associated with political science through six chronological periods of U.S. history. Includes an annotated bibliography linked to the political ideas and historical periods. (CFR)

This book presents, in words and pictures, a history of the Bill of Rights to the U.S. Constitution. Fifteen chapters in the book are entitled: (1) Origins; (2) The Colonial Experience; (3) The American Crisis: Road to Revolution; (4) New Order of the Ages; (5) The Bill of Rights; (6) The Civil War; (7) A Changing America; (8) War & Reaction;…

Dedicated to discussing the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution, this conference report presents the texts of six speeches. The presentations include: "Return to First Principles: The Philosophical and Historical Roots of the Bill of Rights" (A. E. Dick Howard); "How Do We Deal with First Principles?" (Herbert Atherton);…

This paper is a chronologically-organized narrative history of law-related education (LRE) in the United States. The paper begins by delineating the differences between LRE and citizenship education and describing the motivations for the creation of LRE programs in the early 1960s. Turning to the analysis of LRE, the paper argues that there have…

Democratic societies require citizens committed to realizing democratic ideals. Multicultural education helps unify a nation deeply divided along racial, ethnic, and class lines. Research documents schoolchildren's biases, showing that multicultural materials and cooperative teaching strategies can help them develop more positive attitudes and…

The 200th anniversary of the Bill of Rights' ratification will be celebrated in 1991. This document discusses the various ways the Commission on the Bicentennial of the Constitution has planned to celebrate this historic anniversary. Four sections are featured: (1) introduction; (2) programs and plans for 1990 and 1991; (3) how you can get…

This issue of "this Constitution" is devoted to commemorating the bicentennial of the Bill of Rights of the U.S. Constitution. Materials include: "A Chronology of Civil Liberties and Civil Rights in the United States" (Herman Belz); "Constitutional Power to Enforce Individual Rights: The Legacy of McCulloch v.…

This volume contains source materials relating to the historical development of Constitutional rights and issues, and the current problems created by the application of the guarantees embodied in most of the important Constitutional provisions. Essentially a revision of the original California publication, its purpose is to "accommodate many…

Identifies four areas of deficiency in understanding and applying the principles of the Bill of Rights. Provides guidelines to improve instruction, emphasizing systematic coverage of Bill of Rights topics; analysis of case studies on Bill of Rights issues; and discussion of Bill of Rights issues in an open classroom environment. (CH)

Presents a lesson plan that teaches students to analyze and identify the constitutional rights that protect individuals accused of crimes. Student handouts include a checklist of situations and corresponding constitutional protections and a scenario involving a murder at the school. Activities include guided group discussions. (MJP)

Presents a lesson to help students understand the development and controversy surrounding the Bill of Rights in the U.S. Constitution. Examines constitutional amendment suggestions presented by four states represented at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Includes two sets of student questions and four primary source readings. (CFR)