Reviews constitutional principles and case law in three areas of U.S. society where black Americans have made efforts to effect change. Specific changes are for fairness in education, the abolition of capital punishment, and the prohibition of discrimination against the poor. (JDH)

Introduces a lesson designed to help students understand the role that each branch of the federal government can take in redressing the impact of past discrimination while protecting the rights of individuals whose opportunities may be limited by an affirmative action program. The lesson is based on a case study and includes student handouts. (JDH)

The disestablishment of religion in our constitutional order has encouraged an extraordinary proliferation of religious sects and religious doctrines that has made sectarian repression seem impractical. Discusses advantages and disadvantages of this trend for the nation. (PS)

Discusses a faculty seminar on the role of interest groups in the judicial process, focusing on U.S. Supreme Court decisions. Explores the dynamics of social change and defines interest groups. Examines the role of interest groups in civil rights litigation and delineates the contours of the current constitutional changes. Includes seminar…

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)

This teacher's guide is designed to accompany the videotape "Democracy and Right's: One Citizen's Challenge." The videotape takes a case-study approach toward understanding rights. It examines the story of Ernest Green, one of nine black students who helped integrate Central High School in Little Rock, Arkansas in 1957. Green's case…

This teacher's guide is designed to accompany the five-part videotape, "We the People: The President and the Constitution." The videotape draws on interviews with four of the five most recent presidents: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Jimmy Carter, and Ronald Reagan. The videotape examines issues including: (1) the criteria each president…

The core civic ideas that helped form a consensus around a United States Constitution in 1787 are the seeds that produce the civic culture of the United States today. Constitutionalism, republicanism, communitarianism, and classical liberalism were related ideas at the center of U.S. civic culture in the 1780s. Two hundred years later, with some…

This publication is the result of a project in New York State to increase public awareness of themes related to the U.S. Constitution using the medium of the arts. Designed as a photo essay, the volume reflects the activities of thousands of students in the Statewide Mini-Imagination Celebration Program. In efforts to understand the impact of…

In recent years a number of political and educational leaders and groups have urged the nation's public schools to place a greater emphasis on teaching civic values and on educating students to become citizens. This book puts forth the civic values and ideas that schools should be teaching. The volume is not a handbook or curriculum guide, but is…

The Pledge of Allegiance is the focus of this citizenship guide for elementary educators. The Pledge can be an important first step in citizenship education and civic values in a pluralistic and multicultural society. Understanding the Pledge can also help lay the foundation for future understanding of more complex documents such as the…

A set of lessons for teaching about the debate that produced the Bill of Rights to the Constitution of the United States is presented. Initially, the lessons introduce students to the positions taken by prominent Federalists and Anti-Federalists over the need for a bill of rights. These activities prepare students for a subsequent lesson that…

Because Watergate tested the strength of the U.S. constitutional system and proved that it worked, this unit could serve as a focal point for study of the U.S. Constitution. The three objectives of the document are: (1) to expand knowledge of the governance process through study of the separation of powers, the impeachment process, the right to…

This report sets forth certain conclusions reached by the Special Constitutional Convention Study Committee of the American Bar Association after conducting a two-year study. The committee was formed to evaluate the ramifications of the constitutional convention method of initiating amendments to the U. S. Constitution as set down in Article 5. It…

Presented is a list of resources on the U.S. Constitution for elementary and secondary schools. Listed alphabetically and topically, the resources include organizations which provide classroom materials, teacher training, and other services. Included are special sections on the cultural and political contexts of the bicentennial, women and the…