+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Constitutional Amendments and Gay Marriage

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers study the legal battles involving same-sex marriage. They examine primary sources and a video regarding the 14th amendment and its implications for gay marriage. They analyze a report of a California case that was sent to...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
C-SPAN

14th Amendment Equal Protection Clause

For Teachers 6th - 12th
Two Supreme Court cases, Plessy v. Ferguson and Brown v. Board of Education take center stage in a lesson about the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Class members research both cases to compare and contrast the rulings.
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
School Improvement in Maryland

Supreme Court Case Overview I

For Teachers 9th - 12th
As part of a study of the 14th Amendment to the United States Constitution, class members examine four Supreme Court decisions—Gitlow v. New York, Mapp v. Ohio, Gideon v. Wainwright, and Griswold v. Connecticut—that incorporated the due...
+
PPT
Curated OER

What are the 13th,14th, and 15th Amendments?

For Teachers 5th - 8th
The 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments are outlined in this PowerPoint. Each amendment is noted on its own slide, with a summary of its purpose and important sections of the actual document. Tip: Have students choose an amendment and write...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

U.S. History Worksheet #73

For Students 5th - 8th
Explore how the 14th Amendment changed the way the United States operated, both politicallay and socially. In this United States history worksheet, students utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The First & Fourteenth Amendments

For Teachers 10th - 12th
Students analyze the historical implications of the First Amendment of 1791 and the Fourteenth Amendment of 1868, upon American Indians and African Americans. They consider the applicability of the 14th Amendment to African Americans in...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Government Lesson Plan: Lesson Plan 8

For Teachers 7th - 10th
Students analyze the Fourteenth Amendment. They discuss Reconstruction, read the provisions of the Fourteenth Amendment, define the provisions, and in small groups analyze a Supreme Court case that was impacted by the due process clause.
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

The Constitution and the Right to Vote: Ch 6

For Students 11th
The US Constitution dictates which members of society have the right to vote. After reading about amendments extending voting rights, your class answers these questions on the 15th, 14th, and 23rd amendments. Use as a quiz or to guide...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Simplified United States Constitution and Bill of Rights

For Students 5th - 10th
A good handout is a great find. Print this resource and hand out a simplified version of the US Constitution and Bill of Rights to your US government or US history class. The powers of the president, Congress, and the Senate are...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Called Themselves the K.K.K.; The Birth of an American Terrorist Group

For Teachers 11th - 12th Standards
How did Ku Klux Klan develop and flourish in the US? How did the government respond to acts of terrorism conducted by the KKK following the Civil War? How does the government respond to acts of terrorism today? This resource launches a...
+
PPT
Curated OER

Reconstruction (1865-1876)

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Easily broken into pieces for several class sessions, this presentation is a great way to transition your class out of a Civil War unit and closer to the 20th century. Engaging photographs, including relevant maps and humorous political...
+
Lesson Plan
Heritage Foundation

The Constitution, Federalism, and the States

For Teachers 9th - 12th Standards
The divide between federal and state government is responsible for much of tension that continues to this day, partly because of the US Constitution. The activities in the 14th lesson in a series of 20 are designed to help learners...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

A More Perfect Union: Barack Obama's Race Speech at the National Constitution Center

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders explore the process of perfecting the Union through changes made to the Constitution, and through the powers delegated to each branch of government.  In this American Government lesson, 11th graders research various...
+
Lesson Plan
Center for Instruction, Technology, & Innovation

Did African American Lives Improve After Slavery?

For Teachers 7th - 8th Standards
The Civil War made slavery illegal, but all ex-slaves were not totally free. Scholars visit eight different classroom stations to uncover life during the Reconstruction Era in America. Groups discover items such as Black Codes, 13th,...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Should Your Hairstyle Be A Constitutional Right?

For Teachers 5th - 12th
Students examine the 1st and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution. In this U.S. government instructional activity, students read the Amendments and interpret them in order to respond to essential questions regarding constitutional...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Separate But Equal Video

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders watch the video "Separate But Equal." They choose an incident or event from the video that is interesting or meaningful to them and write an objective news article and an editorial.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

What price Freedom! Civil War and Reconstruction

For Teachers 5th
Fifth graders become familiar with the events of Reconstruction and the 13th, 14th, and 15th amendments. In this reconstruction lesson, 5th graders work in pairs where each student  creates a building with blocks and draws it. Their...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Due Process of Law and the Jim Crow Era

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers analyze eight case studies of Supreme Court decisions regarding due process of law and their impact on American society in the early 20th century. They digest that although the 14th amendment was intended to give federal...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who are American Citizens?

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students investigate American citizenship. In this civics lesson, students consider the basic knowledge of U. S. government new citizens are required to have. Students also examine the 14th amendment that describes U. S. citizenship.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Fugitive from Labor Cases: Henry Garnett (1850) and Moses Honner (1860)

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Young scholars engage in the comparison of cases which demonstrate the increasingly volatile political crisis in the 1850s arising over the issue of slavery and the necessity for the enactment of the 13th, 14th, and 15th Amendments to...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Adarand Case: Affirmative Action and Equal Protection

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine the Adarand case.  For this American Government lesson, 11th graders create a list of reasons for each affirmative action program.  Students develop a defense on certain issues and present it to the class. 
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Segregated America

For Teachers 8th - 12th
Students investigate Jim Crow laws. In this segregation lesson, students analyze images that display American segregation. Students use the provided questions to aid them in their evaluation of the images.
+
Interactive
2
2
Judicial Learning Center

Civil Rights and Equal Protection

For Students 6th - 12th Standards
Almost every American is familiar with the Supreme Court case of Brown vs. Board of Education. Far fewer understand the constitutional reasoning or the wide-ranging consequences of the ruling in the field of criminology. The interesting...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Analyzing and Understanding the Effects of Segregation

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders understand the effects of segregation and analyze the effects of Supreme Court decisions. They trace the interpretations of the 14th amendment. They utilize a work of art to explore the topic of segregation.