Organized crime and speakeasies ... just another day during Prohibition. An intriguing activity explores the world of Prohibition and its consequences on life in the United States. Scholars analyze primary sources and place them on a...

Who would've guessed that a document written over 200 years ago would still have a lot to teach us today? A set of folder games incorporates parts of a newspaper to teach about the Constitution and how it still applies to life...

Freedom for the few! An interesting activity focuses on the Maryland Constitution and its lack of freedom for African Americans. Scholars examine the premise of freedom for all—which only extended to a limited few.  Academics...

The Election of 1912: an election with four competitive opponents. Pupils get to know the candidates with informative reading passages that provide context to the election. Then, the class engages in a debate and answers questions as one...

Are you one of the 100 million Americans whose ancestors passed through the doors of Ellis Island? Learn about the historic entry point for immigrants in the late 19th and early 20th centuries with an informative reading passage. After...

For this citizenship and government laws worksheet, students identify what the United States government provides for its citizens, the foundations of that government, the principles of the Constitution, any amendments to the...

Students examine sections of the Nebraska Constitution and the U.S. Constitution, and compare/contrast the two. They research policy issues, and decide whether they should be solved at the state or federal level.

Students interpret history using primary resources and secondary research. The Constitution is examined and changes are explained within the time period they were made.

Can a negative perception of a president's foreign policy harm his or her historical legacy? A project that winds the clock back to the date of Theodore Roosevelt's death puts young scholars at the editorial desk of a fictional...

Fifth graders research, examine and study about the three branches of the government and the contents of the Constitution including both the Articles and the Amendments. They create their own classroom constitution at the end of the unit.

Pupils make their own Statue of Liberty. In this Statue of Liberty lesson plan, students research the symbol of the United States, create a KWL chart for it, and cut and paste their own Statue of Liberty.

Celebrate Constitution Day, September 17, with an activity that asks class members to identify the responsibilities of the three branches of the U.S. government.

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...

Students examine Article I, Section 7, and Article II, Sections 2 and 3, of the U.S. Constitution, explain the president's role in the lawmaking process, and define the term veto.

Even though the presidency of Theodore Roosevelt ended over 100 years ago, we can still learn something from his stances and policies that is applicable today. Class members first look over a list of prevalent political issues from the...

Focusing on the judicial branch of government, the fourth lesson in this series explores the structure of the US courts system. Beginning with an engaging activity based on the short story The Lady or the Tiger, learners go on...

Who should have the power—individual states or the federal government? Scholars research the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists during the formation of the United States Constitution. Online resources, including a vast...

Do governments have the right to authorize individuals to perform illegal acts during times of war? Did the US government really employ pirates? Use the War of 1812 as your vessel to answering these questions through class discussion and...

Students examine the roles and responsibilites of the president of the U.S. They identify and discuss the three branches of U.S. government, view and discuss a White House Photo essay online, and create a class book entitled, 'If I Were...

Students pretend they live in a very small country with a Constitution, and Bill of Rights, like that of the US. People from another planet conquer the country, but allow them to retain five rights. They choose the five rights they want...

Students take on the role of Supreme Court Justices, after reading summary of a case and the arguments for and against a defendant's appeal. They make a decision, write majority and minority opinions, and report their decision.

The First and Second Amendments remain some of the most famous, even to this day. Learners read about several clauses from the US Constitution through a variety of captivating activities including before and after reading, group work,...

Twelfth graders describe the power of the President. In this Constitution lesson students reflect on the power given to the president of the United States by the wording in the Constitution. Students give their opinion.

If the Supreme Court is so supreme, why do all cases not just start there? High schoolers learn why every case does not start at the Supreme Court as well as the importance of hierarchy in the US judicial system in the 11th installment...