Activity
Constitutional Rights Foundation

Constitutional Rights Foundation: John Dewey and the Reconstruction of American Democracy

For Students 9th - 10th
Article and activity on the ideas and philosophy of John Dewey in which students critique Dewey's methods and evaluate the relevancy of his ideas for American democracy today.
Primary
Internet History Sourcebooks Project

Fordham University: Modern History Sourcebook: Alexis De Tocqueville: Democracy in America

For Students 9th - 10th
Excerpts from Democracy in America, a book by Alexis de Tocqueville published in 1898.
Primary
PBS

Pbs Learning Media: Primary Source Set: Jacksonian Democracy?

For Students 9th - 10th
A collection that uses primary sources to explore Jacksonian democracy.
Website
Other

National Center for the Preservation of Democracy: Fighting for Democracy

For Students 9th - 10th
"We, the people" did not always include all citizens of the United States. Meet seven people from across the United States during World War II, all with different ethnic backgrounds, and discover the struggles they had in the land of the...
Handout
US Government Publishing Office

U.s. Government Publishing Office: Our American Government, 2000 Edition

For Students 9th - 10th
A popular introductory guide for American citizens and those of other countries who seek a greater understanding of our heritage of democracy. The question-and-answer format covers a broad range of topics dealing with the legislative,...
Lesson Plan
University of Maryland

Howard County Public School System: Foundations of American Government [Pdf]

For Teachers 3rd - 5th
How was the foundation of today's representative democracy established in early colonial America? Students will be able to source three documents and corroborate evidence to draw conclusions about the development of democratic ideas and...
Lesson Plan
Huntington Library

Huntington Library: A Literature of Democracy [Pdf]

For Teachers 11th
In this lesson, 11th graders explore the ideas of Ralph Waldo Emerson and his call for literature that was uniquely American. They then consider how Emerson would have responded to writings by Henry Thoreau, Frederick Douglass, Harriet...
Article
Khan Academy

Khan Academy: Native American Culture of the Northeast

For Students 9th - 10th
Hopewellian culture dominated the Northeast region from 200 BCE to 500 CE, where Native American groups began large-scale three-sister farming. Read more about these tribes and find out why many historians argue that the Iroquois League...
Unit Plan
Texas Education Agency

Texas Gateway: The American Government: The Democratic Process

For Students 9th - 10th
Given primary and secondary resources, students will be able to identify and analyze various methods of expanding the right to participate in the democratic process.
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Democracy in America: Political Parties: Mobilizing Agents

For Teachers 9th - 10th
This unit examines the significance of political parties in American politics, highlighting their functions, differences, and influence on the public for political decision making. Offers video, readings, web resources, and activities.
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: The Democratic Process

For Students 9th - 10th
Overview explaining some fundamental characteristics of the political processes of a representative democracy.
Activity
Read Works

Read Works: American Government the Mayflower Compact

For Teachers 4th
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about the Mayflower Compact, why it was written, and how it paved the way for democracy. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Online Course
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Mit: Open Course Ware: Public Opinion and American Democracy

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Illustrate the significance of public opinion during political events by utilizing these reading resources.
Handout
Other

Semper Liber: American Rule of Law the American Way

For Students 9th - 10th
American rule of law is based on the premise that increase in government means decrease in liberty. That being given, the underlying assumption about American rule of law is that limits must be placed on government, since the tendency of...
Website
University of Groningen

American History: Outlines: The Constitution as Supreme Law

For Students 9th - 10th
Overview of the history and structure of the U.S. Constitution as the "supreme law" of the land of which state and federal laws may not conflict and can only be changed by the American people.
Lesson Plan
Yale University

Yale New Haven Teachers Institute: Athenian Court and American Court System

For Teachers 9th - 10th
A curriculum unit that examines Solon's reforms to the laws of Athens, the American court system, and then has students compare the two court systems.
Website
Other

California Newsreel: Videos on African American Life

For Students 9th - 10th
This company claims to be the "oldest and most notable non-profit documentary production and distribution center in the nation." It offers a rich collection of videos on all aspects of African American life and history: e.g., Academy...
Primary
Yale University

Charter of the Organization of American States, 1948

For Students 9th - 10th
The Avalon Project of the Yale Law School here provides the text of all 112 articles of the OAS charter, adopted at the Bogota Conference of American States, March 30-May 2, 1948.
Website
Other

The Oas and the Inter American System

For Students 9th - 10th
This site on the The OAS and the Inter-American System provides history, key dates, original and current member states, past and present secretaries general, and more.
Website
Other

Representative Democracy Has Failed

For Students 9th - 10th
This politically oriented site outlines the degeneration of American Democracy and the erosion of democratic principles as exemplified by unconstitutional actions on the part of the Federal and State governments, as in the examples of...
Website
University of Maryland

Voices of Democracy: John F. Kennedy, "Address: "The President and Press" 1961

For Students 9th - 10th
Read President John F. Kennedy's speech, "The President and the Press," which he delivered before the American Newspaper Publishers Association (ANPA) on April 27, 1961. In this speech, he attempted to explain and justify the Bay of Pigs...
Primary
Library of Congress

Loc: Constitution

For Students 9th - 10th
Collection of primary resources having to do with the constitution throughout American history.
Article
Henry J. Sage

Sage American History: The Age of Jackson

For Students 9th - 10th
Article covering the Age of Jackson, characterized in part, by expanded democracy, changes in political life, domestic issues and scandal.
Unit Plan
Annenberg Foundation

Annenberg Learner: Democracy in America: The Constitution: Fixed or Flexible?

For Teachers 9th - 10th Standards
This unit explores the timeless qualities of The U.S. Constitution, the opportunities to amend it, and how it is a pillar of the American identity, through these activities, videos, and outside resources.

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