A very interesting explanation of how Texas was annexed to the United States despite much opposition. Read about the false conspiracy put forth by pro-slavery Southerners concerning Great Britain's plan for Texas.

A lesson that involves learners in explaining the confirmation process of presidential appointees by testing the system of checks and balances and the separation of powers. The lesson also requires students to simulate the confirmation...

Highlights four Supreme Court cases that dealt with the balance of federal and state power. In each case the majority opinion is given but might not be what is expected.

Learning module and lesson plan with C-SPAN video resources and related articles for students to examine and deliberate on whether or not the President should exercise executive powers during times of Congressional gridlock.

Read about the necessity for Virginia and New York to support the ratification of the Constitution. See what influenced the vote in Virginia and how the legislature of New York was finally convinced.

Meet the Baron de Montesquieu, one of the great thinkers of the 18th century. He spent a lot of time thinking about how governments should be created and maintained. These ideas guided the Founding Fathers when they wrote the...

This site provides a well-balanced article that looks at the role of America's limited government in its free society, examining differing perspectives to achieve a consensus.

World maps of the Colonial Empires of 1914 as well as their revenues during that time period. There are also maps depicting urban growth, type of government, wars and atrocities, and living conditions of the world in 1900.

World maps of the Colonial Empires of 1914 as well as their revenues during that time period. There are also maps depicting urban growth, type of government, wars and atrocities, and living conditions of the world in 1900.

Explore the history of the United States Constitution: information about the writing the Constitution, the Great Compromise, the Constitution's signers, the Bill of Rights, the Amendments to the Constitution, federal powers, checks and...

Provides text to the Tenth Amendment with further interpretation about rights reserved for the states or the people.

A clickable index of the 85 Federalist Papers. The text of each letter (paper) sent to New York newspapers in 1787 and 1788 is easily accessed.

The OYEZ Project is a vast multimedia relational database on the U.S. Supreme Court that contains abstracts for all leading constitutional decisions of the Court, authoritative oral arguments in streamed media format, and a 360-degree...

The Dirksen Congressional Center provides abundant lesson plans on all aspects of the US Congress and the US Constitution. All lessons contain time frames, objectives, and links to material, and are built around Bloom's taxonomy.

Study the United States Government on this webpage. Learn about the balance of powers, the three branches, and the Constitution.

DDG describes the basic structure of Colombian government. It provides information on the balance of powers and the various branches of governmnet.

Overview discussion of the views held by Madison and Hamilton that people, in general, need to have written into the law certain checks and balances to guard against abuse of power, protect individual rights and encompass a pluralistic...

[Free Registration/Login Required] This unit covers the content area featuring the challenges faced by the new nation including the writing of the Constitution, government powers, the Bill of Rights and the War of 1812.

Transcript of a congressional hearing, held in 1994, to discuss whether Congress had given too much power to the Supreme Court, against the express intent of the Founding Fathers. This transcript is lengthy but informative, containing...

Embark on his WebQuest to follow the path an idea takes to eventually become a law. Read a short description regarding the role of each branch of government and then answer a follow-up question using the link provided.

Explore the issues surrounding the U.S. Supreme Court case related to medical marijuana use. Make conclusions on how the proposed law could jeopardize all federal drug laws and whether this should be a federal or state issue.

Read about the committee that produced a final draft of the Constitution to present to the entire Constitutional Convention. Find out what the delegates to the convention kept in the final draft and what they changed.

When Kansas became a state it would change the balance of power, so there was fighting between the pro- and anti-slavery groups. This page offers an explanation of that piece of Kansas history, plus letters from two who supported Kansas'...

The veto process is an integral part of our checks and balances. Introduce the power of the presidential veto and override to a class using an example from President Nixon's administration. Materials include the Constitution, worksheets,...