The Supreme Court gets all the glory, but very few federal cases make it to the highest court. An interesting lesson explores the structure of the lower levels of the federal court system. In addition to outlining the organization of...

Most Americans profess their love for the US Constitution, but this was not always the case. An informative lesson overviews the debate between the Federalists and Anti-Federalists by summarizing the main arguments of each side. It...

What's the best way to make sense of the Constitution?  A helpful lesson contains both the text of Article III and annotation of each of its sections, breaking it down into easy-to-understand parts. It also includes links to a...

Supreme Court justices debate the meaning of the US Constitution, but we expect teachers to explain it to scholars with far less training and experience. A daunting task for sure, but it's not insurmountable with resources that simplify...

How can one court acquit someone of a crime, while another convicts the person of the same one? It's all because of the differences between civil and criminal trials. An informative resource provides scholars in the field of criminology...

We hear a lot about the importance of the rule of law, but most people do not really know what those words mean. The lesson is a webpage that defines the rule of law, explains why it is important in a democratic society and provides...

Marbury v. Madison is arguably the most important landmark case in the history of the Supreme Court. A fact-filled lesson provides background information about the case and two others related to the concept of judicial review. Scholars...

Unless you are a lawyer, you might not understand just how unrealistic Law and Order and other legal dramas actually are. Here's a great resource to help scholars of criminology gain a more realistic perspective. The lesson outlines the...

Most people support the idea of an independent judiciary in theory until they hear about a court case that violates their principles. An informative resource explains why the concept is important. It also provides scholars of criminology...

Courtrooms are complicated. In addition to the many rules, there are a number of people whose jobs are not very clear to the casual courtroom observer. With the resource, individuals identify some of these roles and review more...

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...

Why should classes care about the First Amendment? An engaging lesson serves as a powerful tool for answering just that. As all four cases in the lesson relate directly to freedom of expression in schools, young scholars explore the...

Whether out of choice or necessity, people want to know what will happen on a typical day in court. A helpful lesson walks scholars in the field of criminology through the trial process from opening statements to the final verdict. 

Not just anybody can do the job of a federal judge, but according to the United States Constitution just about anybody can be appointed. The lesson outlines the process and requirements for becoming a federal judge, focusing on the...

Explains the structure of the city government of Jacksonville, Florida. Includes links to the different branches and departments and to elected officials' web pages. Especially helpful is the Civics 101 link on the Duval Legislative...

Ben's Guide is a fun way to present US laws to students. This site presents an explanation of the Presidential Budget. Links to related sites are available.

Find a large collection of internet resources organized around the three branches of government. Links to places to go, people to see, things to do, teacher resources, and bibliographies.

An explanation of the power the federal courts hold in the American judicial branch of government. Find a quiz to test understanding.

The official website for the U.S. Department of the Interior. Contains news releases and current events, funding resources, profiles of each bureau within the department, and links to interesting sites related to the environment and the...

A brief overview of the origins of the three branches of the federal government, with links to more in-depth information about each branch. Also discusses the concerns of the Founding Fathers about creating a government that had...

Beginning page of a Learning Adventure examines what parts of the Constitution give the branches of the Federal Government their specific powers. Those three parts are Article I, Article II, and Article III.

Each of the three branches of the United States government is described - the Executive Branch, the Legislative Branch, and the Judicial Branch.

Among the many weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation was the inability of the government to conduct foreign policy in an effective manner. Find out how the Constitutional Convention addressed this issue by allowing the Executive...

A launching point for information about the U.S. government and its resources. One can search FirstGov by keyword or phrase, by browsing a topics list, or by selecting a federal branch (executive, legislative, or judicial). State and...