Students read the sections of the US Constitution that discuss the elements of the inauguration. They study how the inauguration symbolizes the peaceful transition of power in a democratic republic and show the parts of the inauguration...

Scholars read books and discuss emotions that lead up to the American Revolution. They also discuss vocabulary and use reference materials to research the Internet for causes and sentiment that led to the American Revolution.

Students compare the struggle for independence of the United States with that of India. They review the idea of "British Rule" as it affected both countries. Explore the idea of taxation as a way to control the resources of a country....

Students study the Declaration of Independence and the process our founding fathers went through to get it written and signed. They analyze other similar historical documents and draft and present their own declarations.

Students discuss importance of voting within a democracy, and investigate reasons why people vote, and why they don't. Students then conduct survey, make hypotheses about voter motivation, and develop materials to promote voting among...

Students design a ballot slip for student voting. They create a slogan and political brochure.

Fifth graders understand the people and events associated with the drafting and signing of the Declaration of Independence and the document's significance. They identify the Founding Fathers and their affiliations. As the lesson...

Students simulate the role of a presidential analysis group to research a location for a Revolutionary War museum. They conduct research, and write a summary of their findings to present to the President.

Students explore an Internet site that introduces the Framers, court cases, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights and even games and quizzes.

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...

Here's a site with lots of information written by middle school students. Click on English Colonial Life, then Development of Self-Government for more information on government of the colonies.

Find out about the development of self-government in the English colonies and the responsibilities of the colonial legislatures.

This letter written by Guaman Poma is the most famous manuscript from South America dated to this time period in part because it is so comprehensive and long, but also because of its many illustrations. View pictures of the illustrations...

Jamestown, although not a financial sucess, was the first succesful English colony in North America. Find out how the colony was financed, what the first colonists hoped to find, how the colony was governed, and the hardships that were...

A brief discussion of the colonial period in the United States. Includes information on New England, the middle colonies, and the southern colonies. Also, find out about the early government, and the French and Indian War.

America was victorious in the Revolutionary War, but now faced a slew of problems while trying to set up our new nation. Study how we attempted to solve the problems of establishing a government, forming our economy, meeting the needs of...

After the War of Independence, Americans were unable to agree on the form of their federal government. This unit explores how those conflicts played out as the new Republic defined its identity in relation to other nations.

The major cities in colonial America played a huge role in preparing for the Revolutionary War, both in terms of ways of governing and philosophy. Read about Philadelphia, Williamsburg, New York, and Boston and the events in those cities...

Although some believe that the history of the American Revolution began long before the first shots were fired in 1775, England and America did not begin an overt parting of the ways until 1763, more than a century and a half after the...

In this lesson, 5th graders learn about the many societal structures that developed in colonial days, including the conditions for self-government in America, the free-market economy, and the slavery system. Background information for...

Find out the similarities and differences between the governments of the English colonies in this detailed account of early colonial government from the 1904 text written by Henry William Elson, History of the United States of America.

As a young woman, Aphra Behn was a spy for Charles II's government in Antwerp and probably in South America. Two decades later, she used these experiences to write Oroonoko, the story of a prince kidnapped from West Africa, enslaved, and...

Before writing the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson made his views known through "A Summary View of the Rights of British America" and other essays. This essay discusses the historical roots of independence and inalienable...

A series of three maps of the British colonies in North America showing the types of colonial governments between 1682, 1692, and 1730, and the shift from charter colonies electing their own governors to the colonies with councilors...