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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

Ben's Guide is a fun way to present U.S. Government to students in grades K-12. This site presents an overview of the Executive branch of government. Links to related sites are available.

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

Ben's Guide to U.S. Government provides a description of the executive branch and what it is responsible for. Includes links to related information.

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...

Explore the United States Department of Commerce through this site in English and Spanish. This is a comprehensive site providing information about the US Department of Commerce.

Take a tour of the federal government with Uncle Sam and learn the story of the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, the three branches of government, and elections. Along the way learn how laws are made, about the Bill of...

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...

Overviews of the major elements of U.S. government, compiled and published by the White House: three branches of the federal government (executive, legislative, judicial), the Constitution, federal agencies and commissions, elections and...

This homepage for the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), a government regulatory agency, is an excellent source of information on issues concerning workers health and safety.

Cartoon Ben Franklin guides students through the U.S. government by providing short descriptions of the legislative, executive, and judicial branches.

Have a question about the organization of the Spanish government? This resource offers several selections from which you can choose to learn more about a specific branch of Spanish government or the roles of its many leaders.