US National Archives
Nara: Charters of Freedom: Constitution of the United States
The complete text of the U.S. Constitution as adopted by the U.S. Congress on September 17, 1787, with information about changes made.
US Senate
United States Senate: Constitution of the United States
The complete text of the Constitution can be read here. Each section is accompanied by an explanation of what it means in lay language.
US National Archives
Our Documents: The Us Constitution (1787)
See the original copy of the United States Constitution! This interactive page lets you point to the part you would like to see. Along with background information, you can also link to larger images, a typed transcript, and downloadable....
Library of Congress
Loc: Creating the United States
This resource examines the creativity and inspiration that went into the creation and writing of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
US National Archives
Nara: Featured Documents: The Constitution the 19th Amendment
This National Records and Administration site provides a look at the original copy of the 19th amendment to the Constitution, which awarded women the right to vote in the United States.
Yale University
Avalon Project: Constitution of the United States: Article Ii
Read the text of Article II of the Constitution, the four sections of which lay out the powers and duties of the executive branch of the federal government.
Other
Presidents & the Constitution: War: Commander in Chief
The President of the United States has many powers. This site provides an extensive overview on the President's role as Commander in Chief and includes a video.
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: The Constitutional Convention: What the Founding Fathers Said
In this lesson plan, students will consider "The Constitutional Convention: What the Founding Fathers Said." The plan includes worksheets and other student materials that can be found under the resource tab.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Bill of Rights in Action: Welfare
Lesson in which students read the history of welfare in the United States, answer questions for discussion and writing, and debate who should be responsible for the welfare of others. Small group, individual and whole class work.
Siteseen
Siteseen: Government and Constitution: Constitutional Convention
The delegates of the Constitutional Convention framed the Constitution of the United States as a basis of government to address the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation.
Princeton University
Princeton: The Constitutional Convention of 1787
Information about a group of nine delegates to the Constitutional Convention, all of whom had attended Princeton University. Explains Princeton's role in the convention, with longer biographical entries for three Princeton-education...
Other
Common Sense Americanism: Schenck v. United States
This summary provides the background for Schenck v. United States, a World War I-era Supreme Court case involving free speech. Schenck is an example of what can happen to basic constitutional rights in time of war.
Boston College
Boston College: Freedom of Speech: Court Decisions: Roth v United States
Transcript of a Supreme Court decision, from 1957, in Roth v United States, a case that weighed constitutional freedoms of speech and the rights of individuals to own and distribute materials deemed by the government to be obscene.
The White House
The White House: The Consitution
The background to the development of the U.S. Constitution and its Amendments. There is a link to another government website with the full text of the Constitution.
Siteseen
Siteseen: Government and Constitution: Article 6 of the Us Constitution
Provides a summary and full text of Article 6 of the Constitution. It establishes it as the supreme law of the United States and that public officials must take an oath to support it. It also authorizes the national debt, meaning that...
Siteseen
Siteseen: Government and Constitution: Us Senate Facts
Detailed facts and information on the United States Senate, a part of Congress that has the power to pass, amend and repeal bills that are made into the law of the land.
Siteseen
Siteseen: Government and Constitution: Declaration of Independence
The Declaration of Independence, made by the second American Continental Congress and adopted July 4, 1776, announced the separation of the original thirteen North American British colonies from Great Britain making them into the United...
Library of Congress
Loc: George Washington to the United States Senate, 1789
A summary of Washington's task to appoint Supreme Court and other federal judicial officials, appointments which he based on relevant experience, their support for the constitution, and on where they lived. Includes images of a...
Other
Calliope Film: Shays' Rebellion and the Constitution
Synopsis of the historical significance of Shays' Rebellion in 1786 and how this upheaval influenced the Continental Congress to adopt the Constitution of the United States.
The Dirksen Congressional Center
Congress Link: Lesson Plans
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.
Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: Understanding the Nomination Process
From its conception in the United States Constitution, to necessary adjustments in the 12th Amendment, students will understand the nomination process and role of political parties in establishing a president with the aid of this lesson.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Escobedo v. Illinois (1964)
A detailed description of the United States Supreme Court decision on the appeal of the case Escobedo v. Illinois, which ruled on the right to have counsel under the 6th and 14th Amendments to the Constitution.
Other
Teach Us History: Indian Removal
A lesson unit that looks at the efforts of the Cherokee Nation in Georgia between 1817 and 1827 to establish their own system of governance and to keep their lands from being ceded. Even though the Supreme Court ultimately ruled in their...
Siteseen
Siteseen: Government and Constitution: Us House of Representatives Facts
Detailed facts and information provide a quick overview of how the US House of Representatives, a part of Congress, works.