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.
Other
Everett Dirksen Papers, 1932 69
Collection of papers and notebooks of Everett Dirksen, an conservative politician and proponent of the 1964 Civil Rights Act.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Constitution: Sixth Amendment
This resource contains the text of the 6th amendment. It has several pages of annotations covering the major concepts in the rights of the accused.
Other
U.s. Supreme Court: Miranda v. Arizona, 384 u.s. 436 (1966)
A complete and in-depth history of the 1966 U.S. court case of Miranda v. Arizona.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Constitution: Fourth Amendment
This is the text and fully annotated phrasing of the amendment.
University of North Carolina
University of North Carolina: Constitution 101 [Pdf]
Provides a good basic introduction to the Constitution. Explains the founding principles, checks and balances, the rationale for it, the accomplishments of the Constitutional Convention, the debate and ratification, the structure of the...
CPALMS
Florida State University Cpalms: Florida Students: Colonists: What Were They Thinking?
This tutorial looks at the British political traditions that influenced the American colonists as they gained their independence from Britain and created their own form of government. A PDF file of the tutorial is available.
Other
League of Women Voters
This resource provides information about important issues, relating towards female voters.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Antifederalists' Victory in Defeat
By 1788 eleven states ratified the Constitution, more than enough to put it into effect as the document establishing rules for the nation. Read about the goals of the Federalists in estabilishing a national government and find out how...
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: How Hate Changes Society
Government classes usually focus on the workings of the United States Government alone. For this unit of study, students will compare the United States government with that of pre-Nazi Germany. This unit will demonstrate to students how...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Political Experience
Read about how the state governments in the new American nation served as the laboratory to try out new ideas of governing and treating citizens. See how remarkably similar the ideas put forth in state constitutions were to each other.
Read Works
Read Works: u.s. Presidents James Madison
[Free Registration/Login Required] An informational text about James Madison, the fourth President of the United States. A question sheet is available to help students build skills in reading comprehension.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: De Jonge v. State of Oregon (1937)
This resource provides a summary of the case De Jonge v State of Oregon.
Alabama Learning Exchange
Alex: Who Will You Back? (The First American Political Parties)
Students will produce an illustrated documentary on one of the first two American political parties.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: U S. Constitution: Annotation 18: First Amendment
Information about the boundaries of seditious speech and the permissibility of governmental measures which are directly concerned with the content of expression.
Other
Colonial America: Life in Colonial America
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.
Ducksters
Ducksters: Kids History: The Magna Carta
Study the Magna Carta on this website. Learn about this famous document set the course for English Common Law as well as the US Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Domestic Challenges
The American soldiers returning from World War I had a huge impact on the economy. Read about President Truman's domestic policies and find out about the surprise of the election of 1948.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: Fifth Amendment
This resource provides both the text of the amendment and annotations as explanation of various words and phrases.
Siteseen
Siteseen: American Historama: James Madison
Facts, biography, and accomplishments of the life of James Madison and summaries of important events during his presidency.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Radical Reconstruction
Read about the frustration the Radical Republicans in Congress had with the Reconstruction plans of Andrew Johnson. Find out what legislation they were able to pass over Johnson's veto, and how they attempted to protect emancipated...
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Jackson vs. Clay and Calhoun
Two very important politicians in the Age of Jackson were Henry Clay and John C. Calhoun. Andrew Jackson detested both for personal and political reasons. Read about the relationship between these two men individually and Andrew Jackson.
The Washington Post
The Washington Post: Politics
The Washington Post provides the latest news, issues, and events surrounding U.S. politics today. The wealth of information found here includes top stories, transcripts, party perspectives, poll watchers, video, audio, and more. PLEASE...