California's First Constitution

Travel back to 1787 as young scholars investigate the creation of the US Constitution. After first working in small groups to create sets of classroom rules, learners go on to read a summary of the Constitution and watch a short video...

How much power is too much power for the federal government? Scholars use primary documents and constitutional research in groups to analyze the creation of the Second National Bank under James Madison. This is the second instructional...

Students compare contemporary cultural differences with historical differences based on population percentage. In this cross-curriculum Gold Rush/math instructional activity, students analyze aspects of California's Gold Rush population...

High schoolers investigate reasons why James Madison is called the "Father of the Constitution." They discuss three events during his presidency that raised constitutional questions and look at Madison's opinions of those questions. They...

High schoolers study the legal battles involving same-sex marriage. They examine primary sources and a video regarding the 14th amendment and its implications for gay marriage. They analyze a report of a California case that was sent to...

Upper graders critically examine the history and process of amending the U.S. Constitution in light of the current issue facing the courts on legalizing gay marriage. They read a variety of articles, watch news clips, and develop a...

While the Revolution is perhaps the most famous revolt in American history, do scholars know about Shays' Rebellion? The outcome of the uprising led to the current Constitution. A video resource traces the history of and how the Bill of...

Lesson on immigration, conflict and nativism in which young scholars examine primary source documents to evaluate public policy and attitudes towards Chinese immigrants in California, 1878-1879.

The "Constitution Day and Citizenship Day" law requires schools receiving any federal funding to provide educational programming on the history of the American Constitution. The lesson plans, materials, videos, questions, and activities...

Why did the Founders make it so challenging to amend the US Constitution? To gain an understanding of why the process is so difficult, class members engage in a Constitutional Convention simulation. Groups draft, propose, and debate...