Constitution Day
On Sept. 17, 1787, the U.S. Constitution was signed by thirty-nine brave men who changed the course of history. Federal law requires that all high schools, colleges and universities that receive federal funds hold an educational event about the Constitution on September 17. Below is a selection of web-based materials about the United States Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Now Constitution Day is a time for us to continue their legacy and develop habits of citizenship in a new generation of Americans.
Text
United States Constitution
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/usconst.htm
Commentary
Cornell University Law School
http://www.law.cornell.edu/constitution/index.html
Includes annotations of each section of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
United States National Archives
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/constitution.html [Constitution]
http://www.archives.gov/national-archives-experience/charters/bill_of_rights.html [Bill of Rights]
From the “Charters of Freedom” on-line exhibition from the U.S. National Archives. Includes discussions and essays about the Constitution, Bill of Rights and Declaration of Independence. Includes information on the making of the founding documents, their consequences and an opportunity to “meet” the Founding Fathers.
Library of Congress
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/Constitution.html [Constitution]
http://www.loc.gov/rr/program/bib/ourdocs/billofrights.html [Bill of Rights]
From the Library’s on-line American memory collection which presents first-hand accounts, on a wide range of topics & issues, pertaining to America’s history. This collection includes debates, records, prominent individuals’ papers, contemporaneous accompany documents and bibliographies for further reading.
National Constitution Center: Interactive Constitution
http://www.constitutioncenter.org/constitution/
This interactive Constitution is based on The Words We Live By: Your Annotated Guide to the Constitution by Linda R. Monk (Hyperion/A Stonesong Press Book), 2003. The user may explore the Constitution through keyword, topic and Supreme Court cases searches. Use the Keyword Search box to search for keywords in the text of the Constitution with in-depth explanations. Explore by Topic offers how the Constitution relates to more than 300 indexed topics from school prayer to civil rights. Finally, search the text of the Constitution by Supreme Court decisions.
Annenberg Classroom
http://www.annenbergclassroom.org/Default.aspx?Book=Constitution
Award-winning learning materials created with the help of five Justices of the Supreme Court and the nation's leading constitutional scholars can be found here on Annenberg Classroom.
Documents from the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention [Library of Congress]
http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/collections/continental/
The Library of Congress Continental Congress Broadside Collection (256 titles) and the Constitutional Convention Broadside Collection (21 titles) contain 277 documents relating to the work of Congress and the drafting and ratification of the Constitution. Items include extracts of the journals of Congress, resolutions, proclamations, committee reports, treaties, and early printed versions of the United States Constitution and the Declaration of Independence. There are two special presentations: To Form a More Perfect Union and The Work of the Continental Congress and the Constitutional Convention.
http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/constpap.htm
The Yale Law School offers documents on The Roots of the Constitution, Revolution and Independence, Credentials of the Members of the Federal Convention, The Constitutional Convention, and Ratification and Formation of the Government.
The Federalist Papers [Emory law School]
http://www.law.emory.edu/index.php?id=3130federser.html
The Electronic Desk of Emory Law School has put the Federalist papers online and offers a keyword search function and an index.
The Constitution Society
http://www.constitution.org/
The Constitution Society is a private non-profit organization dedicated to research and public education on the principles of constitutional republican government. It publishes documentation, engages in litigation, and organizes local citizens groups to work for reform. It offers a Liberty Library of Constitutional Classics, a Constitutional Weblog, and a Constitutional Examination.
Lesson Plans, Teacher Guides and Activities
Lesson Plans: Constitution
Provided by the Civic Center of Education, these lesson plan use probing questions to analyze the framing of the constitution. They offer guidelines for teachers and students, as well as supplemental lessons regarding James Madison and George Washington.
C-Span U.S. Constitution Page
C-Span's new U.S. Constitution page provides access to video clips, related activities, and links. All content is copyright cleared for classroom use.
Bill of Rights Institute
If you haven't discovered the Bill of Rights Institute, this should be an early stop on your lesson planning journey. They have a curriculum book with videos that is very useful, as well as a new book of lesson plans (Media and American Democracy) and an abundance of great stuff on their website.
