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Though James Madison has been given the title, “Father of the Constitution,” a case could be made that Gouverneur Morris was second in importance only to the Virginian in shaping the final version of the document. Morris spoke more often (173 times) than any other delegate at the Constitutional Convention of 1787. Though he was often on the losing side of issues and was not a political theorist on the level of Madison, Morris was a leader of the nationalist bloc at the Convention that ultimately carried the day. In addition, it was the native New Yorker who actually crafted much of the language of the United States Constitution.  Download the complete lesson.

Bring the people, places, and history of the Prohibition Era alive with these new interactive lessons. In “The Rise and Fall of Prohibition,” your students will learn about the background of the 18th Amendment, the individuals who fought for and against Prohibition, and its eventual repeal. They will use their new knowledge as well as their drawing skills to get classmates to identify and define key terms in a game of Prohibition Pictionary. Finally, they will learn about the roles of historical figures from the era by taking on their identities for a dinner party. Use any or all of these hands-on, modular activities to teach this important part of our history.  Download these three lessons here.

Celebrate Black History month with materials on two landmark Supreme Court cases on the Fourteenth Amendment’s Equal Protection Clause. How could the same words have been interpreted so differently in Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) and sixty years later in Brown v. Board of Education (1954)? Read some background on the cases, excerpts from the rulings, and thought-provoking discussion questions.

See the complete lesson.

Discussion Questions

1. What Supreme Court decision established the doctrine of “separate but equal”?
2. What Kansas law did the Brown plaintiffs want struck down?
3. How did the Court rule, and what was the constitutional reasoning?
4. What was the Brown II ruling?
5. What role was there for other branches and levels of government in enforcing Brown II?
6. Why might it have taken nearly sixty years to the Supreme Court to get to its current interpretation of the 14^th Amendment?
7. What might this suggest about the importance of looking at the historical context of Supreme Court rulings?

On Monday, January 21, 2013, the public inauguration of President Barack Obama was held in front of the United States Capitol.  President Obama promised many changes and improvements during his address, but does the Executive Branch have the constitutional power to enact these promises? Have your students decide!

1. Break students into groups of four to six, and ask them to divide the inaugural address into small sections.

President Barack Obama’s Second Inaugural Address, Washington Post

2. Each student in the group should read a small section of the address.  Have them focus on locating and highlighting the areas in which the president makes a promise or an “I will” statement.

3. Each student should then read Article II of the Constitution and determine whether the promises or statements the president made are within the Executive Branch’s constitutional powers.

4. As a whole group, discuss some of the examples of promises made in the address and the constitutional powers of the Executive Branch. Discuss what conclusions students made after reading the speech.

This activity was adapted from Kathy Landrum’s A.P. Government class at South County High School, Fairfax County Public Schools in Lorton, Virginia.

The Constitutional principle of due process, which holds that government must interact with citizens according to duly‑enacted laws, balances the rights of suspects with public safety. The Fourth Amendment was added to the Constitution to ensure we would be protected from unreasonable searches and seizures. But do all searches require a judge-­approved warrant? How do we know which ones do? Further, surveillance technology has posed challenges to the meaning and application of the Fourth Amendment, and understandings of “reasonable,” “papers and effects,” and “search” have changed over time. Understanding, analyzing, and applying the Fourth Amendment is vital to maintaining the freedom the Founders sought to protect and the principle of due process.

Download the complete lesson and find other resources including the companion interactive game for this lesson at Due Process Central section of our website.

How do you use interactive games in your classroom to help your students understand important concepts?

We’ll forgive you if you thought the recent election was only about the president. While the media focus was almost exclusively on the presidential race and national politics, there was a lot going on at the state level. These “laboratories of democracy” had a number of ballot initiatives that dealt with important – and sometimes controversial – constitutional questions. Below is a round-up of several referendums that are making headlines now and will likely continue to for years to come. See the complete lesson here: State Ballot Initiatives.

Gay Marriage:

For the first time in the U.S., voters approved of gay marriage legislation at the ballot box. Maryland, Maine, and Washington all approved gay marriage through popular referendum. Other states, like Massachusetts, have legalized gay marriage legislation through the statehouse or through judicial action, but Tuesday marked the first time that voters directly voted on and passed gay marriage measures.  Minnesota rejected an amendment to its state constitution to ban gay marriage.

Same-Sex Marriage Scores First U.S. Ballot Box Victories, Bloomberg News

Voters approve same-sex marriage for the first time, CNN

Marijuana:

Massachusetts voters approved medical marijuana, while Colorado and Washington approved measures to legalize consumption and sale of marijuana for recreational use.

Voters approve I-502 legalizing marijuana, Seattle Times

Hickenlooper, Holder discuss Colorado marijuana legalization, Denver Post

Abortion:

Amendment 6, a Florida ballot measure to ban the use of public funding for abortion, was defeated. It would have prohibited any state healthcare money from being spent on abortion procedures, and would have given the state legislature more power to regulate abortion providers.

Proposed limit on Florida abortion rights fails, Associated Press

Florida voters reject measure limiting abortion rights, The Hill

Death Penalty:

California voters rejected a measure that would have repealed the state death penalty. Narrowly defeated 52% to 48%, Proposition 34 would have abolished the California state death penalty and replaced all current death sentences with life in prison.

California death penalty repeal, Proposition 34, rejected, Los Angeles Times

Calif. voters retain death penalty despite costs, Mercury News

Eminent Domain:

Virginia voters approved an amendment to their state constitution limiting the taking of private property for the purpose of economic development. Winning with 82% support, the amendment states that state officials may only use eminent domain to take property from private citizens for public use.

Eminent Domain Amendment Prevails by Wide Margin, Virginia Connection Newspapers

Voting is an important responsibility of American citizens, and one foundation of our democratic republic. But no electoral process can be perfect; flaws, such as fraud, can mar an election and damage the public’s confidence. The importance of ensuring the integrity of every vote cast is balanced against the need to make sure every person has the unfettered ability to vote. Recently the issue of Voter ID laws has been getting a lot of attention. Proponents argue requiring photo identification is necessary to prevent fraud, while critics suggests these laws are aimed at disenfranchising the poor and members of minority groups who are less likely to have ID. As we get closer to November 6th, other issues of access, such as the availability of early voting and the presence of election monitors have arisen. This eLesson explores the important procedural and constitutional considerations that surround the election.  Download the complete lesson: Election 2012: On Election Day, Should You Need ID?

Founding Documents

• United States Constitution
• United States Bill of Rights

News Resources

Voting monitor group: We’ll adhere to Texas laws – Huffington Post

Fake voter registration letters raise alarm in Florida with early voting set to begin – Fox News

Court upholds voter ID law – The Tennessean

Ohio has early voting, but other vote access issues remain – LA Times

Watchdog Groups Prep For Voter Intimidation, Fraud – NPR

Questions to Consider

1. There are various examples of limitations being placed upon the exercise of other constitutional rights (ex. Permit requirements to speak in certain public areas; waiting periods to buy a gun). Are voter ID laws similar, and, if so, are they reasonable?
2. Is there a correlation between voter fraud and absentee voting? Some argue that it’s easier to commit fraud when voters are not in a single location, and some critics point to widespread ‘distance’ voting as a major contributor to fraudulent election results. Is there a point where ensuring that everyone can vote is outweighed by fears of fraud, or should the primary focus be on making sure everyone has a chance to vote?
3. Comparisons have been made between voter ID laws and poll taxes. Government IDs often cost a nominal fee, and poll taxes were designed to disenfranchise predominately poor African-Americans by making everyone pay a surcharge before voting. Do you believe the comparison is accurate?
4. Some other countries make voting mandatory. Supporters say it reduces fraud and increases participation, while critics point out that uninformed votes from unengaged citizens might well be worse than low participation. Do you think these types of mandatory voting laws are a good idea? Is not voting ever the right thing to do?
5. Some people suggest that a national ID system is an appropriate step to not only help combat voter fraud, but also to standardize IDs that are different across the fifty states. Critics contend that putting a central database of IDs in the hands of the federal government would lead to more surveillance and possible abuse. What do you think?

First Amendment freedoms like speech and press are essential rights.  Self-government is impossible without them.  The Founders saw press freedom as a bulwark of liberty and a means of assuring justice in government.  The First Amendment, protecting the press from interference from the national government was ratified in 1791.   A free press is important during political campaigns.  It is critical that citizens are free to publish their ideas and read the ideas of others in order for self-government to succeed.  Download the entire lesson plan and answer key here: Why Does a Free Press Matter?

Bill of Rights Institute Resources

United States Constitution

United States Bill of Rights

How to Use this Lesson

Warm-Up

Brainstorm key issues in the current presidential election. Keep a list on the board as ideas are generated.

For each issue, write at least one question about presidential candidates to determine their approach to the issue. Encourage students to focus their questions on the President’s constitutional role.

If needed, review Article II of the Constitution. For example:

1. What is [candidate’s] approach to foreign policy?

2. What would be the criteria [candidate] would use to appoint Supreme Court justices?

3. What does [candidate] believe should be the federal government’s approach to the economy?

4. How did [candidate] conduct himself when he was a legislator/governor?

Decide on the best questions, and have students write them down in the left-hand column of Handout B: A Free Press and the Candidates.

Note: For this part of the activity, students should all work with the same set of questions.

Activity

Assign half the class to one major candidate and the other half to the other major candidate.

Within each half, have students work in pairs to research answers to the questions using only one type of source.

For example, one pair would work to answer the questions using ONLY the candidates’ websites. Another pair would answer them using ONLY blogs, and so on.

Variation: assign left-of center blogs to one pair, and right-of-center blogs to another pair.

After students have had time to do adequate research, reconvene the class.

Read the first question aloud, and have one pair of students who used only the candidate’s website share what they learned.

Ask the remaining students if anyone learned anything else or anything different by using any of the other news media sources.

Have additional pairs share what they learned until all questions and sources have been covered.

Extension/Homework

Have students imagine they are explaining press freedom to a friend living in another country where independent news is censored and only state-run media is allowed to exist.  They should complete the activity on Handout C: Letter from a Friend.

Hey civics and government teachers – we found a great online resource for you to use with your students.  The Youth Leadership Initiative’s website has interactive materials ready for you to use in your classroom!  Some of the resources available include the E-Congress program, an interactive online legislative simulation, lesson plans developed by teachers, and Mock Election resources.  Other supplemental materials include games and links to other civic education organizations like the Bill of Rights Institute!  If you want to learn more about the Youth Leadership Initiative and sign up for their resources head to www.YouthLeadership.net.

What other resources have you used that your students have really liked?

This summer several mass shootings occurred in the United States.  In July, a gunman opened fire in a crowded movie theatre in Aurora, Colorado, killing 12 and wounding 58.  In early August, six were killed and three were injured at a Sikh temple outside of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. In late August, a shooter opened fire in front of the Empire State Building, and in their attempts to stop him, police may have shot and wounded 9 bystanders.  After these tragic events, the debate regarding the interpretation of the Second Amendment has again come into the national spotlight.  With impending elections in November, local, state, and national government officials and organizations have contributed to the dialogue.  Use this activity to discuss this controversial issue with your students.

See the complete eLesson on Discussing Controversial Topics – The Second Amendment.  The lesson plan includes links to primary sources, news sources, and Supreme Court decisions, lesson and extension activities, and an answer key.