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Oh! The Humanities!

Looking at the Past Through [Clear] Colored Glasses

Teaching what is and is NOT in the Textbook

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View our teaching resources on the history of inaugurations. 


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Explore over 4000 history & civics resources including, 600 lessons, 300 essays, and 300 videos.

We are offering in-person and virtual programs throughout the year. We hope to see you there!

We are very excited to announce the launch of our new, FREE digital U.S. History textbook for high school students!

Some of the latest happenings from the Bill of Rights Institute

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BRI is a teacher service organization with over 20 years of history growing and supporting our educator network. Learn more about our resources.


Educator Hub

Our library of 4000 resources, including 650 lessons, 300 essays, and more than 300 videos can all be found here!


Resources Library

The BRI Teacher Council is comprised of a diverse group of 20-25 educators that assist the Institute in carrying out its mission.


Bill of Rights Institute Teacher Council

This eLesson features Supreme Court cases that impacted freedom of speech, including a link to Oyez to learn more.

Freedom of Speech: General

Gary, Mary, and Eryn reflect on a particularly important moment in the civil rights movement, the march from Selma to Montgomery, Alabama in 1965. They'll explore how the events of Selma fit into the bigger picture of the civil rights movement and the passage of the Voting Rights Act. What can this march teach us about the significance of turning points in a movement? And what lessons from it are still very relevant today?

Check out our Fall Seminars and Events: https://billofrightsinstitute.arlo.co/w/upcoming/

Selma, Montgomery and “Good Trouble”

The Court examined whether the federal anti-bigamy statute violated the First Amendment’s Free Exercise Clause, because plural marriage is part of religious practice. It unanimously upheld the federal law banning polygamy, noting that the Free Exercise Clause forbids government from regulating belief, but does allow government to punish activity judged to be criminal, regardless of an activity’s basis in religious belief. (Citation:98 US 145) BRI e-Lesson Available

Religious Liberty: Landmark Supreme Court Cases

The first 10 amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. James Madison wrote the amendments, which list specific prohibitions on governmental power, in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties.

Bill of Rights (1791)

On June 7, 1776, Richard Henry Lee brought what came to be called the Lee Resolution before the Continental Congress. This resolution stated “these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent states ...” Congress debated independence for several days.

Declaration of Independence (1776)

For over 20 years BRI has been designing classroom-ready, constitutional principles based lessons, and supporting educators with engaging events. Explore our whole collection of educator resources.

For Educators

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2021 We the Students Essay Contest Essay Prompt: What is the relationship between Equality and Justice? Answering this question requires considering each of these principles and analyzing the relationship between them. To truly explore this question in an essay that is between 500 -800 words, you’ll need to go beyond &#8220;dictionary definitions,&#8221; and express your [&hellip;]


We the Students Essay Contest

2021 Program Dates: Coming Soon! This program is open to rising high school juniors, seniors, and college freshman. This program will invite students from across the United States to undertake a dialogue and set of sessions that balance high-concept philosophical thought with real-world &#8211; and somewhat controversial &#8211; explorations of how these ideas are not [&hellip;]


Constitutional Academy

The Electoral College is the system used by the United States to elect its lead executive. The College is outlined in Article II, Section 1 and in the Twelfth and Twenty-Third Amendments to the United States Constitution.

Electoral College

In this episode, we will focus on comparing regional and national differences in Colonial America with a focus on the Short Answer Questions.

AP Preparedness Episode #1: Colonial America (SAQ Practice)

Are you a current high school sophomore, junior, or senior interested in government, civics, public policy, journalism, history, or economics? We encourage you to apply for all our opportunities for students!

For Students

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Since 1999, we have reached 5 million students and over 50,000 teachers with the message of the Founders. We have increased their knowledge of the Constitution and their commitment to protecting the liberties we enjoy as Americans. Help us continue to inspire thousands of students across America with the ideas of liberty by making a donation today.

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Established in September 1999, the Bill of Rights Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that works to engage, educate, and empower individuals with a passion for the freedom and opportunity that exist in a free society.

Bill of Rights Institute

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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

The election of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932 resulted in the New Deal he proposed, a fundamental shift in the American political economy and a new conception of the relationship between the government and the governed.

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Debating matters of public concern is essential in a free, self-governing society. If citizens were not free to decide after listening to opposing views self-government would be distorted. At the core of the Declaration of Independence is the principle that government exists to protect individual rights for us, not that we exist to serve the government. Therefore the people are the master and the government is the servant. If the government can dictate what we can and cannot discuss, then it would imply that the servant can tell the master what to do.

Civil Discourse and Petitioning

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