High School Government Resources

Build a foundational understanding of the constitutional system of United States government and how the system evolved over the course of U.S. History. Each resource contains full lesson plans, essays, activities, teacher support materials and student comprehension questions.

Curriculum

Government and Politics: Civics for the American Experiment

14 Lessons

How does a system of self-governance support American ideals?

Curriculum

Documents of Freedom

67 Lessons

What was the Founding vision for American government and what is the story of the on-going struggle to achieve it?

Curriculum

Supreme Court Document-Based Questions

60 Lessons

How can you help your students develop critical thinking skills? Explore Landmark Supreme Court cases that changed history. Give your students tools to evaluate the Court's rulings and their impact on American society. Analyze primary sources spanning five centuries--colonial codes of law, the Federalist Papers, the Constitution, contemporary photographs, case law, oral arguments, the Court's majority and dissenting opinions, and others. Each Document Based Question (DBQ) will lead them towards an understanding of the role played by the Court and an assessment of its decisions. Each DBQ also contains a section called "The Issue Endures," which highlights current applications of the case issue.

Educating for Self-Governance

Explore our Design Framework

Each lesson and activity developed by the Bill of Rights Institute explores how the Founding principles built into the Constitution allowed the American people to protect and advance freedom and opportunity for all.

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Student Civic Engagement Contests

Think the Vote

Engage your students in current events debates with students from across the country. Help them build argumentation, critical thinking skills, and deepen their knowledge of the civic issues around them. Debates are hosted bi-weekly throughout the school year and prizes are awarded to students who have the best answers on either side.

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MyImpact Challenge

Students exercise civic skills every day when they impact their communities. Help them get the recognition they deserve for their service-learning projects, community service projects, faith-community or club service projects. This school-year contest is open to students aged 13-19 and boasts over $40,000 in prize money.

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More Resources

Current Events Lessons

Focused on a topic in the news or a recent Supreme Court decision, these lessons are quick and ready-to-use. They often pair with our Think the Vote questions.

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Current Events Articles

Save time searching for news articles by using our curated articles. Articles are gathered from a variety of sources. Searchable by topic and Constitutional principle.

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