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Inside view of a legislative assembly, with officials seated and engaged in a session.
A historical black and white photo of a line of men wearing hats, waiting outside a building.
President Abraham Lincoln and General George McClellan during Civil War
A decorative silver bowl with ornate design holding three shiny gold apple-shaped ornaments.

Educating for American Democracy

9 items

Inside view of a legislative assembly, with officials seated and engaged in a session.
State and Local Government
Lesson - 7 Activities

Lesson

7 Activities

90 Min

From the Founding generation to the present day, controversy continues regarding the proper division of power between state and national government. What the Founders did not find debatable was the wisdom of dividing power both among and within governments. In short, they considered the federal system to be a critical part of the American constitutional order.
90 Min
A historical black and white photo of a line of men wearing hats, waiting outside a building.
Unit 6 Civics Connection: The Role of Government According to the Founders and the Progressives
Lesson - 2 Activities

Lesson

2 Activities

60 Min

A review lesson for Unit 6 (1898-1945) that will help students review key events of the period related to Foreign Policy and how they connect to Founding principles.
60 Min
President Abraham Lincoln and General George McClellan during Civil War
Unit 4 Civics Connection: Equality, the Civil War, and Reconstruction
Lesson

Lesson

80 Min

A review lesson for Unit 4 (1844-1877) that provides an overview of key events and ideas from the Civil War and Reconstruction Era.
A decorative silver bowl with ornate design holding three shiny gold apple-shaped ornaments.
Unit 2 Civics Connection: An Apple of Gold in a Frame of Silver
Lesson - 1 Activities

Lesson

1 Activities

80 Min

A review lesson for Unit 2 (1763-1800) that asks students to evaluate the link between constitutional principles and the content studied.
80 Min
Black and white image of a civil rights march with protesters holding signs demanding equal rights and integrated schools.
National Government, Crisis, and Civil Liberties
Lesson - 8 Activities

Lesson

8 Activities

135 Min

What is the balance of civil liberties and security during a time of crisis? Students read and discuss President Lincoln’s proclamation suspending habeas corpus. Working in cooperative groups students hold a simulated trial in the case of Ex parte Milligan (1866). Following the simulation students debrief the case and compare their verdict with the actual verdict. Students reflect on President Lincoln’s attempt to balance the strength of the government with protection of individual civil liberties.
135 Min
A close-up of a circular sticker that says "I Voted" with an American flag design.
Popular Sovereignty and the Consent of the Governed
Lesson - 3 Activities

Lesson

3 Activities

The Founders believed that the government’s authority needed to come from the people. Under the reign of King George III, the colonists believed that they were deprived of their opportunity to consent to be governed by Parliament through representatives, and, therefore, the British could not force their laws upon the colonies. The Founders made sure to uphold this right in the American Constitution. The people, through their representatives at state ratification conventions, had to ratify the document in order for it to become law.
Portrait of a 19th-century man with dark hair and a serious expression, wearing a suit and collar.
John Brown and Self-Deception
Lesson - 3 Activities

Lesson

3 Activities

60 Min

What is the vice of self-deception? Examine whether John Brown deceived himself with self-righteousness by thinking that he could end slavery in the antebellum United States by freeing and arming slaves to launch a racial war in the South.
60 Min
Panel (a) is a portrait of John Calhoun. Panel (b) is an image of the first page of the South Carolina Exposition and Protest.
Unit 3 Civics Connection: Liberty and Union
Lesson

Lesson

115 Min

A review lesson for Unit 3 (1800-1844) that discusses the different ways that the Founding principles were interpreted during the nation's first fifty years.
A group of protesters holding signs supporting affirmative action during a demonstration.
Unit 8 Civics Connection: Civil Discourse and Contentious Issues
Lesson

Lesson

65 Min

A review lesson from Unit 8 (1980-Present Day) to discuss current events and how they connect to Founding principles.