High School Civics Resources
15 items
Handbook of Annotated Primary Sources
Lesson - 22 Activities
Lesson
22 Activities
Primary sources are a main focus throughout Documents of Freedom. Here we offer many of the most important primary sources from American history that include annotations to help you understand the purposes of each document.
Federalist Papers
Collection
Collection
What are the Federalist Papers?
In order to help convince their fellow Americans of their view that the Constitution would not threaten freedom, James Madison, Alexander Hamilton, and John Jay teamed up in 1788 to write a series of essays in defense of the Constitution. The essays, which appeared in newspapers addressed to the people of the state of New York, are known as the Federalist Papers. They are regarded as one of the most authoritative sources on the meaning of the Constitution, including constitutional principles such as checks and balances, federalism, and separation of powers.
Comparing Impeachments across U.S. History
Lesson - 2 Activities
Lesson
2 Activities
75 Min
Use this Lesson alongside The Impeachment of Andrew Johnson Decision Point to introduce students to the concept of impeachment and how it has been used throughout U.S. history.
75 Min
Supreme Court Document-Based Questions
Curriculum - 60 Lessons
Curriculum
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.
Congress and the Constitution
Curriculum - 21 Lessons
Curriculum
21 Lessons
How did the Founders intend the legislative branch of government to operate? Through primary source analysis and engaging activities, examine the purpose of a legislature, the design of the U.S Congress, its powers, its history and the reality of how Congress works today with your students through these lessons.
Votes for Women
Curriculum - 8 Lessons
Curriculum
8 Lessons
How did the suffragists map out a pathway for change to achieve the vote through the Nineteenth Amendment?
Continuing the Heroic Struggle for Equality – The Civil Rights Movement
Lesson - 23 Activities
Lesson
23 Activities
90 Min
To what extent did Founding principles of liberty, equality, and justice become a reality for African Americans in the civil rights movement? The documents come from a variety of actors: legislators and policy makers, the courts, and individuals and groups. As students go through the documents, encourage them not only to think about the principles of liberty, equality, and justice, but also about the way in which these groups interact with each other in creating or stalling change.
90 Min
BRIdge from the Past: Art Across U.S. History Video Playlist
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Page
BRIdge from the Past: Art Across U.S. History is a new YouTube series for students that explores an important historic image every episode to gain insights into the culture, politics, and society of a particular time in U.S. history. Host Mary Patterson will explain how each primary source is its own “window to the past,” revealing new areas for contemplation and discussion.
A Primary Source Close Reads Video Playlist
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Page
Dive into some of the most important speeches and documents from United States history. These videos dissect these documents, define key terms, and explore the lasting impact of the featured documents.
Think The Vote
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Page
Participate in debates with other students around the country for a chance to win $1,000!
MyImpact Challenge: Defining Citizenship
Lesson
Lesson
Give students tools to explore citizenship and civic virtues as they prepare for the next portion of their project.
MyImpact Challenge
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Page
$40,000 in total prizes for students and their teachers for Civic Engagement projects. Open to 13-19 year olds.
Herbert Hoover, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and the Great Depression
Lesson - 3 Activities
Lesson
3 Activities
50 Min
Perhaps no two Presidents in American history had such radically different views about the constitutional powers of the federal government than Herbert Hoover and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. Hoover believed in a limited federal power whose chief purpose was to foster individual liberty and responsibility, while Roosevelt believed that the federal government had broad powers to promote the general welfare. Each President drew upon his views of federal power in his approaches to solving the problems posed by the Great Depression. In this lesson, students will examine the public speeches of each man to better understand their views of the primary purposes and powers of the federal government, a debate which continues today.
50 Min
Lyndon Johnson, Richard Nixon, and the War Powers Resolution
Lesson - 5 Activities
Lesson
5 Activities
95 Min
Beginning in 1812 and for the next hundred years, US Presidents asked for and received congressional declarations of war against England, Mexico, Spain, Japan, and European powers. During the Cold War, President Harry Truman sent troops to Korea as part of a UN force without a congressional declaration of war. President John F. Kennedy sent troops to defend South Vietnam. Congress never declared war, but years later passed the Tonkin Resolution authorizing President Lyndon Johnson to use force against North Vietnam. In reaction to US involvement in Vietnam, Congress passed the War Powers Act which limited the President’s authority to commit American troops abroad without Congress’s approval. The law was passed over the veto of President Richard Nixon, who argued the law was an abridgement of the President’s authority as Commander in Chief. The Act raises the questions: How far does the President’s power as Commander in Chief extend? And, how much of that power can be limited by Congress?
95 Min