On May 25, 1787, framers of the Constitution gathered in Philadelphia, PA to deliberate ideas about establishing a system of government for our new country. In this lesson, students will examine some of the founding principles that emerged from this meeting as well as hear about some of the people who participated.

This set of Library of Congress primary sources explores the ideas, individuals, and debates that shaped the creation of the U.S. Constitution.

This resource set contains best practices for teaching about Native people in your classroom and sample maps with Native viewpoints and inquiry questions to use in your classroom.

This deliberative discussion guide engages students in a conversation about the difficult choices citizens had to weigh during the Civil Rights movement. By examining multiple approaches from the movement, students will better understand the diversity of views within the Civil Rights Movement and understand the challenges of civic engagement.

Students are introduced to the 9/11 attacks and learn that the nation’s response created tension between the need for security and America’s tradition of liberty. They are then introduced to the Declaration of Independence and Preamble to the U.S. Constitution and learn that these documents describe fundamental values and principles that characterize the American political culture.

Explore the roles of Article II: The Executive Branch as outlined in the Constitution.

Explore Article III of the Constitution and learn about the roles of the Judicial Branch!

Do you want to change the Constitution? Explore the amendment process outlined in Article V of the Constitution!

Civil liberties are the basic individual rights of all citizens, as expressed in the Constitution and (especially) the Bill of Rights, and reinforced by the 14th Amendment.

This lesson explores the relationship between National, State, and Local governments.

This lesson looks at the intersection between constitutional principles and the struggle for equality during the Civil War and Reconstruction.

This lesson asks students to investigate the connections between constitutional principles, the United States founding documents, and their relationship to one another.

What really happened at the Battle of Lexington? In this lesson, students practice sourcing, corroboration, and contextualization as they weigh competing accounts of who fired the first shots of the Revolutionary War.

This video playlist is part of the New-York Historical Society’s Academy for American Democracy, a new educational initiative focusing on history and civics education for the sixth grade students.

This film explores the First Amendment right of the “people peaceably to assemble” through the lens of the U.S. Supreme Court case National Socialist Party of America v. Village of Skokie.

A module of explainers and lesson plans on forms of government and why they matter.

This lesson explores the principles of popular sovereignty and government by consent.

Explore the Museum’s immersive galleries through 360-degree panoramic images, featuring the ability to zoom in, examine artifacts and read labels. Along the way, watch for stops on our audio tour and click to listen in for fascinating stories, fun facts, and behind-the-scenes information about the Museum and the revolution it explores.

Go on a virtual field trip to the Museum of the American Revolution with Lauren Tarshis, author of the I Survived… books! You’ll go behind the scenes to meet a museum curator and a museum educator, to examine real and replica artifacts, and to learn stories of real people – including kids and teens – who lived during this dynamic time. This program is presented in partnership with Scholastic, Inc.

Are the tactics used by suffragists to fight for political power still effective? This video series explores four techniques that suffragists used to reshape the nation’s democracy: protesting, organizing, branding, and lobbying.

This resource is an interactive Google Site to help students understand the electoral process of the 2020 election.

Explore the National Constitution Center’s Article I: How Congress Works module for everything you need to know about Article I of the Constitution!

60-Second Civics is a daily podcast that provides a quick and convenient way for listeners to learn about our nation’s government, the Constitution, and our history. The podcast explores themes related to civics and government, the constitutional issues behind the headlines, and the people and ideas that formed our nation’s history and government. The daily podcast is accompanied by a quiz question.

Explore the spread of support for American independence from January to July of 1776. Encounter the perspectives of real men and women on all sides of the debate.

As a highly-structured model for conversation, Deliberations allow teachers to help students cooperatively discuss contested political issues by carefully considering multiple perspectives and searching for consensus. This Deliberation focuses on banning assault weapons.

In 1787, a new plan for government was outlined in the Constitution, and as with any important document, the Constitution was delivered with a letter of introduction. Part background, part persuasion, George Washington’s cover letter provides a behind-the-scenes look at how a new government came to be designed.

This DBQuest takes students through the competing takes on the National Bank as proposed by Alexander Hamilton, and efforts to persuade President Washington to approve or veto the plan.

Using the example of Executive Order 10730, students will explore how executive orders can be used to enforce the law and examine how Eisenhower justified his authorization of troops under federal authority to desegregate Little Rock Central High School in 1957.

Students learn about the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and other Constitutional amendments.

Students learn about the duties and powers of the three branches of government, the amendment process, and the role of the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.

This lesson asks students to consider the current make up of the Supreme Court (assuming the eldest justice is retiring) and the current administration to construct a resume for an ideal Supreme Court nominee.

As a highly-structured model for conversation, Deliberations allow teachers to help students cooperatively discuss contested political issues by carefully considering multiple perspectives and searching for consensus. This Deliberation focuses on the Electoral College.

Students take a look at two political thinkers who spent a lot of time trying to answer the question “Why Government?” — Thomas Hobbes and John Locke, and think about how these philosophers influenced those that followed in their footsteps.

The year is 1787, and the new U.S. Constitution has been drafted. Travel across the 13 states and use your persuasive pamphleteering skills to convince them to ratify our founding document — or not — and outmaneuver your rival publishers along the way.

Run your own law firm specializing in Constitutional law and determine whether clients have a right, match them with the best lawyer, and win the case!

With and without the vote and throughout American history, young people have been a force to be reckoned with as they take action and stand in support of the issues that matter most. This video series shares 10 stories of young people shaping and changing elections throughout American history.

Do you like running things? Branches of Power lets you do something that no one else can: control all three branches of the U.S. government.