National First Ladies' Library
States' Rights: 1798-1860
Students develop an annotated timeline specific to the concept of States' Rights. They research an example to the doctrine noting how the ideas change and beome more specific as time passes and discuss their findings through class...
Library of Congress
Loc: American Treasures: Lincoln's First Inaugural Address
A description of the composition of Lincoln's first inaugural address and copies of the manuscript along with Lincoln's notes in the margins. What a resource!
American Presidency Project
American Presidency Project: Abraham Lincoln: Inaugural Address, March 4, 1861
The complete text of Abraham Lincoln's first inaugural address where he attempts to reach out the states that have seceded and assure them that his first priority is preservation of the Union.
University of Groningen
American History: Documents: The Kentucky Resolution of 1799
The full text of the Kentucky Resolution of 1799, in which the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky declares its opposition to the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.
Library of Congress
Loc: Policies and Problems of the Confederation Government
This teacher resource includes imagesand historical documents, alllowing readers to trace the creation of our government from the Continental Congress through the Articles of Confederation. An overview helps to clarify the policies and...
University of Groningen
American History: Documents: The Anti Federalist Papers
This resource presents a user-friendly index of the Anti-federalist papers, leaflets and discussions in the Constitutional Congress. These items demonstrate how the Anti-Federalists saw the constitution as a threat to rights and...
University of Groningen
American History: Documents: The Virginia Resolution of 1798
This resource presents the full text of the Virginia Resolution of 1798, in which the General Assembly of the State of Virginia protests the enactment of the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798.
University of Groningen
American History: Documents: The Marshall Cases: Cohens v. Virginia
Read the text of the Supreme Court decision, Cohens v. Virginia, which was limited states' rights.
Cosmo Learning
Cosmo Learning: The Truth About American History
Consisting of ten video lectures taught by Professor Thomas Woods, this virtual course attempts to cover the material in his books but also fill in many details that defend the Jeffersonian-Rothbardian perspective. Here is the cutting...
University of Chicago
The Founders' Constitution: Federal v. Consolidated Government
This chapter introduction describes the historical context in which the issue of federalism was discussed by our nation's Founders. Discusses the Federalist and Anti-Federalist points-of-view.
Yale University
Avalon Project: Alien and Sedition Acts
This timeline provides links to the texts of the Alien and Sedition Acts, and the Kentucky and Virginia Resolutions that protested them.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Opb American History Interactive: Evaluating Evidence
Use this interactive lesson to practice evaluating evidence from primary sources in order to draw conclusions about a historical event. In this particular case, the event is the Civil War. The challenge is to decide for yourself which of...
University of Virginia
Miller Center at Uva: u.s. Presidents: John Quincy Adams: Campaigns and Elections
Modern presidential campaigns pale in comparison with the campaigns of 1824 and 1828. Read about the election battles between John Quincy Adams and Andrew Jackson.
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Freedom: A History of Us: A War to End Slavery Webisode 6
A wonderful, interactive site covering many aspects of the Civil War. See photographs, primary sources, and find interesting tidbits about the war. Included are links to lesson plans, teacher guides, resources, activities, and tools.
NPR: National Public Radio
Npr: States Fight California's Chicken Cage Law
Article reports on why several states are suing California regarding their laws requiring specific standards of cage sizes from any producers selling eggs in that state. Includes audio.
Indiana University
Center on Congress: Learn About Congress
Learn about the role of the US Congress, how it works, its history, and the principles behind its creation and operation. Wonderful set of resources including FAQs, short articles and video clips, "interactive learning modules" (i.e., a...
National Humanities Center
National Humanities Center: Toolbox Library: Reading Guide: John C. Calhoun
An essay by the South Carolina Senator John C. Calhoun, outlining his belief in a "concurrent majority" and the power of individual majority groups to determine whether to follow a particular law that had been passed.
Civil War Home
Home of the American Civil War: States' Rights
Gives a history of states' rights from the beginning of the U.S. Constitution. Scroll down to "Secession and the Confederate Constitution" to read about the South's interpretation of states' rights just prior to the Civil War. From...
Civil War Home
Home of the American Civil War: Secession, the Union View
This excerpt from a work by John Nicolay, personal secretary to Lincoln, discusses the secession of the Southern states from the perspective of Northerners.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Nullification Crisis
This resource explains the conflict between Jackson and the state of South Carolina over the state's right to nullify federal tariffs. This conflict almost brought armed conflict between the federal government and the state.
University of Groningen
American History: Biographies: John Caldwell Calhoun
This biographical resource on John Calhoun points out Calhoun's resignation, the first vice-president to resign from active office. Calhoun opposed Jackson's affirmative stand on the Tariff of 1828 which favored the Industrial North over...
Digital History
Digital History: Writing a Constitution [Pdf]
This site is from a unit called 'Writing the US Constitution.' It looks at the documents that preceded the Constitution, and the major issues that were debated while the Constitution was being created.
Digital History
Digital History: The Men of Philadelphia [Pdf]
Find short biographies of twenty-three of the fifty-five delegates to the Constitutional Convention and their ideas about government. These men were certainly not representative of the common man in the new United States, but they were...
Digital History
Digital History: Local Control vs. National Authority [Pdf]
One of the debates at the Constitutional Convention centered on whether states or a national government would have greater authority. Read a reconstruction of speeches given by delegates to the convention concerning this important issue....