iCivics
I Civics: Games: Do I Have a Right?
Play this game from iCivics that requires an understanding and application of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution, and a few other amendments to argue and win cases the clients bring into the law firm. There...
Other
University of Western Georgia: Reconstruction in the South
An excellent distillation of the many issues addressed in the Reconstruction period in the South in the twelve years after the end of the Civil War.
Cornell University
Cornell University: Law School: Equal Protection Overview
A brief overview of the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment. Includes a link to the full text of the amendment. Discusses equal protection.
US National Archives
National Archives: From Dred Scott to the Civil Rights Act of 1875
The Dred Scott case decided that African Americans were not citizens of the United States. However, 18 years later they would have citizenship and many other rights. Students will examine the following documents to understand how and why...
Virginia Historical Society
Virginia Historical Society: Massive Resistance
A chilling account of the ways Virginia lawmakers attempted to subvert the Supreme Court decision in Brown v Board of Education in 1958. Read about the Southern Manifesto, and the group of laws known as Massive Resistance.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Powell v. Alabama (1932)
Features the full text of the opinion delivered by Justice Sutherland of the Supreme Court. This case involved the issue of due process of law.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Gitlow v. New York (1925)
This Supreme Court case involved the subject of criminal anarchy. Read the complete text of the opinion delivered by Justice Sanford of the Supreme Court.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
Detailed account of the Supreme Court case of Mapp v. Ohio with the ruling that states are required to exclude evidence seized by illegal search and seizure in violation of the 4th Amendment.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Griswold v. Connecticut (1965)
This Supreme Court case dealt with the issue of contraception. View the the Supreme Court opinion as delivered by Justice Douglas.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Crawford v. La Board of Education (1982)
Chronicles this Supreme Court case that focuses on desegregation and mandatory student reassignment and busing in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Bradwell v. Illinois (1872)
Supreme Court case involving Myra Bradwell who was denied a license to practice law because she was a married woman. The full text of the decision is included here.
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: u.s. Supreme Court: Naacp v. Alabama (1958)
Use this site to learn about this Supreme Court decision delivered by Justice Harlan in 1958 that dealt with the NAACP conducting business in Alabama and failure to reveal its membership lists.
Other
Landmark Cases: Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
A very comprehensive resource for reading all about this landmark case. It includes all the judicial opinions, background summary, and teacher directed activities.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: The Fourteenth Amendment Part Ii
In this video segment from The Supreme Court, learn about the 1883 Supreme Court decision that marked the end of federal protections for individuals in states and the beginning of Jim Crow segregation.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: Woman's Suffrage Timeline
Learn the history of women's suffrage with this interactive timeline.
PBS
Pbs Learning Media: Booker T. Washington: Orator, Teacher, and Advisor
Through two primary source activities and watching a short video, students will learn about Booker T. Washington's commitment to African American education, and assess his ideas about how to achieve equality for African Americans in the...
Digital History
Digital History: Plessy v. Ferguson
A very thorough explanation of the famous Supreme Court decision about Plessy v. Ferguson. It upheld the idea of "separate but equal," which was in effect until Brown v Board of Education in 1954. See who opposed the decision, and read...
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: "With Malice Toward None"
A four-page discussion of Reconstruction from the plans Lincoln made while the Civil War was still raging to the end of Reconstruction with the election of Rutherford B. Hayes.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Opposing Views on Reconstruction
A look at how Andrew Johnson tried to carry out Lincoln's plan for reconstruction. Read onto the second page to find out how the congressional plan thwarted Johnson and was much more punitive.
Digital History
Digital History: America's Reconstruction: A Visual Timeline of Reconstruction
This resource provides a timeline of the Reconstruction era in the South.
Digital History
Digital History: The Supreme Court Orders Desegregation [Pdf]
This site is from a unit called 'African-Americans in the Land of Equality.' It looks at the 1954 decision by the Supreme Court in the Brown v. Board of Education case that ended school segregation.
Digital History
Digital History: President Johnson Impeached [Pdf]
No love was lost between the Congress' trying to pass Reconstruction plans and President Andrew Johnson's attempts to thwart those plans. Read a short biography of Andrew Johnson to get an idea of the man. Follow the timeline of...
Digital History
Digital History: The 14th Amendment and the Jim Crow Laws [Pdf]
Read about the background of the passage of the 14th Amendment which resulted in the famous case before the Supreme Court, Plessy v Ferguson, almost thirty years later. Suggested student exercises ask students to assess the issue of...
Digital History
Digital History: Affirmative Action and the Case of Allan Bakke [Pdf]
The history of affirmative action was interwoven with the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965. Read about how the federal government under both President Kennedy and President Nixon attempted to open up jobs to...