+
Lesson Plan
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation

Those "Other Rights:" The Constitution and Slavery

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Did the United States Constitution uphold the institution of slavery, or did it help to destroy it? Young historians study Article 4, Section 2, Clause 3 of the Constitution and evaluate the rights of slaveowners as they compared to or...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bill of Rights

For Teachers 8th - 10th
US history classes explore constitutional rights as they relate to court cases involving teens. Your class must already be familiar with the Bill of Rights before beginning this series of exercises. In preparation for a debate-style...
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
Center for History and New Media

A Look at Virginians During Reconstruction, 1865-1877

For Teachers 6th - 12th Standards
The transition between rebellion to reunification was not smooth after the Civil War. Young historians compare primary and secondary source documents in a study of the Reconstruction era in Virginia, noting the rights that were not...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Race and Voting in the Segregated South

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students examine the history of African American voting rights. In this voting rights instructional activity, students listen to a lecture on African American voting rights between the years 1890 and 1965. Students respond to discussion...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Latinos and the Fourteenth Amendment: A Primary Source Document Activity

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders explore the effect of the Fourteenth Amendment.  For this US History lesson, 8th graders read and analyze primary source documents.  Students write a three minute paper demonstrating their understanding of the fourteenth...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Equal Protection Questions

For Students 9th - 12th
In this Supreme Court worksheet, students respond to 14 short answer questions regarding equal protection and gay marriage issues in the United States.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Civil Rights: An Investigation

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers take a closer look at the political side of the American Civil Rights Movement. In this 20th century American history instructional activity, students research the contributions of President Johnson, Dr. Martin Luther...
+
Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

The Power of Words and Activism: Susan B. Anthony

For Teachers 7th - 11th Standards
Where have all the activists gone? Class members compare 21st-century activism with the suffrage movement and the work of Susan B. Anthony. They begin by examining Anthony's biography and speeches to find evidence that her words and...
+
PPT
National Woman's History Museum

Women's Suffrage Movement

For Students 9th - 12th
The National Women's History Museum offers a 20-slide presentation that details the history of the Women's Suffrage Movement from its creation in the 1830s through the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
+
Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

Humor and Activism

For Teachers 8th - 12th
As part of their study of the women's suffrage movement, groups analyze political cartoons and drawings. They create a caption for an image from the time, add an exhibit label that provides a context for their drawing, and post as part...
+
Lesson Plan
National Woman's History Museum

The National Woman’s Party

For Students 9th - 12th Standards
Two parties led the women's suffrage movement. The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was a moderate organization while the National Women's Party (NWP) was more militant. Young historians investigate why members of the...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Separate But Equal Video

For Teachers 8th
Eighth graders watch the video "Separate But Equal." They choose an incident or event from the video that is interesting or meaningful to them and write an objective news article and an editorial.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Human Rights Defenders Scavenger Hunt: A Computer Lab Activity

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore human rights issues. In this human rights lesson, students use the Carter Center Human Rights Defenders website to complete a scavenger hunt that allows them to investigate the work of those fighting for human rights...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Significance of Individuals to Defending Human Rights

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine four different kinds of human rights.  In this American Government lesson, 11th graders research the assigned human right in their groups.  Students create a presentation about this human right to their classmates. 
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Who’s Got Rights? An Introduction to Human Rights and Human Rights Defenders

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Students explore human rights issues. In this social justice lesson, students examine human rights as they read segments of the "Universal Declaration of Human Rights," discuss photographs with human rights implications, and play a human...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

Worksheet #50 Questions - Amendments

For Students 8th - 9th
In this historical quiz worksheet, students test their knowledge on multiple historical references that relate to the Bill of Rights and the Constitution. Students answer ten fill in the blank questions.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bill of Rights: Rights and Responsibilities

For Teachers 6th - 9th
Students explore the Bill of Rights. For this U.S. Constitution lesson, students consider the individual liberties outlined in the Bill of Rights as they read the provided handouts and complete the provided worksheet activities.
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

In the Courts

For Teachers 9th - 12th
High schoolers explore desegregation in the courts. In this civil rights activity, students listen to their instructor present a lecture on Supreme Court cases Brown v. Board of Education and Plessy v. Ferguson. High schoolers examine...
+
Worksheet
Curated OER

U.S. History Worksheet #73

For Students 5th - 8th
Explore how the 14th Amendment changed the way the United States operated, both politicallay and socially. In this United States history activity, students utilize a word bank of 10 terms or phrases to answer 10 fill in the blank...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Adarand Case: Affirmative Action and Equal Protection

For Teachers 11th
Eleventh graders examine the Adarand case.  In this American Government lesson plan, 11th graders create a list of reasons for each affirmative action program.  Students develop a defense on certain issues and present it to the class. 
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

The Ongoing Debate: Crime Control v. Due Process Protection

For Teachers 11th - 12th
Learners investigate the Exclusionary Rule and other ways of to enforce the protections found in the Bill of Rights. They study how effective criminal control and public safety is carried out while citizens Constitutional rights are...
+
Interactive
DocsTeach

School Desegregation Court Cases: Mendez v. Westminster and Brown v. Board

For Teachers 9th - 12th
Separate is not equal! Young historians analyze the petition from the U.S. Supreme Court case Mendez v. Westminster filed in 1945 and examine background material about the case. They then compare it to the more famous Brown v. Board of...
+
Lesson Plan
Curated OER

Bill of Rights: Rights and Responsibilities

For Teachers 7th - 12th
Students explore the meaning of freedom.  In this U.S. History lesson, students research the Declaration of Independence and how it relates to American freedom by completing activities and a mock trial.
+
Lesson Plan
1
1
US House of Representatives

“The Fifteenth Amendment in Flesh and Blood,” The Symbolic Generation of Black Americans in Congress, 1870–1887

For Teachers 7th - 12th
The reading of a contextual essay launches a study of Black Americans who served in Congress from 1870 through 1887. Young historians identify the African Americans who served during this period, investigate the ways they won national...