Bill of Rights Institute
Bill of Rights Institute: Constitution of the United States of America (1787)
The Constitution was written in the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by delegates from 12 states, in order to replace the Articles of Confederation with a new form of government. It created a federal system with a national...
Cato Institute
Cato Institute: Congress, the Courts, and the Constitution [Pdf]
An analysis of the conflicting views on the fundamental role of the government of the United States, specifically on the relationship between the different branches of the federal government, and what the Cato Institute regards as their...
US Environmental Protection Agency
Epa: Summary of the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act
Find out about the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act which was enacted to avoid imposing unfunded federal mandates on state, local, and tribal, governments.
Other
Federal Executive Departments
A complete list of the executive departments and their branches. Clicking on the name of the department will take you to that home page.
Siteseen
Siteseen: Government and Constitution: Us Congress Facts
Article provides an overview and interesting facts about the United States Congress, the legislative branch of the federal government.
Annenberg Foundation
Annenberg Learner: Democracy in America: The Constitution: Fixed or Flexible?
This unit explores the timeless qualities of The U.S. Constitution, the opportunities to amend it, and how it is a pillar of the American identity, through these activities, videos, and outside resources.
PBS
Pbs: Eyes on the Prize: "No School in Our State Will Be Integrated"
In this 1962 speech, Mississippi governor Ross Barnett defies the Supreme Court's order to admit James Meredith to the University of Mississippi claiming the federal government was interfering in a state matter.
Library of Congress
Loc: The Great Depression and the 1990s
Students frequently echo sentiments such as, "The government is too big," or "The government should make welfare mothers pay for their own needs." It seems that many citizens, high schoolers included, have begun to believe in reduced...
Other
Lander Der Bundesrepublik Deutschland
Good site for the Bundeslander (States of Germany). Shows location of each state on a separateGermany map, links to capitals and state governments.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Unsettled Domestic Issues
The new United States government faced many threats to its success. Read this overview of the possible problems.
Siteseen
Siteseen: Government and Constitution: Article 4 of the Us Constitution
Provides a summary and full text of Article 4 of the US Constitution that summarizes the duties that individual states have to each other, as well as those the federal government has to the states.
US Government Publishing Office
U.s. Government Publishing Office: Constitution of the United States of America: 16th Amendment Income Tax [Pdf]
Read this text of the 16th Amendment, followed by the history of the Amendment and an analysis. (PDF)
Other
Money: What It Is, How It Works: Understanding Government Debt
This article discusses how our monetary system works and the role the government plays. Organized into the following sections: "Government Money," "Treasury Options", "Tax or Borrow?", "Rolling Over Government Debt", and "Net Financial...
Library of Congress
Loc: George Washington to the United States Senate, 1789
A summary of Washington's task to appoint Supreme Court and other federal judicial officials, appointments which he based on relevant experience, their support for the constitution, and on where they lived. Includes images of a...
The White House
The White House: The Judicial Branch
Learn about the judicial branch of the federal government, how the organization of the federal judiciary is determined, the functions and responsibilities of the Supreme Court, and features of the judicial process.
C-SPAN
C Span Classroom: Teaching About Poverty
Learning module in which students use current and relevant information to take a close look at poverty in America, past and present, and examine how the government should address it. Comprehensive multi-media learning materials include...
Scholastic
Scholastic: What Is the Definition of Citizenship?
A brief, easy to read definition of citizenship, with links to closely related subjects like how to become a citizen, the definition of naturalization, the Constitution on citizenship, and the history of citizenship in the United States.
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....
National Endowment for the Humanities
Neh: Edsit Ement: The United States Capitol Building
A comprehensive site that provides three lesson plans which explain what takes place in the U.S. Capitol Building. This thorough site describes the function of the Capitol Building and includes many photos of both the building itself and...
Other
Representative Democracy Has Failed
This politically oriented site outlines the degeneration of American Democracy and the erosion of democratic principles as exemplified by unconstitutional actions on the part of the Federal and State governments, as in the examples of...
Digital History
Digital History: Republicanism
The framers of the Constitution had a great distaste for the monarchial society of Great Britain. See how this was reflected in the checks and balances they wrote into the Constitution in an effort to create a working republic.
The Newberry Library
Newberry Library: Anti Statism in u.s. History
Newberry Library digital collections presents a lesson using primary sources from which students explore the concept of "anti-state" sentiment and examine the reasons writers and politicians protest the authority of the federal...
Other
The Texas Economy: Texas School Funding at a Glance
See the breakdown of Texas public school revenues including local, state, and federal monies. Totals for these revenue sources include state spending not reported by school districts, such as state purchases of textbooks.
Other
Data: Empowering People
Find, download, and use datasets generated by the executive branch of the U.S. federal government to learn about our nation and the world.