Illinois Institute of Technology
Oyez Project: Dennis vs. United States
A brief summary of Dennis v. United States, a First Amendment case decided by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1951 involving limits to the freedom of speech. Includes portraits of the justices on the court of the time and information about how...
This Nation
This nation.com: Amendments to the u.s. Constitution
This site provides the text of all the amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The first ten are the Bill of Rights.
US National Archives
Nara: Treasures of Congress: The First Congress the Bill of Rights
Visit The National Archives & Records Administration's website on the Bill of Rights. The site gives some background information on the drafting of the Bill of Rights, lets you view the text to the document, lets you view an image of...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Prohibition
Looks at the Prohibition Era in the United States when it was illegal to sell or import alcoholic beverages. The ban was lifted when the 21st Amendment was passed in 1933.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: The Fight Against "Demon Rum"
The Eighteenth Amendment showed how difficult it is to legislate morality. Read about the advantages of Prohibition, especially in terms of public health. The disadvantages far outweighed the advantages. See how lawlessness increased...
Khan Academy
Khan Academy: Ap Us History: 1844 1877: Reconstruction: The First Kkk
Explains how the Ku Klux Klan came into existence and how they terrorized African Americans as well as those who sympathized with them. The Klan would suppress the black vote so that Democrats had a better chance of winning an election...
University of Missouri
Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: Marsh v Chambers, u.s. Supreme Court
Chief Justice Burger's majority opinion in the case of MARSH vs. CHAMBERS, 463 U.S. 783 (1983). The case dealt with whether an opening prayer in the Nebraska Legislature violated the First Amendment.
University of Missouri
Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: The "Clear and Present Danger" Test
Modern first amendment law was formed by cases during the WWI era. Were dissent and subversive activity protected by freedom of speech? Examine five cases that answered this constitutional question. Included are the full opinions of the...
Tom Richey
Tom richey.net: The Missouri Compromise: America's First Slavery Debate [Ppt]
Presents key ideas for examining the events surrounding the Missouri Compromise.
Other
Our Courts: Bill of Rights: You Mean I've Got Rights? [Pdf]
A great, active lesson about the Bill of Rights. Students compare rights they think they should have with the rights in the actual amendments to the U.S. Constitution. The language of the amendments is broken down into simpler English so...
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...
Teaching American History
Teaching American History: The Politics of the Bill of Rights: Part Iii
Investigate what the politics were leading to the creation of the Bill of Rights. Identify how the debates in the first congress led to the stages of approval and ultimately the adoption of the ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution.
National Constitution Center
National Constitution Center: Interactive Constitution
This is a wonderful way to explore the US Constitution. The actual text of the Constitution comes first, then an excellent explanation of the text follows. In addition, most of the Amendments have essays by scholars on opposing sides of...
iCivics
I Civics: You've Got Rights!
Young scholars learn about the rights guaranteed by the Bill of Rights and other important constitutional amendments.
A&E Television
History.com: Black History Milestones
A detailed account of the history of African Americans is presented in this article. Divided by main topics or periods of time, the coming of slavery to America is the first focus. Followed by plantation life and escapes to freedom and...
University of California
The History Project: Ideas and Strategies of the Woman Suffrage Movement
Although the campaign for Woman Suffrage in the United States began with the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, six decades later the leaders of the movement could claim victories in only four, sparsely-populated Western states, Colorado,...
PBS
Wnet: Thirteen: Supreme Court Landmark Cases: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)
From a PBS series about the Supreme Court, Plessy v. Ferguson is considered one of the landmark cases in the court's first 100 years. Read about the background of this important case, read about the thinking of the majority of the court...
PBS
Pbs: Prohibition
Home page for the three-part documentary film series covering the rise, rule, and fall of Prohibition. Extensive coverage of the consequences and people of the area with links to a plethora of first-hand photos. Readers are given the...
Illinois Institute of Technology
The Oyez Project: Bigelow v. Virginia (1975)
Brief overview of the Bigelow v. Virginia (1975) Supreme Court case.
Boston College
Boston College: Bigelow v. Virginia
Complete syllabus and decision on the Supreme Court case Bigelow v. Virginia (1975).
Harvard University
Harvard Law: Freedom of Speech and Anonymous Speech
This site from Cyber Harvard Law offers summaries of three different Supreme Court cases which address the limits of free speech. Includes interactive opinion, multiple-choice questions. Links to the written opinions of the Court for...
Thomson Reuters
Find Law: Jurisdiction of Federal Courts
This site describes the jurisdiction of the Federal Court system. The site breaks the court's jurisdiction into three main areas of institutional conflict: Federal Restraint of State Courts by Injunctions, Habeas Corpus: Scope of the...
Other
Bill of Rights Institute: College Bill of Rights
Colleges and universities often carry stricter policies than the Bill of Rights to protect their learners, even with their students being legal adults. Explore whether this is constitutional or not with the aid of this lesson plan.
Other
University of Arkansas: The Ordeal of Religious Test Oaths in Pennsylvania
An argumentative essay on the underlying premise of political theory which deals with religious test oaths.