Curated OER
Racial Inequality: Remnants of a Troubled Time
Eighth graders study the ratification of the 14th Amendment and the Plessy v. Ferguson decision. In this US History activity, 8th graders read excerpts from the Brown v. Board of education decision. Students investigate one of three...
Curated OER
Religious Expression in Public Schools
Students explore religious expression in the United States. In this religious freedom lesson, students read a handout regarding Religious Freedom Day and other handouts regarding religious expression in public schools. Students complete...
Curated OER
First Amendment: Bill of Rights
Twelfth graders explore the First Amendment and the rights that are protected by the First Amendment. They discuss how the First Amendment is important to their daily lives. Students research the amendment and complete a concept map.
Curated OER
Right to Privacy
High schoolers examine the right to privacy as laid out in the United States Constitution. Using the text, they search the material for specific reference to protection of individual privacy. In groups, they use one provision of the...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
History of Immigration Through the 1850s
Everyone living in the United States today is a descendant from an immigrant—even Native Americans. Learn about the tumultuous history of American immigration with a reading passage that discusses the ancient migration over the Bering...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Refugees from the Caribbean: Cuban and Haitian “Boat People”
Should refugees fleeing poverty be allowed the same entrance into the United States as those fleeing persecution? High schoolers read about US foreign policy in the late 20th century regarding refugees from Cuba and Haiti, and engage in...
Curated OER
Political Asylum Talk Show
Learners view videos, visit websites, and read about the nature and changes made to the idea of political asylum. Beginning with Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany, they will explore policy change throughout the years. The lesson...
Public Media for Northern California
An Educator’s Guide to Teaching Gun Control Issues | The Lowdown
The topic of gun control is vast, controversial, and difficult to introduce to students. This gem of a resource covers both sides of the issue and provides topic background, various multimedia and print resources, analysis questions, and...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Educating European Immigrant Children Before World War I
As if surviving a journey to America wasn't enough of a feat for early 20th century immigrants, they then needed to settle into American life. Learn about the ways New York public education attempted to meet the needs of its students,...
Curated OER
Land and Liberty: The Saga of Sam McCulloch
The struggles of Sam McCulloch, a free black man, to be recognized as a citizen entitled to own land in Texas are the focus of research project that ask groups to examine a series of primary source documents and piece together...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Special Order 40
The city of Los Angeles' 1979 Special Order 40 states: "LAPD officers shall not initiate police action with the objective of discovering the alien status of a person." After reading a fact sheet that details the history of Special Order...
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Refugees From Vietnam and Cambodia
The United States may have pulled its troops from the Vietnam War in 1973, but the conflict was far from over for the citizens living in Asia at the time. An informative resource lets learners know about the wave of over 220,000...
Curated OER
American Studies
Entitled American Studies, this small unit covers various topics related to the study of the United States. Learners warm up by creating a dictionary of democracy, then dive into three different lessons focused on government, famous...
Federal Reserve Bank
GDP: Does It Measure Up?
Here is resource that offers a very clear explanation for how economists measure economic growth by comparing real GDP over time. There is also an additional worksheet that details the expenditure method and four components for...
Curated OER
ZIP: A One-Act Play
High schoolers review amendments of the Constitution relating to due process. They discuss the Constitution in the case of Eberhard "Zip" Fuhr. They research the provisions of the WWII Alien Enemy Control Program. They determine how...
Curated OER
World War II Alien Enemy Control Program
Students review the history and language of the Alien Enemies Act and related laws as well as the Constitutional challenges it presents. They also review the World War II Alien Enemy Control Program and the Alien Enemy Hearing Board...
Curated OER
The White Line - A One Act Play
Students discuss amendments of the Constitution that cover due process and discuss them in relation to the play "The White Line". They determine how national security measures conflict with the issues of due process during wartime. They...
Curated OER
The Christmas Train to Ft. Lincoln
High schoolers solve the mysteries of why Karl Vogt and Erich Braemer were on the Christmas Train. They review the definitions of the terms constitutional, human rights, due process, discovery, and the writ of habeas corpus. They review...
Curated OER
World War II Alien Enemy Control Program
Students review the history and language of the Alien Enemies Act, the meaning of writs of habeas corpus, and the various amendments to the Constitution covering issues of due process. They know how national security measures collide...
Curated OER
Breaking Barriers
Students examine the context of a speech delivered by Barack Obama. In this African-American history lesson, students discuss the 15th Amendment and the American Civil Rights Movement prior to analyzing Barack Obama's speech "A More...
Curated OER
Mueller v. Allen
Students investigate a First Amendment legal case involving religion, education, and reimbursement of tuition payments. They research the background of the cases and its precedents.
Curated OER
African American Women Trailblazers
Students take a closer look at the accomplishments of African-American women. In this African-American history lesson, students explore the work of Bessie Coleman, Gwendolyn Bennett, Lulu Madison White, and Zelma Watson George as they...
Alabama Department of Archives and History
Runaway Slaves in Alabama: Individual Freedom Fighters in the 1800s
Class pairs examine eight runaway slave advertisements from the mid-1800s to develop an understanding of the conditions slaves faced and of race relations.
Curated OER
Creating A Bill Of Rights In Space
Students create an Intergalactic Bill of Rights and apply the United States Bill of Rights to a hypothetical situation.