Teaching American History
Teaching American History: Ratification of the Constitution Introduction
An overview of the process of ratification which occurred following the Constitutional Convention proposed the first version of the Constitution. Meet the primary contributors and understand the six stages of the ratification.
Teaching American History
Teaching American History: The Federal Pillars
An overview of the order in which the states ratified the Constitution. Find an assortment of newspaper clippings recognizing the ratification process across the states.
Teaching American History
Teaching American History: Federalist Antifederalist Debates
A comprehensive resource enriching studies of the debates over the new Constitution includes biographies, timelines, Federalists and Antifederalists.
University of Missouri
Exploring Constitutional Conflicts: Separation of Powers
When do the actions of one branch of the federal government unconstitutionally intrude upon the powers of another branch? This article surveys the history of this question in historic Supreme Court cases.
Teaching American History
Teaching American History: State by State Ratification Table
A chart illustrating the order of states as they ratified the new constitution. Find the delegates from the states, vote, population, and outcomes.
Constitutional Rights Foundation
Constitutional Rights Foundation: Puerto Rico: Commonwealth, Statehood, or Independence?
Activity in which students read informational text on the the history of Puerto Rico as a territory of the United States, and then decide on the political status of Puerto Rico. Individual, group and class work. Links to list of resources.
National Women’s History Museum
National Women's History Museum: 19th Amendment
Examine the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women voting rights.
Ohio State University
Osu History Teaching Institute: u.s. Constitution: The Bill of Rights
Fifth graders will examine the Bill of Rights of the US Constitution.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: Edmund Randolph
Ushistory.org provides this biography of Edmund Randolph includes highlights of his political career and his role during the Constitutional Convention. Randolph went on to serve as Secretary of State.
Independence Hall Association
U.s. History: A Revolution in Social Law
Being able to own land and having land availble to own brought about great change in the new American nation. Read about how this came about and why it reflected new republican ideals. See what other changes were reflected in new state...
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.
Other
Institute for American Liberty: The First Principles of the Constitution [Pdf]
This article contains information about the principles used to create the Constitution of the United States.
Digital History
Digital History: The Oldest Written National Framework of Government
See how unique the U.S. Constitution has been over the 200 plus years of our government.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Drafting the Constitution
Essay covers from the Articles of Confederation and the problems of disunity of the new states after the Revolutionary War, internally as well as externally, to the Constitutional Convention, an attempt to address the Articles' problems....
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Ratification
This site from the University of Groningen provides a synopsis chronologically written on the ratification of the U.S. Constitution beginning with the first states who accepted the document to pressures exerted by the Federalists to...
A&E Television
History.com: Continental Congress
From 1774 to 1789, the Continental Congress served as the government of the 13 American colonies and later the United States. The First Continental Congress, which was comprised of delegates from the colonies, met in 1774 in reaction to...
A&E Television
History.com: Native Americans Weren't Guaranteed the Right to Vote in Every State Until 1962
Native people won citizenship in 1924, but the struggle for voting rights stretched on much longer. Native Americans couldn't be U.S. citizens when the country ratified its Constitution in 1788, and wouldn't win the right to be for 136...
ClassFlow
Class Flow: Creating a Classroom Constitution
[Free Registration/Login Required] Using this flipchart, students will learn about the United States Constitution and how they can create a constitution for their classroom.
Illinois Institute of Technology
Oyez Project
The OYEZ Project is a vast multimedia relational database on the U.S. Supreme Court that contains abstracts for all leading constitutional decisions of the Court, authoritative oral arguments in streamed media format, and a 360-degree...
Digital History
Digital History: Religion and the u.s. Constitution
A very brief explanation of the three-pronged test the Supreme Court uses to determine the constitutionality of a governmental poiicy to ensure it doesn't advocate the establishing of religion.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: The Principles of Government
Outline of the man principles of U.S. government under the constitution.
University of Groningen
American History: Outlines: Vital Protection for Individual Liberties
Explanation of the constitutional amendments and process of amending as intentionally organized to increase protection of the civil liberties of U.S. citizens.
Read Works
Read Works: American Government James Madison
[Free Registration/Login Required] This nonfiction passage contains biographical information on "Father of the United States Constitution" and former United States President, James Madison. This passage is a stand-alone curricular piece...
Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History
Gilder Lehrman Institute: History Now: Every Four Years
[Free Registration/Login Required] A middle school lesson plan that helps students research the history of the qualifications for a president and presidential elections.