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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: James Madison

For Students 9th - 10th
James Madison's slight stature and reserved personality gave little indication of his keen intellect and shrewd nature. No other Founder had as much influence in crafting, ratifying, and interpreting the United States Constitution and...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Robert Morris

For Students 9th - 10th
Known as the "Financier of the Revolution," Robert Morris played a critical role in winning and securing American independence. As chairman of the Continental Congress's Finance Committee between 1775 and 1778, Morris traded flour and...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: James Otis

For Students 9th - 10th
James Otis was called the most important American of the 1760s by John Adams. A trained lawyer and master of argument, James Otis was a leader of the Patriot movement in Boston in those years. Initially a prosecutor for the British...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Thomas Paine

For Students 9th - 10th
Thomas Paine was a major figure during the early years of the American Revolution. One of the foremost propagandists for American liberty in the 1770s, Paine penned words that rallied the war-weary spirit of the colonists and that still...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Charles Pinckney

For Students 9th - 10th
Born near Charles Town (now Charleston), South Carolina, Charles Pinckney was the child of a wealthy family. He received a first-rate education and became an accomplished lawyer. Pinckney joined the state militia during the American...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Benjamin Rush

For Students 9th - 10th
The fourth of seven children born to Quaker parents, Benjamin Rush was the most famous physician of his time. Known and respected by many of the Founding generation, Benjamin Rush treated illnesses such as yellow fever and smallpox,...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: George Washington

For Students 9th - 10th
Americans have long appreciated George Washington's importance to our history. Washington secured American independence as commander of the Continental Army and established traditions as the nation's first president. His unblemished...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: James Wilson

For Students 9th - 10th
James Wilson lived what one might call a double life. His formidable intellect, passion for politics, and willingness to fight for his beliefs made him one of the most influential leaders of his time. On the other hand, his penchant for...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Roger Sherman

For Students 9th - 10th
Although not the most charismatic or eloquent Founder, Roger Sherman was highly esteemed by his contemporaries. At Sherman's death, Ezra Stiles, president of Yale College, wrote, "He was an extraordinary man-a venerable uncorrupted...
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Primary
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Constitution of the United States of America (1787)

For Students 9th - 10th
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...
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Article
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Landmark Court Cases

For Students 9th - 10th
Landmark court cases regarding religious liberty throughout the history of the U.S.
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Lesson Plan
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Religious Liberty

For Teachers 9th - 10th
Use these lesson extensions to help your students understand the historical context of American religious liberty.
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Interactive
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Life Without the Bill of Rights?

For Students 9th - 10th
This a click-and-explore activity that puts you in control and ask you to consider how life would change without some of our most cherished freedoms. Life Without the Bill of Rights? invites you to understand the significance of your...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: George Mason

For Students 9th - 10th
George Mason's ideas helped to shape the Founding documents of the United States, but few Americans remember him today. The words he used when writing the Virginia Declaration of Rights and the Virginia Constitution of 1776 inspired the...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: John Witherspoon

For Students 9th - 10th
He was a father figure to America's Founders. A renowned theologian from Scotland, John Witherspoon educated many young men who became prominent leaders of the Founding generation. He went on to embrace the revolutionary cause. He signed...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Patrick Henry

For Students 9th - 10th
Patrick Henry is known for being a steadfast patriot opposed to a strong centralized government. In 1765, Henry was elected to the Virginia House of Burgesses. By the 1770s, Henry had emerged as one of the most radical leaders of the...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Samuel Adams

For Students 9th - 10th
Samuel Adams was born on September 22, 1722, in Quincy, Massachusetts. He entered Harvard College at the age of 14. During the 1760s, Adams became a leader of the Patriot resistance to the British government's attempt to tax the American...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Thomas Jefferson

For Students 9th - 10th
Thomas Jefferson hoped that he would be remembered for three accomplishments: his founding of the University of Virginia, his crafting of the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom, and his authorship of the Declaration of Independence....
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Primary
Bill of Rights Institute

The Bill of Rights Institute: The Bill of Rights

For Students 9th - 10th
The first 10 amendments to the Constitution make up the Bill of Rights. Written by James Madison in response to calls from several states for greater constitutional protection for individual liberties, the Bill of Rights lists specific...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Founding Principles

For Students 9th - 10th
Below, you will find suggested definitions of each principle. Click here to read the words of James Madison, a primary contributor to the Constitution, and other Founders on these principles.
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Unknown Type
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Constitution Quiz: Constitution Duel

For Students 9th - 10th
Challenge friends to a duel! As you take this quiz you will be asked to answer 10 multiple-choice questions in this knowledge duel to defend your constitutional honor. Questions will come from categories such as the Constitution, primary...
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Handout
Bill of Rights Institute

Bill of Rights Institute: Texas v. Johnson

For Students 9th - 10th
This Landmark Supreme Court Cases and the Constitution eLesson focuses on a case involving expressive conduct, and what is for many a deeply cherished symbol of America, the U.S. flag. In a closely divided (5-4) ruling, the Supreme Court...