Standard 1: Demonstrate an understanding of the origins and purposes of government, law and the American political system.

In this assessment, students will discuss controversies over ratification of the U.S. Constitution, as well as identifying and analyzing differences between Federalists and Anti-Federalist perspectives. 

Type: Assessment

Students will analyze the first 10 amendments of the Constitution and note the influence of Enlightenment philosophers and the importance of them in government and our daily lives. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will look at excerpts from the Declaration of Independence, Common Sense, the Social Contract, and the Second Treatise of Government to analyze the Enlightenment's influence on the American Revolution. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will participate in a reading and writing activity.  They will mark up the text of the Declaration of Independence, making sure to indicate any passages which demonstrate the ideas indicative of the influence of the Enlightenment thinkers.

The teacher will pass out the grievances portion of the Declaration of Independence and have the students highlight, in different colors, the passages they think are from the Enlightenment thinkers. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze excerpts from the Magna Carta, the Declaration of Independence, and Common Sense. 

The main purpose of this lesson is to have students gain an understanding of the important documents that led to the American Revolution.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson will draw a connection between the Enlightenment ideas of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes and the creation of the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, and the French Declaration of Rights of Man and Citizen.

This lesson includes guided notes for students to complete during the lesson, built in review questions, and a guided practice for students to complete that contains primary source text from the documents.

Type: Lesson Plan

This will include specific Enlightenment thinkers with an emphasis on the ideals that influenced the Declaration of Independence and both the American Revolution.

Type: Lesson Plan

After studying the influence of Enlightenment ideas on the Declaration of Independence, students will create a 3D painting using modeling compound that features allegorical objects to convey Enlightenment ideals in this integrated civics and arts lesson.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will analyze amendments 1-4 and complete a graphic organizer. Then students will match real world examples with the correct amendment. Finally, students will paraphrase amendments 1-4 in their own words.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will learn basic information about impeachment as it is established in the U.S. Constitution.  Students learn what impeachment is, why it is included in the Constitution, who is subject to impeachment, why someone may be impeached,  who has been impeached, and how impeachment works.  Students will complete a graphic organizer, create a timeline, and complete an assessment quiz.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will explore the critical contributions that led to the development of the Cell Theory and those that led to the development of our constitutional republic. They will also be able to explain how both science and politics involve people working together from various backgrounds and specialities to build ideas and solve problems in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson is #2 in an ELA/Civics Integrated Text Unit designed to support students with the integration of civics into the ELA classroom through the reading and study of Homer’s The Odyssey. After reading excerpts from Part 1 of The Odyssey, students will complete a research activity and include information in their writing plan for a comparative analysis of democracy in Ancient Greece and republicanism in the United States.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will learn about the foundational ideas behind the Cell Theory and the U.S. government and begin to understand how both science and politics involve people from different backgrounds and specialities working together to build ideas and solve problems in this integrated lesson plan.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will review the key ideas of several Enlightenment thinkers and explore their influence on Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read and analyze the Bill of Rights.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn and implement the basic rules for effective paraphrasing. Students will read the 1979 State of the Union address by President Jimmy Carter. They will paraphrase several key sections to develop their paraphrasing skills and deepen their knowledge of the United States’ foundational principles referenced in the address, particularly those related to the Bill of Rights. Students will also answer text-dependent questions to further analyze President Carter’s address.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will learn the basic rules for effective paraphrasing. Students will read the 2021 inaugural address of President Joseph Biden. They will paraphrase several key sections to sharpen their paraphrasing skills and deepen their knowledge of the United States’ foundational principles referenced in the address. Students will also answer text-dependent questions to further analyze President Biden’s address.

Type: Lesson Plan

This is lesson 1 in a series of integrated civics lessons for the text The Odyssey by Homer. After reading and discussing Book One of The Odyssey, students will analyze how Odysseus fits the description of an epic hero by creating a trading card. Additionally, students will research one of the Founders of the United States to create a trading card as they determine and analyze how he fits the description of an epic hero.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will explain how the U.S. Constitution and its amendments uphold the political principals of checks and balances, limited government, and separation of powers. Students will complete a graphic organizer to describe the compromises made during the Constitutional Convention that allowed for the U.S. Constitution to be a document that governs our country. Students will analyze the democratic approach that took place, the ability to discuss the two sides presented, and the end products that came as a result of the compromise.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will read Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s “Declaration of Sentiments,” presented at the Seneca Falls Convention (Seneca Falls, N.Y., July 19th and 20th, 1848). Students will categorize selected text by type of rhetorical appeal: ethos, pathos, logos, or kairos.

Students will also complete text-dependent questions to further analyze the document. As part of this analysis, they will evaluate Stanton’s use of various appeals and compare and contrast the ideas and language in this document and in the Declaration of Independence.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson will give students the opportunity to examine all three rhetorical appeals for an argument and discover how all three work together to achieve the author's intended purpose. Students will analyze Federalist Paper #84, explaining the arguments in favor of ratification of the proposed Constitution.

Type: Lesson Plan

This lesson will be used to introduce or review the Declaration of Independence, a founding document of America. This lesson will familiarize students with one of the Founders, Thomas Jefferson, and his influence on the American government by incorporating ideas from the European Enlightenment era. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students identify the difference between Federalist and Anti-Federalist viewpoints through analysis of primary source writing. Students will identify concerns from each side and their impacts on the final ratification of the U.S. Constitution. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will become familiar with important Enlightenment philosphers, their ideas, and how they influenced the creation of the Declaration of Independence.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will compare and contrast Enlightenment philosophers John Locke and Thomas Hobbes to Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this integrated lesson plan, students will use an interactive program in Scratch to create an informational interactive presentation identifying key factors regarding the impact of Landmark Supreme court cases on the law.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will be able to identify philosophies of the Enlightenment era in the foundation of the American government.  They will create a booklet to take notes on Enlightenment philosophers and their ideas. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will be able to explain the 3 main subjects of The Federalist Papers and Alexander Hamilton's role in writing them. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will become familiar with James Madison's influence on the creation of a three-branch government system in the United States. 

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will learn about James Madison and his contributions to American government. Students will review the three branches of government and simulate the system of checks and balances. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze, with partners, how to create a values debate argument. In order to do this, they will first look at excerpts from several foundational American documents and then use a worksheet to analyze, summarize, and incorporate the documents' components into a full values debates. Finally, they will pick their own values topic and prepare a brief argument both for and against that they will then argue with their partner based on a coin toss.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will interact with principles and ideals taken from the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, and the U.S. Constitution and will make connections between them.  Students will then try to group the ideas with the correct documents.  In the end, they will reflect in writing about the ideological shifts they see from one Founding document to another. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will learn about Magna Carta by watching a short video. Then, in groups, they will analyze some original text from Magna Carta, translate it into “modern” English, and make connections to the U.S. Bill of Rights. Students will end the lesson by responding to a writing prompt to show what they have learned.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will use the U.S. Constitution Article III, and primary sources, Federalist Papers and Anti-Federalist Papers, to analyze the structures, functions and processes of the judicial branch.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will examine how intellectual influences contributed to the ideas in the Declaration of Independence and U.S. Constitution by analyzing the major ideas of Enlightenment philosophers.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will extend their understanding about individual rights in the U.S. by examining how the English attempted to protect individuals from unrestrained monarchial power. By examining the Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution, students will analyze primary sources so they may better understand how rights for individuals were incorporated into the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Type: Lesson Plan

By examining the Magna Carta and the U.S. Constitution, students will analyze primary sources so they may better comprehend the origins and evolution of checks on executive power. The emergence of a parliamentary or deliberative body to counteract unlimited use of power by a head of state/government was a major development in history, and, eventually, an important outlet for the peoples' voice.

Type: Lesson Plan

Students will review key terms and people behind the Constitution. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze documents from major Enlightenment thinkers. Students will compare and contrast the Declaration of Independence to the Declaration of Rights of Man to evaluate the impact of the Enlightenment influenced both the American and French Revolutions. Students will use documents to make an argument about whether the Enlightenment was the strongest influence of the Revolutions.

Type: Lesson Plan

After discussing the universal theme of “the struggle for equality,” in an epic, students will compare the theme to American government and The Declaration of Independence. This lesson is to be used before, during, or after reading and studying at least one Epic such as “The Epic of Gilgamesh,” “The Odyssey,” “Antigone,” “Beowulf,” “The Iliad,” and/or “The Aeneid,” and is one part of a complete text unit. In this lesson, students will complete a chart with examples and textual support from an epic to outline examples of the theme of “the struggle for equality” as well as examples and textual support from The Declaration of Independence.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students review the major ideas of Enlightenment philosophers to evaluate their impact on the Declaration of Independence.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students will analyze the U.S. Constitution and other primary sources to evaluate the power and impact of the presidential veto. Students will demonstrate their knowledge of checks and balances by answering a higher-level short-answer question about the power of the veto. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students analyze excerpts from the Federalist Papers and Anti-Federalist Essays and determine the founding principles presented in each one. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson, students identify various foundational principles reflected in the U.S. Constitution and its amendments.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will compare the viewpoints of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists regarding ratification of the U.S. Constitution using a graphic organizer and an informal debate.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will learn about the Federalists and the Anti-Federalists and their role in the debates over ratification of the U.S. Constitution.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson students will learn to evaluate how ideas from the past influenced the political thinking of the Framers when writing both the Declaration of Independence and in reforming the country under the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will analyze the grievances listed in the Declaration of Independence and identify an Enlightenment ideal that justified the grievance.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will be provided historical context regarding the public debate to ratify the U.S. Constitution. Students will be assigned either a Federalist or Anti-Federalist document and will conduct a close-read document analysis either individually or with another student. After the individual close-reads are completed the students will be grouped with one or more students who read another document that also expanded on their given position. This lesson can be used as the first part of a two-class debate activity. Part II of this lesson is 200716. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will engage in small group debates on the issues raised by the ratification debate centered on the U.S. Constitution. After the individual close-reads are completed the students will be grouped with one or more students who read another document that also expanded on their given position. The groups will then use the given organizers to prepare their debate points and to track their debate progress. The lesson will conclude with the group writing a consensus statement as to which arguments best answered the debate focus question. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will develop an understanding of the implied, express, enumerated, concurrent, and reserved powers of Congress. Students will spend time analyzing parts of the U.S. Constitution in order to identify the powers of Congress, where they came from, and the impact structural decisions had on the practice of Congressional power.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will use historical context and close reading to investigate the Mayflower Compact and the Declaration of Independence. Students will compare both documents to uncover intellectual continuities and appreciate the foundational position both documents occupy in American political and governmental history.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students will use text analysis and historical context to explore the impact of foundational documents, such as the Mayflower Compact, on the U.S. Constitution and The Bill of Rights. Students will engage in close reading and analysis of the documents and provide some contextualization of the principles included within each document. A graphic organizer is designed to assist with a formative assessment writing assignment. The intention is for this lesson to follow 200022, but it is not essential provided students have a background understanding of the Mayflower Compact. 

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan, students analyze the meaning of “compromise,” differentiating the term from commonly confused concepts such as negotiation or acting responsibly. In groups, they will examine primary source excerpts to identify the major compromises of the Constitutional Convention and recognize the necessity of the compromises.

Type: Lesson Plan

In this lesson plan designed for the debate classroom, students will read and critically analyze various American foundational texts, identify a common theme, and create a thesis statement that encompasses the identified theme. Students will work individually and collaboratively to find commonalities among the various pieces of literature.

Type: Lesson Plan

Discover the origins and meaning of the document known as Magna Carta in this short video.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Continue learning about Watergate -- a political scandal that represents a significant chapter in American history--with this interactive tutorial. The events of Watergate led Richard Nixon, President of the United States, to resign his office.

This is part 2 in a six-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about Watergate -- a political scandal that represents a significant chapter in American history with this interactive tutorial. The events of Watergate led Richard Nixon, President of the United States, to resign his office.

This is part 1 in a six-part series. Click below to open the other tutorials in this series.

• Part 1
• Part 2
• Part 3
• Part 4
• Part 5
• Part 6

Type: Original Student Tutorial

This Grades 9-12 Civics Family Guide provides some ideas and activities to support civics education when at home, out and about, and in the community. The activities provided align to the civics learning benchmarks within Standard 1 at these grade levels.

Type: Teaching Idea

This teaching resource provides teachers with the tools to help students analyze a speech by Carrie Chapman Catt, an advocate for women’s suffrage. Catt utilizes the rhetorical devices of anaphora and rhetorical questions in her speech to establish and achieve her purpose. Students will evaluate the effectiveness of these rhetorical devices as they relate to Catt’s purpose.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this lesson, student groups will discuss their understanding of the U.S. Constitution, Federalists' arguments in support of ratification, and Anti-Federalist arguments against ratifying the Constitution. Students will discuss controversies over ratification of the U.S. Constitution, as well as identify and analyze differences between Federalist and Anti-Federalist perspectives. Students will then complete a group writing assignment.  

Type: Teaching Idea

In this source analysis activity, students will read the English Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence, and the Constitution of Massachusetts to analyze the impact they had on the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Students will answer questions about each document after reading. At the end, discussion questions require an overall analysis of the influence that these primary documents had on the U.S. founding documents.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this lesson, students analyze the speech delivered by President Franklin D. Roosevelt following the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor in 1941. The speech contains two distinct central ideas for students to analyze. Students will also read the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution to compare the foundational principles and ideals in the Constitution with those found in Roosevelt's speech.

Type: Teaching Idea

Students will participate in a debate using the arguments of the Federalists and Anti-Federalists. This could be a verbal, silent, or alley debate. One group will represent the Federalists and be given information relating to their arguments. The other group will act as the Anti-Federalists and be given information relating to their arguments. Provide students time to prepare their arguments either individually or as a team, then commence the debate.

Type: Teaching Idea

Students will debate which foundational ideas found in American documents are most important in the Great Mini Debate. Students will use evidence from the Declaration of Independence, the Preamble and the Bill of Rights to support their arguments. The Great Mini Debate Cheat Sheet will prompt beginning debaters as to what should go in each speech of the debate.

Type: Teaching Idea

Students will use the quotation cutouts provided with this teaching idea to analyze and connect premises about government and civil rights from Enlightenment thinkers to the Preamble of the Constitution of the United States.

Type: Teaching Idea

In this activity, designed for students in the debate classroom, students will use prior knowledge on ethos, logos, and pathos to analyze the grievances in the Declaration of Independence and classify the rhetorical appeals in each.

Type: Teaching Idea

This teaching resource provides the tools for teachers to help students analyze the use of rhetorical appeals in President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. This resource will help students understand how President Lincoln specifically used ethos, pathos, and logos to achieve his purpose.

Type: Text Resource

This teaching resource provides teachers with the tools to help students evaluate the author’s choices using rhetorical appeals in The Virginia Declaration of Rights (1776) that influenced the Preamble and Bill of Rights section of the Constitution of the United States of America.

Type: Text Resource

This teaching resource provides the tools to help students analyze President George W. Bush’s “9/11 Address to the Nation.” This resource will help students examine the president’s rhetoric and how he uses figurative language to achieve his different purposes. This includes his use of both imagery and alliteration. Students will also examine how the president uses the rhetorical device antithesis to achieve his purposes.

Type: Text Resource

Luis Martínez-Fernández was born at the beginning of the Cuban Revolution. Dr. Martínez-Fernández immigrated to the United States with his family when he was 2 years old after the Bay of Pigs Invasion. His family moved to Lima, Peru after his father was offered employment there. Dr. Martínez-Fernández’s family left Peru after the President of Peru was ousted from power. The new government in Peru concerned Dr. Martínez-Fernández’s father and the family moved to Puerto Rico where they become U.S. Citizens. Dr. Martínez-Fernández moved to the U.S. after graduation from The University of Puerto Rico. He is a Professor of History, an author, and is civically engaged through his nationally syndicated column.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation