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

In this lesson from the Florida Joint Center for Citizenship (FJCC) students learn how English policies and responses to colonial concerns led to the writing of the Declaration of Independence. Learning goals are based on the benchmark clarifications for SS.7.C.1.3.

• Students will trace the causal relationships between English/British policies, English responses to colonial grievances, and the writing of the Declaration of Independence.
•  Students will recognize the underlying themes of English colonial policies concerning taxation, representation, and individual rights that formed the basis of the American colonists’ desire for independence. 

This resource includes a lesson plan, a “Civics on Demand” video for teachers that provides an introduction to SS.7.C.1.3, FJCC created civics assessment items and additional resources

Type: Lesson Plan

In Part 2 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the impeachment process detailed in the U.S. Constitution, including what it is, who can be impeached, why someone would be impeached, and some famous examples of impeachment in action.   

This is Part 2 in a two-part series. Click HERE to open Part 1.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In Part 1 of this interactive tutorial series, learn about the impeachment process detailed in the U.S. Constitution, including what it is, who can be impeached, why someone would be impeached, and a bit about the process.  

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, learn about the famous Supreme Court case Marbury v. Madison, which established the principle of judicial review.  You'll examine the details of the case and its important legacy in American history.  

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, you'll examine the powers and workings of the three branches of our federal government.  You'll learn what Congress, the President, and the Supreme Court really do.  Enjoy!

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, learn about one of the most important principles in American democracy: rule of law.  You'll explore this important concept and learn about its application to a famous Supreme Court decision: United States v. Nixon.  

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Explore the three branches of the U.S. federal government with a special emphasis on the checks and balances that allow our government to achieve a proper separation of powers in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, you'll compare the viewpoints of the two groups on opposite sides of the great debate over ratifying the U.S. Constitution: Federalists and Anti-Federalists.  

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, learn why Great Britain and her 13 American colonies split between 1763 and 1776.  At the end of this time span, Britain and America were at war, and the Declaration of Independence had announced the United States of America as a brand new nation, no longer colonies of Britain.  

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn how to analyze the ideas, grievances (complaints), and language found in the Declaration of Independence, one of the most important documents in the history of the United States.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Analyze the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution -- line by line, word by word -- in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about the Articles of Confederation, our nation’s first written constitution, in this interactive tutorial.  You'll identify its major weaknesses and their consequences and explain the reasons why America's Founders replaced the Articles of Confederation with the government we still use today, the U.S. Constitution.  

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how to identify the three branches of the federal government as established by the Constitution of the United States.  In this interactive tutorial, you will also learn to identify the structure and function of each branch of government. 

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how Enlightenment ideas like separation of powers, natural law, and the social contract influenced the Founders and their design of the United States government in this interactive tutorial.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn how several famous documents influenced the views of American colonists when they sought their independence from Great Britain and formed their own government. In this interactive tutorial, you'll learn about the Magna Carta, the English Bill of Rights, the Mayflower Compact, and Thomas Paine’s Common Sense.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

In this interactive tutorial, learn how a bill becomes a law. You will see how bills (ideas for laws) are passed by Congress and signed into law by the president, and you'll learn how all three branches of government play a role in determining the laws of our land.

Type: Original Student Tutorial

Learn about the birth of the U.S. Constitution in this tutorial video by Khan Academy and the Aspen Institute. You'll learn why the Constitution was needed and what its famous Preamble means. Referred to as a "bundle of compromises," the Constitution sought to create a government based on separation of powers and checks and balances.

Type: Tutorial

This 3-part video from Mount Vernon details the struggles that led delegates from the 13 colonies to hold a Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787. At this convention, under the leadership of George Washington, the delegates rejected the Articles of Confederation in favor of a new, stronger federal government. After the Constitution's ratification, Washington become the new nation's first president.

Type: Video/Audio/Animation