Shortly after the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, the Founding generation added the Bill of Rights—the Constitution’s first 10 amendments. These amendments guarantee many of our most cherished liberties, including the freedom of religion, the freedom of speech, the right to keep and bear arms, and the right to a jury trial. After the Constitutional Convention, the absence of a bill of rights emerged as a key part of the debates over ratification. Anti-Federalists—those who opposed the Constitution —pointed to the missing bill of rights as a fatal flaw in the new document. Several states ratified the Constitution with an understanding that amendments would be promptly added by the new government. This module will explore the origins of the Bill of Rights, explain its importance to the debate over the ratification of the U.S. Constitution, and walk through the specific rights enshrined in each of the first 10 amendments.

The purpose of the lesson is to provide students with a brief history of the impetuous for the early 1900’s labor movement then contrast it with comparative labor and societal issues today. Retrieve the story of “My Cotton Dress” from https://ehistory.osu.edu/exhibitions/childlabor/cottondress

Topics and Learning Activities:

 Labor laws, for people less than 18 years old, today will be presented,

 The Industrial Revolution’s effects on society, the economy, emigration, and education will be presented.

 Students will read “My Cotton Dress.”

 Students will identify the Industrial Revolution’s societal issues that are being addressed in “My Cotton Dress.”

 Students will identify the current labor laws that address the working conditions the children of the Industrial

Revolution experienced.

 Students will be asked to identify similarities the 4 areas affected by the Industrial Revolution with those of the

information/technological revolution that America is currently experiencing.

In this court simulation, students apply the New Jersey v. T.L.O. school backpack search case to a contemporary high school scenario. Does the Fourth Amendment protect underage students who bring illegal e-cigarettes to school in their backpack?

"The Supreme Court, of course, has the responsibility of ensuring that our government never oversteps its proper bounds or violates the rights of individuals. But the Court must also recognize the limits on itself and respect the choices made by the American people."

⁠—Elena Kagan, Associate Justice of the Supreme Court and the first woman to serve as Solicitor General of the United States.

As one of the three branches of the U.S. federal government, the Supreme Court is an essential part of civics education. In this lesson, students will learn about the structure and purpose of the Supreme Court and analyze the landmark Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) case about student free speech in schools. Once students have analyzed the case and its significance in U.S. history, they will participate in a research-based simulation about student free speech and social media before their own Supreme Court.
What are the Constitutional responsibilities and powers of the Supreme Court?
How does the judiciary system function alongside the other two branches of government?
How does the Supreme Court protect your First Amendment rights?
Analyze the Constitutional roles and responsibilities of the judiciary system and the Supreme Court.
Analyze Supreme Court rulings and develop an evidence-based argument regarding the First Amendment.
Simulate how a Supreme Court case is researched and argued, and evaluate the proceedings and outcome.

Use the following NewsHour Classroom resources to examine King’s impact on civil rights and his ongoing legacy. Lessons include a deep dive anayisis of the “I have a dream” speech and the impact of Dr, King’s work on current evens

Students will watch two short films to review political protest movements and envision running for office themselves.

Is the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion a roadmap for how this court could overturn landmark cases in the future?

A leaked draft opinion in a Supreme Court case about abortion reveals that a majority of the justices were, at the time of this draft's release, in favor of overturning the precedent set in Roe v Wade that protected abortion access.

In our recent episode on judicial precedent, we talked about how the Supreme Court interprets the law, and how precedent gives that interpretation power, ensuring the law is applied equally to everyone. We also talked about how and why the Supreme Court might reconsider, modify, or overturn its own precedent. In this episode, we look at how the draft opinion treats precedent, and how that differs from the way the Supreme Court has treated precedent in the past, including in decisions about abortion. And we talk about the impact this could have, should this draft opinion become final, both on the Supreme Court, and on society.

We talk to Nina Varsava, a law professor at University of Wisconsin, Madison who studies judicial precedent, and wrote the article, "Precedent on Precedent," and Rachel Rebouche, a law professor at Temple University who specializes in family law, health care law, and comparative family law, and has written about the potential impact of overturning Roe v Wade.

For decades, one state has had the privilege of going first in the presidential primary process. But New Hampshire’s “stranglehold” on the way we pick presidents could be losing its grip. The Democratic Party changed its presidential nominating calendar to give voters of color more sway. But New Hampshire isn’t backing down, setting up a major test of the stranglehold and its power.

Cartoons in Sunday comic strips make us laugh. Political cartoons in the front section of the newspaper challenge us to think.

Because political cartoons present a particular point of view or story through symbolism and caricature, they are a particularly effective method for teaching history.

By interpreting political cartoons, students are encouraged to discover different points of view on the same historical event.

The three political cartoons in this section focus on Robert M. La Follette; they offer an additional opportunity to explore the progressive era in Wisconsin. Suggested activities, brief histories of each cartoon, a one-page biography of La Follette, and an introduction to cartoon analysis are also included.

In 1967, riots triggered by episodes of police brutality and harassment of African Americans erupted in over 150 U.S. cities. President Johnson asked Congress to investigate, and the result was the Kerner Commission report, which stated: “Our nation is moving toward two societies, one black, one white, separate and unequal.” The report highlighted shortages of jobs, inadequate education, discrimination, and harsh police tactics. In this lesson students will look at the report’s findings, and how ignoring them had an impact that continues today.

Content Advisory:
This video includes footage of police violence.

Students analyze a speech by Ronald Reagan about reducing the size of government.

The lesson begins with students lined up in the front of the room. They are presented with a series of searches/seizures. If they believe the search/seizure was lawful, they step forward; if they believe it to be unlawful, they step backward. Next, students break into four groups. Each group is responsible for focusing on searches/seizures in a specific setting: at school, at home, in cars, or in public. The groups reconvene and present their ideas and findings to the rest of the class. The lesson ends with a discussion of the Fact Patterns handout.

This series of classroom activities were written to support educators who use the 2022 video series "Elections 101" from the Wisconsin Elections Commission (WEC).

"Should We Lower the Voting Age?" helps students answer the question "Should the U.S. lower the voting age?". Teachers will use the videos "Elections Overview" and "Nuts and Bolts" from the WEC as a starting point to build a Socratic Seminar from their own research on the topic.

Students examine the definition of public policy, investigate the answer to the question, "Should our democracy allow schools to punish students for off campus cyberbullying?", and hold a whole class deliberation on the policy.

What does "taking the Fifth" mean? If you've been suspected of a crime, how and when do you use your rights under the Fifth Amendment?

The Fifth Amendment's self-incrimination clause says that no person "shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself." Basically, it means that the government, or law enforcement, can't force you to talk to implicate yourself in a crime. However, what that looks like in practice... is a little more messy. When do you have a right to remain silent? When do you become a suspect? What does compulsion look like? Can your silence be used against you?

We talk about how the Supreme Court has interpreted these questions, and how to exercise Fifth Amendment right when you are interacting with law enforcement, with Tracey Maclin, a professor of Constitutional law and Constitutional criminal procedure at the University of Florida's Levin School of Law, and Jorge Camacho, a clinical lecturer on law and policing at Yale University, where he is the policy director of the Yale Justice Collaboratory.

The 11-minute video and accompanying lesson plans explore the ways reapportionment, redistricting and gerrymandering affect how and by whom the people are represented. In addition, you'll find other Retro Reports that focus on various aspects of voting.

On Constitution Day, students will examine the role of the people in shaping the United States Constitution. First, students will respond to a provocative statement posted in the room. They will then watch a video that gives a brief explanation of the Constitutional Convention of 1787, or listen as the video transcript is read aloud. A Constitution poster is provided so students can examine Article VII and discuss it as a class.
The elementary and middle school educator will then
guide students through a read-aloud play depicting two Constitutional Convention delegates who disagreed about ratifying the Constitution.

Transgender people have long faced discrimination in employment, marriage, medical care, and other areas, and are far more likely to experience homelessness, unemployment, and mental illness than people whose gender identity matches the gender they were assigned at birth. Today, ​lawmakers across the country have introduced anti-trans legislation, seeking to bar transgender students from participating in sports and limiting access by minors to gender-affirming medical care. The movement that began nearly half a century ago still faces many obstacles.

Content Advisory:
This lesson covers historical and contemporary demands for equality by transgender people. The film and associated resources address sexuality, violence against transgender people, and other topics that may upset or offend some people.

Twelve Angry Men, originally written for television by Reginald Rose in 1954 and subsequently adapted for stage (1955), film (1957) and television again (1997), effectively conveys the central importance of the right to a jury trial afforded by Article III of the Constitution as well as Amendments V, VI, and XIV. Focusing on the right to a trial by "an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed," the play/film also addresses related constitutional provisions, including the presumption of innocence until proven guilty and the right to counsel. More broadly, the play/film embodies the central insight of Alexis De Tocqueville in his classic work Democracy in America, that the jury system is one of the most important political institutions for democratic self government. It educates citizens about the law and legal process, helps them understand their duties as citizens and in the best case, improves their deliberations as citizens.
How does "Twelve Angry Men" deepen our understanding of the constitutional guarantee of the right to trial by jury and the role of the jury system in American democracy?
To what extent does a trial by jury provide for equal protection under the law?
Analyze the Constitution to understand what the right to a trial by jury includes.

Analyze the causes and effects surrounding the Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) ruling.

Evaluate the extent to which a trial by jury ensures equal justice under the law.

Students will examine public policy and an editorial to build evidence and reasoning to bring to the 'town hall' meeting about lowering the voting age to 16.