Once his political career had ended, George Washington made a deliberate effort to organize and preserve his personal papers. He had the incredible foresight to know that his life and career influenced the appeal of the documents, and that they would become the foundation for much knowledge about the Revolutionary period and first presidency. At one point he even considered building a library to house them. Unfortunately, Washington died in 1799 before the grand library could be constructed.

Unlike the large amount of documentation surviving George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, relatively few papers exist to grant insight into James Madison's personal life. Madison didn't attempt to keep many of these private documents, and whether from humility or another unknown reason, he didn't think they would be of any importance to history. The few scattered documents which remained survived through the efforts of family and collectors.

Thomas Jefferson was one of the most prolific authors in United States Constitutional History, and his works both public and private have been preserved through the efforts of countless historical societies throughout the country. Most famously through these sources: Library of Congress and
Monticello.

The purpose of this lesson is to introduce students to the ratification period that followed the Federal Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia. Through various activities to understand the what, why, who, where, and when of state ratification debates, students will see that state ratification of the Constitution was a critical element of establishing the new government’s legitimacy. Student activities throughout the day will help to build a State Ratification Bulletin Board that highlights the students’ views and acquired knowledge.

In Payton v. New York (1980), the Supreme Court found that warrantless entry into a private home to make a felony arrest violated the Fourth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution. New York state statutes could not authorize officers to illegally enter a person's home.

In this lesson, students will learn about Eleanor Rooseveltâ"s diligence in helping to craft the U.N. Declaration of Human Rights. Students will learn how their diligence can help them advance freedom for themselves and others.

In this interactive game, students experience the decisions that have to be made by the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government. People's Pie is a balancing act! You must fund important programs without setting tax rates too high or borrowing too much money. To succeed, you must keep your residents happy and avoid a burdensome national debt. Are you ready for a piece of People’s Pie?

A complement to a lesson covering the Federalists and their influence over the Constitutional Convention, this lesson is intended to help students understand the Anti-Federalist perspective. By the conclusion of this lesson, students should be able to explain the differences between Federalists and Anti-Federalists. Students will be able to assess and sort both perspectives and identify the importance of Anti-Federalist views in shaping the Constitution as we know it.

After losing twice in the lower courts, Plessy took his case to the U.S. Supreme Court, which upheld the previous decisions that racial segregation is constitutional under the "separate but equal" doctrine. This resource includes teacher materials, guides, and activities for teaching about this Supreme Court case.

Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Pottawatomie v. Earls. Dealing with students' Fourth Amendment protections when in schools, this lesson asks students to assess the Court's evolving definition of "reasonable" searches with respect to public school students.

This lesson is based on the Annenberg Classroom video âA Conversation on the Constitution: Brown v. Board of Educationâ in which Supreme Court Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Anthony Kennedy and Stephen Breyer participate in a Q&A session with a group of high school students. The conversation revolves around the issues and arguments in Brown v. Board of Education. Through the lesson, students gain insight into decision-making at the Supreme Court, learn about the people behind the case, construct a persuasive argument, and evaluate the significance of Brown v. Board of Education.

In this lesson, students will learn about the work and life of Cotton Mather and how it was shaped by his purpose. They will explore how his actions and his identity helped him achieve a great advancement for modern medicine and through his example, learn how they can pursue their own purpose for the greater good of mankind.

Why are prayers at meetings of government bodies constitutional? Students learn why in this lesson on the Supreme Court's landmark 2014 decision of Town of Greece v. Galloway from Teach Democracy's BRIA curricular magazine. Access to this resource requires a free educator login.

The Preamble to the U.S. Constitution summarizes the Founding Fathers’ intention to create a federal government dedicated to ensuring that “We the People” always live in a safe, peaceful, healthy, well-defended—and most of all—free nation.

This unit is part of Gilder Lehrman’s series of Common Core State Standards–based teaching resources. These units were developed to enable students to understand, summarize, and analyze original texts of historical significance. Through a step-by-step process, students will acquire the skills to analyze any primary or secondary source material.

In the United States, a system of checks and balances exists to ensure that no branch of government becomes too powerful. In relation to the Supreme Court (the judicial branch) one of these instituted "checks" is that the executive branch, the President, appoints the Supreme Court Justices, who are in turn confirmed, or rejected, by the Senate (the legislative branch).

Explore the shifting powers of the chief executive throughout history usig an interactive timeline and associated resources.

Four short videos explain the significance of presidential signing statements: Separation of Powers, Non-Enforcement, the Unitary Theory and the President's Intent. Hosted by Gwen Ifill, senior correspondent for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer.

This resource is from the Utah Division of Archives and Records Service. This primary source set is designed to help students learn about prohibition. Utah became the 36th and last state to ratify the 21st Amendment, which repealed the 18th and made alcohol legal again throughout the country. The sources here show issues related to both the 18th and 21st amendments, including state congressional debates and criminal records.