In July of 1945 at Potsdam, it was decided among the Big …
In July of 1945 at Potsdam, it was decided among the Big 3 (Winston Churchill, Harry Truman, and Josef Stalin) that Germany would be split along the Elbe River, with the Western powers getting control of the West, and the Soviet Union the East. The border between the two "countries" was lined with barbed-wire and communist-friendly guards. Berlin was also split in this way. It was also at this meeting that the Four-Power Agreement was signed, giving air access to West Berlin from West Germany; a highway route along with a canal into West Berlin were also allowed.
In this activity students will identify and define seven key ideas contained …
In this activity students will identify and define seven key ideas contained in the U.S. Constitution by making matches from the grid. They will then analyze documents that demonstrate each big idea in action.
This activity is designed to prepare students for the Constitution-in-Action Learning Lab at the National Archives in Washington, DC. It is a part of a package of pre-visit activities associated with the lab experience.
This activity is designed to familiarize students with the legislative process. It …
This activity is designed to familiarize students with the legislative process. It is also intended to introduce students to legislation currently in the U.S. House of Representatives.
This activity is designed to familiarize students with the legislative process. It …
This activity is designed to familiarize students with the legislative process. It is also intended to introduce students to legislation currently in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Bill Rice recalls how German soldiers began surrendering towards the end of …
Bill Rice recalls how German soldiers began surrendering towards the end of the war in Europe. He also discusses how his platoon was involved in liberating prison camps in Germany in this video teaching module from the KACV's local perspective on "The War."
On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed …
On September 25, 1789, the First Congress of the United States proposed to the state legislatures 12 amendments to the Constitution that met the arguments most frequently advanced against it. The first two proposed amendments, which concerned the number of constituents for each representative and the compensation of congressmen, were not ratified. Articles 3 to 12, however, were ratified by three-fourths of the state legislatures and constitute the first ten amendments of the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights.
This lesson builds upon prior knowledge of the United States Constitution and …
This lesson builds upon prior knowledge of the United States Constitution and the Bill of Rights by asking students to think critically about the issues and philosophies central to both. Through investigation and debate, students are asked to question why certain rights were added to the Constitution and why others were not. Such a discussion will encourage students to synthesize multiple historical and contemporary perspectives about their rights to decide if, in today’s world, we need different rights, if our rights are complete the way they are, or if the existing ones need change.
The purpose of this lesson is to investigate the Bill of Rights …
The purpose of this lesson is to investigate the Bill of Rights through the perspective of someone living during the ratification period. After exploring the historical perspective of the Bill of Rights through study of the Dissent of the Minority in Pennsylvania, students will be asked to apply the rights they learned about to their lives today and assess, critique, and solve problems based on the modern meaning of these rights. In doing so, students will develop a meaningful understanding of the amendments, in their original and their contemporary meanings. This understanding is essential to foster active, informed, and rational thinkers.
This resource from the National Constitution Center includes an introduction, big questions, …
This resource from the National Constitution Center includes an introduction, big questions, recorded class sessions, briefing documents, slide decks, and worksheets about the Bill of Rights in the United States Constitutuion.
Many lessons on U.S. history, world history, and government from BRIA, Teach …
Many lessons on U.S. history, world history, and government from BRIA, Teach Democracy's quarterly curricular magazine. We have published this tremendous resource since 1967, and we continually add to the archive. Latest issues are part of a new series, reflecting our recent name change from Constitutional Rights Foundation to Teach Democracy. Access to these resources require a free educator login.
That possibility of things going a different way is called contingency. In …
That possibility of things going a different way is called contingency. In this lesson, students learn about the contingencies involved in our major founding documents, especially the Bill of Rights! This article and activity are a product of Teach Democracy's partnership with the New York Public Library's Center for Educators & Schools. Access to this resource requires a free educator login.
In this lesson students learn how Birth of a Nation reflected and …
In this lesson students learn how Birth of a Nation reflected and influenced racial attitudes, and they analyze and evaluate the efforts of the NAACP to prohibit showing of the film.
This activity is designed to accompany the Black Americans in Congress website, …
This activity is designed to accompany the Black Americans in Congress website, history.house.gov/ exhibitions-and-publications/baic/black-americans-in-congress/. Students have the opportunity to analyze historical photographs associated with Black Americans who served in Congress and with the history of civil rights in the United States. Students are encouraged to think more about the role historical photographs can play in the study of past events and people.
This activity is designed to accompany the Artifacts section of the Black …
This activity is designed to accompany the Artifacts section of the Black Americans in Congress website, history.house.gov/exhibitions-and-publications/baic/artifacts/artifacts/. Students have the opportunity to analyze artifacts associated with Black Americans who served in Congress. Students are encouraged to think about how artifacts can be used in the study of past events and people.
This activity is designed to accompany the Black Americans in Congress website, …
This activity is designed to accompany the Black Americans in Congress website, history.house.gov/ exhibitions-and-publications/baic/black-americans-in-congress/. Students have the opportunity to analyze a series of statements made by Black Americans who served in Congress. Students are encouraged to think about the role that quotations can play in the study of history. (Citations for the quotation exercise used in this activity appear in the “Historical Quotations” document.)
Dr. Michihiko Hachiya lived through August 6, 1945 when the atomic bomb …
Dr. Michihiko Hachiya lived through August 6, 1945 when the atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshim. He kept a diary of his experience. He served as Director of the Hiroshima Communications Hospital and lived near the hospital approximately a mile from the explosion's epicenter. His diary was published in English in 1955.
In this lesson, students practice sourcing to understand what took place in …
In this lesson, students practice sourcing to understand what took place in Boston on March 5, 1770. First, students analyze two illustrations of the event and reason about how each illustration’s source and context influenced the way the work depicted the Boston Massacre. Then, students examine a colonist’s testimony and a British army official’s narrative of the incident and consider why the accounts strongly differ.
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