Use this lesson as the foundation for the Stamp Act Resistance Narrative, The Boston Massacre Narrative, and The Boston Tea Party Narrative.

In 1777, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Articles of Confederation. The objectives of this activity are: Students will analyze the provisions of the Articles of Confederation. Students will determine why individuals such as George Washington expressed a growing concern over government’s inadequacies, and why these concerns were expressed by and heightened after events such as Shays’s Rebellion. Students will explain why there was a growing call for creating a strong central government and the rationales for the various arguments.

Thomas Paine published Common Sense in January 1776 support of the Patriot cause. Using clear, plain language, Paine rallied the colonists to support the break from Britain. He explained, "I am not induced by motives of pride, party, or resentment to espouse the doctrine of separation and independence; I am clearly, positively, and conscientiously persuaded that it is the true interest of this continent to be so."

This lesson has students use C-SPAN's Constitution Clips to explore the provisions of the U.S. Constitution. Using their own devices in class or at home, students will be introduced to the Constitution through C-SPAN video clips. This lesson has students complete an online scavenger hunt to learn more about the structure and rights included in the document. This scavenger hunt is best suited for classes with one-to-one devices or a flipped classroom format.

Use this lesson with The Constitutional Convention Narrative and after students have done The Articles of Confederation, 1781 Primary Source activity.

This lesson contains various activites that can be used while teaching about the Constitutional Convention. Some have students compare similiarities/differences between the Convention members. Others deal with comparing the Articles of Confederacy to the Constitution, objections to the Constitution, or Madison's description of 'Federalism.'

The Declaration of Independence states the principles on which our government, and our identity as Americans, are based. Unlike the other founding documents, the Declaration of Independence is not legally binding, but it is powerful. Abraham Lincoln called it "a rebuke and a stumbling-block to tyranny and oppression." It continues to inspire people around the world to fight for freedom and equality.

As a part of the Federalist Papers, James Madison wrote Federalist No. 10 in 1787. In this essay, Madison defended the republican form of government created by the Constitution. He discussed the concepts of majority rule and minority rights and the factions in preventing tyranny. Clips from Journalist George Will and Senators James Lankford and Ted Cruz are included along with guiding questions about specific ideas found in Federalist 10.

This lesson explores the content, meaning, authorship, and application of Federalist 51. It contains various video clips and a graphic organizer to be used in analyzing Federalist 51.

This lesson can be used to reinforce and review the key events of the American Revolution. Can also be used as a DBQ for APUSH This activity will also introduce students to the effects the Revolution had on the world stage in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries.

How are the republican principles of limited government, separation of powers, and checks and balances reflected in the U.S. Constitution?

Using the Case Method Project from Harvard, students read various case material and then are led through a socratic style seminar to discuss a specific issue/historical decision in American history/politics. In order to access their materials you will need to participate in professional development sessions hosted by Harvard. The sessions are free and done online a various times in the school year.

In this lesson, students will study the life of James Madison. They will learn about why he is called "The Father of the Constitution," his views on the Bill of Rights, his remedy for the problem of factions in a democratic republic, and much more.

This resource is a Social Studies student activity that utilizes Utah's Online Library resources - specifically, Gale's Kids InfoBits, Gale's Research in Context Grades 6-8, Gale's InfoTrac Student Edition, EBSCO's Explora Elementary and Middle Schools, and World Book Encyclopedia to help students learn about The Liberty Bell. 

The Path to Independence: Use this lesson after students have read the Stamp Act Resistance Narrative, The Boston Massacre Narrative, and The Boston Tea Party Narrative. This lesson should be followed by the Thomas Jefferson and the Declaration of Independence Narrative and the Thomas Paine, Common Sense, 1776 Primary Source analysis.

Popular Sovereignty and the Consent of the Governed: The Founders believed that the government’s authority needed to come from the people. Under the reign of King George III, the colonists believed that they were deprived of their opportunity to consent to be governed by Parliament through representatives, and, therefore, the British could not force their laws upon the colonies. The Founders made sure to uphold this right in the American Constitution. The people, through their representatives at state ratification conventions, had to ratify the document in order for it to become law.

This lesson has students learn about the purposes of government specified in the preamble of the Constitution. Students will use C-SPAN video clips to define what is meant by "establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty." As practice, students will apply their knowledge of these purposes by viewing real-life examples of government actions and identifying the relevant purpose of government. This lesson works well in classrooms with one-to-one devices and can be adapted to flipped classrooms.

In this lesson, students will explore the evolution in the United States from religious toleration to religious liberty. Students will examine the difference between the two, analyze documents concerning both, and evaluate the significance of this change.

The Declaration of Independence, based in part on the philosophy of John Locke, was an “expression of the American mind”. Going back to Magna Carta, British nobles had petitioned the monarch demanding limits to his power. But Locke argues and the Declaration of Independence asserts that legitimate government is based on the consent of the governed. Locke’s ideas were too democratic, too revolutionary for his time in England, but a century later they had a firm hold in the American colonies, and in 1776 they were the basis of the original and most fundamental American statement of rights, the Declaration of Independence.

The benefits of freedom are safest when officials cannot make arbitrary and unpredictable laws. The rule of law means that laws are stable, limited in scope, and applied to every citizen, including those who make them.