In this activity students will analyze the Declaration of Intention for Albert Einstein and identify how the document demonstrates content contained within Article I, sections 8-10 of the Constitution in action.

This activity is designed to prepare students for the Constitution-in-Action Lab at the National Archives in Washington, DC. It is a part of a package of activities associated with the lab experience.

The Constitution acted like a colossal merger, uniting a group of states with different interests, laws, and cultures. Under Americaâ"s first national government, the Articles of Confederation, the states acted together only for specific purposes. The Constitution united its citizens as members of a whole, vesting the power of the union in the people. Without it, the American Experiment might have ended as quickly as it had begun.

This source consists of scans of the Constitution of the United States of America. This document was drafted in secret by the delegates to the Constitutional Convention, and was signed on September 17, 1787, establishing the government of the United States.

The Constitution was written in the summer of 1787 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, by delegates from 12 states, in order to replace the Articles of Confederation with a new form of government. It created a federal system with a national government composed of 3 separated powers, and included both reserved and concurrent powers of states. The president of the Constitutional Convention, the body that framed the new government, was George Washington, though James Madison is known as the "Father of the Constitution" because of his great contributions to the formation of the new government. Gouverneur Morris wrote the Constitutionâ"s final language. The Constitution was a compact – though Federalists and Anti-Federalists disagreed over whether the states or the people were the agents of the compact.

This lesson plan focuses on the essential question: How does philosophy affect the way a judge reads the Constitution and what is the effect of that? Teachers will use the Annenberg Classroom video âA Conversation on the Constitution: Judicial Interpretationâ in which Supreme Court Justices Antonin Scalia, a strict constructionist, and Stephen Breyer, an evolutionist, debate how the Constitution should be interpreted.

Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. and a group of students discuss the U.S. Supreme Court: its history and evolution; how the justices select, hear and decide cases; and the role of an independent judiciary and other issues crucial to a healthy democracy today.

Supreme Court Justice Anthony M. Kennedy leads a discussion with students about the Miranda v. Arizona case, which established that criminal suspects, at the time of their arrest and before any interrogation, must be told of their Fifth Amendment protection against self-incrimination and Sixth Amendment right to an attorney. The decision led to the familiar Miranda warning that begins "You have the right to remain silent..."

Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and a group of high school students discuss the Fourth Amendment right against unreasonable search and seizure in the context of the landmark U.S. Supreme Court case Mapp v. Ohio and the importance of the exclusionary rule, which says that evidence gathered in an illegal search cannot be used in court.

Justice Stephen G. Breyer and a group of high school students discuss separation of powers among the three branches of government in connection with the pay discrimination case Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co. that resulted in a 2009 law called the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act.

Justice Stephen G. Breyer talks with high school students about the role and importance of dissenting opinions when the U.S. Supreme Court decides cases.

Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Anthony M. Kennedy and Sandra Day O'Connor and students discuss students' free speech rights in the Supreme Court cases Tinker v. Des Moines Independent Community School District and Morse v. Frederick. In the Tinker case, students wore black armbands to school in silent protest of the Vietnam War. The three students were sent home. In the Morse case, a student held up a sign that said âBong Hits 4 Jesusâ at a school-supervised parade and was subsequently suspended for 10 days

High school students join Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Anthony M. Kennedy and Sandra Day O'Connor to discuss why an independent judiciary is necessary and the way the Constitution safeguards the role of judges so that they in turn can safeguard the rights of minorities and those with unpopular views.

Justices Stephen G. Breyer, Sandra Day O'Connor and Anthony M. Kennedy discuss the history and responsibilities of juries and the role they play in the U.S. judicial system.

Justices Sandra Day O'Connor, Stephen G. Breyer and Anthony M. Kennedy and high school students discuss the Sixth Amendment right to trial by an impartial jury in the context of Edmonson v. Leesville Concrete Co. In this landmark jury selection case, the Court ruled that under the 14th Amendment's equal protection clause, parties in civil cases cannot use race-based peremptory challenges to reject potential jurors.

Before an audience of high school students, Justices Stephen G. Breyer and Antonin Scalia debate their different theories on how to interpret the Constitution and how they are applied to cases before the U.S. Supreme Court. Justice Scalia describes his textualist, strict constructionist philosophy while Justice Breyer explains his developmentalist, evolutionist philosophy.
Closed captions available in English.

Three key components of the Fourteenth Amendment – due process, equal protection, and privileges and immunities – are explored in this lesson, which centers on the video âA Conversation on the Constitution: The Fourteenth Amendment.â In the video, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg speaks with high school students about the Fourteenth Amendment and the protections it offers.

This lesson explains the structure and function of the judicial branch. Students will learn how the Supreme Court originated, how cases are selected, and why it is an important institution. In the accompanying Annenberg Classroom video "A Conversation on the Constitution: The Origin, Nature and Importance of the Supreme Court," Chief Justice John G. Roberts answers students' questions about the Supreme Court and his role as chief justice of the United States.

In this new version of Court Quest, jump on the Justice Express and help guide ordinary citizens who are looking for justice through local, state and federal court systems.

Government and History videos--There is a YouTube channel done by Craig Benzill. He has multiple videos on government topics. Most videoÕs are between 5-10 minutes. Very easy to watch and can be used to introduce or summarize a concept. LW