This game immerses students in the workings of our three branches of government. Players take on the roles of legislator, president and Supreme Court justice to get constitutional laws enacted. Players must juggle several bills at once while holding press conferences and town hall meetings.

Do your students like running things? The new version of Branches of Power allows them to do something that no one else can: control all three branches of the U.S. government.

In Branches of Power your students will:

Pick leaders for each branch of government
Create a presidential agenda and learn about the executive branch powers
Introduce bills and pass laws out of Congress
Apply judicial review to passed laws

Join our panelists Thomas Duckenfield, Trustee for the Nomini Hall Slave Legacy Project, Dr. Andrew Levy, Author of The First Emancipator: The Forgotten Story of Robert Carter, the Founding Father Who Freed His Slaves, and Gerry Underdown, Actor Interpreter with Colonial Williamsburg, as they discuss those that physically built the nation, those that built the nation with enlightened ideas, and their combined lasting legacy.
This is part of our national conversation series, US: Past, Present, Future. Learn more at colonialwilliamsburg.org/us.

Calling on her two best known books, A Brilliant Solution: Inventing the US Constitution and Revolutionary Mothers: Women in the Struggle for America's Independence, Carol Berkin, Presidential Professor of American Colonial and Revolutionary History at Baruch College and the Graduate Center, City University of New York, briefly discusses some aspects of the American Revolution and the creation of the US Constitution.

This documentary tells the story of Lilly Ledbetter, whose fight for equal pay for equal work eventually involved all three branches of government. Her U.S. Supreme Court case, Ledbetter v. Goodyear Tire and Rubber Co., turned on the interpretation of the 180-day statute of limitations for filing a discrimination complaint under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. After losing at the Supreme Court, Ledbetter urged Congress to start the 180-day clock for filing a complaint on the date an employee learned of the discrimination. The result was the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.

Closed captions available in English and Spanish.

What should a Capitol building look like? How does the U.S. Capitol building serve as a symbol of the U.S. government?

The Founders designed a system of checks and balances into our Constitution so we'd avoid abuses of power that had been experienced under British rule. Join James Madison and John Marshall for a discussion along with 21st century politicians to learn if that system still functions as intended.

This lesson will focus on the case Korematsu v. U.S. in comparison with other times in U.S. history when the government was faced with the challenge of how to protect the country during war and, at the same time, protect individual freedoms. Using primary sources, students will examine five events in which U.S. citizens were forced to give up their civil liberties in times of war, highlighting the tension between liberty and security. Students will analyze these events to determine what groups were affected and the reasoning for and against the government action to decide if the government action was justified. Students will be able to form an opinion on the essential question: Is our government ever justified in restricting civil liberties for the security of the nation?

How does a bill become a law? What is the role of Congress and the President in this process? How did the Clean Water Act of 1972 become a law?

The Sixth Amendment's confrontation clause gives the accused the right âto be confronted with the witnesses against himâ at a criminal trial. This film uses the U.S. Supreme Court case Crawford v. Washington to help explain the history and importance of the confrontation clause and why the framers knew it would be crucial to an effective system of justice.â

What is a biography? Who are the people who represent Americans in Congress? How do you compose a biography about one of the representatives?

The text of the United States Constitution translated into Spanish. The page does have advertisements as well, so it is best used as a teacher resource.

They met in Philadelphia in May 1787. Fifty-five men from 12 different states gathered, intending to revise the Articles of Confederation... Thus began the Constitutional Convention – the four-month process of secret argument, debate and compromise that produced a document that would soon be known in all corners of the globe: the Constitution of the United States. This primary source set includes documents and images. A teacher guide is included to assist educators in utilizing the primary sources in their instruction.

How do liberty and equality interact in the Constitution? On Friday, September 17th from 10:30 AM to 3:00 PM ET, the Bill of Rights Institute streamed this live event and welcomed scholars, thinkers, and teachers to explore the relevancy of the Constitution today. How can we work to balance liberty and equality in our communities? Where do tensions arise between the two principles, and what tools from the Constitution can we use to work toward resolution?

How is the Constitution structured? In this episode of our "Close Reads: Explained" series, Kirk tackles the Constitution and explains its biggest concepts to you. What does the document teach us about the government it defines?

Take the Constitution quiz to find out how much you know about the Constitution of the United States of America.

This document is a glossary of words, phrases, and concepts used in the United States Constitution. Note that some words are defined only as they apply to the Constitution itself. The page does have advertisements as well, so it is best used as a teacher resource.

In this activity students will analyze documents that span the course of American history to determine their connection to the U.S. Constitution. Students will then make connections between the primary sources they have examined and sections of the Constitution, and determine the big idea(s) found in the Constitution exemplified by each.

This webpage explains the basics of the U.S. Constitution at an upper elementary and middle school level. It includes the following sections: Basics, History, Amendments, Slavery, Women, Bill of Rights, How it all Works. The page does have advertisements as well, so it is best used as a teacher resource.