Idaho State University Political Science Professor David Gray Adler examines what he describes as the great constitutional crisis of the day: the usurpation and abdication of constitutional roles by President and Congress. Building his argument on the concerns of the Framers, Dr. Adler points to the endangerment to liberty posed by the erosion of checks and balances.
Audio and video options are available.
Patrick Manning, Andrew W. Mellon Professor of World History at the University of Pittsburgh seeks to widen Constitutional understanding by situating the Constitution's foundation in a global context. He urges listeners to consider social movements from around the world in the quest to understand ways in which the U.S. Constitution was both unique and representative of the era.
To listen to this lecture, select "Lecture Audio: Patriots, Revolution and Constitutions Presentation" under "Presentation Materials."
Professor Gordon Lloyd looks at the Constitutional Convention and the debate over what form the new government and its constitution should take. He examines the Virginia Plan, the revised Virginia Plan, the New Jersey Plan, and the Hamilton Proposal.
To listen to this lecture, scroll to session four, and select the RealAudio text or image in the gray bar to the left of the main body text.
Eric Arnesen, Professor of History and African American Studies at the University of Chicago addresses the interplay between the African-American experience between Reconstruction and the Great Migration, the U.S. Constitution, and shifting democratic ideals.
Audio and video options are available.
Jack Rakove of Stanford University examines the creation and significance of the Bill of Rights, arguing that it is perhaps not as significant as popularly believed.
To listen to this lecture, select "The Bill of Rights" under "Listen to Dr. Rakove's lectures."
Professor Robin Einhorn looks at the 19th-century understanding of the Constitution and the changes that were made to it following the Civil War.
In the future, look for more entries by practicing teachers we've selected to bring you their experiences connecting students with primary sources and/or using technology and digital resources to support and enrich their teaching. Teachers will come from elementary, middle, and high school; some have been teaching for years and some have just started out. Each will have their own unique insights on teaching U.S. history and social studies.
Amy Trenkle teaches 8th-grade U.S. history at Stuart-Hobson Middle School in Washington, DC. A National Board Certified Teacher in early adolescence social studies/history, she has taught in DC since 1999. Amy believes in experiential learning and using the museums in her city and across the country to make concrete connections for her students to their history curriculum. She has served on several advisory boards to local museums, including the Smithsonian Center for Education and Museum Studies, the National Museum of American History, the Newseum and the National Building Museum. An active participant in the DC Council for the Social Studies, National Council for the Social Studies, and DC Geographic Alliance, Amy the received the DC History Teacher of the Year Award in 2005 as sponsored by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Currently, Amy is serving as an adjunct professor of education at American University.
This year, celebrating Constitution Day was a school-wide affair.
Thanks to a special grant opportunity offered through the Newseum and 1 for All, students at my school became aware of, or reviewed, their First Amendment rights.
Students took a field trip to the Newseum, where they had a class taught by a Newseum educator about the First Amendment, and then visited the First Amendment Gallery, both highlighting issues related to the First Amendment today.
Upon returning to school, students in each grade level shared what they learned in different forms. The 5th grade made sidewalk chalk drawings, the 6th graders made a mural about their First Amendment rights, 7th graders left their impressions of the First Amendment via window drawings with washable window paint, and 8th graders made a linoleum print about the First Amendment.
As the 8th-grade U.S. History teacher, I really wanted to emphasize the importance of the First Amendment—we will be studying it more in-depth later this year, but what a great opportunity to bring it to life now! To prepare my students for this trip, we took a walk around several blocks near the school. Students listed as much evidence as they could for our five First Amendment rights in action. I directed them not to just look for signs, but to listen for them and to really observe.
Students came up with the following:
Armed with our examples in our neighborhood, I felt we were ready for our field trip. We had a great time—the students LOVE going to the Newseum. As a teacher, I felt that they deepened their understand of the First Amendment and connected it to what we did in class.
Our final activity, upon our return, was to synthesize what we learned through a print. Students were first asked to choose one of the five parts of the First Amendment to focus on. They then were tasked with finding a quote, lyrics, or saying that they felt related to that part of the First Amendment, and to cite it. Then, they drew a sketch of how they would illustrate this on a print.
The next day a local artist, Alexandra Huttinger, came in and taught the students how to make linoleum-cut prints. Each student carved his/her own linoleum and then printed their print. They then wrote what their print was about. These will be displayed in our school's foyer.
Taylor chose to focus on the Freedom of Assembly because "the right to assemble is very important to me." She chose to illustrate her drawing as she did because "to protest you could have megaphones and signs." From this activity she learned "that our First Amendment rights are important to us as Americans."
Virgil chose to illustrate the Freedom of Petition "because it got my attention because I remembered the Tea Partiers." He used a quote from his father: "We have a right to protest against things that we feel are not right." He chose to illustrate his right as he did "because people signing a paper to get things or to relieve things is a form of petition." As for the activity? Virgil says, "It is a really fun experience!"
Ashley chose to highlight Freedom of Speech. "I chose to focus on this particular part of the First Amendment because I think that the Freedom of Speech is used the most," wrote Ashley. She used a quote from Benjamin Franklin that she found on thinkexist.com: "Without the freedom of thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom, and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech." Ashley explains her choice: "I chose to illustrate the First Amendment as I did because I thought it really illustrates what my feelings are about Freedom of Speech. The mouth represents speech and the flag as the tongue in the mouth represents freedom." She "enjoyed learning how to print and about our First Amendment rights again."
Whether it was new or a review for students, I felt, as a teacher, that my students were thinking about the First Amendment and their rights on Constitution Day. I'm very proud of their work!
Visit the Newseum's website to explore the museum's resources for students and teachers yourself.
Also check out 1 for All, a nonpartisan educational campaign seeking to celebrate and publicize the rights granted by the First Amendment. The website offers lesson plans for all grade levels, and links to further resources.
On this electronic field trip, students get the chance to see up close historical documents such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution. Students will also have entry to the entire Independence National Historical Park with 21 historical sites available for fascinating tours.
A cooperative effort, this online repository presents 100 milestone documents in American history. The first document is the Richard Henry Lee Resolution of June 7, 1776, proposing independence for the American colonies. The last is the Voting Rights Act of 1965. In between, visitors will find Eli Whitney's 1794 cotton gin patent, the 1862 Pacific Railway Act, and the 1896 Plessy vs. Ferguson ruling.
Additional documents include the 1882 Chinese Exclusion Act, Keating-Owen Child Labor Act of 1916, and orders and addresses by several presidents, including Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Dwight D. Eisenhower. There is a full-page scan and transcription of each document. In addition to the chronological list of 100 documents, the site includes a "People's Vote." Of the 100 documents, Americans voted the Declaration of Independence number one, followed by the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.
Constitutional issues come to life in this Emmy Award-winning series. Key political, legal, and media professionals engage in spontaneous and heated debates on controversial issues such as campaign spending, the right to die, school prayer, and immigration reform. This series will deepen understanding of the life and power of this enduring document and its impact on history and current affairs, while bringing biases and misconceptions to light. This video instructional series on the American Constitution is appropriate for college and high school classrooms and adult learners; it consists of 13 one-hour video programs and coordinated books.