Build a foundational understanding of the constitutional system of United States government and how the system evolved over the course of U.S. History. Each resource contains full lesson plans, essays, activities, teacher support materials and student comprehension questions.
CurriculumCan people be both hateful and noble? Explore the answer to this question as you dive into the story of America’s founding and founding documents. Documents of Freedom is a U.S. history and government curriculum covering the Founding vision for American government and the on-going struggle to achieve it.
CurriculumHow can you help your students develop critical thinking skills? Explore Landmark Supreme Court cases that changed history. Give your students tools to evaluate the Court's rulings and their impact on American society. Analyze primary sources spanning five centuries--colonial codes of law, the Federalist Papers, the Constitution, contemporary photographs, case law, oral arguments, the Court's majority and dissenting opinions, and others. Each Document Based Question (DBQ) will lead them towards an understanding of the role played by the Court and an assessment of its decisions. Each DBQ also contains a section called "The Issue Endures," which highlights current applications of the case issue.
CurriculumHow does a system of self-governance support American ideals? Explore the foundations and operation of representative government through constitutional principles and examine how a vibrant civil society and the practice of civic virtues serve to promote our common endeavor. This resource will contain scholar-written essays, videos, game-based learning, and more.
Each lesson and activity developed by the Bill of Rights Institute explores how the Founding principles built into the Constitution allowed the American people to protect and advance freedom and opportunity for all.
Engage your students in current events debates with students from across the country. Help them build argumentation, critical thinking skills, and deepen their knowledge of the civic issues around them. Debates are hosted bi-weekly throughout the school year and prizes are awarded to students who have the best answers on either side.
See the Debates
Students exercise civic skills every day when they impact their communities. Help them get the recognition they deserve for their service-learning projects, community service projects, faith-community or club service projects. This school-year contest is open to students aged 13-19 and boasts over $40,000 in prize money.
Find out MoreFocused on a topic in the news or a recent Supreme Court decision, these lessons are quick and ready-to-use. They often pair with our Think the Vote questions.
Save time searching for news articles by using our curated articles. Articles are gathered from a variety of sources. Searchable by topic and Constitutional principle.
Examine the design, powers, history, and modern reality of the U.S Congress.
Discuss the Executive Branch powers and build informed and critically-minded students.
Explore the topic of American religious liberty and its enduring importance.
Share the U.S. immigration story and give students tools to analyze current policy debates.
Our short, classroom-ready videos can be used for warm-up or review and can easily be assigned as homework through your Learning Management Systems or through our student app!
Use our videos, online PD courses, and classroom-ready tools to support the instruction you provide to your students.
