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Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness: 20th Century United States History

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Full texts of primary sources for U.S. History, Government, and Civics classrooms. 


Primary Sources

Primary-source based, ready to use lesson plans for history, government, and civics classrooms


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BRI is a teacher service organization with over 20 years of history growing and supporting our educator network. Learn more about our resources.

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BRI has over 4,000 resources ready for you, including 650 lessons, 300 essays and nearly 300 videos.

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BRI offers free teacher professional development and community programs throughout the year. 

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Resources and opportunities for history and civics students.


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We the Students Essay Contest

Our online student debate platform. Prizes available!


Think the Vote

Our Washington, D.C. based Summer  programming.


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BRI has events, contests, and current event resources to engage your students throughout the year.

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Primary Source Close Reading with BRI investigates some of the most pivotal speeches and documents that made America. In this series, join BRI staff Kirk Higgins and guests as they dissect how seminal documents, court cases, and speeches forged America’s development and impact our lives today.


A Primary Source Close Reads Video Playlist

Short, classroom ready videos covering U.S. History, Government, and Civics topics


BRI’s Homework Help Series Video Playlist

BRIdge from the Past: Art Across U.S. History is a new YouTube series for students that explores an important historic image every episode to gain insights into the culture, politics, and society of a particular time in U.S. history. Host Mary Patterson will explain how each primary source is its own &#8220;window to the past,&#8221; revealing new areas for contemplation and discussion.


BRIdge from the Past: Art Across U.S. History Video Playlist

Join BRI Senior Teaching Fellow Tony Williams as he sits down with scholars to discuss historical topics throughout U.S. History.


BRI Scholar Talks Video Playlist

BRIs has hundreds of video resources to support you in the classroom. From explainer videos to interviews with scholars, all videos are ready for student use.

Videos

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Thanks to the generosity of our donors, the Bill of Rights Institute is honored to provide class sets of pocket constitutions (a maximum of 100 per teacher) to teachers around the United States. Please allow up to six weeks for delivery.

Request Pocket Constitutions

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Established in September 1999, the Bill of Rights Institute is a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization that works to engage, educate, and empower individuals with a passion for the freedom and opportunity that exist in a free society.

Bill Of Rights Institute

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Start with the building block of all narrative.

In a village of La Mancha, the name of which I have no desire to call to mind, there lived not long since one of those gentlemen that keep a lance in the lance-rack, an old buckler, a lean hack, and a greyhound for coursing.

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Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances.

Bill of Rights (1791)

Our free online U.S. History resource for high school students!

Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness

Debating matters of public concern is essential in a free, self-governing society. If citizens were not free to decide after listening to opposing views self-government would be distorted. At the core of the Declaration of Independence is the principle that government exists to protect individual rights for us, not that we exist to serve the government. Therefore the people are the master and the government is the servant. If the government can dictate what we can and cannot discuss, then it would imply that the servant can tell the master what to do.

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