In the course of this lesson, students will consider the point where respect and freedom of expression intersect. For homework the night before, students are asked to review the language of the First Amendment, as well as examine their definition of respect by responding to a writing prompt. The next day, students are asked to consider five controversial instances of free speech and participate in a discussion that attempts to draw the distinction between: private versus government action regarding speech; and rights of the speakers and rights of the listener.

Students will discuss the purpose of propaganda posters in a think-pair-share, and identify posters they have seen both inside and outside of school. Students will view and respond to images from Philadelphia’s National Constitution Center’s exhibition Art of the American Soldier.

Throughout the history of our nation the word liberty has been of significance. This lesson will ask students to explore the word: its meaning through symbols, its historical significance through the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution and other important primary sources from the Founding Era, and its application to our world today. Students will also learn more about the Liberty Medal, an award presented annually by the National Constitution Center to men and women of courage and conviction who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe.

The events of September 11, 2001, changed our nation forever. Student in grades 7-12 are old enough to remember the events of this historic day. This guide is designed to help students consider the idea of memory in connection to the events of September 11.

This lesson, which includes a pre-lesson and post-lesson, is intended to be used in conjunction with the National Constitution Center’s Women of Power program. Together, they provide students with an overview of the contributions made by powerful women throughout United States history. In this lesson, students begin by testing their knowledge of how famous men and women have impacted the country’s cultural, social, political and economic development since the colonial period.

This lesson, which includes a pre-lesson and post-lesson, is intended to be used in conjunction with the National Constitution Center’s Breaking Barriers program. Together, they provide students with first-hand experience about how African-American individuals have broken barriers to racial integration in the United States, achieving equal rights and making lasting contributions to the country’s political, social and cultural development. In this lesson, students begin by learning about the concept of rights.

What does Thanksgiving mean to you? What does it mean to the United States? What do you know about the first Thanksgiving? What does Thanksgiving have to do with other holidays? What is your favorite Thanksgiving tradition? What can Thanksgiving tell us about being active citizens? Watch this video to learn about the history of Thanksgiving.

The recent war in Iraq has precipitated a nationwide debate on a longstanding Constitutional and political question: What are the respective roles and responsibilities of the executive and legislative branches in making war? In the course of this lesson, students will examine the constitutional, legal, political and historical sources of this debate and apply them to the current conflict in Iraq and to other situations both past and present.

This lesson, which includes a pre-lesson and post-lesson, is intended to be used in conjunction with the National Constitution Center’s Breaking Barriers program. Together, they provide students with first-hand experience about how African-American individuals have broken barriers to racial integration in the United States, achieving equal rights and making lasting contributions to the country’s political, social and cultural development. In this lesson, students work in groups to research selected events that characterized the civil rights movement.

In this lesson students will investigate national election stump speeches and then create their own.

Abraham Lincoln’s Crossroads is a classroom activity designed to support the National Constitution Center’s online game of the same name and the nationally touring exhibition Lincoln: The Constitution and the Civil War. The online game is intended for advanced middle- and high-school students. It invites them to learn about Lincoln’s leadership by exploring the political choices he made. An animated Lincoln introduces a situation, asks for advice, and prompts players to decide the issue for themselves before learning the actual outcome.

This lesson, which includes a pre-lesson and post-lesson, is intended to be used in conjunction with the National Constitution Center’s Breaking Barriers program. Together, they provide students with first-hand experience about how African-American individuals have broken barriers to racial integration in the United States, achieving equal rights and making lasting contributions to the country’s political, social and cultural development. In this lesson, students work in groups to research selected events that characterized the civil rights movement.

This lesson is designed to acquaint students with sections of the Bill of Rights through the use of Caldecott Medal Books and other picture books.

The Articles of Confederation gave both the United States Congress and the individual states the authority to issue money and regulate its value. The money issued in one state was of no value when the residents of that state traveled to another state. Use this resource to teach students about money in the U.S.A.

In this lesson, students work in groups to research selected events that characterized the civil rights movement and present their events to the class. After the program, they return to the classroom to read and discuss A More Perfect Union, the speech that Barack Obama delivered as a presidential candidate at the National Constitution Center in March 2008. They conclude the lesson by writing essays in response to one of the speech’s key ideas.

Part of being an active citizen is taking care of your environment! In this exciting episode, find out all about the history of the environmental movement in the United States, and the origins of the holiday we know as Earth Day. We'll find out why protecting our environment is so important, and take a look at some easy ways you can make your life more green every day! Join us as we look at ways to create a healthier environment -- let&'s go green!

Where did the ideas for changes to the Constitution come from? What kinds of changes were being suggested? How did the Bill of Rights become part of the Constitution? Were all of the proposed changes accepted? How long did it take for them to be approved? Which freedoms are protected by the Bill of Rights? Which ones do you use regularly or rarely? When did the Bill of Rights become a more central part of how the Constitution is interpreted? Why?

This lesson is designed to introduce students to the Constitution. It can be used as a one-day lesson to fulfill the Constitution Day requirement or as a means to begin a conversation about the framers of the Constitution. It has been carefully designed to highlight the three spheres of civic education as detailed by the National Constitution Center; that is, the lesson includes civic knowledge, active citizenship, and democratic deliberation.

The National Constitution Center announced that former British Prime Minister Tony Blair will receive the 2010 Liberty Medal. This award is given annually to men and women of courage and conviction who strive to secure the blessings of liberty to people around the globe. Students will discuss and further define the criterion, with the help of the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution, and use it to nominate an individual who lived during the Foundering Era.

Art of the American Soldier: Stories from the Soldiers encourages students to deepen their appreciation of war art through watching and listening to veteran war experiences. Students are then asked to point out details in the artwork they had not previously noticed before listening to the veteran war stories. Art of the American Soldier: Comparing and Contrasting Photography and Painting in War Art encourages students to use photography to analyze artwork for details regarding the historical context of 20th and 21st century wars and conflicts.

State of the Union Bingo is a tool designed to engage students in the President’s annual address to Congress. The lesson begins during the class prior to the address with the teacher providing background information about the State of the Union Address and examining the Constitutional requirement of the annual address. As a homework assignment, students are then each given a State of the Union Bingo card to use while watching the speech. The next class session, the cards are used as a discussion starter as well as a tool to analyze the President’s agenda for the coming year.