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Discover the four features of a sovereign state. Graphic organizers and mini-quizzes help reinforce the information, while students create a fictional country to apply what they've…
Students learn about the different forms of government that exist, including democracy, autocracy, oligarchy, and others. They compare and contrast these types of government, and…
Explore the five basic limits on government through the true story of Peruvian president Alberto Fujimori, and other fictional cases of government power gone wild.
From the basics about slavery to the attitudes that defended it and the efforts of those who wanted to see it abolished, in this lesson students learn about this dark part of…
Great question! We ask Thomas Hobbes and John Locke to help us find an answer. The thing is, they don't agree. Dig into the philosophers' ideas and see how they've influenced those…
This lesson guides volunteers through a great class activity for Constitution Day. Enjoyed this activity? Find more Constitution Day resources in this collection. *Note: One or…
This mini-lesson takes a look at the role of fair and impartial courts in American life. Students learn about how judges are selected and held accountable. It also looks at how…
Your students may be too young to register to vote, but it’s never too early to learn about what it takes to get to the ballot! This activity is a great way to kick off the…
Students learn the basic steps of civic engagement and what it takes to make change. Along the way, they explore the change-making examples of four key movements: women's rights,…
Discover how William Blackstone and his Commentaries on the Laws of England influenced America’s founders, founding documents, and legal system.
If you’ve seen one constitution, have you seen them all? Compare and contrast the provisions of the U.S. Constitution alongside the state constitutions of Florida and Virginia.…
Starting a brand new nation was a tough job for America’s first presidents—and it didn’t help that many Americans were wary of the new central government. In this lesson, students…
With the end of the Revolutionary War, America’s geographical size doubled… but how should new territory be added to the United States? Learn about the issues raised by this…
From the time Columbus first set foot in North America, Europeans were interested in the continent. In this American colonization lesson, students learn about the three main…
With the Oregon Treaty, the United States added what today is the Pacific Northwest. In this mini-lesson, students learn how it happened, what tensions were involved, and how…
The United States annexed Texas after years of debate. In this mini-lesson, students learn about Texas’ independence from Mexico, the role of slavery in delaying Texas’ admission,…
The Mexican-American War ended with Mexico giving up a million acres of land to the United States. In this lesson, students learn about Americans’ drive to expand west, tensions…
In this lesson, students get an introduction to the concept of Manifest Destiny. Even before the phrase “Manifest Destiny” was first used in 1845, many Americans believed the U.S.…
This skit-driven lesson explores the six factors that make up the rule of law and how they protect individual rights and freedoms in our day to day lives. Students then connect the…
The debate over slavery ultimately helped drive the United States into civil war, but before it did, there were decades of careful balance between slaves states and free states. In…
Lesson Plan