Home > Foundations of Government > Philosophically Correct

Learning Objectives

  • Recognize philosophers and their ideas
  • Compare how philosophers have explained the relationship between people and their government
  • Understand how philosophers have envisioned the ideal government
  • Explain how philosopher’s ideas influenced America’s Founders
  • Identify the philosophies included in America’s founding documents, such as the Declaration of Independence

Overview

What exactly is the ideal government? Let some of history's leading philosophers give you their take. In this government philosophy lesson, students explore how philosophers have explained the relationship between people and their governments and examine how those ideas influenced America's founding documents.

iCivics en español! Student and class materials for this lesson are available in Spanish.

Access engaging resources with an iCivics account!

Create your free iCivics account and discover standards aligned lessons and games that meet all of your instructional needs. Our nonpartisan classroom resources engage students with complex concepts in ways they can understand and relate to.

Tags

Pedagogy Tags
History Connection
Primary Source
Writing
EL/ML
Spanish
Tech Options
No Tech Required
Web browser
Integrations
Kami
PDF
State standards icon

View state standards alignment

Search State Standards

Use the Scope & Sequence to help you plan your iCivics classroom experience!

Whether you enjoy finding opportunities within a well-structured sequence of resources or prefer looking around for pieces and bits that can be jigsawed together, our Scope & Sequence documents are a perfect reference point for planning. Scope & Sequence documents are available for elementary, middle, and high school classrooms and list all of our resources in one place.

View the Scope & Sequence