Constitutional Issues
The Evolution of the Bill of Rights
Students explore the stormy history of the Bill of Rights from the original Virginia Declaration of Rights in 1776 to the states' ratification of the first 10 amendments in 1791. The lessons cover the discussion regarding incorporation of a Bill of Rights at the Constitutional Convention, a role play of the Federalist and Antifederalist debates, and a Readers' Theatre dramatizing the House debates. The unit is packed with documents and concludes with several later cases involving the application of principles embraced by the Bill of Rights. 100 p. Grades 5–12
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[NH121-LA6] $16.95 Reproducible
The Constitution in Crisis: The Red Scare of 1919-1920
This unit examines the anti-communist scare of 1919-1920. Students will read excerpts from the Espionage Act of 1917, the Sedition Act of 1918, and the unanimous court opinion authored by Justice Holmes in the Schenck case. They will also read anarchist leaflets and opinions in the Abrams and Gitlow cases, a Readers' Theater on Attorney General A. Mitchell Palmer's "Case Against the Reds," and letters by political leaders and other concerned citizens to President Wilson on issues of free speech, free press, civil rights and liberties, and peaceable assembly. 70 p. Grades 9–12
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[NH173-LA6] $16.95 Reproducible
With Speech as My Weapon:
Emma Goldman and the First Amendment
Co-Published with the Emma Goldman Papers
This unit provides students with the opportunity to explore freedom of expression by focusing on Emma Goldman, a major figure in the history of American radicalism and feminism. In a period when expression of controversial ideas was itself dangerous, Goldman insisted on her right to challenge convention. Devoting her life to assessing the individual's potential for freedom, Goldman left an intriguing body of personal papers, and her activities generated extensive newspaper coverage, government surveillance reports, and legal papers. Students will investigate documents drawn from these sources in a study of issues related to freedom of expression. 80 p. Grades 8–12
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[NH149-LA6] $16.95 Reproducible
For this theme, see also:
The Code of Hammurabi: Law of Mesopotamia
Lights of Liberty (Constitutional history)
Congress Debates Slavery, 1790-1800
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