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Unit One: What are the historical and philosophical foundations of the American political system?

Helpful Web Sites:

​The Patriotic Post 
Includes great links to primary documents relating to philosophical foundations of the Constitution and other historic documents.
Second Treatise of Government 
This U.S.  Constitution page of this particular web site breaks down John Locke's Second Treatise of Government down into chapters. This is easier to navigate and look for Locke's opinions on a wide variety of  constitutional topics.
Text and Commentaries
The Library of Congress is a very helpful site. This particular page has links to annotated copies of the Constitution, historical  documents, and other documents from France and England that shaped the  U.S. Constitution.
In Search of Tocqueville's Democracy in America
Take the Alexis de Tocqueville Tour Exploring Democracy in America

Unit Two: How did the Framers create the Constitution?

Helpful Web Sites:
Adventures in Philosophy - American Philosophy
A few founding fathers and their philosophers--American philosophers: Thomas Jefferson, Adams, Ethan Allen, Thomas Paine, Ben Franklin, etc…
The National Archives Experience - America's Founding Fathers
The National Archives has some great information about the founding fathers with detail demographical information included.
The National Archives Experience - Constitution of the United States 
This is an article posted by the National Archives outlining the creation of the Constitution through ratification.

Unit Three: How has the Constitution been changed to further the ideals contained in the Declaration of Independence?

Helpful Web Sites:
The Constitution and the Emergence of Political Parties Timeline
This is a timeline that shows major events in the development of political parties in the United States.
The Avalon Project at Yale Law School
Yale Law School has designed an excellent site to search documents related to the Constitution. This link takes you to the page to search the Federalist Papers.
A History Of The Supreme Court
This page at Find Law is a brief history of the Supreme Court. The advantage is that the page has many links to additional information concerning John Marshall, Marbury v. Madison, and the evolution of Judicial Review.About The Supreme Court
The official site of the United States Supreme Court has it's own biographical sketches of past and current justices.
Understanding The Federal Courts
This is a great site if you want to understand the "nuts and bolts" of how the court system works.

Unit Four: How Have the Values and Principles Embodied in the Constitution Shaped American Institutions and Practices?

Web Sites for Court Cases:
Find Law 
You can use Find Law to search topics or actual cases. This site is also helpful if you are wondering what cases might have been discussed concerning a certain clause, section, or amendment of the Constitution.
Legal Information Institute - Cornell Law School 
The Cornell site can be searched for current and past court cases. It includes federal and state case law.
OYEZ - U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia 
This site is great if you want a synopsis or summary of a case without reading all of the related case documents. Their summaries include the facts of the case, question presented, and conclusion.
Relevant Court Cases
  • Heart of Atlanta Motel v. United States (1964) commerce clause and Civil Rights Act 1964.
  • Griswold v. Connecticut (1965) right to privacy in marital relations.
  • Roe v. Wade (1973) rights to an abortion, privacy protected by 14th Amendment.
  • Korematsu v. United States (1944) Japanese internment camps, individual rights, time of war.
  • Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) segregation on basis of separate-but-equal.
  • Brown v. Board of Education (1954) overturned separate-but-equal doctrine.
  • Boy Scouts of America v. Dale (2000) private organizations and admission of homosexuals.
  • Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) citizenship of slaves and blacks.
  • Baker v. Carr (1962) court jurisdiction over legislative apportionment.
  • Regents of the University of California v. Bakke (1978) racial quotas and admissions.
  • NAACP v. Alabama (1958) freedom and privacy of association under 1st Amendment.
  • Slaughterhouse Cases (1873) Bill of Rights protections at a state level.
  • Gitlow v. New York (1925) incorporation of 1st Amendment to states.
  • Powell v. Alabama (1932) right to counsel in death penalty cases.
  • Palko v. Connecticut (1937) 5th Amendment and incorporation on a state level.
  • Harper v. Virginia State Board of Education (1966) poll taxes and 14th Amendment.
  • Minor v. Happersett (1875) citizenship and right to vote.
  • Oregon v. Mitchell (1970) voting age for state and national elections.
  • Ward’s Cove Packing Co. v. Atonio (1989) right to sue for discrimination and effects.
  • Grutter v. Bollinger (2003) - University of Michigan Law School affirmative action and admissions.
  • Gratz v. Bollinger (2003) - University of Michigan undergraduate admissions and affirmative action.

Unit Five: What Rights Does the Bill of Rights Protect?

Web Sites for Court Cases:
Find Law
You can use Find Law to search topics or actual cases. This site is also helpful if you are wondering what cases might have  been discussed concerning a certain clause, section, or amendment of  the Constitution.
Cornell Law School - Legal Information Institute
Use this site to search for current and past court cases. It includes federal and state case law.
OYEZ - U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia
This site is great if you want a synopsis  or summary of a case without reading all of the related case documents.  Their summaries include the facts of the case, question presented, and conclusion.
The Bill of Rights Institute 
Bill of Rights Institute has a large selection of free lesson plans available to teachers looking for a way to bring the Bill of Rights and the Constitution to life. Primary Source Activities, Citizenship and Character Lessons, and Historical Narratives offer new ideas for the study of the amendments to the U.S. Constitution and how those amendments affect U.S. society.
Relevant Court Cases
  • Abington School District v. Schempp (1963) - public schools, classroom religious exercises, and the First Amendment.
  • Al Odah v. United States (2004) - Patriot Act, enemy combatants, jurisdiction and Guantanamo Bay.
  • Dennis v. United States (1951) - further clarification of  clear and present danger and stipulations.
  • Engel v. Vitale (1962) - nondenominational prayer in school and establishment clause.
  • Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) - right to counsel for those who can’t afford it.
  • Gitlow v. new York (1925) - First Amendment and incorporation.
  • Lawrence and Garner v. Texas (2003) - Texas sodomy case and right to privacy.
  • Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971) - religious tests applicable to establishment clause.
  • Mapp v. Ohio (1961) - illegal search evidence and exclusionary rule.
  • Miller v. California (1973) - obscenity and the First Amendment.
  • Miranda v. Arizona (1966) - rights when arrested.
  • New York Times v. Sullivan (1964) - free speech, libel, and public officials.
  • New York Times v. United States (1971) - clarified clear and present danger and restraint of press.
  • Rasul v. Bush (2004) - jurisdiction of Guantanamo Bay detainees and Patriot Act.
  • Roth v. United States (1957) - obscenity and free speech.
  • Schenck v. United States (1919) - limitations to free speech - clear and present danger.
  • Stone v. Graham (1980) - Ten Commandments only religious, no other purpose.
  • Texas v. Johnson (1989) - flag-burning and freedom of expression.
  • Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) - armbands, freedom of expression, and public schools.
  • Wisconsin v. Yoder (1972) - free exercise of religion and mandatory school attendance past eighth grade.

Unit Six: What Challenges Might Face American Constitutional Democracy in the Twenty-first Century?

Web Sites for Court Cases:
Find Law
You can use Find Law to search topics or actual cases. This site is also helpful if you are wondering what cases might have  been discussed concerning a certain clause, section, or amendment of  the Constitution.
Cornell Law School - Legal Information Institute
Use this site to search for current and past court cases. It includes federal and state case law.
OYEZ - U.S. Supreme Court Multimedia
This site is great if you want a synopsis  or summary of a case without reading all of the related case documents.  Their summaries include the facts of the case, question presented, and conclusion.

Relevant Court Cases:
  • Tuan Anh Nguyen v. INS (2001) rights of citizenship and due process to children born abroad to a citizen parent.
  • Dred Scott v. Sanford (1857) citizenship of slaves and blacks.
  • Kennedy v. Mendoza-Martinez (1963) residency, the draft, and loss of citizenship.
  • Plyler v. Doe (1982) education for children of illegal aliens.
  • Hoffman Plastic Compounds, Inc. v. NLRB (2002) civil rights and residency requirements.
Helpful Web Sites:
Republicanism and Democracy 
This is a great article relating to classical republicanism and American democracy.
In Search of Tocqueville's Democracy in America
Take the Alexis de Tocqueville Tour Exploring Democracy in America.

Congressional Hearing Instructions

Sample Questions
Level one hearings questions
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Level two hearings questions
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High school level hearing questions
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Instructions for Judges
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Instructions for judges
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Reminders for judges
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Scoring criteria
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Hearing score sheet
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Scoring guide
File Size: 188 kb
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Rules of competition
File Size: 77 kb
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Strategies for struggling readers: 

Strategies for struggling readers: Middle level
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Strategies for struggling readers: High School
File Size: 1108 kb
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