Thematic Threads Across U.S. History

Freedom of Speech and Press

Summary: In this lesson, students examine the historical context and drafting of the First Amendment. Students will also examine various types of “speech,” such as symbolic speech, hate speech, and political speech, to address the scope of protections promised by the First Amendment. In each instance, students will explore when the government has some authority to restrict speech; areas of consensus among scholars, judges, and citizens; the strongest constitutional...

Summary: This series of lessons from the 1790s to today demonstrate the continuing conflict between the need to protect national security and to maintain the Constitutional protections of individual rights–both first amendment speech and press rights and fourth amendment privacy rights.

A debate about the Alien and Sedition Acts of 1798, which were enacted to prevent criticism of the Federalist government and were quickly repealed with the opposing party when it won the election of 1800. From...

iCivics

Summary: Two alternative approaches to considering United States immigration policy over its history. The iCivics lesson engages students with multiple online resources to explore the idea of “coming to America.” They peek at the history of immigration, learn some reasons why people migrate and what attracts them to America, and look at the naturalization process. Students try their hand at the civics part of the naturalization test and hear what U.S. citizenship means to some brand...

Innovations from New Jersey

Summary: In this series of interactive lessons ranging historically from Hamilton’s identification of the Great Falls as a resources for manufacturing, to John Stevens’ Steam engines, Alfred Vail and the telegraph, Thomas Edison, patent and the communications revolution, Selman Waksman and the development of antibiotics, and Bell Labs and the start of the electronic and internet revolution, students will be able to

Explain the scientific method and how it was used by...

The Unfinished Revolution

Summary: In this lesson, students will explore echoes of the Reconstruction era policy and principles, and will reflect on the idea of democracy as a continuous process rather than a fixed achievement. Students will understand that the work of ensuring a democracy’s success is never complete and that individuals and communities must constantly choose to act to defend and strengthen it. Students will also recognize that progress toward justice and equality often...

The Struggle for Women’s Rights in the 19th Century

 

Supreme Court and the Lives of American Women, 1908-2022

Summary: One lesson is focused on the struggle for women’s rights in the 19th century, with a historical role playing activity at the 1848 Women’s Rights Convention and another asking whether the women’s organizations should support the 15th Amendment which did not include the right to vote for women. The second lesson asks students to consider how Supreme Court decisions from 1908...

Civic Heroism

Summary: In this lesson, students will engage multiple online resources, learn about the duties of a U.S. citizen and consider how citizens translate everyday civic duties into acts of heroism and engagement. Students will be able to explain how active and involved citizens work to improve communities; identify opportunities for civic engagement; identify everyday civic heroes; assess their own potential to be a civic hero.

Overarching Questions:

CIVICS: How well does the...

Coming soon.

The Rule of Law and Why it Matters

Summary: In the United States, the rule of law guides the relationship between representatives and citizens between elections. This lesson provides students the opportunity to both learn what it means to respect the rule of law and consider its importance in a democracy. Students will first integrate excerpts from historical texts and contemporary justice organizations to define the elements of rule of law. Students will then listen to the travel experiences of an...