This short video traces the evolution of James Madison’s thinking about the necessity of a Bill of Rights. While originally opposed to both a bill of rights and conditional ratification, Madison came to appreciate the political and the practical efficacy of both. Professor Jack Rakove notes that, unlike many bills of rights which use the phrase “the government ought not”, the American Bill of Rights says “the government shall not”, thus creating a set of legal commands to limit government.
Antifederalist Objections to the Constitution
This short video highlights two major Antifederalist objections to the Constitution. They were concerned that the Constitution did not contain a bill of rights, something many colonial charters and state constitutions had included. Secondly, the Constitution significantly reduced state sovereignty in favor of a stronger central government. Professor John Kaminski examines the Antifederalist concerns about the ambiguous nature of the power of the central government.
Voices of History
Voices of History is a collection of eight Bill of Rights Institute curriculum resources including Being An American, Preserving the Bill of Rights, Founders and the Constitution, Supreme Court DBQs, Liberty and Security in Modern Times, Religious Liberty: An American Experiment, and Heroes and Villains. Teachers will have free access to each resources’ lessons plans and handouts.
Making Civics Real
A multimedia workshop for high school civics teachers. It includes 8, 1-hour video programs, a print guide to the workshop activities, and a website. The goal of this workshop is to give teachers new resources and ideas to reinvigorate civic education. The series presents authentic teachers in diverse school settings modeling a variety of teaching techniques and best practices in a variety of social studies courses from a 9th-grade government/civics/econ course, to a 12th-grade law course
Constitution Day Activities & Lesson Plans
Get ready for September 17, Constitution Day, with these preK-12 Constitution Day activities and lesson plans on the U.S. Constitution. The Share My Lesson team has selected a variety of free lesson plans, educational resources, and classroom materials to support teachers in celebrating Constitution Day with their students.