In celebration of Constitution Day, the Library of Congress has compiled a variety of materials from across its collections. Explore these rich resources and features to learn more about one of America’s most important documents.
Constitution Student Discovery Sets
This Library of Congress Student Discovery Set is here to put history into your hands. It brings together historical artifacts and one-of-a-kind documents from the collections of the Library of Congress. Interactive tools let you zoom in for close examination, draw to highlight interesting details, and make notes about what you discover.
How Women Won the Right to Vote
In 1848, a small group of visionaries started a movement to secure equal rights for women in the United States. But it took more than 70 years just to win the right for women to vote.
How Political Parties Began
At first, our nation’s founders—including Hamilton, Jefferson, and others—believed political parties were evil and a threat to the new nation. But these early American leaders soon began to invent a new and essential role for political parties in a democracy.
A More Perfect Union
This resource introduces students to the U.S. Constitution. Students watch a slide show on the Constitution, then in pairs they answer “enduring questions” about the Constitution, and finally as a class, they hold a discussion on these questions.
Building Constituencies
This lesson introduces students to the importance of building a constituency to support or oppose public policies using the case study of the Montgomery Bus Boycott as an example. First, students read primary documents from the boycott and discuss how the documents show how leaders tried to build support. Then in small groups, students brainstorm how they can get support for their Civic Action Project issue. Registration is required.
The Federalist Papers
A series of 85 articles written anonymously by Alexander Hamilton, James Madison, and John Jay. Originally published in New York newspapers, the papers were designed to convince New Yorkers to ratify the Constitution. Today, the Federalist Papers help clarify what the Constitution’s authors intended.
A Fire Waiting To Be Lit: The Origins of World War I
This year (2014) marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of World War I. This lesson, which is aligned to the Common Core State Standards, examines the causes of WWI. The main article provides information on events leading up to the war and includes discussion and writing questions. Additional activities available are: The Bosnian Crisis of 1908; Did the Serbian Government meet the Austrian Demands?; What Country Was to Blame for WWI?; and two enrichment activities on cartoons and music.
Getting to Know the Founding Fathers
Learn more about the signers of the Constitution with these Founding Fathers biographies.
Civil Rights: Identifying Community Issues
In this activity, students will investigate a contemporary civil rights issue to better understand the continuing legacy of the civil rights movement and the current impact of civil rights issues the movement did not address.