This first module in the Constitution 101 curriculum introduces you to the Constitution’s text and to the skills necessary to engage in constitutional conversations. As you explore the Constitution throughout this course, it’s essential to separate your constitutional views from your political views and, in turn, to think about how the Constitution defines or limits the powers of the government. That is how constitutional lawyers, scholars, and judges read, interpret, and apply the Constitution.
Landmark LGBT Supreme Court Cases
In this lesson, students will view a series of video clips that examine six major Supreme Court cases that dealt with LGBT issues. Students will identify the key issues and arguments made in these cases. After learning the background on these cases, students will learn more about Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy’s majority opinions in three of these cases and the Court’s reasoning.
Bell Ringer: The Impact of the Stonewall Riots
This Bell Ringer highlights the history of the event in New York City and details the effects for the LGBTQ movement and community.
Supreme Court Case United States v. Windsor (2012)
Roberta Kaplan talks about her experience arguing against the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) before the U.S. Supreme Court. Kaplan’s client in the DOMA case was Edith Windsor, who sued the federal government for failing to recognize her marriage to another woman.
First Amendment: Student Freedom of Speech
The First Amendment’s right to free speech is one of our most important rights as citizens. But what does freedom of speech mean for students in public schools? How do you balance a school’s need for order with a student’s right to free expression? This film explores the evolution of student free speech rights through Supreme Court cases, from Tinker v. Des Moines to Mahanoy Area School District v. B.L., the case of the Snapchatting cheerleader.
Bell Ringer: Activist Lilli Vincenz
Charles Francis, president of the Mattachine Society of Washington, D.C., talks about the life of Lilli Vincenz and her contributions to the gay rights movement.
Bell Ringer: The Fourth Amendment and the Supreme Court
Responding to questions from Senator Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Judge Ketanji Brown Jackson discusses the Fourth Amendment’s provisions for privacy and for unreasonable searches and seizures during her confirmation hearing to be a Supreme Court justice.
Bell Ringer: U.S. Supreme Court Case: Board of Education v. Pico (1982)
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) explains the foundation of this case, which is based on the removal of books that were deemed objectionable from public school libraries in a New York State town. He goes on to discuss the decision of the U.S. Supreme Court, which sided with the students.
Bell Ringer: How Electoral Votes Are Counted
Brookings Institution Governance Studies Senior Fellow Molly Reynolds talks about the Electoral Count Act of 1887, the current law for how electoral votes get counted after a presidential election. She explains reform efforts and the role of the vice president of the U.S. in the electoral count.
The Ruby Bridges Story
In this lesson, students will hear from a primary source, Ruby Bridges, as she spoke with elementary school students about her experiences as the first black student in an all-white school in New Orleans in 1960.