This short video highlights the importance of popular sovereignty in the ratification debates. The people themselves, through their elected delegates in specially-called conventions, voted up or down on the new Constitution. Professor John Kaminksi notes how the Antifederalists also used the principle of popular sovereignty to justify their call for constitutional amendments.
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.
What is a Democracy?
In this lesson, students will identify essential components of a functioning democracy. They will be presented with “borderline” countries – hypothetical nations that exhibit some, but not all, of the characteristics of a democracy. Through discussion and group work, students will expand their understanding of democracy and see different manifestations of democratic practices.
Judicial Nominations
Conversation starter using a political cartoon, which compares the public’s interest in judicial nominations with contestants on the television show “American Idol.”
What’s in a Constitutional Preamble?
Students will compare the preamble of the U.S. Constitution with the preambles from two state constitutions. They will extract common themes from the three, and note key differences. The preamble to the Constitution has not been changed since its drafting; the Constitution, however, has been amended. Students will reevaluate the ideals expressed in the Preamble and consider their relevance today. They are given the chance to rewrite the Preamble, share their rationale, and explain the values contained expressed inside.
#ConstitutionDay2015
Schools across the nation participated in the 2015 Preamble Challenge on Constitution Day. Students pledged to recite the Preamble to the US Constitution in creative ways. Here are some of our favorites. Read More ⟶
#ConstitutionDay2014
Nearly 900 schools across the nation participated in 2014’s Preamble Challenge on Constitution Day, led by the National Constitution Center. Students who participated in the Civics Renewal Network’s Constitution Day program in Washington, D.C., recited the Preamble at the U.S. Capitol. Read More ⟶