14th Amendment: Battles for Equality

The National Constitution Center provides classroom materials for teaching the 14th Amendment, which wrote the Declaration of Independence’s promise of freedom and equality into the Constitution. It transformed the Constitution forever. And it’s at the heart of what many scholars refer to as America’s “Second Founding.” Even so, the 14th Amendment is the focus of many of the most important constitutional debates (and Supreme Court cases) today. In many ways, the history of the modern Supreme Court is really a history of modern-day battles over the 14th Amendment’s meaning. Nearly every constitutional case that you care about today turns on the 14th Amendment, which was ratified on July 9, 1868.

For more resources from the National Constitution Center, go here.

George Washington and the Making of the Constitution

This animated video from Mount Vernon highlights the Constitutional Convention and George Washington’s role in the formation of the new government. Events covered in the video include the causes leading to the 1787 Constitutional Convention, the numerous compromises included in the document, and the challenges in ratifying the Constitution. The video has a run time of 23 minutes, and is broken into three chapters for easy navigation.

For more resources from George Washington’s Mount Vernon, go here.

Free Hamilton Education Program Open to All Students, Families

The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History and HAMILTON are thrilled to offer the free Hamilton Education Program to all students and their families this summer. Families can explore the world of HAMILTON and America’s founding era together, and students are invited to create their own narrative in a variety of forms, including songs, raps, poems, spoken word performances, and scenes. Students are encouraged to submit their created project. Select student performances will be shared globally through social media (#EduHam) and the Gilder Lehrman Institute’s website. As an added bonus, the first 50 students to submit a project will receive a $50 gift certificate to the Gilder Lehrman Gift Shop!

  • ABA Division for Public Education: Free summer institutes for teachers. Learn more.
  • Constituting America: Constitutional Chats podcast series on Anti-Federalist Papers starts. Learn more.
  • Constituting America: Teachers and students can enter its We the Future contest. Learn more.
  • Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate: Reservations accepted for in-person or virtual field trips in the fall. Learn more.
  • George Washington’s Mount Vernon: Apply for its new Teacher Advisory Group. Learn more.
  • National Constitution Center: Free, online teacher workshops available. Learn more.
  • NewseumED: Free professional development webinars. Learn more.