In 1774, Englishman Thomas Paine arrived in America as the conflict between the colonies and Great Britain was reaching its peak. Up to that point, the colonies were said to have been considering negotiation rather than a separation from Britain. Moved in part by the Battles of Lexington and Concord in 1775, Paine, a journalist, wrote a 47-page pamphlet, titled “Common Sense,” in which he made a passionate argument against the British monarchy and for full American independence. “Common Sense” was published in early 1776, sold several hundred thousand copies, and highly influenced the colonies in their decision to declare independence from Britain on July 4, 1776. In this lesson, students begin by responding to a reflective question that asks them to share their knowledge of the American Revolution and early colonies. From there, they will review what was occurring in the colonies in 1776, and learn about the drafting, contents, and publication of the pamphlet. Next, students will hear about the legacy of Thomas Paine and why he should be studied today. Finally, students will respond to a prompt that asks them to explain their position on if “Common Sense” shaped America.
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America – “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass”
Born into slavery in Maryland, Frederick Douglass went on to become a writer, orator, statesman and key leader in the abolitionist movement. After his escape to freedom as an adult, Douglass in 1845 wrote the first of his three autobiographies, titled “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, an American Slave.” The book was a bestseller, and greatly influential in promoting the cause of abolition. In this lesson, students begin by responding to reflective questions that ask them to share their knowledge of the abolitionist movement. From there, they will review the status of the United States in 1845. Next, students will learn more about the subsequent publishing of Douglass’ book, the immediate and lasting impact on the country, and details about his life. Finally, students will respond to a prompt that asks them to explain if and how “Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass” shaped America.
Lesson Plan: Book That Shaped America – “The Common Law”
After serving in the Civil War, during which he was wounded, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. became a scholar and jurist, eventually rising to the U.S. Supreme Court after being nominated by President Theodore Roosevelt. While practicing law in Boston, Holmes summarized a series of lectures he had delivered and had them published in 1881 as a book titled The Common Law. Holmes is known for the maxim, “The life of the law has not been logic: it has been experience” and that the law develops according to the “felt necessities of the time.” He served on the high court for nearly 30 years, retiring at age 90, and has been of the most frequently cited justices. In this lesson, students will begin by responding to reflective questions that ask them to consider what they know about the Supreme Court. From there, they will view video clips to learn about the background of Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. Next, they will explore a collection of videos that focus on Holmes’ jurisprudence and time served on the U.S. Supreme Court. Finally, students will respond to a prompt that asks them to explain if and how “The Common Law” shaped America.
Bell Ringer: Events Leading into the 1968 Democratic National Convention
Author and history professor Luke Nichter discussed what was occurring in the United States and around the globe leading into the 1968 Democratic National Convention in Chicago and compares it to today.
Lesson Plan: Does the Constitution Need a 28th Amendment to Fix Deficiencies in the Government?
This deliberation presents video clips, articles, and numerous education activities to guide students through a review of the debate over whether the Constitution needs a 28th Amendment to address the government’s deficiencies, using several specific examples as case studies. After a careful review of multiple perspectives, students will be able to consider whether a 28th Amendment to the Constitution is necessary or unnecessary.
The Great Debate on the Constitution
This resource pairs the text of the U.S. Constitution with the Federalist Papers.
Lesson Plan: Moot Court – Students for Fair Admissions v President and Fellows of Harvard College (2023)
Moot courts provide an engaging environment for students to debate constitutional rights using contemporary issues that have been brought to the Supreme Court. This lesson provides the materials for students to deliberate over Harvard University’s admission policy and whether its selection criteria violates the Fourteenth Amendment.
Lesson Plan: Historic Convention Speeches
The lesson opens with an introductory video clip in which several presidential staff speech writers discuss the process of writing a presidential candidate’s nomination acceptance speech. From there, students then engage in a choice engagement activity, choosing to study one of thirteen historic convention speeches, including those from John F. Kennedy, Barry Goldwater, Richard Nixon, Jimmy Carter, Ted Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Jesse Jackson, George H.W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Pat Buchanan, George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and Hillary Clinton. After students complete their portion of the choice activity, they then each engage in a small group review to compare their selected speeches, assess whether they think each speech qualifies as ‘historic,’ and reflect on how convention speeches change over time, location, purpose, and with the specific speaker. Finally, students respond to a summative writing prompt that asks them to reflect on the lesson’s introductory video clip and “assess what makes a great convention speech.”
Lesson Plan: Congressional Committees
This lesson provides an overview of the United States’ congressional committee system. The lesson opens with reflective questions that ask students to consider how large groups of people build consensus and their prior knowledge of the legislative branch. Students then view an introductory video clip about why congressional committees exist. Next, students view and analyze six video clips that provide information about the different types of congressional committees. From there, students view and analyze six video clips that describe the purposes of the congressional committee hearing process. Finally, students view an additional reflective video clip and then respond to a summative writing prompt that asks them to assess the role of congressional committees as part of the U.S. legislature.
Lesson Plan: Polling the Public on Politics
In this lesson, students will hear Vanderbilt University Professor Joshua Clinton talk about the rise of public polling on political issues. They will view videos to learn about the impact of polling through historic examples of presidential elections, discover the significance of “who” participates in polls and “how” pollsters reach them as well as the importance of language in phrasing questions in polls and the timing in conducting them. At the conclusion of this lesson, students will consider factors in reading polls so they can make their own informed decisions about candidates.