Thomas Jefferson was the third president of the United States, but he played many political roles throughout our nation's history. His political life influenced the country in many ways, from the founding documents to the shape of our nation on the map. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Recognize how various individuals and groups contributed to the development of the U.S. government. *Trace the impact of significant events that surrounded the founding of the United States. *Big Ideas: Declaration of Independence, two-party political system, Louisiana Purchase, president, "Revolution of 1800”

This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that extended First Amendment protections to students in the classroom. Students learn about the concept of symbolic speech and how students gained the right to engage in political protests at school. They also learn how this Supreme Court decision continues to affect their everyday lives. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe rights protected by the First Amendment. *Identify the main arguments put forth in the case. *Describe the Supreme Court's decision and rationale. *Define symbolic speech. *Identify the impact of the Supreme Court's decision on student expression at school and individuals' rights.

Most cases start and end in trial court, but what if there's an error? Show students how a case works its way up in this printable poster for your classroom! LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify the structure of the dual court system *Explain how a case works its way up to the Supreme Court

Students learn about citizenship around the world and compare the rights and responsibilities of citizens in other countries to the rights held by U.S. citizens. Note: This lesson contains an optional PowerPoint presentation (see Lesson Prep). We've recently updated this lesson!
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Compare and contrast key provisions in the U.S. Constitution with those in the constitutions of India, Brazil, Iran, Germany, and Ghana. *Analyze how other countries' constitutions might affect everyday life and rights in those countries. *Consider whether the U.S. Constitution should be amended to include certain provisions found in other countries' constitutions.

What was the new nation's first stab at a written constitution? Find out about America's first written rules: the Articles of Confederation. In this lesson, students will learn about the Articles of Confederation problems and solutions, as well as how its downfalls impacted the writing and ideas in the U.S. Constitution.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain the development and organization of the Articles of Confederation *Describe government under the Articles *Evaluate the strengths and wekknesses of the confederation government *Identify key events that occurred under the Articles, including Shay's Rebellion and the Northwest Ordinance *Summarize how the weaknesses of the Articles influenced the writing of the U.S. Constitution

The events of 9/11 changed the government's approach to fighting terrorism. In this mini-lesson, students gain an overview of the USA PATRIOT Act of 2001 and how it changed the way government security agencies function. After analyzing the Act's impact on terrorism, students consider the government's dual role to protect people and individual rights.
How to use this lesson: Use this lesson by itself or pair it with more iCivics resources, like the Supreme Court case Clapper v. Amnesty (2013) or You've Got Rights!. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain the purpose and main provisions of the USA PATRIOT Act *Identify a criticism of the USA PATRIOT Act *Analyze the Act's impact on terrorism and people's lives *Write a persuasive argument using evidence from the reading and activity

This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that then-sitting President Nixon had to turn over some recordings of his presidential communications to a court of law. Students learn about the Watergate break-in, the president's privilege of confidentiality, and the supremacy of the Constitution even over the President of the United States. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe basic events surrounding the Watergate break-in. *Explain the president's privilege of confidentiality. *Identify the main arguments put forth in the case. *Describe the Supreme Court's reasons for requiring Nixon to turn over his tapes. *Identify the tension between the president's privilege and the needs of the criminal justice system. *Recognize that the president is not above the law. *Evaluate a president's need for confidential communications.

This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that found the Virginia Military Institute's male-only admission policy discriminated against women. Students learn about the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause and analyze what an "equal education" means to them. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Define the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause *Identify the main arguments put forth in the case *Describe the rationale behind the Supreme Court's decision *Evaluate the Supreme Court's decision in writing

This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that struck down state bans on interracial marriage. Students learn about the 14th Amendment's Equal Protection Clause, and its use in court cases to challenge a range of discriminatory laws. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the citizenship rights guaranteed by the 14th Amendment *Identify the main arguments put forth in the case *Describe the rationale behind the Supreme Court's decision *Distinguish between jus sanguinis from jus soli *Describe how citizenship law was influenced by this case *Identify the responsibilities listed in the U.S. Naturalization Oath of Allegiance

In A Very Big Branch, students learn that there's more to the executive branch than just the president! Students learn how the executive departments and agencies regulate and enforce governmental policies, and they explore the roles and responsibilities of the presidential cabinet. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain the roles and responsibilities of executive departments and the president's cabinet. *Describe how executive departments and agencies enforce governmental policies. *Examine regulatory agencies and their social, economic, and political impact on the country.

How do members of Congress decide whether to vote yea or nay on a bill? In this lesson, students learn what factors members of Congress consider when deciding whether to vote for a bill, including the powers given to Congress by the Constitution, what a member's constituents want, his or her political party's position, and the member's personal views. Students simulate the decision making process using hypothetical bills based on real-life issues.
** If you're looking for the older version of this lesson, please contact the help desk. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify the constitutional powers of Congress *Describe factors that members of Congress consider when deciding how to vote on a bill *Simulate the decision making process of voting as a member of Congress

Explore the history of voting rights in the United States through an interactive PowerPoint presentation highlighting landmark changes. Following the presentation and class discussion, students apply the new knowledge of how voting legislation evolved to individual scenarios through a class activity.

Love this lesson? Explore all of our free election curriculum and teaching resources at our Election Headquarters. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain how voting rights expanded and contracted over time *Identify the laws and amendments that altered U.S. voting laws *Evaluate obstacles to voting *Determine whether individuals living at various times in U.S. history would have been able to vote

Students examine the key voting rights protected by this landmark civil rights law. This mini-lesson also provides an overview of the Supreme Court's interpretation of the law in the case, Shelby County v. Holder (2015). Students analyze how the Act has affected voter behavior and provide a written reflection on the Shelby County v. Holder case.
How to use this lesson: Use this lesson by itself or pair it with more iCivics resources, like The Road to Civil Rights, Voting Rights, or Voting: Will You Do It? LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify key protections in the Voting Rights Act of 1965 *Describe why the Voting Rights Act was created *Analyze how the Voting Rights Act impacts people's lives *Write a persuasive argument with evidence from the reading

In this lesson about creating a government, students learn how the U.S. Constitution came to exist by looking at the tensions and differences of opinion that existed among early American states and citizens. Students learn about the Articles of Confederation, why the first "constitution" didn't work, and how compromise led to the Constitution. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe how the weaknesses of the Articles of Confederation led to the writing of the Constitution. *Compare different states' needs and interests. *Compare the Virginia Plan with the New Jersey Plan. *Compare the Articles of Confederation with the Constitution. *Identify cause/effect relationships in the creation of America's government.

From the first settlers in Jamestown to the first shots at Lexington, American colonists set up their own governments. How did colonial government take shape and what exactly did it look like? In this lesson, students explore how colonial government was both similar to and different from government in Britain and how it influenced the government we have today.
LESSON OBJECTIVES: Explain the general structure for government in the colonies *Compare and contrast government in the colonies to government in Britain *Identify qualifications for political participation in early colonial development *Explain how colonial government influenced the U.S. Constitution

As soon as America won its independence, the new government had to start making decisions about how things would work in the nation they'd just created. With the end of the Revolutionary War, America's geographical size doubled… but how should new territory be added to the United States? In this lesson, students learn about the issues raised by this American "first" and the challenges the nation faced with its new Northwest Territory. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify the Northwest Territory as part of new territory the U.S. acquired from Great Britain as part of the Treaty of Paris in 1783. *Describe the role of the Land Ordinance of 1785 and the Northwest Ordinance in incorporating the Northwest Territory into the United States. *Use maps to depict the new territory's incorporation. *Explain the tension between U.S. and Native American interests in the territory, including U.S. policy toward native tribes. *Distinguish incorporation of the Northwest Territory as an accomplishment of the U.S. government under the Articles of Confederation.

This mini-lesson covers the basics of the Supreme Court's decision that it was unconstitutional for a state to force students to salute the flag and recite the Pledge of Allegiance. Students learn how the interests of national unity and the protection of individual rights can sometimes clash. They also explore "Freedom of Religion" as outlined in the First Amendment as well as the Supreme Court's interpretation of that right over time. This case overturned the Court's decision in Minersville v. Gobitas (1940). LESSON OBJECTIVES: Describe the rights protected by the First Amendment. *Identify the main arguments put forth in the case. *Describe the Superme Court's decision and rationale. *Identify the impact of the decision on the issue of student expression at school and individuals' rights.

Students learn about the different forms of government that exist, including democracy, autocracy, oligarchy, and others. They compare and contrast these forms, and they look at real-life examples in the world today. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Identify major forms of government (autocracy, monarchy, dictatorship, representative and direct democracy, oligarchy, theocracy, anarchy) *Compare and contrast the major features of different types of government *Analyze examples of real-world governments

Students learn why there are two houses of Congress and discover how a bicameral legislature ensures that all states have a voice in bills. Together, the class creates a school cell phone policy and experiments with different voting groups that demonstrate why the bicameral compromise was necessary. Students also examine how things might be different today if there were just a House or a Senate.
Got a 1:1 classroom? Find fillable PDF versions of this lesson's materials here. LESSON OBJECTIVES: Model the lawmaking process by participating in a role-play activity to design a school cell phone policy. *Model the effect of unicameral and bicameral voting systems by participating in a series of votes about the cell phone policy. *Determine the effect of a single-house system by analyzing data about state populations and the number of representatives in each house.