Poetry 180 is designed to make it easy for students to hear or read a poem each day of the 180 days of the school year. Poet laureate Billy Collins has selected these poems with high school students in mind.
This article offers discussion of various aspects of the Federal Constitutional Convention of 1787, along with images from original congressional documents.
This essay discusses how religion influenced people in regards to fighting the British during the American Revolution. There are several primary sources to examine in this site.
The original text of the resolution of Congress submitting the newly drafted constitution to the states for ratification.
Essay covers from the Articles of Confederation and the problems of disunity of the new states after the Revolutionary War, internally as well as externally, to the Constitutional Convention, an attempt to address the Articles' problems. The site includes discussion on the acts and the thoughts of many of the delegates present during the drafting of the Constitution, including the compromises and plans adopted. Listed also are personages who refused to attend the convention based on their objections to centralized Federal authority and finalizing of the document with Franklin's last words. Link to specific events, men, and documents for a complete analysis of the U.S. Constitution from beginning to end.
Follow a bill, from its introduction to Congress to its signing by the President. Find out about all the steps in between, including the presidential veto and the Congressional override.
The President of the United States has extraordinary power over the shaping of federal laws. He or she can veto any law passed by Congress.
Learn the steps involved in making a new law. The document explains how bills become laws in the state of Michigan, but the process is the same as it is for other states as well.
Offers a summary of this resolution which supported President Johnson's actions in Vietnam and also provides an easy to read version of the complete text.
Visit The National Archives & Records Administration's website on the Bill of Rights. The site gives some background information on the drafting of the Bill of Rights, lets you view the text to the document, lets you view an image of the original 1789 document, and more.
The government directory for making current and past bills accessible to the public. Very useful for finding bills pertinent to classes. Will require teacher direction at the elementary levels.
A popular introductory guide for American citizens and those of other countries who seek a greater understanding of our heritage of democracy. The question-and-answer format covers a broad range of topics dealing with the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of our government as well as the electoral process and the role of political parties.
An in-depth analysis of the domestic policies and problems that Rutherford B. Hayes faced as president. Read about the end of Reconstruction, Hayes' economic policy, his troubles with a Democratic majority in the Congress, and his attempts at civil service reform.
This site, a compliment to PBS's landmark series "The West," provides an excerpt from President Chester Arthur's First Annual Message to Congress. In this speech, Arthur outlines his proposals for dealing with the Native American population.