[Free Registration/Login Required] A marvelous look at the life of Alexander Hamilton shown through primary documents in this interactive site.
A biography of Alexander Hamilton from the documentary program AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: The Duel, produced by PBS.
A printable wordsearch on thirty-nine of the delegates who signed of the US Constitution.
Comprehensive overview of the U.S. Constitution. Places the Constitution in context with two other founding charters of American democracy and government, the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. Includes access to digital facsimiles of the Constitution and to all amendments (with transcripts).
This collection uses primary sources to explore the creation of the US Constitution. Digital Public Library of America Primary Source Sets are designed to help students develop their critical thinking skills and draw diverse material from libraries, archives, and museums across the United States. Each set includes an overview, ten to fifteen primary sources, links to related resources, and a teaching guide. These sets were created and reviewed by the teachers on the DPLA's Education Advisory Committee.
Information about Connecticut's delegates to the Constitutional Convention. Includes information on Oliver Ellsworth, a key supporter of the Great Compromise, as well as William Samuel Johnson and Roger Sherman.
One word can sum up the Constitutional Convention of 1787 - compromise. Find out which compromises were made and by which groups of people and/or states. This expansive site includes background on the convention, primary source documents, links for further research, and critical thinking questions for class discussion.
This excellent biography of Alexander Hamilton is part of the University of Missouri's "Famous Trials" site. With text links to personal letters and other documents written by Hamilton.
A list of links to texts of original documents written by participants in the Constitutional Conventions, relating to their attempts to create an acceptable national constitution. Organized in chronological order.
The original text of The Virginia Plan presented at the Constitutional Convention. Discusses federal versus consolidated government.
The original text of a letter from James Madison to George Washington discussing his ideas for a new national government that were to soon be presented to the Constitutional Convention as the Virginia Plan.
Read the words of John Adams at the Constitutional Convention where he is debating the meaning of "the people" in the Constitution.
The original text of official Resolutions by members of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787 during the debate creating a new national U.S. Constitution.
The original and complete text of the letter approved by the Constitutional Convention on September 17, 1787 recommending the newly adopted U.S. Constitution to the Congress and the states for ratification.
A copy of the Articles of Confederation broken down into its 13 sections. You will also find a list of the signers of the document.
This is a full unit of study from iCivics, featuring multiple lesson plans with presentations, downloadable documents, and more. This library of mini-lessons targets the people, ideas, and events that influenced the development of America's government. Each mini-lesson includes a one-page reading and a one-page activity, and is appropriate for a variety of uses. Unlike the iCivics lesson plans, these mini-lessons are designed for students to complete independently without the need for teacher direction. However, they also make great teacher-directed lessons or even class conversation-starters, and multiple mini-lessons can be combined to make a longer lesson.
Read online from James Madison's report of William Patterson's proposal of the New Jersey Plan at the Federal Convention, 1787. Link to related document: Articles of Confederation as related specifically to each proposal in the New Jersey Plan.
The National Humanities Center provides a full-length essay on the constitutional debate during the time of the Constitutional Convention.
In a nutshell, you can find out the problems the new nation had under the Articles of Confederation and the process resulted in a new constitution.
Video introduced by Judge Sandra Day O'Connor where she talks about the Supreme Court's role in making decisions about freedom of speech. We then learn about why a Constitution was needed, the struggle for ratification, and how the three branches of government protect freedom of expression. [18:03]