Explores the argument made by Frederick Douglass and his appeals to convince northern whites to oppose slavery and favor abolition. Lesson content includes resources for both teachers and students.

In addition to overviewing Compton's (1892-1962 CE) studies in x-rays, this article includes information on Compton's published works, his education, and personal life.

This audio excerpt captures the beginning of Bayard Rustin's 1967 "Freedom Budget" speech, describing the social and economic impact of racism over time.

This audio excerpt from Bayard Rustin's 1967 "Freedom Budget" speech outlines a nine-year plan to end poverty in America.

Read the full text of the Declaration of Independence, and get some other interesting information about it. Links at the bottom of the page explore the Declaration of Independence in fuller detail, including what the document is, who signed it, and more.

Yale's School of Law provides the text of the ten original amendments that constitute the Bill of Rights.

This site contains a complete transcription of The Bill of Rights, along with zoomable graphics of the original handwritten text. It also includes information about the historical context of the document, links to more constitutional amendments, and much more.

The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) provides an elaborate overview of Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation. Content includes detailed background information behind the document, photos of the original document, a full transcript, and an audio clip of a former slave discussing work and living conditions after the Emancipation Proclamation.

Image of handwritten copy of Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation, accompanied by an explanation of the speech's purpose, impact, and role in American history.

The 12th grade learning experience consists of 7 mostly month-long units aligned to the Common Core State Standards, with available course material for teachers and students easily accessible online. Over the course of the year there is a steady progression in text complexity levels, sophistication of writing tasks, speaking and listening activities, and increased opportunities for independent and collaborative work. Rubrics and student models accompany many writing assignments.Throughout the 12th grade year, in addition to the Common Read texts that the whole class reads together, students each select an Independent Reading book and engage with peers in group Book Talks. Language study is embedded in every 12th grade unit as students use annotation to closely review aspects of each text. Teacher resources provide additional materials to support each unit.

Who decides who among us is civilized? What rules should govern immigration into the United States? Whom should we let in? Keep out? What should we do about political refugees or children without papers? What if they would be a drain on our economy?

ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Students read William Shakespeare’s play The Tempest and write a short argument about who in the play is truly civilized.
Students participate in a mock trial in which they argue for or against granting asylum to a teenage refugee, and then they write arguments in favor of granting asylum to one refugee and against granting it to another.
Students read an Independent Reading text and write an informational essay about a global issue and how that relates to their book.

GUIDING QUESTIONS

These questions are a guide to stimulate thinking, discussion, and writing on the themes and ideas in the unit. For complete and thoughtful answers and for meaningful discussions, students must use evidence based on careful reading of the texts.

What role do national identity, custom, religion, and other locally held beliefs play in a world increasingly characterized by globalization?
How does Shakespeare’s view of human rights compare with that in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights?
Who is civilized? Who decides what civilization is or how it’s defined?
How do we behave toward and acknowledge those whose culture is different from our own?

In this lesson, students will write about and discuss this question: Who is enslaved in The Tempest? They’ll read, annotate, write about, and discuss act 5. Then students will take on the persona of one of the characters and explain their actions.

Explore the constitutional conflict regarding the question of whether the first amendment limits the government's ability to regulate fighting words or hateful speech? This source contains background information and links to historical court cases that revolved around this issue. Also included are critical thinking/discussion questions.

Modern first amendment law was formed by cases during the WWI era. Were dissent and subversive activity protected by freedom of speech? Examine five cases that answered this constitutional question. Included are the full opinions of the court and critical thinking questions.

This collection uses primary sources to compare and explore the relationships between Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln. 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.

Worksheet to encourage kids to process their understanding of slavery and freedom through art and discussion.

This resource has an incredible amount of information regarding propaganda. Includes links to numerous topics with propaganda analysis. Offers unique perspectives that challenge the reader to question commonly held beliefs.

Compare the meanings of "freedom" and "liberty." Students watch a video about what liberty meant to Thomas Jefferson, then consider different definitions of the word "liberty" by analyzing founding documents of both the United States and the state of Montana.

What are the "big questions" of Reconstruction? Article provides an overview of the Reconstruction period when Americans debated rights and the nature of freedom and equality. It focuses on who was an American and how citizenship should be defined.

An account of Boston King, an escaped slave who went behind British lines to obtain the freedom the British promised. Find out how he became free and how he spent the rest of his life. From PBS.