Constitution Day Resources
2015
Please commemorate Constitution Day this week and let your students know about the significance of September 17, 1787, the signing of the U.S. Constitution.
Backgrounder:In 1787, 55 delegates representing 12 states met in Philadelphia to "take in to consideration the situation of the United States, to devise such further provisions as shall appear to them necessary to render the constitution of the Federal Government adequate to the exigencies of the Union." The “situation” was mainly the failure of the states’ to govern themselves under the Articles of Confederation (our nation’s first attempt at creating a system of government) and the need for a stronger centralized government.
In secret meetings, the delegates argued and debated throughout the summer about the duties, responsibilities, form, and distribution of power in a new government. Then, on September 17th, 39 of the delegates in Philadelphia signed a four-page document agreeing upon that shape of a new government. It was based on a Constitution consisting of a Preamble and seven articles. Soon after, a ratification process was set in motion to adopt the Constitution.
Constitution and Citizenship Day, initiated in 2005 and observed every September 17th, commemorates the event and mandates that each educational institution receiving Federal funds conduct an educational program on the Constitution on that day.
To aid you in this endeavor, a list of resources has been compiled below for background information and activities that highlight the history and impact of our Constitution.
Primary Document Resources for the Constitution:
The Library of Congress has created a collection ofTeaching with Primary Sourcesthat targets Constitution Day as well as an additionalresource bankfor Constitution Day.
Good resources from The National Constitution Center Constitution Day website (check out the new interactive Constitution!)
National Archives Constitution Day Activity (Document-based lesson)
Constitution DayInstructional Resources:
- Collection of Constitution Day Websites (Grades K-12)
- i-Civics Constitution Day page (Grades 6-12)
- Annenberg Media – Learner.org: Constitution Day Multimedia Lessons (Grades 6-12)
- Constitution for Kids (Grades K-6)
- Constitution Day Elementary Overview(Grades K-5)--
- Scholastic Lesson for Constitution Day (Grades 4-8) --
- Center for Civic Education (Grades 1-12)
Constitution Day Performance-based Lessons
“To Sign or Not to Sign” Constitution Day Lesson Plan --a lesson from the National Constitution Center
Elementary-aged students reconstruct the Bill of Rights in a fun interactive game from the National Constitution Center
Videos for Constitution Day
(These are generally for high school, but may work for some middle schools.)
Constitution Day lesson put together by C-Span with an eight minute overview of the document.
This is Chief Justice Roberts on the Constitution. The introduction might work for classes 5-8, the rest for high school.
Author and Justice Thomas discuss the viability of the original view of constitutional meaning.
Liberty and Philadelphia. Look at liberty, Dec. of Independence, and the Constitution in context of Philadelphia.
Constitution Day lecture by Richard Dreyfuss.
A Tale of Three Constitutions – looking at the original intentions of the Constitution and methods of interpreting the Constitution today.