The ratification process for the Fourteenth Amendment that granted citizenship to everyone male born in the United States was contentious. The video reenacts a portion of the 39th Congressional debates focusing on the ratification of the...

In 1863 life forever changed for African American slaves when the Emancipation Proclamation was announced. An interesting video clip shows two actors reading excerpts from the Emancipation Proclamation and a letter by a slave named Annie...

The Twenty-sixth Amendment greatly altered voting rights in the United States. Engaging video clips explain why the amendment was created and how it has impacted voter turnout over the years. 

Constitution Day celebrates the evolving principles that guide our nation from 1789 all the way to today. The resource celebrates Constitution Day with an overview of the principles and laws that guide the government. Scholars see events...

Before Prohibition, America was literally awash in alcohol, according to one historian of the topic. When the Eighteenth Amendment was enacted, loopholes allowed Americans workarounds, such as the ability to make up to 250 gallons of...

The cherished rights included in the first ten amendments to the Constitution almost didn't happen! Pupils tour via video a National Archives exhibit on the Bill of Rights, as well as listen to how a modern judge applies them. Once...

What led to the end of Prohibition? In a word: money. To use the words of one historian: the government was desperate for tax revenue in the midst of the Depression. With a series of curated videos, scholars examine the causes of and the...

The Ku Klux Klan wants to hold a rally on the Antietem battlefield. Should the federal park permit the rally? Or does the First Amendment have limitations? Scholars ponder these questions and more using a discussion starter video and...

The Civil War ended slavery, but what was the status of the newly freed people? Renowned historian Eric Foner explains how the Fourteenth Amendment—written to answer this question—created a foundation for the rights of all citizens. The...

March 3, 1913, thousands of women marched on Washington D.C. to demand the right to vote. Learn about the organizers and leaders of the protest with a short video that details how the protest reignited the fight for voting rights and...

An administrator catches a student smoking in a school bathroom. After the vice principal searches her purse and finds marijuana, she is arrested and later found guilty of drug charges. Was the search legitimate? Scholars consider the...

What does equal protection under the law mean? This right is given to Americans thanks to the Fourteenth Amendment, although historical events and Supreme Court cases have led to its refinement over the years. A video resource traces the...

While the end of the Civil War marked the end of slavery with the Thirteenth Amendment, the questions of the Reconstruction remain unanswered today. Slavery first became a matter of debate at the Constitutional Convention. Today, we...

While the Revolution is perhaps the most famous revolt in American history, do scholars know about Shays' Rebellion? The outcome of the uprising led to the current Constitution. A video resource traces the history of and how the Bill of...

Protecting basic liberties was at the heart of the American Revolution. However, it wasn't until after the Constitutional Convention that the Founding Fathers added a list of rights guaranteed to the people, now our most important legal...

Life was precarious for free and enslaved African Americans, as demonstrated by the tragic Dred Scott decision. The Supreme Court case not only denied an enslaved man's petition for freedom, but also claimed that African Americans—free...

What makes the Fourteenth Amendment relevant to today's America? Jeffrey Rosen, president of the National Constitution Center, attempts to answer the question by walking through the clauses of the Reconstruction-era amendment. Due...

You are the governor of your state. A man has been sentenced to die for first degree murder, but you've been asked to commute the sentence. What do you do? Scholars consider the difficult question using a conversation starter video that...

How did the Supreme Court and its interpretation of the Fourteenth Amendment contribute to Jim Crow laws? Find out just how much Supreme Court interpretations can affect society by using an informative resource. Learners watch a video,...

A history resource includes direct instruction about the Fourteenth Amendment and an instructional video. It also includes ideas for discussion questions and additional reading to learn more.

Looking for loopholes in the Constitution? Watch a video that describes how one could get away with a crime in the "Zone of Death." Because Yellowstone National Park is considered to be federal land, and it is technically in three...

Over 11,000 amendments have been proposed for the US Constitution, yet only 27 have peen ratified. This short video explains why.

Discover why some term the period between 1890 and 1920 in the United States a "women's era," a period in which women saw greater economic and political opportunities and an overall shift in gender roles. This video details women's...

Why was the Bill of Rights necessary after the Founding Fathers spent so much time drafting the Constitution? Watch an informative video that explains what the Bill of Rights is and why it is important.