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This is a resource my colleague and I use often. The ed portal U.S. History 1 course covers the first settlers to the end of the Civil War. This bookmark covers the creation of the U.S. government. Yes, the videos are "cutesy", however because there is a video to watch, a transcript and narration students can access the information on many levels.

Great TED talk videos that pertain to U.S. History and the Constitution. I used one of these in my class that discusses creating the Presidency. At the end of the video is asks students to think about what they would have included when creating the Presidency.

Tons of information about the US government divided into sections for various grade groups.  I think this would be especially helpful for the younger grades.  The readings are good for all grades but I think that as far as real activities go for older grades, it is lacking.  Overall, easy to use information and helpful for students to use on their own.

This is one of those classic websites, particularly for elementary students. This should be in the repertoire of all elementary teachers, for no other reason, than Constitution Day every September. I also think this is useful for ELL students whose vocabulary is limited but who need to know about US history and government.

This site includes many primary resources on the founding documents.  While I think it might be a little overwhelming for students to use, teachers could use the annotated Constitution section which gives excellent notes, information and writings about the Constitution and the BIll of Rights.  It also includes a lot of supporting primary documents that assisted in writing the founding documents.

Gr. 8 lesson plan on comparing the Articles of Confederation with the U.S. Constitution.

This website is great, because it sorts court cases by topic/amendment addressed. Also, because it's from the ACLU, all of the issues revolve around people's rights in a concrete way, which makes it accessible for students.

Zach, I do like the way the site is organized. It makes such a difference when the site does not fight the user.

This is an interesting NYT article that discusses America's view of the Constitution, and the impact the Constitution had on the rest of the world. It chronicles the ways other countries were impacted by the Constitution. For instance, countries that created Constitutions strikingly similar to the U.S.

Everyone should read this article! It could be the foundation for one of our online sessions. Note the remark: "America is in danger, I think, of becoming something of a legal backwater" .

This is a link to the 14th Amendment on the Library of Congress website. There are also links to additional primary sources related to the 14th Amendment on this page.

This website is a huge collection of U.S. history texts, documents and audio/video files. Everything is organized by year, which makes it easier to locate specific documents.

This is helpful essay provides background (for teachers or as a source to modify for students) on cruel and unusual punishment clause in the 8th Amendment. Provides information on influences to the writing/inclusion of the clause in the U.S. Constitution, as well as a concise yet cogent history of its interpretation over time through case outcomes. Further reading and a "Teacher's Companion Lesson" pdf provided.

This is a link to a 1997 article/piece from the Los Angeles Times that summarizes who was/was not a citizen at various points throughout US History.