FoundingDocs2013

Although there are no primary docs, this site is still a helpful resource for elementary students (especially ELLs) who have little or no background knowledge about the first Thanksgiving, the Pilgrims and Native Americans. There are interactive activities as well as audio and video clips (thanks to Plimoth Plantation) on the Mayflower voyage, daily life in the New World and the first Thanksgiving.

These are great document analysis worksheets that could be used with any of the founding documents. I have specifically used them with major speeches and texts. I think these could also be used for an initial investigation of the Bill of Rights or Declaration of Independence.

This is a link to the Bill of Rights Institute's page concerning the Equal Protection clause of the 14th Amendment. The page includes links to primary source materials and summaries related to important 14th Amendment precedents (Plessy, Brown, Korematsu, Loving, Bakke, etc).

This is link to a PBS website called "The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow". This particular page explores the ratification of the 14th Amendment. It also includes links to short videos and related documents.

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.

Exploring the Digital Vaults is easy. You can browse through the hundreds of photographs, documents, and film clips and discover the connection between some of the National Archives' most treasured records. This is a fun way to have students explore historical documents and really just stumble upon treasures.

Lesson plans and teaching resources for using primary sources created by the National Archives.

This is an Interesting, but busy graphic about the 4th of July past and present. It provides interesting statistics and information about the day in 1776 and also modern traditions and interpretations. I think this graphic could be great for a small discussion about the most American of holidays.

The Seneca Falls Convention: The Roots Of Entitled White Feminism An easy read that is straight forward about the two organizers Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott with a profile on women and feminism. An added bonus to this article is the view of Frederick Douglas. There are also various sites within the article to explore.

A synopisis of the movie Iron Jawed Angels that focuses on the two leaders Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and gives a profile of women and feminism. Also, an interesting take on Frederick Douglas' views. In addition there are many other websites to view.

This is a website that gives detailed analysis of the Pros and Cons of divisive issues debated by American society. It's a great way to start many a debate. Furthermore, it has specific connections to many Constitutional debates like Gun Control, Capital Punishment, and Citizenship.

This includes the full text of David Walker's famous anti-slavery pamphlet "Appeal to the Colored Citizens of the World" and history about David Walker. This may be particularly significant to our students as David Walker was from Boston, Massachusetts.

This is a youtube clip of James Earl Jones reading an excerpt of Frederick Douglass's "4th of July Speech" -- As referenced in Week 2's Discussion Thread. For a long time I used this excerpt, because I didn't know about the David Blight podcast. I still think that this version is one of the most dramatic -- after all -- it is James Earl Jones.

Very powerful. I agree, this is great for high school classrooms.

A variety of games built on the founding documents; one fun one is "Do I Have a RIght?" Great for middle school.

This website has interactive games to understand the branches of the government, the Supreme Court and and passing laws. There are also teacher resources, which include curriculum units on topics such as the Constitution, citizenship, the branches of government and state and local government.

"This relic from ancient Persia had a profound influence on the Founding Fathers" <br /> This might be a good short video to show middle school students when we try to connect US history to ancient history.... Thomas Jefferson apparently studied ancient Persia as a model for governing people with different religious practices.

Thank you so much. I am definitely going to check this out! We are always looking for ways to connect the ancient world to the modern one.

The following is a translation of the document by Laurent Dubois and John Garrigus as published in "Slave Revolution in the Caribbean 1789 - 1804: A Brief History with Documents ." This might be an interesting document to use with the Declaration of Independence.

Jon Stewart uses the founding documents to condemn republicans for the government shut down.

I recently found this lesson and used a modified version of it this year - really liked it!

United States House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives This article focuses on the women's rights movement from 1848-1920 and althought predates Jeannett Rankin she is mentioned. The article gives a good analysis of the pivotal point in the late 19th centur.