Welcome to this month's issue of ProQuest Teachable Moments! This issue focuses on constitutions and government.
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SIRS Leading Issues
Constitution Day: September 17
Grades 7-12
Constitution Day on September 17 provides students and teachers with the opportunity to study and debate on of the fundamental tenets of the Constitution--the separation of church and state.
With the writing of the Bill of Rights, church and state were officially separated with the phrase: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof." The separation of church and state is meant to preserve the liberty of citizens to practice religion without fear of persecution on the basis of state-held beliefs.
It also promotes democracy in that one cannot discriminate on the basis of religion in matters such as voting, employment and civil rights.
This issue has increasingly been in the news triggered by the re-election of President Bush and a Republican Congress that have placed more emphasis on integrating Christian values into government. How much integration of Christian values into the actions of government is Constitutional given a increasingly diverse population of Americans?
SIRS Leading Issues provides the learning resources to help make this issue come alive for students either through a debate or through a report/presentation that support the pro or con view. Click Leading Issues, Church and state, and find information that supports arguments for or against one of the following viewpoints:
Separationists believe that church and state must remain separate and that the law must abide by this principle. They feel strongly that in order to preserve religious freedom, religion must not permeate any government-sponsored activity, pledge or policy.
Anti-separationists argue that the United States was built on certain religious values and that phrases such as "one nation under God," "in God we trust" and "God save the honorable court" have long been a traditional and ceremonial part of government. They feel that any limitations of public prayer or religious expression are a denial of religious freedom.
Have you heard? The new version of SIRS Researcher will go live later this month, along with many content additions and updates to Leading Issues. Find out more and get a sneak peek!
eLibrary CE & History Study Center
Basic Freedoms & Principles
Grades 6-10
The most important document in the United States is the Constitution. It consists of seven parts (known as "articles"), the Bill of Rights, and the Amendments. It is the written basic, fundamental law and the plan that created the framework of American government (e.g., federal and state government), lists the powers and responsibilities of its three branches, and describes the connections between the people and the government (e.g., Bill of Rights).
It was created by the founders at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to replace the Articles of Confederation. Although it contains specific information, it was also written in a general way to last for a very long time and allow for future advances and technologies.
Because of these generalities, it must be "interpreted" by the Supreme Court before it can be applied to today's situations.
Studying the Constitution gives students an appreciation of the guarantees of individual freedoms in our democracy, especially at a time when the War on Terrorism provides a powerful incentive to potentially abridge some of those freedoms.
To celebrate the power of the Constitution, Congress has mandated that schools will each year, on September 17, recognize Constitution and Citizenship Day by creating appropriate lessons and activities for students.
eLibrary CE with the History Study Center provides a wealth of learning resources to help students better understand and appreciate the Constitution. Click on the following sequence to access these resources: History > American history > Browse Topic Tree > The United States of America, 1776-1865 > The United States Constitution and the Republic, 1776-1800.
Engaging questions than integrate critical thinking help motivate students to do mini-research activities. Here are some examples: Why is the Constitution called the "Great Compromise"? How are the Articles of Confederation different from the Constitution? What were the basic principles integrated in the Constitution? What is the purpose of the Bill of Rights?
Government is an important institution within every country, but governments may take many different forms. Some governments are much more democratic and provide for civil liberties; they often place a lot of emphasis on individual choice. Other governments, like totalitarian states and absolute monarchies, focus more on unity and central control by a small group or single leader. How a country is governed affects everything from economy to religion. Constitution Day on September 17 gives us an opportunity to compare our unique system of government with other governments around the globe.
Using the CultureGrams World Edition, discuss some of the different types of government found across the world. You could use specific countries that exemplify different types of governments and their characteristics.
Discuss possible benefits and drawbacks of each type of system. For example: United States, Nigeria, or India--democratic republics; United Kingdom, Sweden, Thailand--constitutional monarchies; Laos, Cuba, or China--one-party totalitarian states; Turkmenistan, Zimbabwe--dictatorships; Swaziland, Saudi Arabia--absolute monarchies.
Every school that receives federal funding is mandated to teach some aspect of the Constitution and/or citizenship to students on September 17. Most likely, all schools will do so in the spirit of patriotism engendered by the War in Iraq and as part of the broader war against terrorism. Appreciation and knowledge of the Constitution is extremely important to every citizen especially now that we have so many new American citizens. It is also important, some would argue, because there are modern day efforts to erode personal liberties because of the War on Terrorism and the "Patriot Act."
ProQuest BookCarts are an excellent way for teachers to customize learning resources to meet the needs of their students and to provide a variety of ways to learn about the Constitution. ProQuest has created more than 280 model BookCarts so teachers and students can get started right away using eLibrary and eLibrary CE learning resources without all the work necessary to create their own. The ProQuest model collection includes several BookCarts created to help implement the study of the Constitution: Understanding the Constitution (Middle School); Bill of Rights (Middle School). Each could also be used by high school students. To learn how to transfer these existing BookCarts to your local collection, view a short copying multimedia demonstration.
Students will need teachers to create engaging questions that stimulate critical thinking and promote greater understanding of the Constitution when using these BookCarts. Here are some examples, and you can create others: What is the purpose of the Bill of Rights? How was the Constitution different from the Articles of Confederation that preceded it? What were the major compromises integrated into the Constitution? Which American statesmen opposed their adoption by the states, and why?
National Constitution and Citizenship day will be celebrated in schools throughout the U. S. on September 17. This will be the first of the ongoing annual celebrations mandated by Congress to remind students of the unique freedoms guaranteed to all citizens by the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and a series of amendments made over time.
Who were the "founding fathers" of the Constitution? What were their professions? What were the talents that led to their selection for this historic effort? What states did they come from? What were the goals to be achieved by the Constitution? These questions provide the motivation for students to research more about these famous men and their lasting and unique legacy.
Here is a list of these men by state. Students should be assigned a state and two of the signers from this list of 40. Find out more about these men by answering the questions above. Print a map of the original colonies and write the names of each signer in the appropriate state.
Johnson, William Samuel, CT
Sherman, Roger, CT
Bedford, Gunning, Jr., DE
Broom, Jacob, DE
Dickinson, John, DE
Read, George, DE
Bassett, Richard, DE
Baldwin, Abraham, GA
Few, William, GA
Gorham, Nathaniel, MA
King, Rufus, MA
Carroll, Daniel, MD
Jenifer, Daniel MD
McHenry, James, MD
Blount, William, NC
Spaight, Richard Dobbs, NC
Williamson, Hugh, NC
Gilman, Nicholas, NH
Langdon, John, NH
Brearley, David, NJ
Dayton, Jonathan, NJ
Livingston, William, NJ
Paterson, William, NJ
Hamilton, Alexander, NY
Clymer, George, PA
FitzSimons, Thomas, PA
Franklin, Benjamin, PA
Ingersoll, Jared, PA
Mifflin, Thomas, PA
Morris, Gouverneur, PA
Morris, Robert, PA
Wilson, James, PA
Butler, Pierce, SC
Pinckney, Chas, SC
Rutledge, John, SC
Blair, John, VA
Madison, James, VA
Washington, George, VA
Jackson, William, Secretary
Schools will celebrate Constitution and Citizenship Day for the first time this month. Congress has mandated that teachers create lessons and activities that help all students better understand the freedoms guaranteed them under the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and the subsequent amendments that enable the Constitution to grow with the needs of the country and its people.
Some of the major amendments, passed during the latter half of the 19th century, clarified rights especially for the newly freed African-American slave population.
During Reconstruction, three constitutional amendments were ratified aimed at protecting the rights of African-Americans. Although slavery had been severely eroded by the Emancipation Proclamation and other measures, no official federal declaration had been drafted to free all the slaves.
The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, officially abolished slavery in the United States. While slavery was illegal under the Thirteenth Amendment, more measures were needed to protect the freedom and rights of African-Americans. Ratified in 1868, the 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all those born or naturalized in the United States. As citizens, freed slaves had the right to vote, hold office, and receive equal rights and protection under the law.
After the Fourteenth Amendment, many Southern states created policies that prevented African-Americans from voting, necessitating an additional amendment to guarantee suffrage. The 15th Amendment, ratified in 1870, guaranteed voting to all male citizens regardless of "race, color, or previous condition of servitude." Southern states reluctantly ratified the amendments since ratification was required for readmission to the Union.
Engaging questions that integrate critical thinking into the research process provide the best way to motivate students and ensure learning. Here are some examples that teachers can use: Why were three amendments necessary to provide equality to the recently freed slaves? What were the arguments against giving slaves the right to vote? What were the strategies used by states to prevent slaves from voting? Did these amendments achieve the intended results?
ProQuest Historical Newspapers provides the primary source documents that help students study and create answers to these questions and more. In PHN, click the Topics tab and then Reconstruction (c. 1865 - 1876) > Constitutional Amendments During Reconstruction.
Celebrate the Constitution and citizenship this month by creating mini-research activities to help your students understand and appreciate the most important document in American history. Congress has mandated that all schools create lessons and activities for students each year on this Constitution Day. The increasing number of immigrants in our schools and the abridgment of civil liberties caused by the War on Terror and the Patriot Act mean that students to know more about their Constitutional rights than ever before in our history.
ProQuest Platinum provides a rich variety of articles that discuss every aspect of the Constitution. When making assignments, be sure that you create a variety of engaging questions that require students to use higher-order thinking skills and motivate them as well. Here are some examples: Why is the Constitution called the "Great Compromise"? How were the Articles of Confederation different from the Constitution and therefore not the basis for a revision? What were the basic principles integrated in the Constitution and why? What is the purpose of the Bill of Rights? Which American statesmen favored or opposed ratification by the states, and why? How does our Constitution resemble or differ from the constitutions of other countries such as Canada, or the proposed European Union Constitution, etc.?
Complete the following sequence in Platinum to access articles that will help answer these or other questions that you may design: Click the Topics tab > Type Constitution in the Search box > Click Constitutions and History > Narrow by related topics > Essays > View documents. Other topic areas listed will also provide more resources depending on the engaging questions that you create.
September 17 will mark the first Constitution and Citizenship Day. Each year on this day teachers create activities that help students to understand and appreciate the Constitution and the role of government in their lives.
The following list of RAZ books provides information on the role of government in the lives of students: Caretakers; Community Helpers; Money, Money, Money; Getting Ready for School; Police Officers; Famous First Ladies; and Abraham Lincoln: From Log Cabin to the White House.
This would be an excellent time to have student read, complete worksheets, and discuss the
role of government directly in the lives of students. Here are some examples of discussion questions for teachers to use: Name at least six different services provided by national, state, and local governments. How are these services the same or different at the different levels? In what ways are state constitutions similar to or different from the U.S. Constitution? Who are some famous elected members of Congress, the Presidency, and the Supreme Court and what did they do?
Women's right to vote was granted by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on August 18, 1920. Studying the arguments against the amendment and its eventual impact on the history and culture of the U. S. is an engaging research activity to use for students to celebrate Constitution Day.
SIRS Decades provides the resources to make this research activity a lively one. Engaging questions that integrate critical thinking motivate students and ensure that real learning takes place.
Here are some examples for teachers to use: What are some of the arguments made against the passage of the Women's Suffrage Amendment? Did any of these predictions come true after women got the vote? In what ways did the voices of women through the ballot box bring positive change to the country? Were there any women's issues examples that yielded negative results? Who were the leaders of the Women's Suffrage movement and how did they influence the passage of the 19th Amendment?
You can find the information and resources needed to create answers to these essential and engaging questions in SIR Decades. Click "1910" > Activism and Women's Suffrage.
National Constitution and Citizenship day will be celebrated in schools throughout the U.S. this month. This will be the first of the ongoing annual celebrations mandated by Congress to remind students of the unique freedoms guaranteed to all citizens by the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and a series of amendments made over time.
Who were the "founding fathers" of the Constitution? What were their professions? What talents led to their selection for this historic effort? What states did they come from? What were the goals to be achieved by the Constitution? These questions provide the motivation for students to research more about these famous men and their lasting and unique legacy. A list of these men by state appears above.
Students should be assigned a state and two of the signers from this list of 40. Find out more about these men by answering the questions above. Print a map of the original colonies and write the names of each signer in the appropriate state.
In Discoverer/WebFind, use the Natural Language/Keyword search. Type the name of the signer and his state (example: Daniel Carroll of Maryland).
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Constitution Day on September 17 provides students and teachers with the opportunity to study and debate on of the fundamental tenets of the Constitution--the separation of church and state.
It was created by the founders at the Constitutional Convention of 1787 to replace the Articles of Confederation. Although it contains specific information, it was also written in a general way to last for a very long time and allow for future advances and technologies.
Government is an important institution within every country, but governments may take many different forms. Some governments are much more democratic and provide for civil liberties; they often place a lot of emphasis on individual choice. Other governments, like totalitarian states and absolute monarchies, focus more on unity and central control by a small group or single leader. How a country is governed affects everything from economy to religion. Constitution Day on September 17 gives us an opportunity to compare our unique system of government with other governments around the globe.
Broom, Jacob, DE 
The 13th Amendment, ratified in 1865, officially abolished slavery in the United States. While slavery was illegal under the Thirteenth Amendment, more measures were needed to protect the freedom and rights of African-Americans. Ratified in 1868, the 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all those born or naturalized in the United States. As citizens, freed slaves had the right to vote, hold office, and receive equal rights and protection under the law.
Women's right to vote was granted by the 19th Amendment to the Constitution on August 18, 1920. Studying the arguments against the amendment and its eventual impact on the history and culture of the U. S. is an engaging research activity to use for students to celebrate Constitution Day.
