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We the People

Materials that have been endorsed and vetted by U.S. Capitol Historical Society education team as part of the We the People Digital Learning Hub.

The U.S. Capitol Historical Society is a nonpartisan educational 501(c)3 nonprofit organization, chartered by Congress in 1978, in part “to foster and increase an informed patriotism."

The USCHS education team follows ISKME's Open Educational Practice Rubric.

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Preamble of the U.S. Constitution
Unrestricted Use
Public Domain
Rating
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Print the Preamble of the U.S. Constitution sheet seen here. There are 7 spaces for you to draw your idea of what each phrase means. What does “We the People” look like to you? Draw your idea on the dotted line.

Subject:
U.S. History
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Author:
OER LIBRARIAN
Date Added:
12/09/2020
Presidential Inaugurations and The United States Capitol
Read the Fine Print
Educational Use
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On Tuesday, January 20, 2009, the presidential oath of office was administered for the seventieth time, the fifty-eighth such ceremony in a location in Washington, D.C, the fifty-second at the United States Capitol, and the seventh on the west front of the Capitol; but even more historically, for the first time in American history it was taken by an African American.

Subject:
History
U.S. History
Material Type:
Primary Source
Provider:
United States Capitol Historical Society
Date Added:
11/13/2020
Reconstruction Refresh
Unrestricted Use
CC BY
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This resource is a guide to Reconstruction events and elements. It can serve as a refresher, study guide, or introduction to the period.

Subject:
U.S. History
Material Type:
Student Guide
Author:
Katherine Ryan
Date Added:
07/20/2023
Reconstruction and the Veto
Unrestricted Use
CC BY
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This is a lesson plan about Reconstruction and the use of the veto during this period. It investigates how members of Congress and President Andrew Johnson utilized their Constitutional powers to shape the Reconstruction Era. 

Subject:
U.S. History
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Author:
Katherine Ryan
Date Added:
06/20/2023
The Road to Civil Rights
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By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
● Identify key events of the Civil Rights Movement and their place in time
● Explain the significance of the 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution in relation to the
expansion of rights for African Americans and how they laid the footing for the Civil Rights Movement
● Summarize central ideas of short, dense text
● Apply Tier 2/academic and Tier 3/domain-specific vocabulary associated with the Civil Rights Movement

Subject:
Education
English Language Arts
History
Reading Informational Text
U.S. History
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Assessment
Author:
Brooke Machado
Date Added:
12/28/2021
Roles of the President: Classroom Resource Packet
Conditional Remix & Share Permitted
CC BY-NC
Rating
0.0 stars

What exactly does the president do in the White House? Most citizens understand that the President of the United States is the leader of the country, but they may not be able to explain all the duties and powers that come with that position. The Constitution specifically lists several presidential responsibilities. Other presidential roles have developed as our country has grown and changed. Learn about the requirements to become president and how the president carries out some of the major duties of this important position, as well as some historic examples.

Subject:
History
U.S. History
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Lesson Plan
Provider:
The White House Historical Association
Date Added:
11/12/2020
Senate Procedures & The Civil Rights Act of 1964
Unrestricted Use
Public Domain
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Through the study of primary sources, students will gain insight into the Senate procedures of filibuster and cloture. They will do so by studying an historic example - the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. 

Subject:
Political Science
U.S. History
Material Type:
Lesson Plan
Author:
Eric Denyer
Date Added:
09/25/2024
Separation of Powers or Shared Powers: Weighing the Evidence
Unrestricted Use
Public Domain
Rating
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In this activity, students will identify and draw conclusions about the relationship between the legislative, executive and judicial branches by critically analyzing primary sources. Using the scale, they will decide whether the United States government more appropriately fits the concept of "separation of powers" or "shared powers." They will formulate an opinion about each document and place it on the scale accordingly, and support their opinions with specific evidence from the primary sources.

Subject:
History
U.S. History
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Primary Source
Provider:
National Archives and Records Administration
Provider Set:
DocsTeach
Date Added:
11/13/2020
Slavery, Freedom, and the White House
Conditional Remix & Share Permitted
CC BY-NC
Rating
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Although many people think of the White House as a symbol of democracy, it is also a part of our country’s history of slavery. From the start of White House construction in 1792 until emancipation took effect in Washington, D.C. in 1862, enslaved men, women, and children labored at the Executive Mansion. The stories of these individuals, working under the oppressive institution of slavery in the “People’s House,” demonstrate a stark contrast to the ideals of freedom and democracy that the White House has long represented.

Subject:
History
U.S. History
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Lesson Plan
Provider:
The White House Historical Association
Date Added:
11/12/2020
Statue of Freedom and Philip Reid
Unrestricted Use
Public Domain
Rating
0.0 stars

Atop the Dome of the U.S. Capitol stands a statue more than 19 feet tall, cast in bronze. Her name is Freedom. American artist Thomas Crawford sculpted Freedom from plaster at his studio in Rome, Italy. Crawford created three designs. The statue was shipped across the ocean in five pieces and assembled by an Italian craftsman for temporary display on the Capitol grounds. Then the pieces were to be taken apart and cast into bronze.The U.S. government hired Clark Mills, who owned a foundry in Washington, D.C., to make the bronze castings. A foundry is a factory where metal is melted for casting. However, the artist who assembled Freedom covered the seams between the five pieces in plaster, hiding them from view. He refused to take his work apart unless he received a pay raise. Only one man knew what to do. His name was Philip Reid.

Subject:
U.S. History
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Author:
OER LIBRARIAN
Date Added:
12/09/2020
StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators, StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators Curriculum, 1. Role of Women in the Civil Rights Movement
Only Sharing Permitted
CC BY-NC-ND
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Through the play Beautiful Agitators and accompanying curriculum, students will eplore the life of Vera Mae Pigee and the role of women in the civil rights movement.

Subject:
Performing Arts
Social Science
Material Type:
Unit of Study
Author:
Jennifer Welch
Rebecca Welch Weigel
Date Added:
07/13/2021
StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators, StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators Curriculum, 4. Youth Action and Leadership
Only Sharing Permitted
CC BY-NC-ND
Rating
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Through the play Beautiful Agitators and accompanying curriculum, students will eplore the life of Vera Mae Pigee and the role of the youth activism in the civil rights movement.

Subject:
Performing Arts
Social Science
Material Type:
Interactive
Unit of Study
Author:
Jennifer Welch
Rebecca Welch Weigel
Date Added:
07/12/2021
StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators, StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators Curriculum, 5. Mississippi Sovereignty Commission: Surveillance, Corruption and Violence
Only Sharing Permitted
CC BY-NC-ND
Rating
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Through the play Beautiful Agitators and accompanying curriculum, students will eplore the life of Vera Mae Pigee and the power and influence of the Mississippi Sovereignty Commission.

Subject:
Performing Arts
Social Science
Material Type:
Unit of Study
Author:
Jennifer Welch
Rebecca Welch Weigel
Date Added:
07/12/2021
StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators, StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators Curriculum, 6. Violent vs. Nonviolent Resistance
Only Sharing Permitted
CC BY-NC-ND
Rating
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Through the play Beautiful Agitators and accompanying curriculum, students will eplore the life of Vera Mae Pigee and the struggle to pursue nonviolent resistance.

Subject:
Performing Arts
Social Science
Material Type:
Unit of Study
Author:
Jennifer Welch
Rebecca Welch Weigel
Date Added:
07/12/2021
StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators, StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators Curriculum, 7. Coalition Building: From COFO to Freedom Summer
Only Sharing Permitted
CC BY-NC-ND
Rating
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Through the play Beautiful Agitators and accompanying curriculum, students will eplore the life of Vera Mae Pigee and the importance of coalition building to achieve civil rights.

Subject:
Performing Arts
Social Science
Material Type:
Unit of Study
Author:
Jennifer Welch
Rebecca Welch Weigel
Date Added:
07/12/2021
StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators, StoryWorks: Beautiful Agitators Curriculum, 8. The Voting Rights Act of 1965
Only Sharing Permitted
CC BY-NC-ND
Rating
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Through the play Beautiful Agitators and accompanying curriculum, students will eplore the life of Vera Mae Pigee and reflect on the struggle and sacrifice that led to the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Subject:
Performing Arts
Social Science
Material Type:
Unit of Study
Author:
Jennifer Welch
Rebecca Welch Weigel
Date Added:
07/12/2021
To Sign or Not to Sign
Unrestricted Use
Public Domain
Rating
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Students will consider the arguments made by members of the Continental Congress regarding whether or not to sign the Declaration of Independence. They will also have the opportunity to analyze each section of the Declaration to understand its meaning and consider the consequences of signing the document.

Subject:
History
U.S. History
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Primary Source
Provider:
National Archives and Records Administration
Provider Set:
DocsTeach
Date Added:
11/13/2020
Tour the White House in 360 Degrees
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Welcome to the White House 360 Virtual Tour! This immersive experience will bring you inside the halls of the White House and provide access to all the public rooms on the Ground and State Floors. It will also allow you to examine the rooms and objects even closer than you would in person.

This feature was made possible in part by the National Endowment for the Humanities: Exploring the human endeavor.

Subject:
Applied Science
Architecture and Design
Art History
Arts and Humanities
History
U.S. History
Material Type:
Activity/Lab
Primary Source
Author:
White House Historical Association
Date Added:
03/11/2021