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Links to Constitution/Govt Websites

Annotated List of Websites on the Constitution
Compiled and annotated by Lauren S. Brown

By the authors of The U.S. Constitution & Fascinating Facts About it, this website is a companion to the book.  There is a lot of excellent information here, not just about the Constitution but also the Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, the Founding Fathers, U.S. Presidents, the Supreme Court and more.  From trivia and anecdotes to more substantial information, including links to primary sources such as Madison’s notes on the Convention.  

Exploring Constitutional Law: This site is the project of University of Missouri-Kansas City law professor Doug Linder.  It includes a wide variety of material, some written by him and others that are links to other sites.  You will see on the home page the wide variety of topics, from constitutional law to historic background, from the Bill of Rights to tongue-in-cheek info about the attendees at the Constitutional Convention.

Constitutional Rights Foundation: A Chicago-based organization that focuses on teacher education and law/constitution-based programs for students.  Their website will tell you more about their programs. They also have lesson plans directly on their website.

The Oyez Project at Chicago-Kent is a multimedia archive devoted to the Supreme Court of the United States and its work. This is my #1 go-to site when I need brief summaries of landmark Supreme Court cases.  It includes information on all justices and has a virtual reality Tour of portions of the Supreme Court building, including the chambers of some of the justices. 

Legal Information Institute: Sponsored by Cornell University Law School, this is the place to go if you want the full text of a Supreme Court case.  They also have a very helpful dictionary: law.cornell.edu/wex where you can look up all kinds of terms like “ex poste facto” and “necessary and proper.”

This is a legal dictionary of law terms and legal definitions.

This is the place to go for finding information such as salaries of Congressmen, their staff, financial disclosures and related information.  The site describes itself as “fiercely non-partisan.” It would be very helpful in government classes.

firstamendmentcenter.org A non-partisan website that includes lesson plans, FAQ, current articles, historic background and commentary on First Amendment issues.  It is very thorough.   


illinoisfirstamendmentcenter.com This organization, based in Springfield, has information for both teachers and students, including lesson plans.  Not as detailed as the site above, but that also makes it easier for students to use.  You can also get free posters sent to you.

Includes a helpful section on teaching constitutional issues using current events.  They have resources for teachers (including lesson plans) and students, including background information on the Constitution and access to primary sources.  They also host seminars and workshops for teachers around the country.

This is the website for the National Constitution Center, a museum in Philadelphia.  They have some resources especially for teachers.  It also is an easy place for students to do some introductory research.

A great site for researching and studying presidential elections.  Lots of interactive maps, including ones where students can predict the 2016 election results, even before we know the candidates!  Also has an ipad app for this.

In a partnership with the Supreme Court Historical Society, Street Law has prepared teaching materials on 17 landmark cases of the Supreme Court.  If you go to the home website for Street Law, you will find additional resources.

And lastly, don’t forget the National Archives and the Library of Congress, and the websites for the House, Senate, White House and Supreme Court.
            senate.gov/civics/constitution_item/constitution.htm This is a link to the full text of the U.S. Constitution which explanatory comments alongside.  Very helpful!

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