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Posted by: Stephen Wesson
However, the now-ubiquitous Miranda warning only came into being fifty years ago, when the Supreme Court ruled that the rights of a criminal suspect, Ernesto Miranda, had been violated because he had not been informed of his Constitutional protections against self-incrimination.
Posted in: Contemporary United States (1945-present), Government and Law
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
In the November/December 2015 issue of Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, our “Sources and Strategies” article focused on analyzing newspapers from the presidential election of 1912, an unusual contest at an unusual time.
Posted in: Development of the Industrial United States (1877-1914), Government and Law, Industrial United States, World Wars and the Great Depression (1914-1945), News and Events
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
The medieval English charter known as Magna Carta was intended as a local political document, created to make peace between England's King John and his barons in the early thirteenth century. However, it carried within it powerful ideas about the limits of government and the importance of individual liberty, and its influence has spread across the centuries and around the globe.
Posted in: Constitution, Government and Law, News and Events, World History
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
The Library of Congress has been preparing for months for a visit by a distinguished ancestor--an ancestor of the U.S. Constitution, that is.
Posted in: Government and Law, News and Events, World History
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
When President Lyndon Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law on July 2, 1964, he said that “the purpose of the law is simple. It does not restrict the freedom of any American, so long as he respects the rights of others.”
Posted in: African American History, Contemporary United States (1945-present), Government and Law, Lesson Ideas
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
The Library of Congress and the National Archives exist to preserve pieces of history and culture.
Posted in: Government and Law
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
For those of us at the Library of Congress who work with K-12 teachers, a crucial part of our work is promoting the effective instructional use of primary sources. Primary sources—the raw materials of history and culture—are very powerful tools for teaching.
Posted in: Government and Law, Teaching Tools
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
Looking for a Constitution Day activity? Have students zoom in on actual draft documents to learn what’s behind the main ideas in the Constitution. They’re sure to discover some intriguing changes along the way.
Posted in: Constitution, Government and Law
Posted by: Stephen Wesson
Students can explore Thomas Jefferson's rough draft of the Declaration of Independence to think about the story behind the edits.
Posted in: Government and Law, Lesson Ideas, Revolution and the New Nation (1764-1815)