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Category: Revolution and the New Nation (1764-1815)

One woman watches as another examines with a magnifying glass an ornate, decorative image on a printed page

Prompting Student Curiosity About George Washington’s Decision to Participate in the Constitutional Convention

Posted by: Danna Bell

This post is by Lee Ann Potter, the director of the Professional Learning and Outreach Initiatives office at the Library of Congress. In the September 2022 issue of Social Education, the journal of the National Council for the Social Studies, our “Sources and Strategies” article shared a spring 1787 exchange between George Washington and Henry Knox …

Image of the Bill of Rights

Teaching Civic Ideals Using Primary Sources: The Origin and Evolution of the Bill of Rights

Posted by: Danna Bell

Many Americans take for granted the guarantees of the Bill of Rights. However, the story and order of the initially proposed twelve amendments submitted to states for ratification offer an interesting case study for students to analyze and discuss why certain rights were included as a protection against federal encroachment upon citizens' freedom and how they apply to us today.