Lesson Plans for America's 250th
Designed by teachers to help students navigate our nation’s history and constitutional principles using trusted, nonpartisan resources.
Above the Law
In this lesson, students examine how the rule of law and the principle of limited government shape and constrain executive power in the United States. Through analysis of the Declaration of Independence, constitutional principles, and landmark Supreme Court cases, students investigate how presidential authority has been expanded, challenged, and restricted throughout American history. Students apply their understanding through legal reasoning, collaborative discussion, and a moot court activity focused on contemporary questions about executive power and constitutional limits
Protecting Rights
Students will analyze how government power has been defined and limited over time through Influences on the Founding, various Founding Documents, and landmark Supreme Court cases.