On this page: Constitution | Bill of Rights
constitution
📖 A More Perfect Union: The Story of Our Constitution by Betsy & Giulio Maestro. This American Story Series title tells the fascinating story of how a diverse group of independently minded new Americans managed to fashion our nation’s foundational governing document. – Elementary
📖 We The Kids: The Preamble to the Constitution of the United States by David Catrow. This is really just the Preamble to the Constitution with silly explanatory pictures. It's a good companion to the Maestro book and a handy resource if you plan to memorize the preamble. – Elementary
📖 We the People by Peter Spier. Here is another Preamble to the Constitution, beautifully illustrated in classic Spier style. This is a terrific visual resource to help your child understand the meaning of the document. Each line of text is accompanied by many illustrations depicting America, past and present. The book is prefaced with several pages of historical background on the writing of the Constitution. – Elementary
📖 This is Our Constitution: What It Is and Why It Matters by Khizr Khan. “Khizr Khan grew up in Pakistan, with few of the fundamental rights that are enshrined in the Constitution. He immigrated to America and became a citizen, raising his family to appreciate and honor all our nation has to offer. Khizr Khan is deeply passionate about the Constitution: the guarantees and protections it provides for each and every person and the beacon of light it shines throughout the world.” Here’s an excellent introduction to the Constitution—perfect for upper elementary and middle school students. – Elementary • Middle
🔗 Content Connection: Founders. Read biographies of Madison, Hamilton, and other key founders.
▶️ The making of the American Constitution from TED-Ed. How a meeting intended to revise the Articles of Confederation led to the American Constitution. – All
▶️ Inventing the American presidency from TED-Ed. How the founders decided on three branches of government. – All
▶️ Why is the US Constitution so hard to amend? from TED-Ed. “When it was ratified in 1789, the US Constitution didn’t just institute a government by the people – it provided a way for the people to alter the Constitution itself. And yet, of the nearly 11,000 amendments proposed in the centuries since, only 27 have succeeded as of 2016. Peter Paccone explains why the US Constitution is so hard to change.” – All
▶️ Constitution from Crash Course. John Green teaches about how the Constitution came about, the compromises made to get it ratified, and the provisions for its amendment. – Middle • High
bill of rights
▶️ Why wasn’t the Bill of Rights originally in the US Constitution? from TED-Ed. “When you think of the US Constitution, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Free speech? The right to bear arms? These passages are cited so often that it's hard to imagine the document without them. But the list of freedoms known as the Bill of Rights was not in the original text and wasn't added for three years. Why not?” – All
▶️ A three-minute guide to the Bill of Rights from TED-Ed. “Daily, Americans exercise their rights secured by the Constitution. The most widely discussed and debated part of the Constitution is known as the Bill of Rights. Belinda Stutzman provides a refresher course on exactly what the first ten amendments grant each and every American citizen.” – All