This is a searchable database of the cornerstone documents of our government. It has more than 100,000 digitized copies of the National Archives most popular and significant manuscripts, photographs, maps, drawings and other documents.
The guide introduces educators and students to the National Archives' ARC. Searching in ARC to learn more about National Archives' historical documents could enrich a classroom activity, a homework assignment, or a research project.

This course will cover American political thought from the nation's founding through the 1960s, exploring the political theories that have shaped its governance. As there is no one philosopher or idea that represents the totality of American political thought, the student will survey the writings and speeches of those who have had the greatest impact over this period of time. Much of the study required in this course is based on the original texts and speeches of those who influenced political thought throughout American history. The student will learn and understand the impact that their views and actions have had on the modern American state. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: describe the religious and political origins of the American political system; explain how Enlightenment thinkers, such as John Locke, Thomas Hobbes, and Jean-Jacques Rousseau, and Baron de Montesquieu, influenced the political philosophies of American founding fathers; analyze how the colonial American experience shaped many of the core values represented in American government and expressed in the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution; compare and contrast the differing opinions on the role of the government that the founders expressed; trace the development and evolution of the concepts of 'states rights' and 'federal (national) supremacy'; connect the observations of De Tocqueville in Democracy in America to the concepts of equality, individuality, and civic engagement in American political discourse; examine the evolution of race in the American political system (from slavery to the 2008 election of Barack Obama); discuss the changes in the political role of women in America from its colonial days to the present; connect the concept of 'American Exceptionalism' to the industrial revolution, capitalism, and imperialism; analyze the roots of reform in the Progressive Era and their impact on modern political discourse; explain major principles of American foreign relations over time; assess the purpose and impact of ŇAmerican war rhetoricÓ over time; differentiate between 'liberal' and 'conservative' political beliefs in modern American government; illustrate how the political turmoil in the 1960s greatly shaped contemporary American political discourse; evaluate the current political discourse as represented in the 2008 and 2010 elections. (Political Science 301)

This course surveys American political thought from the colonial era to the present. Required readings are drawn mainly from primary sources, including writings of politicians, activists, and theorists. Topics include the relationship between religion and politics, rights, federalism, national identity, republicanism versus liberalism, the relationship of subordinated groups to mainstream political discourse, and the role of ideas in politics. We will analyze the simultaneous radicalism and weakness of American liberalism, how the revolutionary ideas of freedom and equality run up against persistent patterns of inequality. Graduate students are expected to pursue the subject in greater depth through suggested reading and individual research.

In this lesson, students work in groups and individually to understand how the Constitution/Bill of Rights is a living document and how Supreme Court decisions protect the rights of all Americans.

By reading and re-reading the Constitutional passages closely combined with classroom discussion about it, students will explore the questions Monk raises and perhaps even pursue additional avenues of inquiry. When combined with writing about the passage and teacher feedback, students will form a deeper appreciation not only of MonkŐs argument and the value of struggling with complex text, but of the Preamble of the Constitution itself. This close reading exemplar is intended to model how teachers can support their students as they undergo the kind of careful reading the Common Core State Standards require. Teachers are encouraged to take these exemplars and modify them to suit the needs of their students.

This site includes images of newspaper articles (1787), notes Washington and Jefferson wrote on drafts of the Constitution (1787-88), Jefferson's chart of state votes (1788), Washington's diaries (1786-89), Hamilton's speech notes for proposing a plan of government, a Philadelphia map (1752), the broadside Bill of Rights (1791), and other artifacts.

An undergraduate multi-state textbook for criminal justice, paralegal, pre-law and administration of justice courses in criminal law. Explores sources of law and the legal system, the Constitution, criminal defenses, elements of a crime, parties to crime, and most criminal offenses such as inchoate crimes, crimes against the person including criminal homicide and sex offenses, crimes against property, crimes against the public, and crimes against the government. The textbook is interactive, and offers hundreds of links, embedded videos, charts, tables, diagrams, ethical scenarios, review questions and their answers, and illustrations to target various learning styles. The textbook also takes a unique "applied approach," providing interesting scenarios after the introduction of each principle. The scenarios demonstrate the application of law to facts, to enhance the students' ability make this important connection. Offered through Flat World Knowledge as an OER (open educational resource). Criminal Law can be reviewed and ordered here: http://catalog.flatworldknowledge.com/catalog/editions/1199

Role of the engineer as patent expert and as technical witness in court and patent interference and related proceedings. Rights and obligations of engineers in connection with educational institutions, government, and large and small businesses. Various manners of transplanting inventions into business operations, including development of New England and other US electronics and biotech industries and their different types of institutions. American systems of incentive to creativity apart from the patent laws in the atomic energy and space fields. For graduate students only; others see 6.901.

Students will learn about the electoral process and its Social Sciences through reading, research, and discussion. They will then convene a constitutional convention to debate altering this process.

This video segment from The Supreme Court introduces viewers to the 14th amendment.

Analyzes Russia's social, cultural, political heritage; Eurasian imperialism; and autocracy. Compares reforming and revolutionary impulses in the context of serfdom, the rise of the intelligentsia, and debates over capitalism. Focuses on historical and literary texts, and especially the intersections between the two.

" At the beginning of the eighteenth century Russia began to come into its own as a major European power. Members of the Russian intellectual classes increasingly compared themselves and their autocratic order to states and societies in the West. This comparison generated both a new sense of national consciousness and intense criticism of the existing order in Russia. In this course we will examine different perspectives on Russian history and literature in order to try to understand the Russian Empire as it changed from the medieval period to the modern."

This course serves as an introduction to American government and politics. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: Explain the major purposes of government; Distinguish between different forms of government and democracy, underscoring the American political system.; Differentiate between American political ideologies, particularly conservative and liberal, and attitudes about the scope of government; Analyze the roots of the American political system, the failure of the Articles of Confederation, and the adoption of the Constitution; Discuss the fundamental principles of the American political system, such as separation of powers, checks and balances, and federalism; Define the term 'public opinion' and explain how it is measured in American politics; Define the major factors of political socialization in American society; Describe American political culture and values and discuss their connection to social and demographic characteristics; Describe how the media influences the American public and political behavior; Evaluate the role of the media in the American political system; Discuss the various modes of participation available to individuals in the American political system; Outline the evolution of suffrage in American political history; Compare political participation rates in different types of American elections (i.e. presidential vs. congressional) and in relation to participation rates in other democratic countries; Explain the role of political parties in the American political system; Trace the evolution of political parties in the United States; Compare the major ideological differences between the modern Republican and Democratic parties today; Distinguish between different types of campaigns and elections; Explain the process of electing a president; Evaluate the role and strategies of interest groups in American politics; Account for the increase in and importance of interest groups in the American political system; Outline the history and structure of the Congress (House of Representatives and Senate); Analyze the factors that influence the outcomes of Congressional elections; Explain the legislative process and how a bill becomes a law; Describe the importance and role of the committees in Congress; Compare procedural and organizational differences between the House and Senate; Analyze the sources of presidential power and how the powers of the president have evolved overtime; Assess the role of public opinion polls and approval ratings and their impact on presidential power; Define the executive branch and the bureaucracy; Trace the evolution of the bureaucracy and bureaucratic reform; Assess the impact of the bureaucracy on public policy making; Outline the history and structure of the judicial branch; Explain the origins and importance of judicial review; Describe the nomination process for federal and Supreme Court judges and how it has changed overtime; Evaluate the role and impact of the Supreme Court in American society; Distinguish between civil rights and civil liberties; Explain the history and importance of the Bill of Rights; Examine the rights protected under the First Amendment and key Supreme Court cases that have defined these First Amendment rights; Discuss the various viewpoints on the Second Amendment; Analyze the 'right to privacy' and its origins and discuss Supreme Court rulings on privacy; Explain the process of incorporation and extending the Bill of Rights to the states; Trace the history and outcome of the Civil Rights Movement; Differentiate between de jure and de facto segregation; Discuss the process of expanding civil rights to other minorities and women; Evaluate the history and impact of affirmative action; Distinguish between different types of public policy; Describe the four main steps of the policymaking process; Explain theories of economic policy and their implementation in American politics throughout history; Discuss the budget process and key components included in the budget; Examine the major objectives and outcomes of United States tax policy; Trace the history and development of social public policy in the United States; Assess the creation, evolution and future of Social Security; Evaluate welfare reform and its impact on society; Evaluate federal education reform and the role of the federal government in creating education policy; Outline the key players and institutions in the foreign policy-making process; Discuss the history and current goals of United States foreign policy. (Political Science 231)

Comparative politics is the systematic study and comparison of the world's political systems. The course begins by discussing the factors and categories of analysis that political scientists and important international institutions like the World Bank, NATO, and the United Nations use regularly; it ends by comparing and contrasting governments from five different regions of the world: the Americas, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. Upon successful completion of this course, students will be able to: Define the chief characteristics of a nation state; Identify and explain various comparative methodologies used to compare various political systems; Distinguish between unitary, federal, and confederal governmental models; Compare and contrast political cultures in selected countries; Compare and contrast political socialization in selected countries; Describe and explain patterns of representation and participation in selected countries; Compare and contrast the roles and functions of political parties in selected countries; Compare and contrast the role of interest groups in selected countries; Identify and explain governance and policy-making in selected countries; Compare and contrast the role of the executive in selected countries; Compare and contrast the role of the judicial branch in selected countries; Compare and contrast the role of the bureaucracy and the policy process in selected countries; Describe and explain the political economy and development in selected countries; Identify and explain political challenges and changing agendas in selected countries. (Political Science 221)

Political thought, otherwise known as political theory or philosophy, is the study of questions concerning power, justice, rights, law, and other issues pertaining to governance. This course examines major texts in the history of political thought and asks how different views on human nature inform the design of government. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to: summarize the passage of political thought through the classical, Renaissance, and Enlightenment periods and based on the works of Plato, Aristotle, Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, Rousseau, Tocqueville, and Marx; compare and contrast the differences between Plato and Aristotle with regard to their understandings of the nature of the person, ethics, society, citizenship, and governance; explain the historical and intellectual context in which the political thought that helped to develop the modern state came to be; compare and contrast the concepts of justice, freedom, equality, citizenship, and sovereignty in the works of Machiavelli, Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau; explain the different versions of, and importance of, 'the state of nature' to political thought; identify the influences of Hobbes, Locke, and Rousseau on the development of the United States Constitution; summarize the thoughts of Alexis de Tocqueville on the American political landscape, particularly with regard to religion and equality, and why this has importance beyond the American context; explain Karl Marx's world view, with particular regard to his critique of democracy and the modern, politically liberal, state; how it came to be; and its fundamental link to capitalism. (Political Science 201)

La constitution permet de connaître les rouages de l'état et le rôle de chacune des institutions La constitution est la charte, l'ensemble des textes de loi fondamentaux qui déterminent la forme de gouvernement du Sénégal, le régime et les institutions de l'état.

Most socially significant issues from America's past were brought before the nation's courts. Subject introduces the themes and events of American law since 1787, focusing on three recurring themes in American public life: liberty, equality, and property. Readings consist mostly of original court cases, especially from the US Supreme Court. Subject also focuses on the historical connections between cases and broader social, political, and cultural trends.

In this class we will come to understand the vast changes in Spanish life that have taken place since Franco's death in 1975. We will focus on the new freedom from censorship, the re-emergence of movements for regional autonomy, the new cinema, reforms in education and changes in daily life: sex roles, work, and family that have occurred in the last decade. In so doing, we will examine myths that are often considered commonplaces when describing Spain and its people.

This course introduces students to the political, economic, social, and cultural history of the United States of America from the first contact to 1850. Upon successful completion of this course, the student will be able to identify the influences of diverse global cultures on the development of an “American” culture and society; analyze the evolution of American political concepts and institutions; define the functions of government and its relationship to the citizen over different chronological periods; analyze the causes of the Market Revolution, and assess its impact on the American economy and society in the nineteenth century; identify the diverging economic, political, social, and cultural developments in the North and South by the mid-nineteenth century. This free course may be completed online at any time. It has been developed through a partnership with the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges; the Saylor Foundation has modified some WSBCTC materials. (History 001)