Lesson Plans for America's 250th
Designed by teachers to help students navigate our nation’s history and constitutional principles using trusted, nonpartisan resources.
From Grievance to Government
Resources provided by
Bill of Rights Institute, Bob & Marion Wilson Teacher Institute of Colonial Williamsburg, Center for Civic Education, George Washington’s Mount Vernon, Gilder Lehrman Institute, Library of Congress, National Archives and Records Administration, Supreme Court Historical Society, Teach Democracy, Teaching American History
In this lesson students investigate how colonial grievances expressed in the Declaration of Independence influenced protections later included in the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights. Through primary source analysis and station activities, students examine specific grievances and connect them to constitutional protections designed to prevent abuses of government power. Students synthesize their learning by creating a one-page visual demonstrating how the experiences of the colonists helped shape a government designed to protect individual rights.