There seems to be an unwritten agreement among most Americans that there are three topics that are best avoided in polite company: (1) politics; (2) personal finances; and (3) religion. The American reluctance to discuss religion with acquaintances at a dinner party or picnic may be a part of a larger phenomenon: a manifestation of the secularism…

Explores the differences between the U.S. Constitution and British constitutional law. Specifically examines the concept of the U.S. Bill of Rights in relation to the United Kingdom common law doctrine of parliamentary sovereignty. (BSR)

The "Iran-Contragate" hearings were indicative of serious constitutional crisis. Analyzes and disputes following three defenses used by President Reagan to justify his actions in affair: he did not know or approve; it was not a violation of law; and his authority over foreign affairs is given in war powers clause of the…

Planning for "Operation Overlord" had been under way for about a year when General Dwight Eisenhower, commander of all the Allied forces in Europe, was ordered in February 1944 to invade the continent. Thousands of troops from the United States, Great Britain, France, Canada, and other nations were assembled in southern England and…

Describes how the Community-in-the-Classroom (CIC) program works and the positive effects CIC has on students' learning and character development. Discusses the use of experiential learning, outlines the preparation for having community speakers in the classroom, and provides two examples of using guest speakers to teach about Vietnam and the U.S.…

In this learning activity senior high social studies students examine and discuss specific parts of the Soviet Constitution and learn that there is often a big difference between theory and reality. (RM)

Images of heretics burning at the stake or of traitors being drawn, hanged, and quartered for disloyalty to the king seem well removed from twenty-first century America. Yet the laws that defined these offenses--which included heresy and blasphemy, sedition and treason--were at the heart of some of the most significant debates defining the shape…

India, a huge land with the second largest population in the world, socially and economically poor, and culturally and linguistically diverse, became the largest democracy in the world on November 26, 1949 with the adoption of the Indian Constitution. The goals of that constitution are: (1) the achievement of national unity and stability; (2) the…

In August 1945, the United States unleashed an atomic weapon against the Japanese at Hiroshima and Nagasaki and brought an end to World War II. These bombs killed in two ways -- by the blast's magnitude and resulting firestorm, and by nuclear fallout. After the Soviet Union exploded its first atom bomb in 1949, the Cold War waged between the two…

This curriculum project was designed to familiarize high school students with their own constitutional roots while gaining a better understanding of governmental systems developed by other nations. The project uses the U.S. Constitution as a baseline for analyzing the constitutions of other nations, and is intended to supplement courses in such…

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military gave the press unprecedented freedom of access to combat zones. This allowed newspaper reporters, photographers, and television crews to document a war involving U.S. sons and daughters on the other side of the world. This willingness to allow war documentation also was extended to the military's own…

Reports on a study of 236 prospective social studies teachers at a Nigerian university about their attitudes toward human rights and civil liberties. Finds that most prospective teachers were aware of rights included in the Nigerian Constitution and were generally supportive of them. Includes two tabular presentations of data. (CFR)

This paper consists of preliminary notes for a lecture on the commonalities between the history of constitution-making in the Republic of Mexico and the United States. The paper discusses the first Mexican Constitution of 1824 and notes that Mexico has had many different constitutions. It also notes that, despite the U.S. and Mexican shared…

It is widely believed that the judiciary can maintain the rule of law and guarantee fundamental rights only if it is independent from political and other pressures. Most countries have provisions in their constitutions guaranteeing an independent judiciary. Usually, this independence has two faces: institutional measures that separate the…

The lesson's goal is to enhance student understanding of basic civil rights and liberties through a comparison of the basic documents undergirding the laws of the United States and the Federal Republic of Germany. The lesson contains: (1) a quiz on the basic rights in the United States and West Germany; (2) an outline of the civil rights and…