Newseum

James Madison prepares to introduce himself to the Constitutional Convention.

"Bill of Rights: No Reason to Fight" is the slogan this student created to support the Bill.

Federalists display their anti-Bill slogans.

Pre-Trip lesson: Civil Rights leaders strategically employed the freedoms guaranteed in the First Amendment to bring change to the US. During this lesson, students explore two main ideas: the creation of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and the importance of these documents during the Civil Rights Movement. Students discover the purpose for and process of writing our nation’s founding documents, highlighting the pros and cons of a Bill of Rights. Focusing on the First Amendment, students then define and describe each of the five freedoms it protects. Students examine historic photographs and analyze newspaper articles to create a timeline of key events in the Civil Rights Movement, identifying First Amendment freedoms used in each event.

Trip: Donning costumes and props, students participate in a Newseum-led program about the creation of the Bill of Rights. They debate pros and cons of this document from the perspectives of different authors of the Constitution. Students then tour select Newseum exhibits, where they analyze primary documents from the Civil Rights Movement and compare the freedom of the press in different countries around the world.

Post-Trip lesson: As a culminating activity, students reflect on the Civil Rights Movement in writing, creating footprints that can be displayed in a march to equality. Students also test their knowledge of the Constitution and the Civil Rights Movement as they compete in a collaborative review game and take written assessments.

Academic Standards: Reading (6.M.2, 6.IT-A.6); Mathematics (6.NSO-N.1); Social Studies (6.2.4)