Top Civics/Government Web Sites
- Bens Guide - Ben's Guide to U.S. Government for Kids is brought to the World Wide Web as a service of the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office (GPO). This site provides learning tools for K-12 students, parents, and teachers. These resources will teach how our government works, the use of the primary source materials of GPO Access, and how one can use GPO Access to carry out their civic responsibilities.
- Landmark Cases - 13 Supreme Court Cases most often taught, lessons included, excellent resource.
- Supreme Court Cases: Oyez Site - This up to date and comprehensive multimedia site on the Supreme Court has everything from podcasts of oral arguments to docket reports to the Supreme Court in the news. Take a virtual tour of the Supreme Court. Play "oyez" baseball! It even has a "this day in history" featuring major events in the history of the Court.
- Constitution Center - All kinds of resources on the Constitution.
- Constitutional Rights Foundation - Latest civics issues, links, resources.
- A User's Guide to the Declaration of Independence - A user's guide to the Declaration of Independence, including a timeline, issues & hot topics, and an "ask an expert" feature.
- The Founders' Almanac - A comprehensive but practical guide to the notable events, key leaders, essential quotations, primary documents and commentary on the founding of our American government.
- Primary Document Resource - Contains 100 milestone documents in government, an educators' sourcebook for how to use primary resources in the classroom, lots of lesson plans.
- MSU Created Civics Resource Site - Tailored lessons to CDV's and concepts by grade level. A very comprehensive and user friendly site.
- MI Center for Civic Education - Your We the People, Project Citizen, Mock Trial resource. Info on conferences, good links.
- Origins of the Constitution of the United States
The Federal Debates on the Constitution (Madison's Notes)
The Founders' Constitution: Origins of Its Contents
The Federalist Papers
The Constitutional Sources Project - This is the first complete and fully searchable online database of original source materials for the United States Constitution-designed to enable its users to find a clear knowledge of the history that inspired the Constitution's creation.
- The Legislative Branch
CongressLink - Contains exemplary lessons on Congress and Congressional history. It also contains links from many other websites.
U.S Congress: Legislation & Schedules
United States Senate
United States House of Representatives
United States Congressional Documents and Debates: 1774-1873
The Debates and Proceedings of the Congress
United States Code Collection
- The Executive Branch
United States Executive Branch
The Papers of the Presidents of the United States (selection)
Inaugural Addresses of the Presidents of the United States
The White House
Presidential Libraries Archive: Hoover to Clinton - Links to the Presidential Libraries of the Presidents who lead the United States from the Great Depression to the dawn of the 21st Century. Lots of multimedia & interactive resources.
C-Span Classroom: Executive Branch - Free video clips or recent presidents in their executive function, discussion questions, and other resources explore the variety of roles of the president of the United States.
The Hauenstein Center for Presidential Studies - Created in 2001 and with a mission that reads," Illuminating the American presidency to raise civic literacy, learned discourse, and a new generation of leaders." this Presidential Center has a lot of good information on Presidential leadership and on encouraging civic engagement of youth.
- The Judicial Branch
United States Judicial Branch
United States Supreme Court
United States Supreme Court Decisions
Structure of the U.S. Federal Courts
U.S. Circuit Courts
- Our Documents.Gov - To help us think, talk and teach about the rights and responsibilities of citizens in our democracy, we invite you to explore 100milestone documents of American history. These documents reflect our diversity and our unity, our past and our future, and mostly our commitment as a nation to continue to strive to "form a more perfect union.
