HERB: Resources for Teachers

The Evolution of the Preamble

This short activity helps students compare two drafts of the Preamble to the United States Constitution. It contains scaffolds for low-level readers.

Tags: Constitution and Government, Reading Supports, TAH
Item Type: Teaching Activity
Date: 2010

The Preamble of the United States Constitution

The Preamble to the United States Constitution went through at least two drafts. The first draft and the final draft are included here.

Tags: Constitution and Government
Item Type: Government Document
Date: 1787

The U.S. Supreme Court Upholds Japanese Internment

America fought World War II to preserve freedom and democracy, yet that same war featured the greatest suppression of civil liberties in the nation’s history. In an atmosphere of hysteria, President Roosevelt, encouraged by officials at all levels of the federal government, authorized the internment of tens of thousands of American citizens…

Tags: Civil Rights and Citizenship, Constitution and Government, Japanese Internment
Item Type: Laws/Court Cases
Date: 1944

The United States Bars Chinese Immigrants

The Chinese Exclusion Act, passed on May 6, 1882, was the first major restriction placed on immigration in the U.S., and the only immigration law that explicitly barred a specific group from entering the country. The Exclusion Act forbade Chinese "skilled and unskilled laborers" from entering the U.S. for a period of ten years, required Chinese who…

Tags: Chinese Exclusion Act, Constitution and Government, Immigration and Migration
Item Type: Laws/Court Cases
Date: 1882

The United States Bars Chinese Immigrants (with text supports)

The Chinese Exclusion Act, passed on May 6, 1882, was the first major restriction placed on immigration in the U.S., and the only immigration law that explicitly barred a specific group from entering the country. The Exclusion Act forbade Chinese "skilled and unskilled laborers" from entering the U.S. for a period of ten years, required Chinese who…

Tags: Chinese Exclusion Act, Chinese Immigration, Constitution and Government, Immigration and Migration, Reading Supports
Item Type: Laws/Court Cases
Date: 1882

Thomas Jefferson Decries Slavery in a Draft of the Declaration of Independence

The passage below was included in Thomas Jefferson's first draft of the Declaration of Independence as one of the grievances against King George III of England. Jefferson, a slave owner himself, later wrote in his autobiography that this passage "was struck out in complaisance to South Carolina and Georgia, who had never attempted to restrain the…

Tags: Constitution and Government, Slavery and Abolition
Item Type: Government Document
Date: 1776

Timeline of Compromises over Slavery

From the nation's very inception, the existence of slavery stood in glaring contrast to the ideals of liberty and justice expressed in the preamble to the Constitution. The Constitution itself protected the institution of slavery (while never actually using the word slave) through a number of compromises worked out between pro-slavery and…

Tags: Constitution and Government, Slavery and Abolition
Item Type: Timeline
Date: 1776

Timeline of Selected Federal Immigration Laws in the U.S., 1790-1986

This timeline traces federal immigration laws from the first Naturalization Act in 1790 through the 1986 law that addressed undocumented workers.

Tags: Constitution and Government, Immigration and Migration, Immigration Quota Laws
Item Type: Timeline
Date: 1790

Timeline of Selected New Deal Legislation

During his first two years in office, President Franklin D. Roosevelt and Congress passed programs intended to provide temporary but immediate relief to those who were struggling and restore confidence in the banks. Roosevelt’s critics demanded he keep a balanced budget, so he was unwilling to spend more money than the government took in…

Tags: Constitution and Government, New Deal
Item Type: Timeline
Date: 1934

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