Educational Resources | Center for Civics Education

Educational Resources for Learners of All Ages

More than at any other time in history, modern technology has made access to education and learning opportunities available to everyone with a minimum amount of effort or expense. These include numerous sources focusing on American government, its founding principles, documents and its history.

The Founders of our country were keenly aware of the fragility of democracy, representative government and freedom itself. They constantly called for an informed citizenry as a safeguard against tyranny. James Madison, “Father of the Constitution,” correctly noted that “knowledge will forever govern ignorance; and a people who mean to be their own governors must arm themselves with the power which knowledge gives.”

To promote civics literacy, as well as civility in our public discourse, the Center for Civics Education shares links to resources for civics learning provided by an array of educational and non-profit organizations.

The National Constitution Center

The National Constitution Center is the nation’s leading platform for constitutional education and debate. Chartered by the United States Congress in 1988, its mission is “to disseminate information about the U. S. Constitution on a nonpartisan basis in order to increase awareness and understanding of the Constitution among the American people.”

Center’s Interactive Constitution provides a deep understanding of each Article and Amendment by citing its language and sharing essays on the “Common Interpretation” and “Matters of Debate” written by scholars of opposing views and interpretations.

The Center’s “Constitution 101” course provides learners of all ages with a basic understanding of the Constitution’s text, history, structure and case law.

The Ashbrook Center

The Ashbrook Center is an independent academic center located at Ashland University. Its mission is to “strengthen constitutional self-government by educating our fellow Americans – students, teachers, and citizens – in the history and Founding principles of our country and the habits of reflection and choice necessary to perpetuate our republic.”

The Center offers lessons, events, podcasts, opportunities for conversation, and a wide range of resources for teachers and learners of all ages. Its programs focus on original documents and exploration of the ideas, people and places that tell America’s story. Special programs are designed for teachers, students, and citizens.

Hillsdale College

Hillsdale College is a small, Christian, classical liberal arts college founded in 1844 with a mission to provide to “all who wish to learn” the education necessary to preserve civil and religious liberties in America. It offers a range of free online courses, including several courses on the United States Constitution, American history, and related subjects. Courses are supplemented by quizzes, readings, videos, study guides and discussion boards. Because they are not-for-credit, they are self-paced so that students can study at their own leisure.

iCivics

Founded by former Supreme Court Sandra Day O’Conner in 2009 as a non-profit organization “to ensure that all Americans have the knowledge and will to participate in our unique experiment in self-government,” iCivics provides high-quality, engaging and free civics resources to teach and students, including more than 260 curricular resources, digital literacy tools, professional learning materials and video games.

Noted for its interactive, educational games, iCivics engages students of all ages, especially young learners, in the theory and practice of constitutional self-government.

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