This Week’s Scholar Exchanges: The 14th Amendment and America's Founding Documents

We continue our conversation on the 14th Amendment with this week’s Scholar Exchange, detailing how the amendment shaped American history and highlighting landmark cases like Plessy v. Ferguson, Brown v. Board of Education, Roe v. Wade, and Obergefell v. Hodges.

Students will explore the answers to:

What is the 14th Amendment?
What ideas does it add to the Constitution?
How did the 14th Amendment transform the Constitution?
How does the 14th Amendment promote equality?

Part lecture and part conversation, Scholar Exchanges are live, interactive classes led by National Constitution Center scholars. Give your students the unique opportunity to see how the 14th Amendment not only shaped history, but also how it impacts our lives today.

Wednesday, April 29, and Thursday, April 30

14th Amendment, Part II from Roe to Obergefell

Students will examine how the 14th Amendment wrote the Declaration of Independence's promise of freedom and equality into the Constitution, transforming the document forever. They will also take a deep dive into modern battles over the 14th Amendment's meaning and learn how is it used in almost every major constitutional case today.

Middle School Session – 12 p.m. EDT
Register here.
High School and College Session – 1 p.m. EDT
Register here.

Friday, May 1

America’s Founding Documents (Perfect for AP GoPo Class Review!)

Students will review founding documents from an AP Government class, including the Declaration of Independence, Articles of the Confederation, the amazing Letter from the Birmingham City Jail and more.

High School and College Level Sessions – 1 p.m. EDT
Register here.

Teachers can register for the session and forward the link to their students, or ask students to register individually.

REMINDER: Scholar Exchanges have been extended through Friday, May 22. Don’t miss these exciting sessions.

May 6 and 7: Second Amendment (COMING NEXT WEEK)

May 8: America’s Founding Documents (Encore)

May 13 and 14: The Electoral College

May 15: Emily Bazelon on the Constitution and the 2020 Elections

May 21 and 22: Voting Rights in America

VIEW FULL SCHEDULE

Private Scholar Exchanges

Private Scholar Exchanges, which include your class, a scholar, and a moderator, are also available on any of the topics previously discussed in a public Scholar Exchange. Complete a survey here for more information or to register your class to participate. A member of the education team will be in contact to help with the planning process.

Online Professional Development Workshops

Join us Mondays from 12 –12:20 p.m. EDT for open-source professional development programs highlighting the Center’s free, online resources and strategies to support constitutional literacy education in the classroom or remotely. Online professional development programs are facilitated by a member of the Center’s education team and hosted on Zoom. Each week features different resources reflecting the topic of that week’s Scholar Exchanges.

May 4: Constitutional Rights: Origins and Travels

For information about scheduling an online workshop for your teachers, email [email protected] and include “Online Workshop” in the subject line.

LEARN MORE

We the People Podcast: Who Has the Power to "Reopen" the Country?

Professors John Yoo and Alison LaCroix join host Jeffrey Rosen to evaluate President Trump's claim that he has the authority to reopen the nation. They give their takes on what he can and can’t do in light of the system of separation of powers and federalism; comment on whether the president can or should withdraw from the World Health Organization, suspend immigration, and support citizen protests against governors; and place these contemporary debates in historical context.

Find the episode here or wherever you download your favorite podcasts.

Virtual Town Hall: How to Restore Trust in America's Institutions

Why has trust in America’s political, civic, media, and social institutions declined? And how is this collapse in trust related to America’s current state of political polarization? Join leading conservative intellectual Yuval Levin during a virtual America's Town Hall program as he explores the answers to these questions and a path forward as described in his new book, A Time to Build: From Family and Community to Congress and the Campus, How Recommitting to Our Institutions Can Revive the American Dream. Jeffrey Rosen, president and CEO of the National Constitution Center, moderates the discussion on Tuesday, April 28, at 7 p.m. EDT.

The National Constitution Center's education team is here to help with any of our online resources. Email [email protected] with questions or comments on how we can help you and your students with your remote learning needs.

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