• Blogs
• Bookmark/Share
• Contact Us

Educational Resources

The Center for Legislative Archives—part of the National Archives—maintains some of the most historically valuable documents created by the federal government: the records of the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. Educators can us these historical documents to teach about representative democracy, how Congress works, and the important role Congress has played throughout American history.

These resources are designed to assist teachers with using primary source materials to integrate Congress into history, government and civics classes. These lesson plans are suitable for junior high and high school students.

Lesson Plans:

Fundamental Principles of Government

• Congress and the Creation of the Bill of Rights
  This lesson uses primary sources documents related to teach students how the First Congress created the Bill of Rights, and about the essential role James Madison played in that process.

• Teaching Six Big Ideas in the Constitution
  This lesson engages students in a study of the U.S. Constitution and the significance of six big ideas contained in it: limited government; republicanism; checks and balances; federalism; separation of powers; and popular sovereignty.

Congress in History

• Was Reconstruction a Revolution?
  In this lesson students will examine several historical congressional records from the Reconstruction era to determine whether the Reconstruction period of American history should or should not be viewed as a revolution.

• Congress Protects the Right to Vote: The Voting Rights Act of 1965
  This lesson uses historical records from the House Committee on the Judiciary to explore the constitutional issues that the committee encountered as it deliberated the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

How Congress Works

• The Presidential Veto and Congressional Veto Override Process
  This lesson uses historical records of Congress to illustrate the veto and veto override process.

• The Legislative Process
  This lesson uses historical records of Congress to explain the process of a bill becoming a law.