President Dwight D. Eisenhower commemorated the first Law Day on May 1, 1958. Law Day celebrates the importance of the rule of law to the United States. In his proclamation of this day, Eisenhower said, "In a very real sense, the world no longer has a choice between force and law. If civilization is to survive it must choose the rule of law." This collection of videos explores the origins of Law Day and how the rule of law works in the United States.

• Lesson Plan: The Rule of Law in the United States (6 Clips)

• Video Clip: Judge Merrick Garland on the Rule of Law (2:35)

• Video Clip: Justice Alito on the Rule of Law (2:36)

• Bell Ringer: Ensuring the Rule of Law (3:46)

• Bell Ringer: Criminal Prosecution and the Rule of Law (3:31)

• Bell Ringer: Rule of Law, Equal Protection and Rights (2:40)

• Bell Ringer: The Role of Prosecutors in Criminal Cases (2:51)

• Bell Ringer: Due Process Protections and Imprisonment (3:18)

• Lesson Plan: Rights of the Accused (1 Clip)

• Lesson Plan: Jury Trials in Criminal Cases (5 Clips)

• Lesson Plan: The Right to an Attorney and the Public Defender System (6 Clips)

• Lesson: Gideon V. Wainwright (1963) (10 Clips)

• Lesson: Miranda v Arizona (7 Clips)

• Lesson Plan: How Should the Constitution be Interpreted? (6 Clips)

• Constitution Clips- Make the U.S. Constitution come alive with video clips from C-SPAN's Video Library of the Constitution in action. 

  • Constitution Clips Companion Resources:

    • Handout: Constitution Clips Analysis (Google Doc)

    • Lesson: Constitution Scavenger Hunt (Constitution Clip Activity)