Individual Rights and Liberties
Below you will find C-SPAN Classroom resources relating to the topics and categories listed above. Click on each title to expand the section and view the featured resources.
The Bill of Rights
Lesson Plan: The Bill of Rights in Modern Times (2 Clips)
Lesson Plan: The Bill of Rights Choice Board (Multiple Options)
Lesson Plan: Predecessors to the Bill of Rights (6 Clips)
Lesson Plan: 1st Amendment Freedoms Choice Board (Clips and Activities)
Bell Ringer: First Draft of the Bill of Rights (3:05)
Bell Ringer: The Bill of Rights (7:01)
Bell Ringer: The Creation of the Bill of Rights (3:34)
First Amendment Rights
Freedom of Speech
Constitution Clips: "Freedom of Speech" (8 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Student Journalism and the 1st Amendment (9 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Schenck v United States (1919) (6 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) (12 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969) (5:31)
Lesson Plan: How Free Should Speech Be on College Campuses? (5 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Constitutional Rights of Corporations (6 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Free Speech and the First Amendment (5:17)
Lesson Plan: Choice Board: Academic Censorship (7 Clips and Slides)
Bell Ringer: "Cancel Culture" and Free Speech (6:35)
Bell Ringer: HUAC and the Entertainment Industry (10:42)
Bell Ringer: Hate Speech and Snyder v. Phelps (4:23)
Bell Ringer: Campaign Finance and Free Speech- Buckley v. Valeo (1:47)
Bell Ringer: Justice John Paul Stevens on Morse v. Frederick (4:11)
Bell Ringer: Morse v. Frederick: The "Bong Hits 4 Jesus" Supreme Court Case (2 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Political Extremism on the Internet (3:27)
Video Clip: NFL Protests: Private First Amendment Protections (2:20)
Video Clip: Politics and the National Football League (4:43)
Video Clip: Free Speech on College Campuses (3:17)
Deliberation: Should Hate Speech Be Protected By the First Amendment? (14 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Student Free Speech Since 1969 (5 Clips)
Freedom of Religion
Constitution Clips: "Establishment of religion" (7 Clips)
Constitution Clips: "Free exercise of Religion" (3 Clips)
Bell Ringer: The Origins of Freedom of Religion in the United States (2:06)
Bell Ringer: The Free Exercise of Religion (3 Clips)
Bell Ringer: The Founding Fathers and the Debate over Religion (8:50)
Bell Ringer: Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom (2:41)
Bell Ringer: Different Ways for Governments to Address Religion (2 Clips)
Bell Ringer: The Founding Fathers and the Debate over Religion (8:51)
Lesson Plan: Wisconsin v. Yoder (5 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Engel v. Vitale (6 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Engel v Vitale and Abington v Schempp (4:06)
Bell Ringer: West Virginia v. Barnette and Religious Liberties (4:27)
Bell Ringer: Nebraska Press Association vs Stuart (11:06)
Bell Ringer: Equality Legislation and Freedom of Religion in the United Kingdom (2:59)
Video Clip: Supreme Court Rules 7-2 in Favor of Masterpiece Cakeshop (4:30)
Freedom of the Press
Constitution Clips: "Freedom of Press" (7 Clips)
Lesson Plan: New York Times v. United States (1971) (9 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Libel Laws and the Press: New York Times v. Sullivan (4 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Freedom of the Press vs National Security (2:24)
Bell Ringer: Freedom of Press in the United States and Around the World (3:19)
Bell Ringer: Freedom of the Press and Leak Investigations (5:59)
Bell Ringer: Hidden Camera Investigative Journalism (3:23)
Bell Ringer: NSA Whistleblower Edward Snowden (4:53)
Lesson Plan: Privacy and the Press (6 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Privacy or Public Interest (13 Clips)
Freedom of Assembly and Petition
Constitution Clips: "the right of the people peaceably to assemble" (3 Clips)
Constitution Clips: "petition the Government" ( 2 Clips)
Video Clip: Freedom of Assembly (1:24)
Bell Ringer: Freedom of Assembly and Petition (2 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Assembly and Petition in and Around Federal Government Workplaces (8 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Edwards v. South Carolina (9:08)
Bell Ringer: The Right to Petition the Government (1:46)
Privacy and Due Process Rights
Privacy and Property Rights
Constitution Clips: "unreasonable searches and seizures” (7 Clips)
Bell Ringer: The History of the 4th Amendment (4:56)
Bell Ringer: Constitutional Protections against Searches Seizures (7:21)
Bell Ringer: "Stop and Frisk" Practices and the Fourth Amendment (4:32)
Lesson Plan: Mapp v. Ohio (8 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Katz v. United States (1967) (3:30)
Bell Ringer: "Stop and Frisk" Practices and the Fourth Amendment (4:32)
Bell Ringer: The Exclusionary Rule (2:10)
Video Clip: Safford Unified School District v. Redding (3:27)
Bell Ringer: Intelligence Gathering and Civil Liberties (2:06)
Bell Ringer: Facial Recognition Technology and Privacy Concerns (2 Clips)
Bell Ringer: USA FREEDOM Act (4:56)
Bell Ringer: Drones and 4th Amendment (4:38)
Bell Ringer: History of Wiretapping (4:20)
Bell Ringer: Government Surveillance and 4th Amendment (6:35)
Lesson Plan: Privacy and the Press (6 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Data Protection and Privacy Policies (4:40)
Bell Ringer: Civil Asset Forfeiture (2:41)
Bell Ringer: Eminent Domain and Property Rights (3:44)
Bell Ringer: Eminent Domain (3:54)
Due Process Rights in Criminal Cases
Lesson Plan: Rights of the Accused (3:34)
Constitution Clips: "indictment of a Grand Jury" (4 Clips)
Constitution Clips: "to be twice put in jeopardy" (3 Clips)
Constitution Clips: "witness against himself" (3 Clips)
Constitution Clips: "to have the Assistance of Counsel" (5 Clips)
Constitution Clips: "Excessive bail" (3 Clips)
Bell Ringer: The Writ of Habeas Corpus and the Constitution (2 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Korematsu vs United States (7:15)
Lesson Plan: Korematsu v. United States (6 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Senate Debate Analysis- Due Process Rights (3 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Due Process Protections and Imprisonment (3:18)
Bell Ringer: Criminal Prosecution and the Rule of Law (3:31)
Bell Ringer: Problems with the Cash Bail System (3:22)
Lesson Plan: Gideon V. Wainwright (1963) (10 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Miranda v Arizona (7 Clips)
Lesson Plan: The Right to an Attorney and the Public Defender System (6 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Jury Trials in Criminal Cases (5 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Problems with the Plea Bargain Process in the United States (2:30)
Lesson Plan: Gregg v. Georgia (1976) (11 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Post-Incarceration and Employment (2:29)
Citizenship Rights and Equal Protection
Voting Rights
Video Clip: The Right to Vote and the Constitution (3:29)
Lesson Plan: The Expansion of Voting in the United States (10 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Choice Board - Conversations with Suffragists (4 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Voting Discrimination and the Effects of Shelby County v. Holder (8 Clips)
Video Clip: The History of Federal Voting Laws (2:24)
Bell Ringer: The Compromise of 1877 (2:23)
Bell Ringer: The History of Voting Rights in the U.S. (7:19)
Bell Ringer: The Mississippi Plan and Voting Rights (3:44)
Bell Ringer: Poll Taxes (3 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Grandfather Clauses in the Jim Crow South (3:24)
Bell Ringer: Literacy Tests (3 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Background of the 15th Amendment (4:53)
Bell Ringer: The 24th Amendment (1:12)
Bell Ringer: Voting Rights in the South and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (4:33)
Lesson Plan: Voting Rights Marches in Selma (3 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Women's Suffrage and the 19th Amendment (9 Clips)
Bell Ringer: The 26th Amendment (2 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Voter ID Laws (2 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Shelby County v Holder (2013) (2 Clips)
Equality and Equal Protection under Law
Constitution Clips: "Equal protection of the laws" (3 Clips)
Bell Ringer: The 14th Amendment and Incorporation (2:05)
Bell Ringer: Rule of Law, Equal Protection and Rights (2:51)
Bell Ringer: 13th, 14th and 15th Amendments (4:36)
Video Clip: Segregation in U.S. Schools (5:46)
Video Clip: Justice Ginsburg on Unconscious Bias and Discrimination (4:31)
Lesson Plan: University of California v. Bakke (1978) (10 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Affirmative Action and College Admissions (5:02)
Bell Ringer: Anti-Discrimination Laws and Affirmative Action (5:38)
Lesson Plan: Yick Wo v. Hopkins (1886) (8 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Key arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges (4:17)
Video Clip: James Obergefell on Obergefell v Hodges (1:27)
Video Clip: Supreme Court Ruling on Same-Sex Marriage (Obergefell v. Hodges) (7:32)
Bell Ringer: Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990 (3 Clips)
Lesson Plan: The Rule of Law in the United States (6 Clips)
Citizenship Rights
Constitution Clips: "The privileges or immunities of citizens" (3 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Dred Scott v. Sandford (6 Clips)
Bell Ringer: 14th Amendment and Birthright Citizenship (1:39)
Bell Ringer: Birthright Citizenship and the Drafting of the 14th Amendment (3:52)
Bell Ringer: Native American Citizenship (8:32)
Bell Ringer: The History of Puerto Rico and US Citizenship (6:51)
Gun Rights
Constitution Clips: "The right of the people to keep and bear Arms" (8 Clips)
Lesson Plan: 2nd Amendment Cases: DC v. Heller & McDonald v. Chicago (6 Clips)
Lesson Plan: The Story of the AR-15 (10 Clips)
Deliberation: How Should the Issue of Gun Violence be Addressed in the U.S.? (20 Clips)
Lesson Plan: Should the federal government enact "red flag" laws to prevent gun violence? (7 Clips)
Bell Ringer: Justice Breyer on the D.C. v. Heller Ruling (5:48)
Bell Ringer: McDonald v. Chicago- 2nd Amendment & Incorporation (5:54)
Video Clip: The Second Amendment: Militias and the Right to Bear Arms (2:25)
Video Clip: The Role of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (2:32)
Video Clip: History of the NRA & Gun Legislation (3:56)
Video Clip: Gun Restrictions in the 20th Century (3:42)
Video Clip: Gun Rights and Gun Control (3:54)
Bell Ringer: Legal Protections for Gun Manufacturers (4:21)
Bell Ringer: Mental Health, Guns, and Red Flag Laws (6:50)
Bell Ringer: Stand Your Ground Laws and the Castle Doctrine (9:19)