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Ideas and information that can enhance education about the constitutional rights of individuals in U.S. history and the current system of government in the United States are included in this book. The resource guide contains nine distinct parts dealing with aspects of learning and teaching about the Bill of Rights in both elementary and secondary schools. Part I, Background Papers, features four essays for teachers on the origins, enactment, and development of the federal Bill of Rights. A fifth paper discusses the substance and strategies for teaching Bill of Rights topics and issues. Part II, A Bill of Rights Chronology, is a timetable of key dates and events in the making of the federal Bill of Rights. Part III, Documents, includes 11 primary sources about the origins, enactment, and substance of the federal Bill of Rights. Part IV, Lessons on the Bill of Rights, consists of nine exemplary lessons. The remaining five parts include: Papers in ERIC on Constitutional Rights; Select Annotated Bibliography of Curriculum Materials; Periodical Literature on Teaching the Bill of Rights; Bill of Rights Bookshelf for Teachers; and Directory of Key Organizations and Persons. (DB)

This paper discusses the distinction between the Constitution and constitutional law. The Constitution is the fundamental law of the United States. It creates the institutions of government, enumerates the powers of these institutions, and delineates areas government may not enter. The Constitution is the instrument by which the consent of the governed is transformed into a government. Constitutional law is that body of law which has resulted from the Supreme Court's adjudications involving disputes over constitutional provisions or doctrines. A constitutional law decision does not establish the "supreme Law of the Land" that is binding on all persons and parts of government, henceforth and forevermore. Rather, Constitutional law is the product of judicial interpretation of the supreme law of the land, the Constitution. Officials of the executive and the legislative branches of government also have the duty and responsibility to interpret the Constitution. The speech concludes with an examination of important events in U.S. history related to the Constitution, with emphasis on landmark cases and decisions of the Supreme Court. A brief historical review of the development of the U.S. Constitution and challenges faced by the country precedes the main discussion. (KWL)