First Amendment in the 21st Century

Gr 10 Up—When the framers of the U.S. Constitution wanted to insure that certain fundamental freedoms were delineated, those were included in the first ten amendments, known as the Bill of Rights. The very first amendment specified that there should be the right to practice any religion and the freedom of expression in general. There have been countless interpretations of the article's language, many emanating from litigation and some reaching the level of the United States Supreme Court. This timely series explores relatively recent cases which have reached the country's highest court and illustrates how today's society generates new variations on the same primary concerns of our country's founders. Each concise program has three components which follow a general introduction to the First Amendment: the background to the specific issue in this particular case, a dramatization of the selected oral arguments before the Supreme Court, and an interpretation among First Amendment scholars as to the significance and ultimate effect of the Court's decision. While some dramatic recreations and historic stills/video are used, most of the content is provided by constitutional and legal experts at a level most engaged high school students will be able to readily understand. Chapter selection is optional. Each DVD includes a teacher's guide in PDF format, a written transcript, and an audio file of the Supreme Court arguments. Not every collection will require each title in the series, but many will prove popular with individual researchers as well as classroom teachers.—Dwain Thomas, formerly Lake Park High School, Roselle, IL