CurriculumGrade 8Social Studies

Constitution, Bill of Rights & Federalism

Aligned to C3.D2.Civ — C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.

What this lesson teaches

The U.S. Constitution divides power between the national and state governments (federalism) and among three branches. The Bill of Rights guarantees individual liberties.

Worked example

The federal government coins money and runs the military, while states run schools and elections — federalism splits responsibilities. The First Amendment protects free speech.

Practice questions

  1. What is federalism?
  2. Name two powers of the national government and two of the states.
  3. Pick a Bill of Rights freedom and explain why it matters.

Watch the lesson

Every lesson comes with a video taught in English and Spanish — the same video the QR code in the printed workbook opens.

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En español

La Constitución, la Carta de Derechos y el Federalismo

La Constitución de los EE. UU. divide el poder entre el gobierno nacional y los gobiernos estatales (federalismo) y entre tres poderes. La Carta de Derechos garantiza las libertades individuales.

Ejemplo: El gobierno federal acuña moneda y dirige el ejército, mientras que los estados administran las escuelas y las elecciones; el federalismo distribuye las responsabilidades. La Primera Enmienda protege la libertad de expresión.

More Civics lessons

Articles to ConstitutionC3.D2.Civ.1Jacksonian DemocracyC3.D2.Civ.2

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