Motto
from the title page of An
Historical Review of the Constitution and Government of
Pennsylvania,
an anonymous book published in 1759, attributed to Benjamin
Franklin and
Richard Jackson.
The quote is from a letter sent to the Governor by the Assembly,
November 11,
1755.
Ten
Book Art Works that Exemplify and Comment on The Bill of Rights
The
First Ten Amendments to the United States Constitution
Resources
for teachers and students who visit the exhibition
View The Bill of Rights Exhibition Online
The
Bill
of Rights Institute:
Educational
resources for teachers, lesson plans.
The
National
Constitution
Center has many educational resources.
Links to
other Bill of Rights resources
Read
the blog posts of a high school U.
S. History class assignment responding to the New York Times
review of the exhiibition.
Suggested
Art, Literature, and Social Studies Projects and Assignments
Art
1. Choose one of the books in the
exhibition. Create a different cover for
it, or make an object out of it, that
represents what that right means to you.
Use materials and images that give the
book personal meaning.
2.
Select
a different book that represents
what one of the rights means to
you. Design a new cover for it, or
make an object out of it, that
communicates the content visually.
Choose materials and images that relate
to the content.
3.
Choose
one of the rights. Make a book
with your own text and images that
expresses how that right affects your
life. It can be one folded piece of
paper with a cover, a book of many
pages, an accordion book, a stack of
popsicle sticks with string connecting
them, or any form of book you can
imagine and construct. Look at some
examples of book art on the internet,
such as The
Center for Book Arts Exhibition Archives.
Literature
1.
Art
Criticism: Choose one or more
of the works in the exhibition. Write an
essay about it. Does the work grab and
hold your attention? If you look at it
more than once, do you see something you
didn't see before? Does it stimulate any
personal feelings or memories? Do the
materials and images support the
metaphor of the content? Do you think
about the work outside of the
exhibition? When you see or hear
news items about Bill of Rights issues,
do you pay more attention to them after
seeing the exhibition? Has it changed
the way you look at books?
2.
Book
Report: Choose one of the
books in the exhibition. Read it. Write
a book report. Be sure to include both
what the book is about and how it
affects you personally. Has the book
changed the way you think about your
rights? Is this right threatened or
secure? Do you have to do anything to
protect your rights?
3.
Book
Report: Choose a book that is not
in the exhibition that reflects what one
of the rights means to you. Write a
report as in the previous assignment.
4.
Essay:
Choose one of the rights. Write
an essay exploring what that right means
to you and your family. If you have
experienced the benefit of the
protection given by that right, or have
experienced the violation of it, write a
detailed personal account of what
happened.
5.
Essay:
Should we give up our rights to
increase our security? Do you agree or
disagree with the quote
attributed to Benjamin Franklin?
Social
Studies
1.
Classroom
Discussion: Take today's
newspaper. How many articles relate to
Bill of Rights issues?
2.
Classroom
Discussion: What is the
difference between the United States
Bill of Rights and the rights guaranteed
in other countries? Do all countries
guarantee the rights of their
citizens?
3.
Assignment:
Choose a foreign country.
Write a report on what rights are
protected there, and what rights are
violated. Does the government enforce
the rights, or "look the other
way" when rights are violated?
4.
Assignment: Choose a country where the government violates one or more
of the rights. It can be your own country or another. Write a report on how that affects the citizens and
non-citizens there. If it's your country, write about how you are
directly affected.
Research
on the Internet
Thousands
of websites incorrectly quote the statement attributed to Benjamin
Franklin that is in a large print that is part of The Bill of
Rights set. At the top of this page is a photo of the print, which is
taken directly from a scan of the title page of the 1755 book. Why is
this, and what does it say about trusting the Internet to provide
accurate information?
Links to Bill of Rights resources
People at all points on the political spectrum
depend on the Bill of Rights
The
Bill
of Rights Institute:
Educational
resources for teachers, lesson plans.
People
for the American Way: Promoting
freedom, fairness and tolerance
The
Cato
Institute: Toward limited government, individual liberty,
free markets and peace.
The
American Civil Liberties Union:
The fight for rights, liberty and
freedom.
Center
for Democracy & Technology: Free speech, government
surveillance,
data privacy.
Southern Poverty Law Center: A
tolerance site, with up to date intelligence on hate groups, militias,
prison reform and other topics.
Books
you
can order online (and read some of them online) at amazon.com
The
Bill of Rights: Creation and Reconstruction
by Akhil Reed Amar: The history of the
Bill of Rights from a leading Yale law
scholar. Read 25 sample pages, and you can also order the book online.
Origins of the Bill of Rights
by Leonard Williams Levy. Read 17 pages online, or order the book
online.
In
Our Defense: The Bill of Rights in Action by Ellen Alderman
and Caroline Kennedy.
The Right to Privacy
by Ellen Alderman and Caroline Kennedy.
To continue
the exhibition, click one of the sections or a button
Each section has several thumbnail images and descriptions of the works.
You can
click on any image for a page about that work, with larger pictures and
details.
©2001-2012
Richard Minsky