We the People was a program of HumanitiesAR during 2021 and 2022. It focused on strengthening knowledge of constitutional principles and democratic ideas that embrace our long journey to a more just and inclusive society. The program included a public lecture series and a seminar series, resources, and grants for teachers. Funding for the We the People series was made available by the “More Perfect Union” grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities.
This page shares the teacher-focused materials from the We the People series. Here you’ll find lesson plans, online resources, books and other print materials, and recording of the series lectures.
These lesson plans for grades 9-12 were developed with We the People classroom grant funds. Underlined text in the lesson plans are links to sets of primary and secondary documents students can use for classroom activities, extended research, and student projects.
WWI focus by Dr. Anthony Newkirk, George West
Economics focus by Jerome Zaremba, George West
Drawing I by Jessica Taverna, George West
Tech Mapping Student Project Opportunity by Tamara McCormack, George West
Mapping Difficult History: Finding Tragedy & Triumph in the 1919 Elaine Race Massacre
America’s Constitution: A Biography
Akhil Reed Amar
American Democracy, A Great Leap of Faith
National Museum of American History
Arkansas Politics and Government, 2nd Edition
Diane Blair, Jay Barth
Arkansas Women: Their Lives and Times
Dr. Cherisse Jones-Branch, Gary T. Edwards
Around America to Win the Vote, Two Suffragists, a Kitten and 10,000 Miles
Mara Rockliff and Hadley Hooper
A User’s Guide to Democracy: How America Works
Nick Capodice and Hannah McCarthy
Paula J. Giddings
Little Leaders, Bold Women in Black History
Vashti Harrison
Readings in Arkansas Politics and Government
Kim Hoffman, Janine Parry & Catherine Reese
Melba Pattillo Beals
We the People: The Citizen and Democracy Teacher’s Guide Upper Elementary
We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Teacher’s Guide Levels 2 and 3
The Center for Civic Education
Women Making History: The 19th Amendment
National Parks Service
The Arkansas State Constitution: A Reference Guide
Kay Collett Goss
The Woman’s Hour, Our Fight for the Right to Vote Young Reader’s Edition
Elaine Weiss
The Words that Made Us: America’s Constitutional Conversation 1760-1840
Akhil Reed Amar