December 15th is Bill of Rights Day, a tradition since Franklin Roosevelt first declared it in 1941.
It falls on Saturday this year — which means teachers can choose whether to commemorate it Friday, or next Monday, or on both days. It marks the date of the approval of the Bill of Rights, in 1790.
Texas requires social studies teachers to spend a day on the Constitution. The law isn’t well enforced, but Bill of Rights Day might be a good time to fill the legal duty in your classrooms.
The Bill of Rights Institute offers lesson plans and supporting materials (see “Instructional Materials” in the left column). Below the fold I copy a list from the Institute’s webpage on Bill of Rights Day.
More material here, and the National Archives material can be reached here.
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* The ides is merely the middle of the month. Of course you thought of Shakespeare’s witch warning Julius Caesar to “beware the ides of March.” In this case, we can celebrate the ides of December — Hanukkah mostly gone, Christmas, Eid and KWANZAA on the way.
Special Bill of Rights Day Resources
- Read the Bill of Rights and learn more about each of its clause
- Did You Know?
- NEW Founders Online – Visit our NEW section dedicated to the words and ideas of twelve Founders
- Bill of Rights Day Lesson Plans and Activities
- Read about Life Without the Bill of Rights, from The Bill of Rights and You: Rights and Responsibilities
- Order a copy of our pocket-sized Bill of Rights
- Visit our Student Website – doyouhavetheright.org featuring Bill of Rights Day as our December theme
- Links to additional Bill of Rights resources
Some links require adobe acrobat.
Millard Fillmore's Bathtub 
We had very few Pearl Harbor lessons in my district and none at my school. They did an Ellis Island presentation on Pearl Harbor Day….Go figure.
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I can’t imagine why a teacher in U.S. history wouldn’t do a day on Pearl Harbor. There is a lot of good video, lots of great stories . . .
Is that really so big a problem? A quick check at two schools near here, I found lots of Pearl Harbor lesson plans.
Texas’ legislature fears kids aren’t getting the patriotic indoctrination they need or deserve, or that the legislature just wants them to get. Since there is no formal federal role in curriculum, a president’s designation doesn’t really count for much.
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Ed,
I have to ask why we would commemorate a date that was just made up by FDR, when we can’t get teachers to do a lesson on Pearl Harbor?
Ray
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