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The 1936 summer Olympics took place in Nazi Germany, where Adolf Hitler was perpetrating the first stages of what would become the Holocaust. Hitler and the Nazi Party hoped to showcase the superiority of their Aryan athletes. But Jesse Owens, an African American track and field star, quickly disproved Nazi racial ideology of Aryan supremacy by winning four Olympic gold medals. Owens's success in Berlin led to international acclaim, but at home, Owens continued to face discrimination because of his race.

The story of Jackie Robinson, Tommie Smith and John Carlos, and more recently Colin Kaepernick, offer a lens through which to explore the complex relationships between sports, civil rights, and broader social and political change.

Sports and the ongoing fight for equal rights is well documented. This short film can launch further investigation into historical or contemporary examples of athletes who used their platform to raise awareness and effect change. Some examples are Muhammad Ali and Vietnam War protests, the Black power salute of Tommie Smith and John Carlos, the equal pay campaigns spearheaded by tennis star Billie Jean King in the 1970s and more recently by the United States Women's National Soccer Team.

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What Jesse Owens's Story Tells Us About Sports and Politics - Retro Report

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Retro Report is an independent, non-profit newsroom creating trusted documentary videos and classroom resources.

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Political Cartoon

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Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust explores the Role of The Bystander

Topic(s) Addressed:

The Holocaust, Bystanders, Prejudice

For the educator Jewish Thought, Text, and Traditions more

To watch as neighbors lost their rights, their homes, their freedoms, their lives; to stand behind closed doors and drawn curtains and ignore what was happening to friends in the streets beyond; to witness the torture of friends and neighbors and never raise a voice in opposition; to say, "I never knew"; this was the world of the bystander. Raul Hilberg, esteemed scholar of the Holocaust, in describing the bystander, wrote, "They were not involved, not willing to hurt the victims and not wishing to be hurt by the perpetrators." Holocaust survivor Primo Levi explained that most Germans didn t know because they didn t want to know: "In Hitler s Germany, a particular code was widespread: those who knew did not talk; those who did not know did not ask questions; those who did ask questions received no answers. In this way the typical German citizen won and defended his ignorance which seemed to him sufficient justification of his adherence to Nazism."

The truth, however, was that most of the population did know; how could they not know? Millions of people don t just disappear. How difficult, if not impossible, it would have been for the Nazis to murder millions if other millions had stood up and made their voices heard. Unfortunately, the general popula¬tion did nothing; the victims had few allies, and the Nazis gained power and control.

Jewish every day Incorporate Jewish Values more

*Copy of book, Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust

Technology

Animated retelling of Terrible Things

Involve students in analyzing the cover of T errible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust. Have them make predictions about the content of the book based on the title, subtitle, and illustrations.

Discuss what is meant by the word allegory.

Read the introduction to the book. Provide time for students to comment on it and its meaning.

Critical Thinking and Discussion Read the story aloud, stopping when appropriate to address comments, clarify, predict and guide students' understanding.
(For upper elementary audiences, 5th-6th graders) rather than read the book aloud, you may wish to have them view the video version, stopping as necessary to discuss text and illustrations.

Questions:

How did the animals in the woods get along before the Terrible Things entered their lives? (They shared the woods in peace. They were content.)

How did the animals in the woods react to the Terrible Things when they first came for the creatures with feathers on their backs? (Most were relieved that they did not have feathers.)

How did the animals rationalize the selections made by the Terrible Things? (They created reasons for the animals being taken away. The birds were too noisy; the squirrels were greedy; frogs were lumpy and slimy; the porcupines were bad-tempered.)

How does Little Rabbit's father respond to Little Rabbit's question "Why did the Terrible Things want the birds?" (His father told him not to question the selection and just be grateful that the Terrible Things had not come for them.)

What were his father's reasons for disagreeing with Little Rabbit when he suggested that they leave the woods because the Terrible Things might return. (His father said that the woods had always been their home and he believed that the Terrible Things would not come back for them.)

After The Story
Discuss

What were the Terrible Things?

Of all the animals in the forest, which was the wisest? Explain.

Why didn't the animals in the woods band together to resist the Terrible Things?

Readdress the question as to why this story is an allegory to the Holocaust. What additional insights were gained?

Lessons for Today: 21st Century Terrible Things
Preceding the story, the author, Eve Bunting, included a brief introduction. After completing the book, re-read this introduction Discuss the terrible things she alludes to which can happen today if we take the easy way out and look the other way. Promote the idea of individual accountability and civic engagement.

Brainstorm a list of 21st Century Terrible Things threatening our lives and times today.

Group students, having each group select one of the events listed and create a multi-genre project to include (but not limited to) the following

o 5 facts about the "terrible thing"
o One or more picture/photographs to illustrate it
o Locate a poem, song lyrics, or quote that connects with the event
o What we can learn from this
o Action(s ) can we (as students) take

o A digital "story" with illustrations and text
o A picture book
o A newspaper article with photo(s) and caption( s)
o A "call to action" that describes the problem and one or more ways to address it.
o Group choice

Explore, Discover, and More Extension and Reinforcement Activities more

Researching the History
History, Language Arts
Fill your room with appropriate maps, news articles, encyclopedias, reference books and computers to help stu¬dents in their research . Provide time for students to look through the web sites and skim the books, focusing on "big ideas." What did they discover?
Suggested Holocaust Resources

Terrible Things: The Trailer

Creative Writing, Drama, Art , Music

Create a new digital trailer for the book Terrible Things: An Allegory to the Holocaust to generate interest in students their age to read the book. Post on one of the school approved sites.

History Through Allegory

History, Creative Writing

Have small groups of students create a short story that might be considered an allegory to teach one of the lessons of the Holocaust as described by Yad Vahshem, the Central Agency for Holocaust Education: "Thou Shalt Not be a Victim"; "Thou Shalt Not be a Bystander, "Thou Shalt not be a Perpetrator. " You may wish to compile stories into a class book.

Civic Engagement, Language Arts, Art

Much has been said about the role of the bystander in terms of the evils in today's world. For example:
* "All that is necessary for evil to succeed is for good men to do nothing. " Edmund Burke ( 1729-1797)
* The world is a dangerous place to live, not because of the people who are evil, but because of the people who don't do anything about it. Albert Einstein (1879 -1955)

Have students find a quote that best supports their belief concerning the importance of taking a stand or the impact of not taking a stand against evil of any kind. Have them select a favorite quote, put it on poster paper (be sure to include the author) and write their own comments in terms of what the quote says to them and how it affects them personally. Encourage students to enhance their posters to make them visually appealing and eye -catching Display posters in classroom and common areas of the school.

What can we learn from the Holocaust in terms of the way we lead our lives in today's world? Have students use this as a prompt to write an editorial or opinion piece for a local newspaper or other publication regarding this in terms of genocide today. Encourage them to submit these for publication.

Ten Ways to Improve Understanding

History, Civic Engagement

Too often we see the world as "we" verses "them." How do we get to a vision of a world in which we see one another in terms of our humanity? Brainstorm ways that students can help promote multicultural understanding in school and community. For example: invite someone from another culture to your home for dinner; each month highlight a culture; create an oral history library, etc. Compile the 10 most popular ideas into a pamphlet and distribute through the community (banks, stores, etc) and through social media.

Student discussion and writing reflect an understanding of the ways in which bystanders have helped perpetuate hate and prejudice.

Students "action plans" and follow-through reflect understanding in terms of individual and social responsibility.

Lesson Contributors

Dr. Miriam Klein Kassenoff and Dr. Anita Meyer Meinbach Adapted from their book, with permission): Studying the Holocaust Through Film and Literature: Human Rights and Social Responsibility (2004 ). Christopher-Gordon, Publishers, Inc. Norwood, A

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Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust explores the Role of The Bystander

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Terrible Things: An Allegory of the Holocaust explores the Role of The Bystander The Holocaust, Bystanders, Prejudice To watch as neighbors lost their rights, their homes, their freedoms, their lives; to stand behind closed doors and drawn curtains and ignore what was happening to friends in the streets beyond; to witness the torture of friends and neighbors and never raise a voice in opposition; to say, "I never knew"; this was the world of the bystander.

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Since the advent of cinema, courtroom and legal proceedings have been the subject matter of some of the leading films. The film lists are many but LKG weighs in on the "most important" films that focus on courtroom scenes. Disagree? Let us know.
To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)
Based on a best selling novel, based on Harper Lee's father's law practice, there are a generation of people who chose law as a career after seeing this movie. Set in the racist South, Gregory Peck's Atticus Finch profiles the promise of an attorney willing to take on an unpopular, unprofitable, and unsuccessful cause that makes one proud to be an attorney. This movie holds up remarkably well and the courtroom scenes are rich with examinations of witnesses; Peck does it as one would have imagined Lincoln in a courtroom. This movie is generally on the top of most lists as the best courtoom drama.
Philadelphia (1993)
Swathed with the haunting Academy Award winning score by Bruce Springsteen, superb acting by Denzel Washington and Tom Hanks brings to the screen a courtroom drama within the context of an attorney infected with aids. Touching upon issues of law firm politics, work place discrimination, gay rights, the AIDS epidemic and a Don Quixote lawyer willing to take on a powerful law firm, this film is as important as To Kill A Mockingbird but with a more contemporary mission. Washington is more the anti-hero to Peck's traditional hero, while the victims of discrimination take a very different posture; Brock Eli of To Kill A Mockingbird fights for his life as an unjustly charged rapist of a white woman and Tom Hanks is plaintiff in a lawsuit against his former law firm for money damages. The fight goes on and every generation of attorney has the potential to confront an injustice.
Anatomy of a Murder (1959)
Out of typecast James Stewart plays a smarmy Michigan lawyer defending Ben Gazarra, a veteran, for murder. Produced and directed by one of the finest of his generation, Otto Preminger based the movie on a novel written by a Michigan supreme court justice about a murder case he defended before he took the bench. The judge in the movie is none other than the Joseph Welch, an attorney, who opposed Joseph McCarthy in the Army McCarthy hearings. Over the last 50 years there has yet to be a more accurate, true to life film depicting how things really happen in a courtroom. The movie is a nuanced, unvarnished view of the underside of the legal system. Why is this movie important?: short of showing up in a courtroom for a trial with a known backstory, this is the best that can be done.
Judgment at Nuremberg (1961)
Sometimes identified as a "political drama", director Stanley Kramer brings a fictionalized version of the Nuremberg trial of four judges during Hitler's regime and their moral, if not legal, culpability for the atrocities perpetrated by the Nazis. Richard Widmark plays the American officer charged with the prosecution; American supreme court justice Robert Jackson at the special request of Franklyn Roosevelt prosecuted the initial and most prominent of the Nuremberg trials. Probably one of the greatest casts to be assembled in a single film (Widmark, Spencer Tracey, Marlene Deitrich, Judy Garland, Montgomery Cliff, Maximillian Schell, Burt Lancaster, and Captain Kirk himself -William Shatner) judging judges who were following laws that were legislated by a sovereign government presents a troubling scenario that has replicated itself since in the Middle East, Africa and other parts of the world. Watch this film and be troubled by both the concept of judges enforcing laws that they knew were inherently unjust and the aggressive cross examination of the victims of the Holocaust by Shell advocating for the morally indefensible judges.
Twelve Angry Men (1957)
Although there is no scene that takes place in a courtroom, this Sidney Lumet film is the finest examination of America's jury system and the process of deliberations that persists, some half a century after its creation. Like many classics, the all-star cast of Henry Fonda, Lee J. Cobb, Martin Balsam, E.g. Marshall and Jack Warden put the character study of 12 jurors laboring over a murder trial on their backs. Marked for preservation by the Library of Congress, "beyond a reasonable doubt" becomes more than just a cliché when the audience steps inside the jury room to feel the tension of personality conflicts, analysis of evidence at a molecular level, and a discussion of concepts and people without ever naming those people- "the boy" "the lady across the street" and the "older man" are metaphors for the democratic process that is virtually unheard of except in the United States. This movie will be important 100 years from now.
The Verdict (1982)
Based on a true medical malpractice case, this movie teaches by negative example; no plaintiffs attorney should want to be like Paul Newman and no defense attorney should aspire to be James Mason. The attorney despicability ranges from simple lying to mail fraud to perjury to subordination of testimony to conspiracy and that doesn't even begin to discuss the incompetence that goes on. At end, the only attorney left with a law license should be Jack Warden, the referral lawyer of the malpractice case which Newman butchers and Marshall unethically defends. Newman, an alcoholic down and out attorney who shows up a funerals claiming that he knew the deceased in order to market his practice, not only fails to competently prosecute the case but then without consulting his clients turns down a settlement offer because he doesn't want to be "bought". Warden, injecting a bit of reality, responds "that's the way it is supposed to work. You win when they pay you money" The courtroom scenes are entertaining and have the flavor of a real trial, including the trifecta: a dishonest judge that views the plaintiff's case with disfavor. Why is this movie important: with the all pervasive dishonesty of the attorneys, the judge and generally the system, the jury finds its way to a just result. You'll want to cry or cheer at the end.
Witness for the Prosecution (1957)
Tremendous performances by Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton with a story by Agatha Christie and no less than Billy Wilder directing, this film makes the Top Ten Important Courtroom dramas in part because it is the only one that takes place in England under the governance of English Common Law, the father of the American judicial system. The old master trial attorney (Laughton) convinced of innocence but in ill health and against the advice of his physician agrees to take on one more criminal case -the murder defense of a suave, manipulative Leonard Vole (Power) alleged to have stabbed a rich elderly widow who left her estate to Vole. Vole's German wife (Dietrich) in post- World War II England not only fails to give her husband the alibi she claims in pretrial meetings which support his innocence, but testifies that he confessed the crime to her when called as a witness for the prosecution! Wait, how can a wife be forced to testify against her husband? How can damning hearsay letters be admitted into evidence? What does Laughton have up his robed sleeve? Is Power innocent or guilty? What's the truth? The suspense is as good as any courtroom drama gets. See how it is done at Old Bailey in London as the other films on our list demonstrate it done in an American courtroom.
Presumed Innocent (1990)
After there was Vincent Bugliosi, before there was John Grishom, there was (and is) Scott Turow, a practicing attorney turned novelist who wrote the book the movie was based upon. Presumed Innocent is a complicated and tightly knit story of a prosecuting attorney (Harrison Ford) charged with killing another prosecuting attorney in his office (Greta Scacchi). The District Attorney (Brian Dennehy) unaware that there was a brief sexual relationship between the two, asks Ford to investigate the death and then charges him with the death after overwhelming evidence is uncovered: Ford's prints are on glasses in the victims house, blood of Ford's type and his semen are found at the scene. Ford retains a top defense attorney (Raul Julia) and the courtroom scenes with the judge (Paul Winfield) are as real and true to life as can be seen in any trial. The trial scenes are as truthful as Anatomy of a Murder, but with a more contemporary feel and setting. Why is this movie important and in the top ten? Although great acting, directing and plot line, it shows the legal system manipulated to the extreme by talented people looking for justice but disinterested in the methods necessary for the rule of law. Destruction of evidence? No problem. Conflicts of interest? No problem. Rules of evidence? What are those! Although this sounds like a free for all without the semblance of what would happen in a real courtroom, it is truly a film that is gripping, suspenseful and always entertaining without ever flirting with the incredible. A must see.
Inherit the Wind (1960)
Based on the losing effort of Clarence Darrow in the Scopes "Monkey" Trial, this film's big Hollywood persona detracts from the historical significance and the poignancy of a teacher being prosecuted in the South for teaching evolution. Spenser Tracy and Frederic March overwhelm the plot as Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryant, respectively, with a memorable (and completely implausible) cross examination by Darrow, when he calls Bryant to the witness stand as a witness. Why is this movie important? Darrow and Bryant define the concept of courtroom presence. As a side note, cases based in a constitutional violation rarely find their way to a jury trial. Gene Kelly has a cartoonish role as a wise cracking newspaper reporter which has little to do with the courtroom aspect of the film.

You can't handle the truth, but this is actually three movies we lumped together because each has phenomenal courtroom scenes in the context of a military tribunal.

Did we miss anything on our list? Tell us below in the comments or message us on our Contact Page.

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The Top Ten Trial Movies of All Time - Leib Knott Gaynor LLC

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Samuel Leib runs down a list of the best trial movies ever made, from classics like "To Kill A Mockingbird" to underrated gems like "Breaker Morant".

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How do you annotate?

1. Summarize key points in your own words.

2. Circle key concepts and phrases.

3. Write brief comments and questions in the margins.

4. Use abbreviations and symbols.

5. Highlight/underline.

6. Use comment and highlight features built into pdfs, online/digital textbooks, or other apps and browser add-ons.

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What is annotation?

Annotation can be:

A systematic summary of the text that you create within the document

A key tool for close reading that helps you uncover patterns, notice important words, and identify main points

An active learning strategy that improves comprehension and retention of information

Why annotate?

Isolate and organize important material

Identify key concepts

Monitor your learning as you read

Make exam prep effective and streamlined

Can be more efficient than creating a separate set of reading notes

How do you annotate?

Summarize key points in your own words.

Use headers and words in bold to guide you

Look for main ideas, arguments, and points of evidence

Notice how the text organizes itself. Chronological order? Idea trees? Etc.

Circle key concepts and phrases

What words would it be helpful to look-up at the end?

What terms show up in lecture? When are different words used for similar concepts? Why?

Write brief comments and questions in the margins Use abbreviations and symbols

Try ? when you have a question or something you need to explore further

Try ! When something is interesting, a connection, or otherwise worthy of note

Try * For anything that you might use as an example or evidence when you use this information.

Ask yourself what other system of symbols would make sense to you.

Highlight/underline
Highlight or underline, but mindfully. Check out our resource on strategic highlighting for tips on when and how to highlight.
Use comment and highlight features built into pdfs, online/digital textbooks, or other apps and browser add-ons

Are you using a pdf? Explore its highlight, edit, and comment functions to support your annotations

Some browsers have add-ons or extensions that allow you to annotate web pages or web-based documents

Does your digital or online textbook come with an annotation feature?

Can your digital text be imported into a note-taking tool like OneNote, EverNote, or Google Keep? If so, you might be able to annotate texts in those apps

What are the most important takeaways?

Annotation is about increasing your engagement with a text

Increased engagement, where you think about and process the material then expand on your learning, is how you achieve mastery in a subject

As you annotate a text, ask yourself: how would I explain this to a friend?

Put things in your own words and draw connections to what you know and wonder

The table below demonstrates this process using a geography textbook excerpt (Press 2004):

A common concern about annotating texts: It takes time!

Yes, it can, but that time isn't lost-it's invested.

Spending the time to annotate on the front end does two important things:

It saves you time later when you're studying. Your annotated notes will help speed up exam prep, because you can review critical concepts quickly and efficiently.

It increases the likelihood that you will retain the information after the course is completed. This is especially important when you are supplying the building blocks of your mind and future career.

One last tip: Try separating the reading and annotating processes! Quickly read through a section of the text first, then go back and annotate.

Works consulted:

Nist, S., & Holschuh, J. (2000). Active learning: strategies for college success. Boston: Allyn and Bacon. 202-218.

Simpson, M., & Nist, S. (1990). Textbook annotation: An effective and efficient study strategy for college students. Journal of Reading, 34: 122-129.

Press, F. (2004). Understanding earth (4th ed). New York: W.H. Freeman. 208-210.
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This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 License.
You may reproduce it for non-commercial use if you use the entire handout and attribute the source: The Learning Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

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What is annotation? Annotation can be: A systematic summary of the text that you create within the document A key tool for close reading that helps you uncover patterns, notice important words, and identify main points An active learning strategy ... Read more

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Judgment at Nuremberg Official Trailer #1 - Burt Lancaster Movie (1961) HD

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Inherit the Wind (1960) | Official Trailer | MGM Studios

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American Experience | The "Scopes Monkey Trial" | Season 30

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In 1925, the "Scopes Monkey Trial" pit traditional Christian beliefs against evolution.

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How to Create Leading Questions for Cross Examination

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Bethel School District #43 v. Fraser (1987)
Holding: Students do not have a First Amendment right to make obscene speeches in school.

Matthew N. Fraser, a student at Bethel High School, was suspended for three days for delivering an obscene and provocative speech to the student body. In this speech, he nominated his fellow classmate for an elected school office. The Supreme Court held that his free speech rights were not violated.

*This case relates to students.

Board of Education of Independent School District #92 of Pottawatomie County v. Earls (2002)
Holding: Random drug tests of students involved in extracurricular activities do not violate the Fourth Amendment.

In Veronia School District v. Acton (1995), the Supreme Court held that random drug tests of student athletes do not violate the Fourth Amendment's prohibition of unreasonable searches and seizures. Some schools then began to require drug tests of all students in extracurricular activities. The Supreme Court in Earls upheld this practice.

*This case relates to students.

Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Holding: Separate schools are not equal.

In Plessy v. Ferguson (1896), the Supreme Court sanctioned segregation by upholding the doctrine of "separate but equal." The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People disagreed with this ruling, challenging the constitutionality of segregation in the Topeka, Kansas, school system. In 1954, the Court reversed its Plessy decision, declaring that "separate schools are inherently unequal."

Learn more about this case.

Honor the important figures involved in the related cases Brown v. Board of Education and Mendez v. Westminster using a readers theater presentation.

Cooper v. Aaron (1958)
Holding: States cannot nullify decisions of the federal courts.

Several government officials in southern states, including the governor and legislature of Alabama, refused to follow the Supreme Court's Brown v. Board of Education decision. They argued that the states could nullify federal court decisions if they felt that the federal courts were violating the Constitution. The Court unanimously rejected this argument and held that only the federal courts can decide when the Constitution is violated.

Engel v. Vitale (1962)
Holding: School initiated-prayer in the public school system violates the First Amendment.

In the New York school system, each day began with a nondenominational prayer acknowledging dependence upon God. This action was challenged in Court as an unconstitutional state establishment of religion in violation of the First Amendment. The Supreme Court agreed, stating that the government could not sponsor such religious activities.

*This case relates to students.

Gideon v. Wainwright (1963)
Holding: Indigent defendants must be provided representation without charge.

Gideon was accused of committing a felony. Being indigent, he petitioned the judge to provide him with an attorney free of charge. The judge denied his request. The Supreme Court ruled for Gideon, saying that the Sixth Amendment requires indigent criminal defendants to be provided an attorney free of charge.

Learn more about this case.

Goss v. Lopez (1975)
Holding: Students are entitled to certain due process rights.

Nine students at an Ohio public school received 10-day suspensions for disruptive behavior without due process protections. The Supreme Court ruled for the students, saying that once the state provides an education for all of its citizens, it cannot deprive them of it without ensuring due process protections.

*This case relates to students.

Grutter v. Bollinger (2003)
Holding: Colleges and universities have a legitimate interest in promoting diversity.

Barbara Grutter alleged that her Equal Protection rights were violated when the University of Michigan Law School's attempt to gain a diverse student body resulted in the denial of her admission's application. The Supreme Court disagreed and held that institutions of higher education have a legitimate interest in promoting diversity.

*This case relates to students.

Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier (1988)
Holding: Administrators may edit the content of school newspapers.

The principal of Hazelwood East High School edited two articles in the school paper The Spectrum that he deemed inappropriate. The student authors argued that this violated their First Amendment right to freedom of speech. The Supreme Court disagreed, stating that administrators can edit materials that reflect school values.

*This case relates to students.

Learn more about this case.

Mapp v. Ohio (1961)
Holding: Illegally obtained material cannot be used in a criminal trial.

While searching Dollree Mapp's house, police officers discovered obscene materials and arrested her. Because the police officers never produced a search warrant, she argued that the materials should be suppressed as the fruits of an illegal search and seizure. The Supreme Court agreed and applied to the states the exclusionary rule from Weeks v. United States(1914).

Learn more about this case.

Marbury v. Madison (1803)
Holding: Established the doctrine of judicial review.

In the Judiciary Act of 1789, Congress gave the Supreme Court the authority to issue certain judicial writs. The Constitution did not give the Court this power. Because the Constitution is the Supreme Law of the Land, the Court held that any contradictory congressional Act is without force. The ability of federal courts to declare legislative and executive actions unconstitutional is known as judicial review.

Teach students the significance of Marbury v. Madison which establishes the concept of judicial review.

McCulloch v. Maryland (1819)
Holding: The Constitution gives the federal government certain implied powers.

Maryland imposed a tax on the Bank of the United States and questioned the federal government's ability to grant charters without explicit constitutional sanction. The Supreme Court held that the tax unconstitutionally interfered with federal supremacy and ruled that the Constitution gives the federal government certain implied powers.

Miranda v. Arizona (1966)
Holding: Police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning.

After hours of police interrogations, Ernesto Miranda confessed to rape and kidnapping. At trial, he sought to suppress his confession, stating that he was not advised of his rights to counsel and to remain silent. The Supreme Court agreed, holding that police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning.

Learn more about this case.

New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985)
Holding: Students have a reduced expectation of privacy in school.

A teacher accused T.L.O. of smoking in the bathroom. When she denied the allegation, the principal searched her purse and found cigarettes and marijuana paraphernalia. A family court declared T.L.O. a delinquent. The Supreme Court ruled that her rights were not violated since students have reduced expectations of privacy in school.

*This case relates to students.

Learn more about this case.

New York Times v. Sullivan (1964)
Holding: In order to prove libel, a public official must show that what was said against them was made with actual malice.

The New York Times was sued by the Montgomery, Alabama police commissioner, L.B. Sullivan, for printing an advertisement containing some false statements. The Supreme Court unanimously ruled in favor of the newspaper saying the right to publish all statements is protected under the First Amendment.

Learn more about this case.

Roper v. Simmons (2005)
Holding: It is cruel and unusual punishment to execute persons for crimes they committed before age 18.

Matthew Simmons was sentenced to death for the murder of a woman when he was 17 years of age. In the 1988 caseThompson v. Oklahoma, the Supreme Court ruled that executing persons for crimes committed at age 15 or younger constitutes cruel and unusual punishment in violation of the Eighth Amendment. Roper argued that "evolving standards of decency" prevented the execution of an individual for crimes committed before the age of 18. A majority of the Supreme Court agreed with Roper, and held that to execute him for his crime would violate the Eighth Amendment.

*This case relates to students.

Santa Fe Independent School District v. Doe (2000)
Holding: Students may not use a school's loudspeaker system to offer student-led, student-initiated prayer.

Before football games, members of the student body of a Texas high school elected one of their classmates to address the players and spectators. These addresses were conducted over the school's loudspeakers and usually involved a prayer. Attendance at these events was voluntary. Three students sued the school arguing that the prayers violated the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. A majority of the Court rejected the school's argument that since the prayer was student initiated and student led, as opposed to officially sponsored by the school, it did not violate the First Amendment. The Court held that this action did constitute school-sponsored prayer because the loudspeakers that the students used for their invocations were owned by the school.

*This case relates to students.

Terry v. Ohio (1968)
Holding: Stop and frisks do not violate the Constitution under certain circumstances.

Observing Terry and others acting suspiciously in front of a store, a police officer concluded that they might rob it. The officer stopped and frisked the men. A weapon was found on Terry and he was convicted of carrying a concealed weapon. The Supreme Court ruled that this search was reasonable.

Texas v. Johnson (1989)
Holding: Even offensive speech such as flag burning is protected by the First Amendment.

To protest the policies of the Reagan administration, Gregory Lee Johnson burned an American flag outside of the Dallas City Hall. He was arrested for this act, but argued that it was symbolic speech. The Supreme Court agreed, ruling that symbolic speech is constitutionally protected even when it is offensive.

Learn more about this case.

Tinker v. Des Moines (1969)
Holding: Students do not leave their rights at the schoolhouse door.

To protest the Vietnam War, Mary Beth Tinker and her brother wore black armbands to school. Fearing a disruption, the administration prohibited wearing such armbands. The Tinkers were removed from school when they failed to comply, but the Supreme Court ruled that their actions were protected by the First Amendment.

*This case relates to students.

Learn more about this case. Teach students the significance of Tinker v. Des Moines which examines student's First Amendment rights.

U.S. v. Nixon (1974)
Holding: The President is not above the law.

The special prosecutor in the Watergate affair subpoenaed audio tapes of Oval Office conversations. President Nixon refused to turn over the tapes, asserting executive privilege. The Supreme Court ruled that the defendants' right to potentially exculpating evidence outweighed the President's right to executive privilege if national security was not compromised.

Zelma v. Simmons-Harris (2002)
Holding: Certain school voucher programs are constitutional.

The Ohio Pilot Scholarship Program allowed certain Ohio families to receive tuition aid from the state. This would help offset the cost of tuition at private, including parochial (religiously affiliated), schools. The Supreme Court rejected First Amendment challenges to the program and stated that such aid does not violate the Establishment Clause.

*This case relates to students.

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Participate in interactive landmark Supreme Court cases that have shaped history and have an impact on law-abiding citizens today.

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Syrian Journey: Choose your own escape route

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Put yourself in the shoes of a Syrian migrant and see whether you could make the right choices on the journey to Europe.

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International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

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Can one decision change your life? | The Laws of War | ICRC

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The People v. Joe Jones: A 10 Minute Mock Trial

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Prosecution gives opening statement in Ahmaud Arbery death trial

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To Kill a Mockingbird | Atticus Finch's Closing Argument

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Powerful Closing Argument - For The People

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Mock Trial Step-by-Step: Closing Statement

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Best Example of Opening Statement in Courtroom

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How opposing counsel uses objections to distract 

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How opposing counsel uses objections to distract 

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Paxton impeachment trial: Terese Buess calls Katherine Missy Cary to the stand

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International Committee of the Red Cross

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The rules of war, or international humanitarian law, set out what can and cannot be done during an armed conflict.

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PROSECUTING EVIL: THE EXTRAORDINARY WORLD OF BEN FERENCZ Trailer | TIFF 2018

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Introduction to Teaching We the People at the High School Level

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We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution is a program of the Center for Civic Education in Calabasas, CA. It is coordinated in New Jersey by the New Jersey Center for Civic Education.

The instructional program enhances the students' understanding of government and American constitutional democracy. At the same time the students discover the contemporary relevance of the Constitution and the Bill of Rights.

The culminating activity is a simulated congressional hearing (See below) in which the students demonstrate their knowledge and understanding of constitutional principles. The students have the opportunity to evaluate, take, and defend positions on relevant historical and contemporary issues. The 2024 New Jersey State Finals Hearings will be held on January 24th at the Busch Campus Center.

Independent studies reported that students who use the We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution materials outperform other students on political knowledge and philosophy and were more politically tolerant than students who use traditional textbooks and teaching approaches.

At the 2019-20 annual New Jersey State We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution competition for high schools, East Brunswick High School placed first and represented New Jersey at the National We the People: The Citizen and the Constitution Competition in April.

Montclair High School finished second and Marlboro High School earned third place. Bayonne High School, Hopewell Valley Regional High School, Steinert High School, and West Windsor-Plainsboro High School North received civic education awards.

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The New Jersey Center for Civic Education is an independent non-profit organization dedicated to fostering the knowledge, skills and dispositions students need

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REGISTRATION

Registration for the 2023 Maine High School Mock Trial Competition is now open!
Please register by September 15, 2023.

Rules & Policies

Rules of Evidence

Case

Each year a different case is chosen for students to use to prepare for Competition. It is provided to registered schools.

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REGISTRATION Registration for the 2023 Maine High School Mock Trial Competition is now open! Please register by September 15, 2023. Rules & Policies Rules of Evidence Case Each year a different case is chosen for students to use to prepare for Competition. It is provided to registered schools.

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Liberators and Survivors: The First Moments

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SCOTUSblog - Independent News & Analysis on the U.S. Supreme Court

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Devoted to covering the US Supreme Court comprehensively, without bias according to the highest journalistic standards as a public service

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While some dictionaries define the word right as "a privilege," when used in the context of "human rights," we are talking about something more basic. Every person is entitled to certain fundamental rights, simply by the fact of being human. These are called "human rights," rather than a privilege, which can be taken away at someone's whim. Every person is entitled to certain rights-simply by the fact that they are a human being.

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What Are Human Rights? Defined * Youth for Human Rights Campaign

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Learn About Youth For Human Rights: Watch Videos And Read Articles For Education On The United Nations Declaration Of Human Rights Including Public Service Messages On Issues Of Abuse And Violations Of Law.

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Spot the Objections! | Example Direct Examination - Mock Trial

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Think you’ll never have to ask for help? Here’s your chance to prove it.