George Washington and the Constitution: Digital Resources from the Library of Congress and National Archives

LIbrary of Congress: http://www.loc.gov/pictures/item/96523313/

It's that time-- Constitution Day is around the corner! We were excited to receive a George Washington portrait as part of an amazing portrait program at Mount Vernon, and are launching school activities in honor of his role in the early American republic.  As part of our search for great activities and primary sources we stopped first at two of the premier resources for historical documents: the Library of Congress and the National Archives. So in honor of the Constitution and our first president, here are some really neat resources to use in the classroom for Constitution Day, parked in one spot for easy reference! Have fun...

You can find out about the portrait program here: 
http://www.mountvernon.org/educational-resources/teachers-students/george-washington-portrait-program

And all the cool primary source lessons here:

Primary Source Resources from the Library of Congress and National Archives

Constitution Day Resources from the Library of Congress

Outstanding collection of resources from our national library. A wealth of ideas and primary sources to engage students in inquiry in the classroom. One of the first go-to spots for teachers for great activities and resources!

http://thomas.loc.gov/teachers/constitution.html

George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress: Timeline

A timeline of the George Washington Papers at the Library of Congress with embedded primary sources.

http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/gwhtml/gwtime.html

Constitution Day Activities Blog from the Library of Congress

Recent Library of Congress Blog on Constitution Day Resources from the Library of Congress.

http://blogs.loc.gov/teachers/2013/09/constitution-day-and-congress-gov-exploring-the-legislative-process-using-real-legislation/?loclr=twloc

Free Speech and the Constitution: Library of Congress Resources on You Tube

Check out this resource in honor of Constitution Day on the Library of Congress YouTube channel (And there are some other neat ones there too!)

http://youtu.be/29MUnq110ls

Washington’s Annotated First Draft of the Constitution: National Archives

Zoomable annotated draft (by Washington) of the Constitution

http://research.archives.gov/description/1501555

Signers of the Constitution: National Archives Activity

Great photo analysis activity using a well-known painting in the National Archives Collection

http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/constitution-day/signers.html

Comprehensive Overview of the Constitution: National Archives Charters of Freedom Online Resource

Excellent reference for an overview of the Constitutional Convention

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_history.html

Questions and Answers on the Constitution from the National Archives

Ever have an unanswered question on the Constitution? Our National Archives probably has the answer!

http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_q_and_a.html

Behind the Scenes Video of Important Treasures of the National Archives

This is a great curator hosted video highlighting treasures of the National Archives (Be sure to explore other treasures of the National Archives on their You Tube Channel!)

http://youtu.be/sFAVKJAOWSc