American Institutions
Explore how the Constitution structures political power through primary sources, Supreme Court decisions, constitutional debates, podcast episodes, and classroom-ready resources.
Start with the Workshop Materials
Use the readers, podcast episodes, and Civic Literacy Curriculum together to deepen your understanding and bring the workshop into your classroom.
American Institutions Reader
Examine the constitutional structure of federalism, separation of powers, Congress, the presidency, and the judiciary through foundational texts.
Open Reader IAdvanced American Institutions Reader
Extend the inquiry through Supreme Court decisions, competing views of executive power, administrative government, and modern constitutional disputes.
Open Reader IICivics in a Year
Use concise podcast episodes to build background knowledge, clarify difficult constitutional ideas, and prepare for discussion of workshop readings.
Browse Podcast EpisodesFrom Constitutional Design to Practice
American constitutional government depends on institutions that exercise political power while also placing meaningful limits on that power.
This workshop examines how those institutions were designed, how they have developed over time, and how constitutional principles are interpreted in practice.
The workshop combines foundational constitutional materials with modern cases and debates so that educators can trace the relationship between constitutional text, institutional development, and contemporary civic life.
Three Core Institutional Questions
These questions connect the workshop’s readings, cases, podcast episodes, and classroom applications.
Who should govern?
Federalism divides authority between the national government and the states while creating continuing debates about sovereignty, accountability, and coercion.
How should power be divided?
Separation of powers distributes authority among institutions and asks how those institutions should cooperate, compete, and check one another.
Who interprets the Constitution?
Judicial review raises questions about constitutional meaning, democratic accountability, legal interpretation, and the proper authority of courts.
Explore the Workshop Topics
Open each section to find readings, podcast connections, curriculum resources, and questions for discussion.
Federalism: Who Should Govern?
Federalism divides political authority between the national government and the states. Americans have continually debated how that division should work in practice.
Read
- Articles of Confederation
- United States Constitution
- Federalist and Anti-Federalist writings
- South Dakota v. Dole (1987)
- Printz v. United States (1997)
- NFIB v. Sebelius (2012)
Listen
Explore anti-commandeering, conditional spending, state sovereignty, federal incentives, and coercion.
Teach
- Reserved Powers of the States
- The Tenth Amendment
- Systems of Government
- Federalism case comparisons
Workshop Questions
- What powers belong to the federal government?
- What powers remain with the states?
- How does federalism protect liberty?
- When does federal encouragement become coercion?
Separation of Powers: How Should Power Be Divided?
The Constitution divides governmental power among legislative, executive, and judicial institutions while allowing those institutions to check one another.
Read
- Articles I, II, and III
- Federalist writings on separated powers
- Theodore Roosevelt on executive stewardship
- William Howard Taft on presidential limits
- Woodrow Wilson on presidential leadership
- Materials on delegation and agency rulemaking
Listen
Teach
- The Three Branches of Government
- Presidential Powers
- Federal Judges
- Checks and Balances
- The Legislative Process
Workshop Questions
- Does effective government require energetic executive leadership?
- What limits presidential power?
- How should Congress and the president check one another?
- How much authority can Congress delegate?
- Can administrative expertise coexist with democratic accountability?
Congress: Why Did the Framers Distrust Legislatures?
Congress is the legislative branch, but the Constitution structures it to balance representation, deliberation, federalism, and political accountability.
Read
- Article I
- Foundational readings on representation
- Materials on legislative power
- Advanced readings on congressional delegation
Listen
Explore Civics in a Year episodes addressing Congress, lawmaking, representation, delegation, and institutional conflict.
Browse Congress EpisodesTeach
- Structure and Powers of Congress
- The House and Senate
- Representation
- The Legislative Process
The Presidency: How Much Executive Power Is Too Much?
The presidency provides energetic executive leadership while remaining within a constitutional system of separated powers. The meaning of that balance has changed over time.
Read
- Article II
- Theodore Roosevelt on stewardship
- William Howard Taft on presidential limits
- Woodrow Wilson on presidential leadership
Listen
Examine the constitutional division of war powers between Congress and the president.
Teach
- Presidential Powers and Appointments
- Commander in Chief and Congress
- The Executive Branch
- The Cabinet
- Presidential Succession
The Judiciary: Who Should Interpret the Constitution?
Courts interpret law and determine whether government action is consistent with the Constitution, raising continuing questions about judicial authority and democratic accountability.
Read
- Article III
- Foundational materials on judicial review
- Supreme Court decisions on federal power
- Cases involving constitutional rights
Listen
How Judges Read the Constitution
Explore constitutional text, history, precedent, and competing approaches to interpretation.
Teach
- The Judicial Branch
- Judicial Review
- Constitutional Interpretation
- Judicial Review Simulation
Freedom of Speech: Who Decides the Limits of Freedom?
The meaning of freedom of speech has developed through disputes involving compelled expression, incitement, offensive speech, public order, and viewpoint discrimination.
Read
- Chaplinsky v. New Hampshire
- West Virginia v. Barnette
- Terminiello v. Chicago
- Brandenburg v. Ohio
- Cohen v. California
- Matal v. Tam
Teach
- The Bill of Rights
- The First Amendment
- Rights Protected in the United States
- Liberty and Public Order
Workshop Questions
- May government suppress speech because it is offensive?
- How should courts distinguish advocacy from incitement?
- When does protecting public order threaten constitutional liberty?
Take It Back to Your Classroom
Move from constitutional text to institutional development and then to the civic questions students encounter today.
What does the Constitution establish?
Begin with constitutional text and the institutional structure it creates.
How have institutions developed?
Compare original design with later cases, practices, debates, and interpretations.
Why does it matter today?
Ask students to apply institutional principles to questions in their own civic world.
Continue Your Learning
Use the American Institutions readers, Civics in a Year podcast episodes, and Civic Literacy Curriculum together to extend the workshop into your classroom.