Constitution Day and Constitutional Foundations

ConstitutionDay.org states that “on September 17, 1787, the delegates to the Constitutional Convention met for the last time to sign the document they had created.” Each year, students and citizens across the country celebrate this moment in history on Constitution Day. From our Constitution Clips which bring the document alive with video clips to our Constitutional Foundations Featured Resources site, C-SPAN Classroom offers hundreds of resources to help your classroom celebrate, each of which can be bookmarked for use throughout the year!

General Resources:

• Constitution Day Hub (Civics Renewal Network)
• Constitution Day Gallery Page (C-SPAN)

Constitution Clips:

• Constitution Clips Website (C-SPAN Classroom)
• Handout: Constitution Clips Analysis (Google Doc)
• Lesson: Constitution Scavenger Hunt (2 Clips)
• Lesson: The Bill of Rights Choice Board (2 Clips & Slides)

Constitution Day and Introduction to the Constitution:

• On This Day: Constitution Day (6 Clips)
• Clip: How to Read the Constitution (2:39)
• Bell Ringer: The Constitution and Repairing Political Division (2 Clips)
• Lesson: The Purposes of Government (5 Clips)
• Lesson: Enumerated and Implied Powers of Congress (1 Clip)
• Lesson: How Should the Constitution be Interpreted? (6 Clips)
• Lesson: The Bill of Rights in Modern Times (2 Clips)

Creation of the Constitution:

• Resource: The Great Debate on the Constitution (Google Doc)
• Clip: Declaration of Independence and the US Constitution (0:42)
• Bell Ringer: The Struggle between Individual Liberty and the Common Good (5:21)
• Bell Ringer: We the People (1:50)
• Bell Ringer: The Articles of Confederation: Overview and Powers (3:01)
• Lesson: The Federalist Papers (3 Clips)
• Lesson: The Constitutional Convention (8 Clips)
• Lesson: Choice Board: Our Founding Documents (7 Clips & Slides)
• Lesson: Constitutional Debate Choice Board- George Mason v. James Madison (10 Clips & Slides)
• and more.

New Deliberation: How Should Congressional Stock Trading Be Handled?

The Stop Trading on Congressional Knowledge, or STOCK, Act of 2012 was passed as a “first step” to lessen the impact of money in politics and increase trust between Congress and the American people (The White House). The legislation - which enhanced the financial disclosure requirements for securities trading for members of Congress - was crafted in response to multiple reports that suggested insider, or “using non-public knowledge,” trading was occurring among multiple members (Capitol Trades). Other than a provision that could require the forfeiture of a member’s federal pension, the STOCK Act does not include any major consequences for violations nor does it “prohibit” the owning or trading of any specific assets (Congress.gov).

As of November 2025, at least 25 different pieces of legislation have been introduced “to amend the Ethics in Government Act and/or the STOCK Act, to create new law, and/or to amend House rules,” among other actions. Some proposals would enhance the current disclosure requirements in the STOCK Act and others would increase related fines or penalties for violations. Other proposals would restrict the purchase of stock by new members of Congress while others would require all members to divest their holdings. And still others would require all members’ holdings to be placed into blind trusts or would prohibit trading of specific stocks, such as those for companies owned by foreign adversaries. And each of these proposals would apply to different variations of members and their spouses, children, parents, siblings, and others. At the center of the debate lies this question, though: should stock trading be more closely regulated than it is under current law or should it be banned completely for members of Congress? Legislators, think tank leaders, authors, and others have mixed opinions on the issue and no clear legislative path forward currently exists.

Deliberation: How Should Congressional Stock Trading Be Handled? (13 Clips)

So what do you think? This deliberation presents thirteen video clips, five articles, and numerous educational activities to guide students through a review of the debate over how congressional stock trading should be handled. After a careful review of multiple perspectives, students will determine their answer to the question and be presented with several optional extensions to take an active role in the debate.

New Timely and Topical Resources

Each week throughout the school year, the C-SPAN Classroom team and our Classroom Community members develop new resources highlighting current events, popular issues, and public policy discussions alongside new instructional materials that cover history, government, economics, and other topical areas. Below is a sampling of the newest resources available at C-SPAN Classroom. For the latest resources and updates throughout the summer, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Twitter/X.

Timely Public Affairs Content:

• Clip: Public Opinion Polls and Campaign 2026 (7:28)
• Clip: 89% of Americans Say Government Corruption Widespread (4:16)
• Clip: Arizona AG on $17 Billion Multistate Settlement With Meta (6:44)
• Clip: U.S. National Debt Surpasses $40 Trillion (7:09)
• Clip: House Minority Leader Calls for "Dramatic" Supreme Court Reforms (5:40)
• Clip: President Trump's Childhood Vaccine Executive Order (10:40)
• Clip: President Trump Signs Executive Orders on Birthright Citizenship (6:44)
• Clip: Artificial Intelligence and Price Gouging (6:37)
• Clip: Prescription Drug Costs and Most-Favored-Nation Status (10:02)
• Clip: Sen. Schumer Calls For Anti-Corruption Bureau to Check Presidents (6:05)
• and more video clips.

Other Relevant Contemporary Resources:

• Clip: 63rd Anniversary of MLK's March on Washington (2:53)
• Clip: Global Wildfires and Climate Change (7:03)
• Bell Ringer: Death of a Vacuum and Bipartisan Comity (2:28)
• Bell Ringer: Smithsonian Castle "American Aspirations" Exhibit Tour (19:00)
• Bell Ringer: President Trump's Attendance at Supreme Court Oral Argument (3:00)
• Bell Ringer: FCC Repeals Broadcast Ownership Cap (2:15)
• Bell Ringer: Decline of Congressional Town Halls (4:23)
• Bell Ringer: Ranked Choice Voting and Impact on Voters (8:32)
• and more bell ringers and lesson plans.

Historical Topics and Themes:

• Bell Ringer: Preston Brooks and the Caning of Charles Sumner (9:36)
• Bell Ringer: Music from the American West (2 Clips)
• Lesson: History of Bacon (8 Clips)
• Lesson: America - Christian Nation or Secular Republic? (9 Clips)
• Lesson: Spies in the American Revolution (8 Clips)
• Lesson: Tour of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum (14 Clips)
• Lesson: Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday (9 Clips)
• Lesson: Founding Father James Wilson (9 Clips)
• and more on U.S. history.

StudentCam 2027 Kicks-Off!

For the past 22 years, C-SPAN has hosted our annual StudentCam video documentary competition for middle and high school students. In that time, more than $1.8 million in cash prizes has been awarded to countless students and teachers across the country.

Now, we invite you and your students to join us for the 23rd edition of the competition! With the upcoming midterm elections, the C-SPAN Education Team is excited to announce a related theme for StudentCam 2027:

“Mr. Speaker, I Rise To…”
This year, we are asking students to put themselves in the shoes of a newly elected member of Congress and produce a documentary about the issue they would address in their first speech before the legislature, explain why they chose their stated issue, consider various points of view on their topic, and describe potential solutions.

Students from grades 6-12 can participate in the competition and can do so as part of any subject area class or on their own accord. Each year, we receive entries from US Government, US History, ELA, enrichment, and media classes, along with a plethora of submissions from nearly every other content area and many after school and community programs too! If you’re considering participating and would like to discuss how to offer StudentCam to your students or make it a part of your curriculum, contact us at Educate@C-SPAN.org. We stand ready to help!

FREE POSTER: Request StudentCam wall posters for your classroom by clicking here (Google Form).

The deadline for entries is Wednesday, January 20th, 2027. For more information and tips on how to get started with your students, visit studentcam.org.

Warm regards,

Craig, Pam & Zach

C-SPAN's Education Team

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