Constitution Day falls on September 17th — and for 8th graders, it's one of the most meaningful civics moments of the school year. Whether you have a single class period or a full week to dedicate, this toolkit gives you everything you need to make it count.

Before there was a Constitution… Before there was a Bill of Rights… There was prayer. In 1774, the First Continental Congress opened in prayer. In 1789, after taking the oath of office, President George Washington walked to church at St. Paul’s Chapel to dedicate the new nation to God. Faith was not hidden. It was not silenced. It was not confined to the private sphere. The Founders understood something profound: Freedom requires virtue. Virtue requires moral truth. And moral truth has roots....

Most Americans have never heard his name… Roger Sherman is the only Founder to sign all four of these documents: • The Continental Association (1774) • The Declaration of Independence (1776) • The Articles of Confederation (1781) • The U.S. Constitution (1787) That’s right — all four. And during the Constitutional Convention, Sherman helped craft what we now call the Great Compromise” — creating our two-chamber Congress: The House (representation by population) The Senate (equal...