Backed by over a century of the American Political Science Association's commitment to civic education and civic educators, APSA’s Engaging America's 250 Resource Campaign curates and showcases high-quality, nonpartisan classroom materials, tools, and approaches that teach students how to understand and participate in America’s 250-year-old experiment in self-government and constitutional democracy.
Featured Resources
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American Political Thought Assignments and Syllabus
All three of the following essay prompts require students to produce a response between 5-6 double-spaced pages. Additionally, students are […]
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What Is Democracy Made Of? Using the New York Times Learning Network’s “Identifying Essential Elements in a Democracy” worksheet in the Introductory American Politics Classroom
Understanding American politics nowadays entails some consideration of democratic fragility – i.e., that democracy in the United States (or anywhere) […]
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Teaching Primary Texts Using Concept Mapping
As state legislatures increasingly mandate the inclusion of foundational American documents in general education courses on American politics, instructors face […]
Strategies to Teach...
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Learning Materials
Webinars
Unfinished Revolution: Social Movements, Freedom Struggles, and American Democratic Development
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
The U.S. Declaration of Independence ushered in an era of freedom, self-government, and personal liberty. Yet the ideals for equality before the law were not always operationalized in government practices. Social movements and efforts to make the ideals of the Declaration of Independence a reality have marked American political development from its founding through the present.
Watch the recording a discussion connecting American democratic development, social movements, and the enduring meaning of the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
Making the Founding Documents Relevant
Tuesday, July 7, 2026
As the United States approaches the two-hundred-fifty-year anniversary of its experiment in self-government, APSA explores how political science scholars and educators engage the founding era and documents in their research, teaching, and public engagement. Expert panelists discussed and spotlight how political scientists focusing on the founding era have been and continue to make the American Founding relevant to the public and students in today’s world.
This webinar explores 1776 as a momentous historical political development and an opportunity to engage civil society, develop a scholarly community, and teach the next generation of leaders the civic skills and knowledge they need to live as informed citizens.