Law Day 2019

Law Day is May 1. The 2019 Law Day theme—Free Speech, Free Press, Free Society—focuses on these cornerstones of representative democracy and calls on us to understand and protect these rights to ensure, as the U.S. Constitution proposes, “the Blessings of Liberty for ourselves and our Posterity.”

In the United States and around the world, freedom of speech and the press are among the most important foundations for a free society. This multi-part series and supplemental resources examine highlights in our long history of freedom of expression and of a free press, and how “We the People” continually work together to ensure that the key principles of the First Amendment are realized for all members of our society.

Complete with an 26 page teaching guide with graphic organizers, this series, available in English and Spanish, includes engaging lessons easily adaptable for differentiated instruction.  The guide also has a listing of weblinks to many other free, related, educational resources.

This project was made possible through the support of the New York Newspapers Foundation and the NYNPA Newspaper In Education Program and the audio podcasts of the series was generously funded by the New York Bar Foundation.

Special thanks to:

The New York Bar Foundation for their financial support for the audio podcasts of the six features.

David Scott Esq. (Project PATCH, Northport - East Northport UFSD) and Elisa Scott, Esq. (School of Professional Development Stony Brook University)  for reviewing and editing this content.

Carey and Jan Cook of myvocabulary.com for their assistance on the crossword puzzle.

Evelyn Ledezma (Bethlehem CSD) for her Spanish translation of the six features.

_______________

Law Day 2018 - Framework for Freedom

The U.S. Constitution establishes a system of government with distinct and independent branches—congress, the presidency, and the Supreme Court. Our Constitution also defines the powers for the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of our government and outlines how they interact. These three separate branches share power, and each branch serves as a check on the power of the others. The series explores the ideas of separation of powers and checks and balances and how they set up a framework for freedom and the role a free press and citizens have with it.

You may download each feature individually here or as a complete 6-page PDF file below. Separation of Powers: Framework for Freedom Introduction Overview of Separation of Powers & Checks and Balances The Legislative Branch The Executive Branch The Judicial Branch Citizens and the Fourth Estate

To download the complete series - all six features and the teaching guide with graphic organizer packet including a list of additional internet resources, use the links below: Full series 20 page teaching guide with student graphic organizers

_______________

Law Day 2017- The Fourteenth Amendment: Transforming American Democracy.

The Fourteenth Amendment has reshaped American law and society. By defining U.S. citizenship and through its due process and equal protection clauses, this transformative amendment advanced the rights of all Americans. It also played a pivotal role in limiting the states from abridging freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights. Ratified during Reconstruction a century and a half ago, the Fourteenth Amendment serves as the cornerstone of landmark civil rights legislation, the foundation for numerous federal court decisions protecting fundamental rights, and a source of inspiration for all those who advocate for equal justice under law.Complete with an 20 page teaching guide with graphic organizers, this series includes engaging lessons easily adaptable for differentiated instruction.   The guide also has a listing of weblinks to many other free, related, educational resources.

___________________________

Law Day 2016 - "Miranda: More Than Words"

2016 marked the 50th anniversary of perhaps the nation’s best-known U.S. Supreme Court case, Miranda v. Arizona. The Miranda Warning has become ingrained in law enforcement and has permeated popular consciousness through countless recitations in films and television shows. Yes, we’ve all heard Miranda but how much do we really understand?  Complete with an 18 page teaching guide with graphic organizers, this series includes engaging lessons that dig deeper into the words of a typical Miranda warning.  The guide also has a listing of weblinks to many other free, related, educational resources.

__________________________________________

You may download each features individually here or as a complete 8-page PDF file below. Magna Carta U.S. Constitution - Habeas Corpus The Fifth Amendment Hamdi v. Rumsfeld (2004) The Fourteenth Amendment In re Gault (1967) Goss v. Lopez (1975) Search for Freedom

To download the complete series - all eight features and the teaching guide with graphic organizer packet including a list of additional internet resources, use the links below: Full series 18 page teaching guide with student worksheets/graphic organizers

__________________________________________

Law Day 2014 - "American Democracy and the Rule of Law: Why Every Vote Matters"

One of our most cherished national ideals, expressed eloquently by Abraham Lincoln, is “government of the people, by the people, for the people.” It is a principle enshrined in our Nation’s founding documents, from the Declaration of Independence’s assurance that governments derive their powers from the consent of the governed, to the opening three words of the Preamble to the U.S. Constitution, “We the People.”The right to vote is the very foundation of government by the people. For this reason, striving to establish and protect every citizen’s right to vote has been a central theme of American legal and civic history. Much of the struggle on voting rights began decades ago, but the work is far from complete, and a citizen’s right to cast a ballot remains at risk today. In keeping with this year's theme, the NYNPA NIE program in partnership with the Law, Youth and Citizenship program of the NYS Bar Association has developed a seven part educational series to prompt discussion about the importance of voting and the ongoing struggle to ensure voting rights for all citizens of the United States. Complete with a 15 page teaching guide with graphic organizers this series is aligned to the Common Core State Standards and includes lessons easily adaptable for differentiated instruction.The features highlight seven diverse public figures from the 1800s through today and their quotes about the importance of voting.

The features highlight seven diverse public figures from the 1800s through today and their quotes about the importance of voting.

Sojourner Truth (1867) Alice Paul (1917) Franklin D. Roosevelt (1944) Lyndon B. Johnson (1965) Gore Vidal (1994) Roger Mudd (2001) Hillary Rodham Clinton (2005)

To download the complete series - all 7 features and the teaching guide with graphic organizer packet including a list of additional internet resources, use the links below: Full series 15 page teaching guide with student worksheets/graphic organizers

__________________________________________

Law Day 2013 - "Realizing the Dream: Equality for All"

The promise of equality under the law is what has made America a beacon to other nations. It is a pledge clearly set forth in the Declaration of Independence and in the opening words of the Preamble of the Constitution, “We the People.” It is in the words of Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation. And it was restated 150 years later in the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech which challenged us to live up to our national ideal of equality under the law. There have been times throughout New York State’s history, when our struggles for equality lead those of the nation. This educational series was created to give students and readers an opportunity to explore the movement for civil and human rights in America and to promote discussion of the continued fight against injustice and discrimination.

Law Day 2012 - "No Courts, No Justice, No Freedom"

Open and accessible courts are the cornerstone of a free society. The framers of our Constitution recognized the importance of the courts when they made the judiciary one of the three coequal branches of our government. The courts are where we go to have our rights protected, our injuries redressed and our disputes resolved. Whether you are a consumer or a corporation, a victim or an accused, a lender or a debtor, a parent or a child, the work of the courts affects your everyday life.This educational series was created to give students and readers a general understanding of the process of the courts and the role the justice system has in our lives.

The materials highlight 5 specific topics related to the courts and our justice system. The links to the right bring up downloadable PDF files or Audio Podcasts in MP3 format.

Criminal Courts PDF - MP3 (4 mins, 13 secs) Civil Courts PDF - MP3 (3 mins, 8 secs) Juries PDF - MP3 (4 mins, 21 secs) The Appeals Process PDF - MP3 (3 mins, 41 secs) Alternate Dispute Resolution PDF - MP3 (3 mins, 25 secs)

To download the complete series, a promotional ad, all 5 features, a teachers' guide and worksheet packet including a list of additional internet resources, use the links below: 5-part series 14 page Teachers' Guide Additional 12 pages of student worksheets/graphic organizers

____________________________________________

Law Day 2011 - The Legacy of John Adams: From Boston to Guantanamo

This project was funded by the Law, Youth and Citizenship Program at the New York State Bar Association with additional support by Albany Law School

The materials highlight 5 specific cases, 4 of them originating in New York. The links to the right bring up PDF files with the newspaper features and corresponding student worksheet(s) for the case listed.

The Boston Massacre William Seward's defense of William Freeman The Lemmon Slave Case Susan B. Anthony jailed for voting The Pentagon Papers Case

To download the complete series, all 5 features and worksheet packet including a list of additional internet resources, use the links below: 5-part series Corresponding 8 page, student worksheets packet

__________________________________________

Law Day 2010 - Law in the 21st Century: Emerging Challenges and Enduring Traditions

This project was funded by the Law, Youth and Citizenship Program at the New York State Bar Association with additional support by Albany Law School

Law Day 2008 - The Rule of Law

The PDF file contains an introductory promotion piece and five features highlighting landmark court cases that originated in New York State.  Each feature gives some background, a brief description of the issues and the court verdict in each case.  Each also has a newspaper tie-in activity.

The five cases are:
King v. John Peter Zenger - 1730,
Gibbons v. Ogden - 1824,
Lochner v. New York - 1905,
Engel v. Vitale - 1961 and
New York Times v. US - 1973

Student worksheets are also available to download here. This project was funded by the Law, Youth and Citizenship Program at the New York State Bar Association.

 

For more on Newspapers in Education please contact Mary Miller at: mmiller@nynpa.com or call (518) 449-1667.

More NIE information on this site:

About NIE | Contacts by Town | Famous New Yorkers | Free NIE Materials

If you'd like to make a donation to the NYNPA Newspaper In Education program, simply press the Donation button below.
Your generous gift will be processed through the New York Newspapers Foundation's secure PayPal account.

New York News Publishers Association, Inc.
Phone/Fax (518) 449-1667 - Toll-free: (800) 777-1667