In this article, the author examines the practice of the filibuster, using as the featured document the signed cloture motion in the Senate for an end to the filibuster to block the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The accompanying teaching activities enable teachers to introduce their classes to the history and practice of the filibuster. (Contains 1…

This article features two documents which can serve as a starting point for a lesson on public service while students debate the amount of pay that public servants should receive. These are: (1) the printed draft of the Constitution showing George Washington's handwritten corrections that eliminated state payments and included the phrase "to be…

In 1878, Senator Aaron A. Sargent of California introduced to the Senate an amendment to the Constitution "Conferring upon Women the Right of Suffrage." Drafted by Susan B. Anthony, this same amendment would be introduced on a near-yearly basis until its final passage by Congress on May 19, 1919. Varying degrees of voting rights presented an…

According to a recent estimate, out of more than four million children between 4 and 6 years of age, less than half a million are enrolled in kindergartens. This condition may be attributed in general to a lack of knowledge of the practical, ethical, and social value of kindergarten education; to the expense of installing a system whose advantages…

Reviews legislation and public attitudes toward foreign refugees since the eighteenth century. Among the immigrant groups mentioned are the Chinese, Hungarians, Cubans, and Indochinese. (GC)

The concept of sovereign immunity in English law originated in both early canon law and the feudal system, became formalized in case law under King Henry II, and as the royal prerogative, became established into statutory law under King Henry VIII. This concept of governmental immunity was adopted by the states when the union was founded. The case…

In an examination of the dynamics that mold a bill and keep it before the attention of the national legislature, this paper traces the behind-the-scenes history of the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA), H.R. 925, from its origin as a benefit solely for pregnant women workers to its current status as a broad remedy for the stresses of modern…

It is now more than a hundred years since textbooks were first furnished free to the pupils of a public school in this country. The movement began in the administration of city schools and, generally speaking, was confined to cities for many years. Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, made provision for free textbooks in its public schools in 1818, and…

This document contains the September 1923 through June 1924 issues of "School Life," a monthly publication of the U.S. Department of the Interior Bureau of Education. The journal issues cover a variety of topics across education sectors, legislation before Congress, foreign schools and education systems, education association activities,…

The primary thrust of this research project was to explore the history of federal government drug control enactments and organizations in the United States. The purpose of this exploration was to assess how the federal government's past drug control record shapes the future of public school drug prevention programs. Drug enforcement, prevention,…

This paper reviews the contributions of the United States to the promotion of children's rights. In the 19th century, the United States created public schools to supplement family education. Societies to protect children were also established. Early in the 20th century, the government began a series of White House Conferences on Children and…

These lectures, presented in observance of the U.S. Constitution bicentennial celebration, consider selected constitutionally significant law cases that occurred in Indiana. These cases are representative of U.S. constitutional development and of the relationship of Indiana to the U.S. Constitution. Patrick Furlong, in "The South Bend…

Canada's first constitution gave the provinces and territories the responsibility for education. Training for employment was interpreted as a shared responsibility between the federal and provincial governments. In 1960, with the passage of the Technical and Vocational Training Act, the federal government assumed a major role in occupational…

The formulation of effective compulsory attendance laws has been one of the problems confronting legislators and school officials for the past 70 years. The most marked advance in enacting such laws has been made since 1890. Prior to that date only 27 States and the District of Columbia had compulsory laws, and many of these were inoperative. Now…

The late 1980s' resurgent appeal to public interest standards entails a misunderstanding of the real meaning of "public interest" and, whatever the merits of the critique of the deficiencies during the recent regulatory period, the standard still contains within it the seeds of its own compromise, if not destruction. Even among its…