Archives, Collections and Research Resources
American Revolution Institute
Extensive collection of Revolutionary War primary source materials, ranging from soldiers’ letters to loved ones, to official communications regarding strategy and reconnaissance to maps, medals, ceramics and artwork.
Annenberg Public Policy Center at University of Pennsylvania
A premier nonpartisan research institution that investigates and examines the challenges facing the three branches of government, the press, and the public schools. Constantly releases surveys and survey-based research findings about American responses to sociopolitical and citizenship life. In addition, it runs FactCheck.org, which intends to hold politicians accountable, and the Civics Renewal Network, which provides civics education resources.
Bill of Rights Institute
The Bill of Rights Institute divides its “Resources” collection into three categories — “Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness”; “Documents of Freedom”; and “Heroes & Villains.”
“Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Pursuit of Happiness” is a 93-lesson digital textbook “designed to meet the course needs of a yearlong U.S. History or AP U.S. history class.”
“Documents of Freedom” are 324 primary documents 1740’s-2010’s. These include Colonial-era proclamations, founding national documents, Congressional legislation, letters and addresses from prominent Americans, pivotal Supreme Court decisions, and Constitutional amendments.
“Heroes and Villains” is BRI’s 26 lesson compare-and-contrast narrative series on prominent historical Americans and their primary civic trait — or anti-trait.
Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN)
A cable television and online broadcast network that records sessions of the U.S. Congress, addresses and conferences from political leaders, political candidate debates, historical programming and interviews of notable individuals.
C-Span has selected clips from these recorded exchanges to link to specific texts in the Constitution in a series called “Constitution Clips.” C-Span also uses its wealth of video footage as resources for describing political parties, interest groups, the media, campaigns, elections, presidents, and more. C-Span also has video series on world history, U.S. history and government, economics, geography and a student-centered podcast.
Center for Civic Education
Provides civic education guides, original literature, lesson plans and instructional strategies for grade-school teachers of civics. The organization’s main purpose is to instill “a deep commitment to the rights and responsibilities of U.S. citizenship” in K-12 students in Fresno public schools.
Center for the Study of the American Constitution (University of Wisconsin at Madison)
Online library with hundreds of primary documents related to inspirations of the Constitution, the Founding Fathers’ arguments for and debates over the Constitution, the Constitutional Convention, the ratification of the Constitution, and European reactions to the Constitution.
The center’s chief work is The Documentary History of the Ratification of the Constitution, an as-of-now 37 volume work published since 1976. It contains over 70,000 primary documents annotated by center historians to provide maximum context and cohesion.
ConSource
The ConSource Library holds a collection including state charters, state constitutions, Constitutional precedents, Declaration of Independence, the Articles of Confederation, The Federalist Papers, papers written in support and in opposition of the Federalist series, Constitutional Convention records, U.S. Constitution, state ratifications and debates in relation, the Bill of Rights debates and passage, papers of Washington, Adams, Madison and Mason, as well as political sermons.
Government Performance Action and Learning (GPAL) at University of Wisconsin-Madison
Compiles community data on matters including economy, public safety, community health and community connection to provide a robust picture for government leaders and community researchers.
Jack Miller Center
The Jack Miller Center hosts a vast selection of materials and resources, including a collection of modern-day translations and commentaries on America’s core documents. It also provides graduate courses, seminars, scholarships and networks for civics and social studies teachers.
Justia: U.S. Supreme Court Center
The official web archive of Supreme Court decisions from 1791 to present. Includes full opinion documents, opinion summaries, briefs, oral argument audio and additional resources that contextualize cases.
Library of Congress
Hundreds of thousands of materials focused on American citizenship and civics lie within the Library of Congress, many of them searchable online.
National Archives
The ultimate store of primary historical sources and documents. The on-site research rooms are available only by appointment; detailed online search tools provide access to thousands of documents, studies, records and works pertaining to American citizenship and civics. Additionally, the Archives oversees all Presidential Libraries and Federal Records centers, supplies links to their content, and provides information for visiting Presidential Library museums and the National Archives Museum in D.C.
National Constitution Center
Here the United States Constitution is the primary text, customized with interactive features. Resources for the multimedia curriculum centered around the Constitution include excerpts of and links to founding documents, historical addresses and court cases related to the most prominent amendments, the top 15 Supreme Court cases discussed in the AP American Government course, the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.
Oyez Project
This is an unofficial online multimedia archive for all Supreme Court cases. For each case, Oyez links to the full documented opinion on Justia, provides a summary, provides a visual display of the Supreme Court justices who presided over the cases and their decision, as well as the list of advocates before the court, and dates of argument and decision. Individual cases are searchable in an in-site search tab, and can also be found by sorting for Chief Justices, individual justices, “courts” (Warren court, Rehnquist court, etc.), and advocates.
Polco
An online community engagement polling platform that measures community health, governance performance and policy strategy, and attitudes in relation thereto, for the benefit of local public-sector leaders. Affiliated with GPAL.
Quill Project
Working with ConSource, the Quill Project boasts a comprehensive collection of founding-era primary documents, as well as Congressional records, minutes and journals pertaining to the subject of the civil rights amendments — the 13th, 14th, 15th and 19th amendments — both before and after their passage.
Roper Center
Roper Center collects and preserves public opinion data; serving a resource in improving survey research and broadening public understanding via survey data.
Teaching American History
Teaching American History hosts a comprehensive collection of primary documents regarding the lead-up to the American Revolution, the Revolutionary War, the Founding, early government, major acts of government and the courts, major events and crises, political movements and parties, and cultural shifts. They are sorted both by theme on the main document page, and by era on the interactive timeline page.
Also available are scholarly analyses, artistic interpretations and educational dramas of the Constitutional Convention, the Presidential Election of 1800 and the Presidential Election of 1912, as well as the full Federalist series.
YouGov
An international online source of research data and analytics technology, YouGov collects measures and analyzes opinions and behaviors across many subjects and issues.
Presidential Libraries
The National Archives defines the Presidential Libraries’ unique mission as “archives and museums, bringing together the documents and artifacts of a President and his administration and presenting them to the public for study and discussion without regard for political considerations or affiliations.” The National Archives, in partnership with the Presidential Libraries, has recently mounted Civics for All of US, intended to “build civic literacy and engagement by providing exemplary civic education resources and programs for all ages using the records of the U.S. Government.”
Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
Located in West Branch, Iowa, the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library states that "presidential libraries carry out a mandated program to preserve, process, and make available their archival holdings. As part of providing access, the libraries and museums provide outreach and educational programs.”
Note: While they share the name of President Herbert Hoover, the Hoover Institution at Stanford University and the Herbert Hoover Presidential Library in Iowa are separate entities. The Hoover Institution has its own library and extensive archives. More information can be found here.
Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
Located in Hyde Park, New York, the FDR Presidential Library declares its mission in part to be “fostering research and education on the lives and times of Franklin D. Roosevelt and Eleanor Roosevelt, the Great Depression, and World War II and their continuing impact on contemporary life.”
Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
Located in Independence, Missouri, the Truman Presidential Library’s stated mission is" to preserve…and provide…access to President Truman’s historical materials. Through engaging exhibits and programs, the library aspires to reach a broad and diverse audience in a continuous effort to keep President Truman’s life and legacy alive, emphasizing his ideals of citizenship, learning, and service.”
Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library and Museum
The Eisenhower Presidential Library is located in Abilene, Kansas which houses Eisenhower's boyhood home and extensive archives.
John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
Located in Boston, Massachusetts, the Kennedy Presidential Library “preserves and provides access to historical materials related to President Kennedy and his times -- and engages with citizens of all ages and nationalities through JFK's life story and the ideals he championed.”
Lyndon Baines Johnson Presidential Library and Museum
Located in Austin, Texas on the University of Texas campus, the Johnson Presidential Library seeks “to preserve and protect the historical materials in the collections of the library and make them readily accessible; to increase public awareness of the American experience through relevant exhibitions and educational programs; to advance the LBJ Library's standing as a center for intellectual activity and community leadership while meeting the challenges of a changing world.”
Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
Located in Yorba Linda, California, the Nixon Presidential Library "serves the public interest by displaying in our permanent and temporary galleries, and preserving and making available for research on-line and through our on-site research operation, the documents and audiovisual materials of President Nixon's life and times."
Gerald R. Ford Presidential Library & Museum
The Gerald Ford Presidential Library is located in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum
The Jimmy Carter Presidential Library is located in Atlanta, Georgia.
Ronald Reagan Presidential Library and Museum
Located in Simi Valley, California, the Ronald Reagan Presidential Library “offers research support to scholars and students alike, curates many special exhibits, manages the collections, and provides robust educational programming for students of all ages.”
George H.W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum
Located in College Station, Texas on the Texas A&M campus, the Bush Library seeks “to preserve and make available the records and artifacts of George H.W. Bush, 41st President of the United States. We promote civic literacy and increased historical understanding of our national experience, and foster a community of public service and volunteerism.”
William J. Clinton Presidential Library and Museum
Located in Little Rock, Arkansas the Clinton Library seeks ”to advance understanding of 20th century United States history, the institution of the Presidency, and the American political system as a whole through the study of the life, career and presidential administration of William J. Clinton."
George W. Bush Presidential Library
The George W. Bush Presidential Library is located in Dallas, Texas on the Southern Methodist University campus.
Civics, Civic Education & Citizenship: Selected Organizations
1776 Unites
1776 Unites is a nonpartisan project of the Woodson Center led by African Americans with the intent to counter oppression narratives with messages of hope, resilience, and optimism.
Adams Presidential Center
The Adams Presidential Center is a cross-partisan panel of governmental, academic, and business leaders seeking to promote civic discourse, citizenship knowledge, and admiration for the nation.
Advanced Studies in Culture Institute
Founded in 1995 at the University of Virginia, the Institute is home base for professor James Davison Hunter, author of (among many works) The Death of Character: Moral Education in an Age without Good or Evil. It’s an interdisciplinary research center focused on studying the evolution of contemporary culture and creating leaders “in service to the common good.”
American Association for State and Local History
With 5,500 institutional and individual members, the AASLH advocates for state and local history and its relevance to the current state of the nation. Its current lead project revolves around the upcoming 250th anniversary of America in 2026.
American Enterprise Institute
The American Enterprise Institute is a multi-faceted think tank with numerous projects and scholars related to civics and citizenship.
American Revolution Institute
Part of the Society of the Cincinnati, the Institute preserves Revolution-era history, texts, manuscripts, arts, and artifacts as it seeks to reform history education and promote Revolutionary Era ideals and accomplishments.
Annenberg Public Policy Center at the University of Pennsylvania
A premier nonpartisan research institution that investigates and examines the challenges facing the three branches of government, the press, and the public schools. Constantly releases surveys and survey-based research findings about American responses to sociopolitical and citizenship life. In addition, it runs FactCheck.org to hold politicians accountable and heads the Civics Renewal Network, which provides civics education resources.
Ashbrook Center at Ashland University
Ashbrook runs nation-spanning programs for middle and high-school teachers to reinforce the history and founding principles of America. It also offers the Ashbrook Scholar Program for undergraduates, as well as a Master of Arts in American History and Government graduate degree program.
Bill of Rights Institute
Founded in 1999, this nonprofit “teaches civic education organization with a network of over 70,000 history and civics educators, thousands of classroom-ready history and civics resources and annual student and teacher programming.” It runs student programs and scholarship contests as well as provides development for educators all with a civic focus, both in regard to Constitutional principles and community life.
Campus Compact
Founded by Brown, Georgetown, and Stanford University, Campus Compact is a national organization dedicated to increasing civic engagement and community participation among faculty and students. They view colleges and universities as integral to building a diverse and robust democracy.
Center for Civic Education
A long-time federal grantee, CCE focuses on “promoting the principles of democracy” by fostering an “increased understanding of the institutions of constitutional democracy” among college students and promoting citizen skills by way of curricular materials, professional development of teachers and advocacy for civic education.
CIRCLE
Founded in 2001, the Center for Information & Research on Civic Learning and Engagement is focused on youth civic engagement in the United States. It researches youth participation in citizen and community life and focuses on enhancing this by addressing systemic barriers. It has been based at Tufts University’s Jonathan M. Tisch College of Civic Life since 2008.
Citizen University
A Seattle-based nonprofit that networks with civic organizations and leaders to reinvigorate community-oriented citizenship.
Citizenship and American Identity Program
This developing Aspen Institute program hosts public forums to discuss civic values and coalitions, facilitates workshops, and publishes a host of materials exploring how to promote a shared national identity. The materials and events are meant to provide instruction on the values, systems and skills necessary for good citizenship.
CIVIC
An organization with bipartisan experts that research and promote policy to raise high school graduation rates, expand national service, increase civic engagement and knowledge among other things. They partner with think tanks, foundations, nonprofits, corporations and elected officials, and network with many other civic organizations.
Civitas Institute at University of Texas at Austin
A community of scholars that researches and promotes the principles of a free society, individual rights, civic virtue, Constitutionalism, free speech, intellectual curiosity, and civil discourse.
Daniels Fund
Denver-based foundation, focused on four western states (Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, New Mexico) and a few national organizations, with increasing interest in civics and citizenship.
Edmond and Lily Safra Center for Ethics at Harvard University
Promotes civic attitudes and engagement among school and collegiate students through a wide variety of programs, including but not limited to, the Democracy Knowledge Project (civic education and curriculum provider for K-12 grades), the Intercollegiate Civil Disagreement Partnership and Fellows in Residence (for civic educators).
FixUS
A networking and research organization dedicated to identifying and addressing the core breakdowns in American civic life. Partners with polling firms such as YouGov and Ipsos, releases reports on data-based research and hosts get-together for leaders in civic re-engagement.
Hamilton Center at University of Florida
Develops UF students’ civic knowledge, critical thinking and citizen character.
iCivics
Founded by the late Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, ICivics is a leading influencer in the civic spaces that reach students across the nation. It offers interactive lessons and games in addition to curricular influence in the education sphere. In addition to coordinating the Roadmap to Educating for American Democracy, iCivics co-sponsors the annual Civic Education Week.
Institute for American Civics at the University of Tennessee’s Howard Baker School
Created in 2022 by state legislation, this Institute seeks to provide University of Tennessee students with civic education “on America’s founding principles, the economic and political institutions that maintain American democracy and the basics of civic engagement.” The mission of this institute is to foster “thoughtfulness, civility, and respect for opposing viewpoints in national discourse.”
Institute for Citizens and Scholars
Institute for Citizens and Scholars is dedicated to the civic education of young Americans by way of nationwide fellowships, online platforms, and partnerships with businessmen, policymakers, and presidents. It also focuses on providing resources and knowledge to educators, journalists and civics scholars.
Institute for Democracy and Higher Education at Tufts University
This Institute has engaged in a study of college and university students from over 1,200 campuses to measure civic engagement. While primarily focused on voting records, the IDHE is also working on a national database for university student civic learning and measures of community service.
James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
Established in 1986 by Congress, the James Madison Memorial Foundation is dedicated to improving teaching about the U.S. Constitution in secondary school.
John Marshall Center for Constitutional History and Civics
Founded in 1987, the John Marshall Center educates Americans about constitutional history and civics and explores the legacy of Chief Justice John Marshall (1755–1835). The JMC joined the Virginia Museum of History & Culture as a signature study center on July 4, 2023. Its biggest upcoming event will center on the 250th anniversary in 2026.
More Perfect
An alliance of all 14 Presidential Centers, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Karsh Institute for Democracy at the University of Virginia, and more than 100 organizations that seek to advance five fundamental democracy goals: universal civic learning, national service & volunteering, bridging divides, a more representative and responsive government, and access to trusted news and information.
National Civic League
The National Civic League is perhaps the oldest civic-focused organization, with community work focused on youth education, local engagement, school curricula, civic research, and publications — including the quarterly National Civic Review.
Our Common Purpose
The bipartisan Commission on the Practice of Democratic Citizenship, a project of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, was launched in 2018 in response to the increasing division in America. It released a 2020 report with 31 recommendations of reform to political institutions, investment in civil society, and transforming of the political culture. It has since held multiple events to advance these ideas and has issued a further report.
Reagan Institute Center for Civics, Education & Opportunity
Answering President Reagan’s call for “informed patriotism,” this Center leads summits that convene a broad array of educators to find common ground on policy.
Virginia 250: American Revolution
Virginia 250: American Revolution is leading the state’s efforts to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
Sandra Day O’Connor Institute for American Democracy
Founded in 2009 by its namesake Supreme Court justice, this institute promotes civic education through summer programs, college scholarships, an archive of Justice O’Connor’s judicial work, and a Constitution webcast series.
