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America 250 Resources

Celebrate the Semiquincentennial by bringing our nation’s founding principles into your classroom!

Join us in celebrating 250 years of American democracy!

From Constitution Day on September 17, 2025, until America’s Semiquincentennial on July 4, 2026, Close Up is proud to be honoring our country’s 250th anniversary with a series of immersive civic education materials for high school and middle school classrooms. Scroll down the page to find interactive lesson plans, activities, and program opportunities—all centered around the foundational principles and political values of American democracy.

LESSON PLANS

These classroom-ready lesson plans ask students to examine and reflect on our country’s foundational principles, making them ideal for use around Constitution Day, ahead of America’s 250th birthday, or as a part of existing social studies units.

WE THE PEOPLE: LESSON 1

Who Are “We the People”?

WE THE PEOPLE: LESSON 2

Examining the Preamble

WE THE PEOPLE: LESSON 3

Principles of the Preamble

WE THE PEOPLE: LESSON 4

Considering a “More Perfect Union”

WE THE PEOPLE: LESSON 5

Securing a “More Perfect Union”

WE THE PEOPLE: EXTENSION ACTIVITIES

Enhance your work with additional ideas for community building and classroom exchanges.

UNDERSTANDING VALUES & TENSIONS

What are the competing goals and values that animate American policy debates?

THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT TENSIONS

What is the proper size and role of government?

PROGRAM OPPORTUNITIES

Make this year one to remember by augmenting your classroom teaching with an in-person Close Up experience. Join us in Washington, D.C., or a local community near you!

America 250 High School Program

Celebrate the 250th anniversary of American independence in D.C. and Philadelphia! Learn More >

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703-706-3300 or 800-CLOSE UP

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