Roots Of Liberty |

“You should have been a fly on the wall yesterday, hearing the kids discuss the essay...Understanding the Federalist Papers enhances understanding of the Constitution...”
– Cheryl Cook-Kallio,
AP American Government and We the People Teacher,
Irvington High School, Fremont, California
“These materials encourage higher-order thinking skills and help students to develop their analytic writing ability.”
– Kristie Barbee,
AP US History Teacher ,
Waltrip High School, Houston, Texas
"The Roots of Liberty offers teachers and students new ways of looking at the Federalist Papers. The materials are both comprehensive and comprehensible. Connect to Current Issues is particularly useful.”
– Tom W. Glaser,
AP American Government Teacher,
Mater Academy Charter High School, Hialeah Gardens, Florida
"My Senior Honors Government students loved these materials. We will use these materials again next semester. Working with primary sources is a challenge for my students, but using the Analyze the Source questions worked out well.”
– Michael Wilmoth,
Honors American Government Teacher,
Wellington High School, Wellington, Kansas
The Roots of Liberty challenges students to think and evaluate–a good stretch for many of our students. The Analyze the Source activity encapsulates the issue AND requires students to employ critical thinking skills.
– Honors Government Teacher,
Falls Church, Virginia
"The materials are well-organized. My students found them thoughtful and insightful. All parts were very user friendly. The students really liked the questions that accompany the excerpts from the Federalist Papers.”
– Mike Ortman,
AP US History Teacher
"[M]y students felt empowered that they were able to discuss and deliberate sophisticated topics originally presented by the Founding Fathers. I recommend Roots of Liberty to any American Government teacher...”
– Pat Usher,
AP American Government Teacher
"I like how the curriculum utilizes the federalist papers to look at the original intent of our Constitution [and] how the curriculum makes connections to historic cases... and... how the issues at our founding are still issues today.”
– Homeschool Teacher,
Leesburg, Virginia
"This is a very important course to all students, and it is exciting to see that studying the Federalist Papers has been put into a beautifully organized course with a visual component.”
– Laura Zishcke
Homeschool Teacher,
Richmond, Virginia

About-image The Federalist Papers, written by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and John Jay, were described by Thomas Jefferson as “the best commentary on the principles of government which was ever written,” and by distinguished historian Clinton Rossiter as “the most important work in political science that has ever been written.”

However, the Papers have largely been inaccessible because of their voluminous content and arcane language. These challenges are addressed in Roots of Liberty: Unlocking the Federalist Papers, a comprehensive curriculum including:

a student text featuring ten essays written by scholars unifying key topics and themes throughout the Papers (20 copies included with each classroom set)
an accompanying teacher’s discussion guide with multiple tools and activities
companion videos corresponding to lessons

Topics Include:

the doctrine of enumerated powers
separation of powers
federalism
the independent judiciary
how the U.S. Constitution enables public officials to make good decisions
political freedom
economic freedom
religious freedom
the Constitution as a defense against foreign aggression