Schools, Civics, and the Constitution
The Great American Constitution Quiz
Mark your calendar. September 17 is Constitution Day and Citizenship Day. On this date in 1787, delegates to the founding convention signed the Constitution.
Do you know more than a fourth grader?
In honor of the occasion, in true Ed100 style, we present this post in the form of questions, similar to our popular post about Education Jargon.
How much do you know about the founding documents of our republic and the importance of schools in the work of sustaining American democracy? To make this more competitive, we tell you the grade level that students in California learn about each topic. How well will you stack up?
Suggestion: Read this with your student. Who gets bragging rights?
Consider each question and then click it to reveal the answer. Let’s start with an easy one…
What is the US Constitution? (Grade 3)
The Constitution is the supreme law of the United States. It establishes our system of government and the basic rules that must be followed. An important part of the constitution protects individual rights.
Children learn about this in third grade.
When was the Constitution signed? (Grade 3)
The famous image at the top of this post commemorates the signing of the Constitution in 1787, more than a decade after the Declaration of Independence. It became part of the design of the two dollar bill in 1976.
Established in 2004, Constitution Day is formally observed each year on September 17 (or the closest school day). Originally, Constitution Day was recognized as Citizenship Day. In 2004 Sen. Robert Byrd (D-West Virginia) added an amendment to an appropriations bill that forever changed it to Constitution Day and Citizenship Day.
Why was the US constitution written? (Hint: Remember the preamble? Grade 4)
The preamble to the US Constitution lays out the important reasons. These are values we should still cherish.
“We the People of the United States, in Order to:
- form a more perfect Union,
- establish Justice,
- insure domestic Tranquility,
- provide for the common defence,
- promote the general Welfare, and
- secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity,
…do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”
The classic Schoolhouse Rock song about the Constitution remains the best way to learn its preamble:
Words from the Constitution are in the news almost daily. Do you know what they mean?
What does “separation of powers” mean? (Grade 3)
The Constitution creates three separate branches of government: executive, legislative and judicial. Each has a different role:
- The legislative branch makes laws.
- The executive branch carries out laws.
- The judicial branch interprets the laws.
Separation of Powers in the news.
Which branch of government has the power of the purse?
The first article of the Constitution squarely places the power of the purse in Congress: “No Money shall be drawn from the Treasury, but in Consequence of Appropriations made by Law.” In recent years, executive orders and congressional inaction have blurred the lines.
Power of the purse in the news
The 2025 federal education funding roller coaster for California.
Elimination of the Department of Education by executive order.
What does “due process” mean? (Grade 12)
The government must follow the rules to ensure fairness and to protect your rights. For example, due process often requires the government to provide a person with notice and an opportunity for a hearing before it interferes with your life, liberty or property.
What does habeas corpus mean? (Grade 7)
Habeas corpus is the right to be held in jail only if there are specific, legitimate charges filed against you in court. People detained by the government have the right to challenge their detention.
What does “checks and balances” mean? (Grades 6, 8, and 12)
The Constitution is written to ensure that no branch of the government becomes too powerful. That’s why there are three separate branches of government, each with its own powers. The aim is to prevent tyranny and authoritarianism. The founders wanted to protect the rights of citizens and ensure the rule of law.
Do you know the lyrics of our national anthem? (Are you sure? Grade 5)
Hardly anyone actually knows the lyrics of the US National anthem. Written in 1814, it is four verses long! The melody was (ahem) borrowed from a song that was popular in England at the time. Many Americans do know the last lines of the first verse:
O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?
Congress adopted The Star Spangled Banner as the US National Anthem in 1931. Students learn about the Star Spangled banner in fifth grade.
What is the Bill of Rights? (Grade 8)
The first ten amendments to the Constitution are known collectively as the Bill of Rights. Ratified about three years after the initial articles of the Constitution, it guarantees rights including freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and freedom of the press. This is also where you find the due process protections and the rights of people accused of crimes. Find out what each amendment does.
Tip for students: If you are trying to memorize the content of the Bill of Rights, this hip-hop inspired rap rendition might help you.
Does Constitution say the president is not a king?
No surprise, those exact words are not in the Constitution. Consider the context: the central point of the American revolution was to create a democratic system without a king. To quote from the Declaration of Independence, in America the government derives “just powers from the consent of the governed.” The system of checks and balances established in the Constitution, including specific description of the limits of power of the office of president, make it clear that the holder of the office does not have the unchecked power of a king.
Read how the founders of the Constitution made this happen: The President who would not be king.
What does the US Constitution say about education?
Not a single thing. Public education, a cornerstone of strong civilizations around the world, is mentioned in neither the Declaration of Independence nor the Constitution.
In several cases, the US Supreme Court has considered whether its decisions have essentially created a Constitutional right to education through precedent, similar to the unstated right to equality under the law for women. The answer is mostly no. By omission, public education is a function of government constitutionally left to the states.
States made their constitutional commitments to public education at different times and with different provisions.
One fairly recent federal ruling is worth noting. In 2020 a federal appeals court, in a 2-1 decision, held that there is a right to an education in America. According to The National Interest, this ruling “relied heavily on the history of public education, with its emphasis on preparing people to be good citizens. The majority stated, “without the literacy provided by a basic minimum education, it is impossible to participate in our democracy.”
What does California’s state constitution say about education?
Many state constitutions, including California’s, address public education. The founding version of the state constitution established in 1849, implies that public school districts should exist and states clearly that there should be state-level leadership in the form of a Superintendent of Public Instruction. Amendments have dramatically added to the state constitution, but not yet established a state constitutional right to quality education.
Section 1 of the California Constitution begins:
“A general diffusion of knowledge and intelligence being essential to the preservation of the rights and liberties of the people, the Legislature shall encourage by all suitable means the promotion of intellectual, scientific, moral, and agricultural improvement.”
How are the ideals of the US Constitution taught in each grade in California?
The civic role of schools is the focus of Ed100 Lesson 6.15. Excerpt:
|
What are California students expected to learn about civics in each grade? (Source: CDE) |
|
|---|---|
|
Kindergarten |
Students recognize national and state symbols and icons such as the national and state flags, the bald eagle, and the Statue of Liberty. |
|
One |
Students describe the rights and individual responsibilities of citizenship. |
|
Two |
Students explain governmental institutions and practices in the United States and other countries. |
|
Three |
Students understand the role of rules and laws in our daily lives and the basic structure of the U.S. government. |
|
Four |
Students understand the structures, functions, and powers of the local, state, and federal governments as described in the U.S. Constitution. |
|
Five |
Students describe the people and events associated with the development of the U.S. Constitution and analyze the Constitution's significance as the foundation of the American republic. |
|
Six |
Students expand their understanding of history by studying the people and events that ushered in the dawn of the major Western and non-Western ancient civilizations…Continued emphasis is placed on their everyday lives, problems, and accomplishments of people, their role in developing social, economic, and political structures, as well as in establishing and spreading ideas that helped transform the world forever. |
|
Seven |
Students learn about the resulting growth of Enlightenment philosophy and the new examination of the concepts of reason and authority, the natural rights of human beings and the divine right of kings, experimentalism in science, and the dogma of belief. They assess the political forces let loose by the Enlightenment, particularly the rise of democratic ideas, and they learn about the continuing influence of these ideas in the world today. |
|
Eight |
Students analyze the political principles underlying the U.S. Constitution and compare the enumerated and implied powers of the federal government. |
|
Nine |
The California State Board of Education established grade nine history-social science as an elective year. Each school district decides what content to teach in this year. |
|
Ten |
Students consider the influence of the U.S. Constitution on political systems in the contemporary world. |
|
Eleven |
Students analyze the significant events in the founding of the nation and its attempts to realize the philosophy of government described in the Declaration of Independence. |
|
Twelve |
Students explain the fundamental principles and moral values of American democracy as expressed in the U.S. Constitution and other essential documents of American democracy. |
Are California students required to learn the principles of American democracy?
Yes. California high school graduation requirements include three years of social science including U.S. history and geography; world history, culture, and geography; one semester of American government and one semester of economics. A law to add ethnic studies to this list passed in 2021, but its implementation has not been funded.
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