Welcome to The Dirksen Congressional Center's Communicator - a web-based e-newsletter providing educators with news and ideas to enhance civic education and improve the understanding of Congress -- http://www.webcommunicator.org

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NEWS FROM THE DIRKSEN CENTER
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More Visitors Than Ever

CongressLink -- http://www.congresslink.org -- The Dirksen Center's flagship site for teachers, recorded 1,554,073 hits, representing 19,480 unique visitors in the month of October alone!

Stats -- The NEW Congress for Kids Site

The reinvigorated Congress for Kids site -- http://www.congressforkids.net -- was posted for public use in October. The site numbers 1,321 pages full of 626 interactive games and quizzes primarily for 4th through 12th graders. In the month before the site expansion, 4,543 visitors accounted for 92,847 hits. After the debut of the new site, nearly 16,000 visitors generated 491,013 hits!

Civil Liberties: The First Amendment (Freedom of Religion)

The First Amendment enumerates what many Americans consider to be their basic civil liberties: freedom of religion, speech, press, and the freedom to petition the government by written word, marching, and picketing. Learn more about this Amendment at: http://www.congresslink.org/rights.html

Give your students a broad overview of First Amendment principles, making the Amendment personal to help students understand that America's first freedoms belong to them. Introduce our CongressLink related lesson plan -- The First Amendment -- at: http://www.congresslink.org/RelatedLessons.htm

CongressLink's reference sources on the Civil Rights Act of 1964 includes a letter from Bruce Butterfield to Everett Dirksen, dated February 24, 1964, written on behalf of the Committee of 100 Businessmen -- http://www.congresslink.org/civil/cr9.gif. This letter discusses how freedom of religion must also include freedom from religion and is an example of how outside interests attempt to influence legislation. Find a transcript of this document at: http://www.congresslink.org/civil/cr9.html

Thomas Jefferson believed a "wall of separation" should exist between government and religion. Read the original draft of Jefferson's letter to the Danbury Baptist Association in 1802 at: http://www.aboutgovernment.org/historicaldocuments.htm#billofrights

In an excerpt from the Congressional Record, February 17, 1960 -- In debate on civil rights bill (S2526)] -- Dirksen expresses his devotion to freedom. Find On Being A Republican at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/emdquotes.htm#republican

Featured Grant-funded Project

Suppose you would like to develop lesson plans or students activities that focus on the First Amendment that will help students become aware of the basics liberties of speech, press, religion, assembly, and petition through the study of Supreme Court cases. Sounds interesting, but you probably need funds to cover expenses. Then consider applying for a Robert H. Michel Civic Education Grant. Find information about the program, including a sample grant proposal and a list of previously awarded grants at: http://www.dirksencenter.org/grantmichelciviced.htm

Prayer in school, prayer before high school football games, and religion on the campaign trail -- what happened to the separation of church and state? Take the freedom of religion quiz and find out. Find Freedom of Religion at: http://www.congressforkids.net/games/billofrights/2_billofrights.htm

Freedom Frenzy

1. True or False: Criminal laws that make it difficult to engage in conduct sacred to your religion violate the free exercise clause of the First Amendment.

2. True or False: Searching for a middle ground, the Supreme Court devised the "Lemon Test" based on the 1971 ruling to determine whether a law constitutes an establishment of religion.

Answers to the October issue of Fun, Facts, and Trivia link here: http://www.webcommunicator.org/funfactstrivia1003ans.htm

Happy Thanksgiving! Encourage your colleagues to subscribe to the Communicator. If you have questions, comments, or suggestions, contact Cindy Koeppel at mailto:ckoeppel@dirksencenter.org Your feedback makes a difference!

If you experience any problem, send an e-mail to Cindy Koeppel at mailto:ckoeppel@dirksencenter.org.