This case summary provides teachers with everything they need to teach about Texas v. Johnson (1989). It contains background information in the form of summaries and important vocabulary at three different reading levels, as well a review of relevant legal concepts, diagram of how the case moved through the court system, and summary of the decision. This resource also includes six classroom-ready activities that teach about the case using interactive methods.
Civics Lessons
Teaching Standard: Values and Principles of American Democracy
Texas v. Johnson (1989)
We the People
Students recognize the different parts of the U.S. Constitution and conduct a close text reading to discover the meaning and significance of each part. Throughout the lesson, students will track the development of the Constitution from the original document and its articles to the amendments up through the 1992 edition of the Twenty-Seventh Amendment.
Making Decisions: by Group: The Jury System
Students learn about the nation’s jury system and its importance to the rule of law in the United States. Students will experience the Sixth and Seventh Amendments at work as they engage in the main lesson activities, including one in which they will serve as jurors.
The Exchange: Should Same-Sex Couples Have the Right to Marry
This research and deliberation activity encourages students to look at the issue of same-sex marriage from different points of view.
Teaching about Due Process
This lesson presents the idea of Due Process. Students learn about Due Process with a scenario that sets out a number of issues that have to do with the due process of law.
Freedom of Expression
Deliberting in Democrcay lesson which gets students to deliberate the question–Should our democracy block Internet content to protect national security?
The Exchange: When Should Increased Security Measures Outweigh Your Privacy Rights in School?
This activity encourages students to deliberate on the issue of balancing privacy and security.
The First Amendment
This activity creates an awareness of the five rights contained in the First Amendment to the U. S. Constitution. Students will learn about a poll of Americans and their knowledge of the First Amendment. The activity will allow students the opportunity to dissect the First Amendment and determine their opinions on which rights they value most and least.
Voter Identification and the Right to Vote
Students Research positions that divided the Supreme Court on voter identification case-Crawford vs. Marion County
Does the Constitution Protect Fair Play? Introducing Due Process
In this lesson, students develop a working understanding of due process by discussing relevant Constitutional clauses. They are presented with the Gideon v. Wainwright case and decide whether Clarence Gideon had the right to an attorney, relying on their previous discussion of due process. The lesson ends with a discussion of the importance of the right to due process in criminal proceedings, as well as a discussion of other situations in which the right to due process applies