Teacher Selected Primary Sources: Readings

The Moon

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June 1841, from Robert Merry’s Museum Robert Merry’s Museum children’s magazine (1841-1872) featured works by nearly every 19th century children’s writer. It also excerpted works for adults. Pat Pflieger has indexed several works from the magazine online, and notes that “The Moon”, as a piece, “wanders from lyricism to science to speculation as it explores the effects of the moon on earth, and, evidently, on the human imagination”.

Material Type: Primary Source, Reading

Declaration of the Rights of Man (1789)

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The "Declaration of the Rights of Man" was approved by the National Assembly of France on August 26, 1789. It is a fundamental document of the French Revolution and in the history of human rights. It is included in the preamble of the constitutions of both the Fourth French Republic (1946) and Fifth Republic (1958) and is still current. Read the text of the document here.

Material Type: Primary Source, Reading

American Civil Liberties Union. Jessica Gonzales v. U.S.A.

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In the first case brought by a survivor of domestic violence against the U.S. before an international human rights tribunal, the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) found that the United States violated the human rights of Jessica Lenahan (formerly Gonzales) and her children. Case Summary and downloadable court documents

Material Type: Case Study, Primary Source, Reading

Magna Carta Translation

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Magna Carta (Latin for Great Charter) is an Angevin charter originally issued in Latin in June 1215. The Magna Carta was the first document forced onto a King of England by a group of his subjects in an attempt to limit his powers by law and protect their rights. The charter is widely known throughout the English speaking world as an important part of the protracted historical process that led to the rule of constitutional law in England and beyond. Read a translation into English here.

Material Type: Primary Source, Reading