Civics Reader

1. Primary Documents and U.S. Government (click to expand)
   1. Introduction
   2. A Process for Reading Primary-Source Documents
2. The Declaration of Independence
   1. Reading the Declaration
   2. Read for Details: Introduction and Preamble
   3. Read for Details: The List of Grievances
   4. Read for Details: The Assertion of Independence
   5. Reflect on the Declaration
3. Selections from The Wealth of Nations
   1. Reading Selections from The Wealth of Nations
   2. Read for Details: Division of Labor
   3. Read for Details: The Role of Government
   4. Read for Details: Government and Public Works
   5. Reflect on the Selections from The Wealth of Nations
4. The Articles of Confederation
   1. Reading the Articles of Confederation
   2. Read for Details: Forming a League of States
   3. Read for Details: Establishing Limits on States
   4. Read for Details: Resolving Conflict Between States
   5. Read for Details: Making a Pledge
   6. Reflect on the Articles of Confederation
5. Brutus No. 1
   1. Reading Brutus No. 1
   2. Read for Details: A Confederacy or a Republic
   3. Read for Details: On Power
   4. Read for Details: Considering the Evidence
   5. Read for Details: Citizens in a Free Republic
   6. Reflect on Brutus No. 1
6. Federalist No. 10
   1. Reading Federalist No. 10
   2. Read for Details: Defining Faction
   3. Read for Details: Causes of Faction
   4. Read for Details: Pure Democracy or Republic?
   5. Reflect on Federalist No. 10
7. Federalist No. 39
   1. Reading Federalist No. 39
   2. Read for Details: Defining a Republic
   3. Read for Details: A National or Federal System
   4. Read for Details: Constitutional Power
   5. Reflect on Federalist No. 39
8. Federalist No. 51
   1. Reading Federalist No. 51
   2. Read for Details: The Structure of Government
   3. Read for Details: The Strengths of Federalism
   4. Reflect on Federalist No. 51
9. Federalist No. 70
   1. Reading Federalist No. 70
   2. Read for Details: An Energetic Executive
   3. Read for Details: Problems of Plurality
   4. Read for Details: Security in the Executive
   5. Reflect on Federalist No. 70
10. Federalist No. 78
    1. Reading Federalist No. 78
    2. Read for Details: The Least Dangerous Branch
    3. Read for Details: Judicial Review
    4. Read for Details: Good Behavior
    5. Reflect on Federalist No. 78
11. The U.S. Constitution
    1. Reading the U.S. Constitution
    2. Read for Details: The Preamble
    3. Read for Details: Article I
    4. Read for Details: Article II
    5. Read for Details: Article III
    6. Read for Details: Article IV
    7. Read for Details: Articles V, VI, and VII
    8. Read for Details: The Bill of Rights (1–3)
    9. Read for Details: The Bill of Rights (4–10)
    10. Read for Details: Amendments 11–12
    11. Read for Details: Reconstruction Amendments (13–15)
    12. Read for Details: Progressive Era Amendments (16–17)
    13. Read for Details: Progressive Era Amendments (18–19)
    14. Read for Details: Modern Amendments (20–23)
    15. Read for Details: Modern Amendments (24–27)
    16. Reflect on the Constitution
12. Washington’s Farewell Address
    1. Reading Washington’s Farewell Address
    2. Read for Details: Opening Remarks
    3. Read for Details: A Call for Unity
    4. Read for Details: Views that Divide
    5. Read for Details: Political Prosperity
    6. Read for Details: International Relations
    7. Read for Details: Concluding Remarks
    8. Reflect on Washington’s Farewell Address
13. The Emancipation Proclamation
    1. Reading the Emancipation Proclamation
    2. Read for Details: The Emancipation Proclamation
    3. Reflect on the Emancipation Proclamation
14. The Gettysburg Address
    1. Reading the Gettysburg Address
    2. Read for Details: The Gettysburg Address
    3. Reflect on the Gettysburg Address
15. Letter from Birmingham Jail
    1. Reading “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
    2. Read for Details: The Birmingham Campaign
    3. Read for Details: The Power of Direct Action
    4. Read for Details: The Nature of Extremism
    5. Read for Details: Integration as a Moral Right
    6. Reflect on “Letter from Birmingham Jail”
16. North Carolina State Constitution
    1. Reading the North Carolina State Constitution
    2. Read for Details: Preamble and Article I
    3. Read for Details: Article II
    4. Read for Details: Article III
    5. Read for Details: Article IV
    6. Read for Details: Article V
    7. Read for Details: Articles VI and VII
    8. Read for Details: Articles VIII, IX, and X
    9. Read for Details: Articles XI and XII
    10. Read for Details: Articles XIII and XIV
    11. Reflect on the North Carolina State Constitution
17. Georgia State Constitution
    1. Reading the Georgia State Constitution
    2. Read for Details: Preamble and Article I, Section 1
    3. Read for Details: Article I, Sections 2–4
    4. Read for Details: Article II
    5. Read for Details: Article III, Sections 1–5
    6. Read for Details: Article III, Sections 6–10
    7. Read for Details: Article IV
    8. Read for Details: Article V
    9. Read for Details: Article VI
    10. Read for Details: Article VII
    11. Read for Details: Article VIII
    12. Read for Details: Article IX
    13. Read for Details: Articles X and XI
    14. Reflect on the Georgia State Constitution

Steady encouragement

Students answer questions that guide them through the reading. These questions guide students through the text, maintaining their engagement and frequently checking their understanding of the content.

Presentation and exploration

Through studying a set of documents, students consider how the interpretation and realization of the values of the United States government have evolved over time. Students identify these foundational values in the Declaration of Independence, the U.S. Constitution, a selection of the Federalist Papers, and excerpts from the writing of Adam Smith. Then, they examine how the interpretation and realization of the values have evolved through the Emancipation Proclamation, the Gettysburg Address, and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s “Letter from Birmingham Jail.”

Each document is introduced with a guiding question to help students focus their reading. Then, the Civics Reader prompts students to consider the circumstances in which the document was created by providing some brief historical context.

The documents themselves also include clickable annotations on words and phrases to support students as they read for details. In some cases, these notes provide definitions for words that might be archaic or otherwise unfamiliar to modern readers. In others, they provide background information about the document’s circumstances. Each document concludes with an opportunity for students to engage in quick, informal writing about the guiding question.

Formative assessment

More than 200 multiple-choice questions encourage close reading and guide students to notice key information.

Everything you need

The Civics Reader provides everything you need to introduce civic literacy in your course—including the full text of the documents, questions, and an analytics dashboard. And we can tailor the documents included to match your state or program’s requirements.

Interactive content

Study questions

Multiple-choice questions on each page guide students to notice critical information and provide immediate feedback to address misconceptions. These low-risk opportunities allow students to reset answers to try again.

Writing prompts

Each document ends with an informal writing prompt. Students are encouraged to engage with the guiding question provided for each document and to provide evidence from the text that supports their thinking.

Study tools

Webtext Reader app

Students can access materials and complete assignments offline with our mobile app available for iOS and Android.

Reading tools

Reading tools allow students to click on vocabulary terms for definitions and mark up their own webtext by highlighting and adding notes in the margins.

Read to Me

Our text-to-speech feature instantly creates an audio version of the webtext page.

My Progress

Students can keep track of their own work inside My Progress, which records their scores, time spent, and completion.