Then
History
Primary sources first. Summaries — human or machine — are claims.
A model that compresses the past will flatten the people in it. Check the source.
5–10
Little Thinkers
Ready · 7 lessons
11–14
Young Minds
Ready · 37 lessons
15–18
Emerging Adults
Ready · 37 lessons
Adult
Lifelong Learners
Ready · 37 lessons
Start here
A Piece From Then
Source Before Summary · Little Thinkers · 18 min
Use a photo, a coin image, a two-line quote
Units
Source Before Summary
ReadyA paragraph from then, before anyone — human or model — compresses it.
1 flagship sitting · little · young · emerging · adult
Citizens — Constitution & Declaration
ReadyPrimary text, not storybook propaganda. A republic is a moral practice.
4–8 weeks · young · emerging · adult
Magna Carta — The Charter and the Chain
ReadyA feudal contract that became the rule of law. The chain from Runnymede to your rights.
6 sittings · young · emerging · adult
The Constitution — Designed, Not Extracted
ReadyPower against power, the losers' legacy, the three-fifths sin, and the amendment chain. How the Constitution grows.
6 sittings · young · emerging · adult
The Declaration — The Promise and the Gap
ReadySelf-evident truths, the right of revolution, and the gap between the promise and the practice. The chain from 1776 to today.
6 sittings · young · emerging · adult
The Federalist — The Brief That Sold the Machine
Not ready yetA New York sales campaign, not the Constitution. Faction vs Brutus, ambition, judgment without sword, the lost argument for a bill of rights, and the civic chain.
6 sittings · young · emerging · adult
The Fourteenth Amendment — The Answer After the War
ReadyThe Constitution answering Fed 54 and Dred Scott. Section 1 in four clauses. Gettysburg as speech, not instrument. Ugly clauses named. Writing is not keeping.
6 sittings · young · emerging · adult
Look First — History for Little Thinkers
ReadyLook at a real thing first. Who held it. Then not now. Two tellers. Keep the piece. Tell it back.
6 sittings · little
Open a sitting
Little Thinkers5–10
- 1. A Piece From ThenReadyUse a photo, a coin image, a two-line quote
- 2. The Story Behind a Real ThingReadyThis sitting is about looking at a real thing before hearing the story about it
- 2. Who Held It?ReadySitting 2 of Look First
- 3. Then, Not NowReadySitting 3
- 4. Two TellersReadySitting 4
- 5. Keep the PieceReadySitting 5
- 6. Look First — The Whole PathReadyCapstone
Young Minds11–14
- 1. The Words Before the StoryReadyThis is the first sitting on primary text
- 1. The Field at RunnymedeReadyThis sitting tells the story of Magna Carta as it actually happened — not as a noble moment of li…
- 1. The Room No One Could LeaveReadyThis sitting tells the story of the Constitutional Convention honestly
- 1. Jefferson Did Not Write It AloneReadyThis sitting corrects a common misconception: that Jefferson wrote the Declaration alone, in a ro…
- 1. The Newspaper That Tried to Sell the RulesReadyThis sitting breaks the most common mix-up in American civics: treating The Federalist as if it w…
- 1. The Constitution Stops Counting People as FractionsReadyThis sitting is the landing the Federalist unit pointed at
- 1. Source Before SummaryReadyOne letter, law, or diary page
- 2. The Declaration as RhetoricReadyThis sitting connects the Rhetoric unit to the founding documents
- 2. The King Is Not Above the LawReadyThis sitting is about the single most important idea in Magna Carta: the king is not above the law
- 2. Ambition Against AmbitionReadyThis sitting is about the Constitution's central design: power divided so that no single branch c…
- 2. The Most Important SentenceReadyThis sitting is about the most important sentence in American history: 'We hold these truths to b…
- 2. Faction: Why a Big Country Might Be SaferReadyThis sitting is Madison versus Brutus, not Madison versus 'parties I dislike
- 2. Four Clauses, Not One PosterReadyLearn the Archives text, not a paraphrase
- 3. The Constitution Is a DesignReadyThis sitting teaches the student that the Constitution is a design document
- 3. Your Day in CourtReadyThis sitting is about due process — the idea that the government cannot take your freedom without…
- 3. The Losers' ListReadyThis sitting tells a surprising story: the Bill of Rights was the demand of the losing side
- 3. When Is It Okay to Overthrow the Government?ReadyThis sitting is about the Declaration's most radical claim: when a government violates the rights…
- 3. If Men Were AngelsReadyChecks and balances is a vocabulary word
- 3. A Speech Is Not an AmendmentReadyGettysburg lives inside this pack, not as the next figure
- 4. Who Was Not in the Room?ReadyThis sitting applies the missing-voices skill from the thinking unit to the founding
- 4. Ask Before You TakeReadyThis sitting is about consent — the idea that the government cannot take your money without asking
- 4. The Compromise That Counted People as NumbersReadyThis sitting tackles one of the hardest truths in the Constitution: the three-fifths compromise
- 4. Who Did 'All Men' Include?ReadyThis sitting tackles the hardest truth about the Declaration: the gap between 'all men are create…
- 4. Neither Force nor WillReadyDo not teach 78 to ages 5–10
- 4. Who Counts as a CitizenReady1866 Civil Rights Act first; then the Constitution so a later Congress could not repeal it
- 5. The Republic Can ChangeReadyThis sitting teaches the student that the Constitution was designed to change
- 5. Who Was Left OutReadyThis sitting names the ugly truth: Magna Carta protected 'free men,' which was about 20% of Engla…
- 5. The Court That Gave Itself the Power to Say NoReadyThis sitting tells a surprising story: the Supreme Court's most important power — the ability to…
- 5. The Passage They Cut OutReadyThis sitting tells the story of the passage that was removed
- 5. The Argument That LostReadyThis sitting is the cleanest proof that The Federalist is advocacy
- 5. Fair Process, Equal Protection — and Who Must Keep ThemReadyFifth already bound the federal government
- 6. You Are a CitizenReadyThis is the capstone for the young band
- 6. The Chain to Your RightsReadyThis sitting is the capstone of the Magna Carta unit
- 6. The Constitution That Can ChangeReadyThis sitting is about the Constitution's built-in capacity for change
- 6. The Words That Would Not DieReadyThis sitting is the capstone of the Declaration unit
- 6. The Chain: From Charter to BriefReadyCapstone
- 6. The Rest of the AmendmentReadyDo not skip 2-5 to get to Brown
Emerging Adults15–18
- 1. Primary Text, Not StorybookReadyThis sitting builds on the young version
- 1. Runnymede: The Charter and the StandoffReadyThis sitting takes the Magna Carta seriously as a historical document, not a legend
- 1. Philadelphia: Designed, Not ExtractedReadyThis sitting grounds the Constitution in its actual history
- 1. The Committee of Five: Collective AuthorshipReadyThis sitting takes the Declaration's authorship seriously as a political fact
- 1. Publius: The Brief, Not the MachineReadyThis sitting is the door to the unit
- 1. Federalist 54 Lands: Section 2 Repeals the FractionReadyFull landing
- 1. Compression and PowerReadyThis prepares the Constitution/Declaration path
- 2. The Declaration as ArgumentReadyThis sitting teaches the student to audit the Declaration as an argument
- 2. The Rule of Law: From Runnymede to the Fifth AmendmentReadyThis sitting traces the chain: Magna Carta clause 39 ('lawful judgment of his peers or the law of…
- 2. Power Against Power: The Structural DesignReadyThis sitting takes the separation of powers seriously as a design choice
- 2. Self-Evident Truths: The Four Claims and the GapReadyThis sitting takes the Declaration's central sentence seriously as both philosophy and political act
- 2. Faction: Madison 10 versus Brutus IReadyFederalist 10 is the load-bearing essay of the unit
- 2. Section 1 in OrderReadyHoward: privileges would restrain states from invading personal rights in the first eight amendments
- 3. The Constitution as ArchitectureReadyThis sitting teaches the student to read the Constitution as architecture
- 3. Due Process: The Chain from Clause 39 to the Fifth AmendmentReadyThis sitting traces the chain in detail
- 3. The Bill of Rights: The Anti-Federalist LegacyReadyThis sitting takes the Bill of Rights seriously as a political product, not a sacred text
- 3. The Right of Revolution: Locke, the Grievances, and the DangerReadyThis sitting takes the right of revolution seriously as both a philosophical claim and a politica…
- 3. Ambition Must Be Made to Counteract AmbitionReady51 continues 10's work: a large republic with many interests is less likely to have a single majo…
- 3. Gettysburg Inside the PackReadyTaney; McLean and Curtis dissents
- 4. The Founding and the MissingReadyThis sitting applies the full missing-voices cycle to the founding
- 4. Consent: From Common Counsel to No Taxation Without RepresentationReadyThis sitting traces a counterintuitive story: the clause that most directly established consent (…
- 4. The Three-Fifths Compromise: Power, Not WorthReadyThis sitting takes on the three-fifths compromise directly and honestly
- 4. All Men: The Promise and the OmissionReadyThis sitting takes the Declaration's central paradox seriously
- 4. The Least Dangerous Branch — and Brutus's ReplyReadyWalk 78 in order: need for a federal judicature; appointment; tenure during good behavior as barr…
- 4. Dred Scott Overruled in a SentenceReadyHoward, May 23, 1866
- 5. Amendment as Civic PracticeReadyThis sitting teaches the student that amendment is civic practice
- 5. The Omission of the VilleinsReadyThis sitting takes the omission seriously as a historical and ethical question
- 5. Judicial Review: The Security Clause's HeirReadyThis sitting takes judicial review seriously as a constitutional question
- 5. The Slave Trade Passage: What Was Removed and WhyReadyThis sitting takes the removed passage seriously as both a political fact and a moral problem
- 5. Federalist 84 and the Bill of RightsReadyHave 84 on the table
- 5. Procedure, Protection, State ActionReadyLochner through Dobbs as afterlife
- 6. The Citizen's Full PracticeReadyThis is the capstone for the emerging band
- 6. The Chain: How a Feudal Contract Became Your RightsReadyThis is the capstone sitting
- 6. The Amendment Chain: How the Constitution GrowsReadyThis sitting traces the Constitution's growth through amendment
- 6. The Declaration's Afterlife: Douglass, Lincoln, KingReadyThis is the capstone of the Declaration unit
- 6. The Compound Republic and the Civic ChainReadyCapstone for emerging adults
- 6. Reconstruction Machinery, Ugly Clauses NamedReadySection 3: 1872 amnesty; Trump v
Lifelong LearnersAdult
- 1. Read the Document With ThemReadyThe adult models reading the document
- 1. Runnymede: The Charter, the Legend, and the Gap BetweenReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the Magna Carta honestly
- 1. Philadelphia: The Quiet RevolutionReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the founding honestly
- 1. The Committee of Five: The Founding as Collective ActReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the Declaration's authorship honestly
- 1. Publius: Advocacy That Became a CommentaryReadyTeach this sitting as a source problem, not a patriotism problem
- 1. The Seats-and-Bodies AnswerReadyThis is the ugly-clause sitting for the unit, load-bearing
- 1. Don't Skip the WordsReadyDeclaration, a war letter, a local historic marker
- 2. The Declaration at the TableReadyThe adult reads the Declaration aloud
- 2. The Rule of Law and Its PriceReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the rule of law honestly
- 2. Power Against Power: The Design and Its DiscontentsReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the Constitution's structural design honestly
- 2. Self-Evident Truths: The Promise, the Sources, and the GapReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the Declaration's central sentence honestly
- 2. Faction: The Extended Republic and Its ShadowReadyHave the text on the table
- 2. The Load-Bearing SentenceReadyBingham and Howard
- 3. Read the Design With ThemReadyThe adult reads one article of the Constitution with the child
- 3. Due Process: The Price of the PrincipleReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach due process honestly — not as a settled princip…
- 3. The Bill of Rights: The Losers Who Shaped the DocumentReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the Bill of Rights as a political product, not…
- 3. The Right of Revolution: The Most Dangerous IdeaReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the Declaration's most radical claim honestly
- 3. 51: The Machine That Assumes Imperfect PeopleReadyThis is the most stolen sentence in American political talk
- 3. Proposition, Holding, InstrumentReadyEverett's letter
- 4. Read the Missing Voice With ThemReadyThe adult reads one missing-voice text with the child
- 4. Consent and the Problem of EnforcementReadyThis sitting addresses the deepest question about consent: not whether the principle is right, bu…
- 4. The Three-Fifths Compromise: The Constitution's Original SinReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the Constitution's hardest truth honestly
- 4. All Men: The Promise, the Omission, and the EngineReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the Declaration's central paradox honestly
- 4. Judgment Without Sword: 78, Brutus, and CitationReadyThe civics-test answer leads with Marbury
- 4. Membership as a Constitutional FactReadyAdult may note 7
- 5. The Republic Is a PracticeReadyThe adult reads one amendment with the child
- 5. The Omission and the Chain of ExpansionReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the hardest truth about Magna Carta: the docume…
- 5. Judicial Review: The Self-Made Power and Its PriceReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach judicial review honestly
- 5. The Slave Trade Passage: The Compromise at BirthReadyThis sitting is for the parent who wants to teach the Declaration's founding compromise honestly
- 5. The Lost Brief: 84, the Ninth, and Who WonReadyThis sitting is how you prove to a teenager that The Federalist is advocacy
- 5. The Docket Is Not the SentenceReadyTheological humility
- 6. The Citizen at the TableReadyThis is the adult capstone
- 6. The Chain, the Practice, and the Next LinkReadyThis is the capstone
- 6. The Amendment Chain: The Living DocumentReadyThis is the capstone of the Constitution unit
- 6. The Declaration's Afterlife: The Chain of PromiseReadyThis is the capstone of the Declaration unit
- 6. The Chain: What the Brief Sold, and What It CostReadyThis is the sitting that connects the Federalist unit to Magna Carta, the Declaration, and the Co…
- 6. The Amendment as Reconstruction, Not as PosterReadyTrump v