Celebrate Freedom Week with I Was the First!

This year, Celebrate Freedom Week is September 16-20. During this week, every social studies class in the State of Texas is required, under Texas Education Code, §29.907, to provide instruction regarding the intent, meaning, and importance of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution (including the Bill of Rights) in their historical contexts.

To help Texas teachers, the State Bar of Texas has created a resource—I was the First. Vote for Me! This interactive, web-based program features animated historical firsts, including Benjamin Franklin, Abraham Lincoln, Thomas Jefferson, Susan B. Anthony, and others related to the American Revolution, U.S. Constitution, abolitionist movement, women’s suffrage, and more. In honor of Celebrate Freedom Week, and to help students learn the Declaration of Independence, these characters are featured in a special animation reciting a paragraph of the Declaration of Independence. Visit the website to listen and learn why these important people, and their contributions to American freedom, make them the most important first!