Overview
What does it mean to own something? Is your property yours? Can the government take your property—your house—for any reason it wants to? This segment looks at the Kelo case and the new movie, Little Pink House.

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Grade level and subjects
• Recommended for grades 6-12
• Subjects: Government
• Works in Classroom, Hybrid, and Homeschool settings

What students will learn
By the end of this lesson, students will be able to:
• define the terms eminent domain and public use;
• explain the purpose of eminent domain;
• explain the restrictions on eminent domain as mandated by the Fifth Amendment;
• evaluate when or if the “greater good” outweighs individual property rights; and
• hypothesize the unintended consequences of using eminent domain to transfer land from one private owner to another to increase tax revenue.

Key concepts and terms covered
Eminent Domain.

Sample discussion questions
• What does it mean to own something?
• According to John Stossel, what are some accepted uses of eminent domain?
• Why is the movie titled Little Pink House?
• How did this ruling change the way government could apply eminent domain?
• Did any good come out of the Supreme Court decision in the Kelo case?

What’s in the free teacher’s guide
This printable 12-page Teacher's Guide includes a lesson description, learning objectives, key vocabulary, a fill-in viewing guide with answer key, discussion and analysis questions, and classroom activities.

Standards alignment
Aligned to state standards — use the SITC Standards Tool to match this video to the standards in your state.