Chapter 6: Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens

 All provisions of the 1 st Amendment (all citizens have this)… speech, press, assembly, petition, religion  Allows for full and free exchange of ideas  Must be able to talk openly with others to make good judgements

 Slander: saying false or damaging things about someone in public  Libel: writing false statements about someone  Public Safety Concerns: rules set about times, places, etc. that speeches or meetings can be held  Danger to the Country: (Schenck vs. US)  Unpopular Views Must Be Allowed: American Nazi Party

 Censorship: keeping people from hearing or seeing something that is harmful -FCC- cigarette ads on TV - Prior Restraint: material can’t be censored before it’s expressed (shown at least once)  Access to News: may be limited if there is danger or national security risks

 What does it mean? Government must follow fair steps or procedures in enforcing the law and bringing people to trial- Procedural Due Process

 Laws themselves must be fair. (Can’t be unconstitutional or vague, harder on some people than others) Substantive Due Process  6 th Amendment also guarantees the right to counsel at the state level

 Why are people who may be criminals have so many rights?  Accused persons are still humans- they still have rights  More people would be arrested and convicted of crimes they didn’t commit  Due process makes the law more worthy of respect. People are more likely to abide by laws that treat everyone equally.

 Suspects must be read rights before being questioned

 What does it mean? Protection from unreasonable searches and seizures  Exclusionary Rule: evidence obtained illegally can’t be used in court. Exception: law enforcement acting in “good faith”  Wiretapping: in most cases is illegal. Courts have recently changed their stance due to matters of national security  Death Penalty: (8 th Amendment) cruel and inhuman punishment. This is up to the states. Only certain crimes are punishable by death.

 Each person living in the US has a right to fair and equal treatment (14 th Amendment covers this)  Purpose- to prevent discrimination (treating people differently from others)  Can’t discriminate due to the following classifications: race, age, gender, religious beliefs, and nationality

 Plessy vs. Ferguson: upheld separate but equal  Brown vs. Board of Education: struck down Plessy

 Affirmative Action: plan requiring special effort be made in hiring minorities and women  Reverse Discrimination: example would be white males being denied employment because lesser qualified minorities and women are favored because of affirmative action

 1. Attend school  2. Obey the law  3. Pay taxes  4. Defend the nation  5. Serve in court

 1. Know and respect citizen rights  2. Tolerate other’s views  3. Vote  4. Take part in Democracy