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Section 1-4 First Amendment Freedoms  The Bill of Rights, added in 1791, protects our civil liberties.  The First Amendment protects five basic freedoms: religion, speech, press, assembly, and to petition the government.  Congress may not establish an official religion, favor one religion over another, or treat people differently because of their beliefs.  People may practice their faith as they wish. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 98–100)

Section 1-5 First Amendment Freedoms (cont.)  In some countries, people can be jailed for criticizing the government or voicing unpopular ideas.  We can say what we want, in public or in private, without fear of punishment.  Freedom of speech includes conversations, radio, and TV.  It also protects forms of expression other than the spoken word, such as clothing. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 98–100)

Section 1-6 First Amendment Freedoms (cont.)  We may express ourselves freely in print and other media.  The government cannot practice censorship. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 98–100)

Section 1-7 First Amendment Freedoms (cont.)  We may gather in groups for any reason, as long as the assemblies are peaceful.  Governments can make rules about when and where activities can be held but cannot ban them.  We may freely join clubs, political parties, unions, and other organizations.  We have the right to petition the government.  We can complain or express ideas by writing to our elected representatives. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 98–100)

Section 1-9 Limits to First Amendment Freedoms  The Supreme Court has decided that First Amendment freedoms may be limited to protect safety and security.  You may not provoke a riot.  You may not speak or write in a way that leads to criminal activities or efforts to overthrow the government. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (page 101)

Section 1-10 Limits to First Amendment Freedoms  You should use civil liberties responsibly and not interfere with the rights of others.  You may criticize government officials but not spread lies that harm a person’s reputation, that is called slander and libel.  Unlimited freedom is not possible in a society.  The rights of one individual must be balanced against the rights of others and of the community. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (cont.) (page 101)

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Section 2-4 Protecting the Rights of the Accused  The Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments protect the rights of accused people.  The Fourth Amendment protects against unreasonable searches and seizures.  If police believe you have committed a crime, they can ask a judge for a search warrant.  Search warrants are granted only with good cause. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 103–106)

Section 2-5 Protecting the Rights of the Accused  The Fifth Amendment states that no one can be put on trial for a serious federal crime without an indictment.  An indictment does not mean guilt–it indicates only that the person may have committed a crime.  The Fifth Amendment also protects against double jeopardy. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (cont.) (pages 103–106)

Section 2-6  The Fifth Amendment protects an accused person’s right to remain silent.  This prevents a person from being threatened or tortured into a confession.  The Fifth Amendment states that no one may be denied life, liberty, or property without due process.  The Fifth Amendment limits eminent domain. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Protecting the Rights of the Accused (cont.) (pages 103–106)

Section 2-7  The Sixth Amendment requires accused people to be told the charges against them and guarantees a trial by jury unless the accused chooses a judge instead.  Trials must be speedy and public with impartial jurors.  Accused people have a right to hear and question witnesses against them and call witnesses in their own defense.  Accused people are entitled to a lawyer. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Protecting the Rights of the Accused (cont.) (pages 103–106)

Section 2-8  Before trial, the accused may stay in jail or pay bail.  Bail is returned if the person comes to court for trial but is forfeited if the person fails to appear.  The Eighth Amendment forbids excessive bail and excessive fines.  It also forbids cruel and unusual punishment.  Punishment must fit the severity of the crime. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. Protecting the Rights of the Accused (cont.) (pages 103–106)

Section 2-10 Protecting Other Rights  The Second Amendment is often debated.  Some believe it only allows states to keep an armed militia, or local army.  Others believe it guarantees the right of all citizens to “keep and bear arms.”  The courts have generally ruled that government can pass laws to control, but not prevent, the possession of weapons.  The Third Amendment says that soldiers may not move into private homes without the owners’ consent, as British soldiers had done in colonial times. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 106–107)

Section 2-11 Protecting Other Rights (cont.)  The Seventh Amendment concerns civil cases–lawsuits involving disagreements among people rather than crimes.  It guarantees the right to a jury trial in civil cases involving more than $20.  It does not require a jury trial, however.  The Ninth Amendment says that citizens have other rights beyond those listed in the Constitution. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 106–107)

Section 2-12 Protecting Other Rights (cont.)  The Tenth Amendment says that any powers the Constitution does not specifically give to the national government are reserved to the states or to the people.  This prevents Congress and the president from becoming too strong.  They have only the powers the people give them. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 106–107)

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Section 3-4 Protecting All Americans  At first, the Bill of Rights applied only to adult white males, and only to the national government.  Later amendments and court rulings made the Bill of Rights apply to all people and all levels of government. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 109–112)

Section 3-5 Protecting All Americans (cont.)  The Thirteenth Amendment outlawed slavery, freeing thousands of African Americans.  The Fourteenth Amendment outlawed “black codes” that limited African American's rights in many Southern states by defining citizens as anyone born or naturalized in the United States, required states to ensure equal protection of the law to all citizens, and forbade states from interfering with the rights of citizens. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 109–112)

Section 3-7 Protecting All Americans (cont.)  The Fifteenth Amendment says that no state may take away a person’s voting rights on the basis of race, color, or previous enslavement (men only).  The Seventeenth Amendment allowed voters to elect senators directly, instead of the state legislature choosing senators. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 109–112)

Section 3-8 Protecting All Americans (cont.)  The Constitution did not grant or deny women the right to vote, left it up to the states.   The Nineteenth Amendment solved this problem by establishing women’s right to vote in all elections.  The Twenty-third Amendment established the right to vote in national elections for citizens of Washington, D.C. since it was a district, not a state. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 109–112)

Section 3-9 Protecting All Americans (cont.)  Several Southern states required people to pay poll taxes to vote.  Because many African Americans and poor whites could not afford to pay, they could not vote.  The Twenty-fourth Amendment outlawed poll taxes.  The Twenty-sixth Amendment guaranteed the right to vote to citizens 18 and older. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 109–112)

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Section 4-4 Background of the Struggle  After the Civil War, African Americans routinely faced discrimination and segregation.  It would take more than 100 years for African Americans to secure their civil rights. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 113–115)

Section 4-5 Background of the Struggle (cont.)  The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) worked through the courts to challenge laws that denied African Americans their rights.  The National Urban League helped improve opportunities for African Americans in cities.  These groups and others built a civil rights movement.  An important gain was made in 1948 when President Harry Truman ordered an end to segregation in the armed forces. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 113–115)

Section 4-6 Background of the Struggle (cont.)  In Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas, NAACP lawyers successfully argued that segregation in public schools was unconstitutional.  It violated the Fourteenth Amendment’s principle of equal protection under the law. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 113–115)

Section 4-7 Background of the Struggle (cont.)  Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., was a main leader of the civil rights movement.  He believed in nonviolent resistance, and helped organize marches and boycotts.  He inspired thousands with his “I Have a Dream” speech about hopes for racial equality and harmony. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 113–115)

Section 4-8 Background of the Struggle (cont.)  African American students staged “sit-ins” at lunch counters that served only whites.  White and African American “Freedom Riders” rode buses together to protest segregation.  Such protests were met with violence by some whites. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 113–115)

Section 4-9 Background of the Struggle (cont.)  The Civil Rights Act of 1964 prohibited discrimination in public facilities, employment, education, and voter registration.  It banned discrimination by race, color, gender, religion, and national origin.  The Twenty-fourth Amendment outlawed poll taxes.  The Voting Rights Act of 1965 further protected access of minorities to the polls. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (pages 113–115)

Section 4-11 Ongoing Challenges  Affirmative action programs were intended to make up for past discrimination.  They encouraged the hiring and promoting of minorities and women, and the admission of more minority students to colleges.  Critics complained that affirmative action programs gave preferential treatment to women and minorities, amounting to discrimination against men and whites. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (page 115)

Section 4-12 Ongoing Challenges (cont.)  The struggle for equal rights continues.  Many Americans are subject to racial profiling.  Some become victims of hate crimes. Click the mouse button or press the Space Bar to display the information. (page 115)

End of Section 4 Click the mouse button to return to the Contents slide.