Chapter 4 – The Amendments to the US Constitution

The “Bill of Rights”

Added in 1791, the first 10 amendments are known as the “Bill of Rights”. The purpose is to limit the power of the federal government video video

“Civil Liberties” The Bill of Rights guarantees “Civil liberties” - freedoms we have to think and act without government interference or fear of unfair treatment. The Amendments place strict limits on how the federal government treats the people.

“Civil Liberties” “Civil liberties”, however, do not allow American citizens to do things like break the law. “Your rights end where someone else’s begin”… Your rights are balanced against the rights of others and the good of the community.

“R.A.S.S.D.A.T. E.P.S.”

R.A.S.S.D.A.T. E.P.S is an easy way to remember the “Bill of Rights”.

“R.A.S.S.D.A.T. E.P.S.” R = Religion, Assembly, Speech, Press, Petition A = Arms S = Soldier Quartering S = Search & Seizure (privacy amendment) D = Double Jeopardy, Due process, eminent Domain and you Don’t have to testify against yourself (rights of the accused) A = Attorney & fair and speedy trial T = Trial by Jury E = Excessive Bail P = People’s Rights S = States Rights

“The First Amendment”

“R.A.S.P.P.” “R.A.S.P.P” is a good acronym to remember the major elements of the First Amendment. This amendment protects the 5 basic freedoms that are essential to the American way of life.

1. “R” = Religion Freedom of Religion prohibits Congress from establishing any official or “state” religion in the U.S. It also guarantees Americans the right to worship or practice any religion they choose (or to not worship at all). Americans special value on freedom of religion since many people moved here to escape religious persecution.

2. “A” = Assembly Freedom of Assembly protects our right to assemble in groups for any reason as long as these assemblies are peaceful in nature. This also allows us to join whatever groups we choose to join…

3. “S” = Speech Freedom of Speech protects our right to say what is on your mind, in public or private, without fear of punishment by the government. Face to face discussions, telephone conversations, TV, lectures, and even “unspoken expressions” are all protected. It does not allow for speech that is harmful to people or that threatens the government. – Slander: spoken lies – Libel: maliciously printing lies

3. “S” = Speech Freedom of Speech also does NOT protect our citizens from committing “slander” (spoken lies) or “libel” (written lies) towards another citizen. It also does NOT allow for harmful speech towards others or that threatens our government

Landmark Supreme Court Cases Tinker v. Des Moines During Vietnam War Era School banned protests of any kind Students wore black armbands to silently protests the war and were expelled Is this a 1 st Amendment Violation? videovideo Hazelwood v. Kuhlmeier Students were in charge of writing school newspaper and drafted two articles about pregnancy and divorce. Principal deleted the articles from the school newspaper before printing in fear that students may be identified who were pregnant or from divorced families Is this is a 1 st Amendment Violation? video video

4. “P” = Press Freedom of the press protects our rights to express ourselves in published information and allows us to read what others have published (without “censorship”). This freedom is also limited (as speech)

5. “P” = Petition Freedom of petition guarantees all Americans the right to petition (a formal request) the government. This allows us to express our views to the government. video