1. The U.S. Constitution & Bill of Rights
Mr. Webster’s Class

3. The U.S. Constitution
The main purpose of the United States Constitution is to provide a plan of government.
It is the highest authority in the nation.
It is the supreme law of the United States.
The powers of the 3 branches of the federal government come from it.
It is a symbol of our nation, and represents our system of government.

4. Parts of the Constitution
The Constitution has three main parts:
The Preamble (or introduction)
The 7 Articles (or main parts)
The 27 Amendments (or changes)

5. The Preamble “We the People of the United States,
in order to form a more perfect Union,
establish justice,
insure domestic tranquility,
provide for the common defense,
promote the general welfare,
and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity,
do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.”

6. Preamble Vocabulary defense – a method of protecting oneself
domestic – referring to something at home, not foreign
insure – ensure, to make sure
justice – a system of establishing what is legal and illegal by fair rules
ordain – to establish something by law
posterity – future generations
tranquility – peace
union – something formed by combining parts, such as states into one country
welfare – well-being

7. Preamble Clips
Andy Griffith Clip
School House Rock Clip

8. Principles of the U.S. Constitution
The U.S Constitution is based on certain key principles:
Popular sovereignty
Republicanism
Limited government
Federalism
Separation of powers
Checks and balances
Individual rights

9. Principles of Government - Vocabulary
popular sovereignty – the belief that government is subject to the will of the people
limited government – government with limited powers strictly defined by law
separation of powers – the principle that powers should be divided among different branches of government
checks and balances – a system where each branch of government limits the power of the other branches
federalism – a system of government where power is shared between the federal, or national, level and the states

10. Types of Power
The writers of the Constitution divided the powers of the government into three types.
Enumerated powers are powers granted directly to the national government.
Reserved powers are powers that are reserved for the states.
Concurrent powers are powers that are shared by both the national and state governments.

11. U.S. Constitution – Articles I - III
Article I – Legislative branch (Congress)
Senate
House of Representatives
Article II – Executive branch
President and Vice President
Cabinet, executive department, and agencies
Article III – Judicial branch
Supreme Court
Other federal courts

12. U.S. Constitution – Articles IV - VII
Article IV explains the relationship between the states and the national government.
Article V describes how the Constitution can be changed.
Article VI declares the Constitution the “supreme Law of the Land.”
Article VII describes how the Constitution was to be ratified.

13. Amending the Constitution
Any change made to the Constitution is called an amendment. Currently, there are 27 amendments.
An amendment may be proposed in either of two ways.
The first method is obtained by a vote of 2/3 of members of both houses of Congress.
The second method is by a national convention called by 2/3 of the state legislatures.
Once an amendment has been proposed, ¾ of the states must ratify it. Ratification can be voted on by the state legislature or special state convention.

14. Bill of Rights
The first ten amendments, or Bill of Rights, became a part of the Constitution in 1791.
Clip
They guarantee basic freedoms including:
Freedom of religion
Freedom of speech
Freedom of the press
Freedom of assembly
The right to bear arms
The right to trial by jury
The right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government
Freedom from cruel and unusual punishment

15. Bill of Rights Vocabulary
free speech – the right to say one’s opinions without fear of being stopped or punished by the government
accused – a person officially charged with a crime
probable cause – a strong reason to think that a person was involved in a crime
indictment – a document issued by a grand jury to charge someone with a crime
search warrant- a court order allowing police to search property and seize evidence
due process – following established legal procedures
double jeopardy – putting someone on trial for a crime of which he or she was previously found innocent

16. First Amendment The First Amendment protects five basic freedoms.
These are:
Freedom of religion
Freedom of speech
Freedom of the press
Freedom of assembly
Freedom to petition the government

17. Freedom of Religion
The First Amendment protects the freedom of religion in two ways.
First, it says that Congress cannot establish, or support, any religion as the official faith of the United States.
Thomas Jefferson called this clause “a wall of separation between church and state.”
The freedom of religion gives Americans the freedom to practice their faith in the way that they want.

18. First Amendment Rights
Freedom of speech gives Americans the right to state their opinions without fear of being punished by the government.
Freedom of the press prevents the government from censoring news reports.
Freedom of assembly protects our right to gather in groups for any reason, as long as the groups are peaceful.
Freedom to petition gives us the right to petition the government.

19. Amendments II – IV
The Second Amendment gives Americans the right to bear arms.
The Third Amendment gives citizens the right to not house, or quarter, soldiers
The Fourth Amendment protects us against “unreasonable searches and seizures.”
The officer must have probable cause to think the person was involved in a crime.
When law enforcement officers want to do a search for evidence, they must ask a judge to issue a search warrant.

20. The Fifth Amendment
The Fifth Amendment protects several rights of an accused person.
It states that no one can be tried for a serious crime without an indictment.
The Fifth Amendment protects an accused person’s right to remain silent.
It also prevents putting people on trial more than once for the same crime.

21. The Sixth Amendment
The Sixth Amendment guarantees other rights to the accused.
It requires that persons be clearly told what the charges against them are.
It grants the accused the right to a speedy trial by an impartial jury.
It also gives accused individuals the right to an attorney.

22. Amendments VII & VIII
The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a trial by jury when there is a dispute involving more than $20.
The Eighth Amendment forbids excessive bail, cruel and unusual punishment.

23. Amendments IX & X
The Ninth Amendment states that all other rights not spelled out in the Constitution are retained, or kept, by the people. This prevents the government from claiming that the only rights people have are the ones listed in the Bill of Rights.
The Tenth Amendment states that any powers the Constitution does not specifically give to the federal government belong to the states or the people.

24. Constitutional Rights - Vocabulary
civil disobedience – the refusal to obey certain laws as a form of political protest
economic freedom – the freedom to produce, trade, or use any goods or services without use of force, fraud, or theft
eminent domain – the right of the government to take private property for public use
forced internment – the confinement of a group of people, especially during a war
property rights – the right to own property

25. Civil War Amendments The Thirteenth Amendment (1865) outlawed slavery.
The Fourteenth Amendment (1868) defined U.S. citizenship as anyone “born or naturalized in the United States.” This definition included most African Americans.
The Fifteenth Amendment (1870) stated that no state could deny a person the right to vote because of race.

26. Electoral Process and Voting Rights Amendments
The Nineteenth Amendment (1920) granted women the right to vote.
The Twenty-third Amendment (1961) gave residents of the District of Columbia the right to vote.
The Twenty-fourth Amendment (1964) abolished poll taxes, making it easier for poor Americans to vote.
The Twenty-sixth Amendment (1971) set the voting age at 18 years.

27. Civil Rights Clips History of Civil Rights March on Washington Clip
LBJ Clip
Women's Suffrage Clip
Women's Suffrage Music Video

28. Civil Rights - Vocabulary
civil rights – the rights belonging to citizens; typically refers to the basic right of being free from unequal treatment
discrimination – unfair treatment
literacy test – a test used to determine whether or not someone was eligible to register to vote
poll tax – a fee required to vote
segregation – the separation of people
suffrage – the right to vote
Voting Rights Act of 1965 – a federal law that banned race discrimination in voting practices
Civil Rights Act of 1964 – a federal law that prohibits employment discrimination based on race, sex, color, religion, or national origin