Bill of Rights PPT

1. The Bill of Rights
7th
Grade Civics

2. Why do we need a Bill of Rights?
• Doesn’t the Constitution cover
everything?
– What does it cover?
• 1791 – The first 10
amendments are added.
– Fulfills promises made during the
Constitutional Convention
• Civil Liberties & The Bill of
Rights
Section 1

3. The First Amendment
• Includes five basic freedoms:
1. Freedom of Religion
2. Freedom of Speech
3. Freedom of the Press
4. Freedom of Assembly
5. Freedom to Petition the Government
Section 1

4. The First Amendment
• Freedom of Religion
– Why did/do many people
come to the United States?
– How does this work?
1. Establishment Clause?
2. Right to practice your faith
as you choose.
Section 1

5. The First Amendment
• Freedom of Speech
(and expression)
– The freedom to say
what’s on your mind
without fear of
punishment by the
government
– What is included in the
freedom of speech?
Section 1

6. The First Amendment
• Freedom of the Press
– Ensures that we receive
various viewpoints.
– Why is this important?
– Censorship?
Section 1

7. The First Amendment
• Freedom of Assembly
– The right to attend
meetings, rallies, protests,
parades, celebrations,
etc.
– Implies freedom of
association.
Section 1

8. The First Amendment
• Freedom of Petition
– A formal request of something from the
government
– What are some examples?
• Limits on 1st
Amendment freedoms
– Does exercising your rights limit or negatively
impact others?
– Slander and libel
Section 1

9. The Bill of Rights
• Amendments 2 – 10, like the 1st
Amendment,
were ratified on December 15, 1791.
• Where do the ideas behind these
amendments come from?
Section 2

10. The Bill of Rights
• Amendment II (2nd
)
– A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the
security of a free State, the right of the people to
keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.
– Why was this amendment included?
– Do we still need it today?
– Gun Control Laws – Good or Bad?

13. The Bill of Rights
• Amendment III (3rd
)
– No soldier shall, in a time of peace be quartered in
any house, without the consent of the owner, nor
in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed
by law.
– Why was this amendment included?
– Do we still need it today?

14. The Bill of Rights
• Amendment IV (4th
)
– The right of the people to be secure in their persons,
houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable
searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no
Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause,
supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly
describing the place to be searched, and the persons
or things seized.
– What!!
– Can Deputy Peters search your locker?

15. The Bill of Rights
• Amendment V (5th
)
– Grand Jury and Indictment
– Double Jeopardy
– The right to remain silent.
– . . . nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property,
without due process of law . . .
– . . . nor shall private property be taken for public
use, without just compensation . . .
– Eminent Domain

16. The Bill of Rights
• Amendments V, VI, and VIII
– Deal with rights guaranteed to people involved in
criminal cases.
• Amendment VI (6th
)
– Speedy and public trial by an impartial jury
– Trial should be held where the crime took place
– Right to hear and question witnesses
– Right to an attorney – who pays for it?

17. The Bill of Rights
• Amendment VIII (8th
)
– Right to bail.
– No “cruel and unusual punishment”
• Amendment VII (7th
)
– Civil Law?
– Right to jury trial when disagreement exceeds $20
• Jury trial can be waived by both parties

18. The Bill of Rights
• Amendment IX (9th
)
– The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain
rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage
others retained by the people.
– What does this mean?
• Amendment X (10th
)
– The powers not delegated to the United States by
the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States,
are reserved to the States respectively, or to the
people.

19. The Civil War Amendments
• Amendment XIII, XIV, and XV arrive with the
end of the Civil War.
• Amendment XIII (13th
)
– Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude. . .
– Confronting the serpent under the table – what
does this mean?

20. The Civil War Amendments
• Amendment XIV (14th
)
– Nationalizes the Bill of Rights – what?
• States are now bound by the Bill of Rights
– “Equal protection of the laws”
– Citizens are “all persons born or naturalized in the
United States . . .”

21. The Civil War Amendments
• Amendment XV (15th
)
– Suffrage – the right to vote
– Meant to give African Americans the right to vote
– Applied only to men
– Does it work? Why or why not?

22. Voting Rights
• Amendment XIX (19th
)
– Women’s Suffrage (1920)

23. Voting Rights
• Amendment XXIV (24th
)
– The end of poll taxes
– What are poll taxes and how were they
used to limit voting rights for blacks
and whites?

24. Voting Rights
• Amendment XXVI (26th
)
– Voting Age – 18 (1971)
– Old enough to fight, old
enough to vote

25. Realizing the Dream
• Though the Constitution and its amendments
sought to guarantee rights for all Americans,
some states passed laws to limit those
freedoms for some citizens.
• Think about how your life would be different if
certain amendments were not ratified …