Think About It Think about the phrase, “I have rights!” What do you think that means? What are some rights you have in school? How do you think you would feel if you did not have those rights?

Citizen’s Rights Learning Log Adjusted by: Mrs. Crews

Topic: Responsibilities of a Citizen Key Concept: Duties Responsibilities

Topic: Responsibilities of a Citizen Key Concept: Duties Responsibilities obeying laws

Topic: Responsibilities of a Citizen Key Concept: Duties Responsibilities obeying laws paying taxes

Topic: Responsibilities of a Citizen Key Concept: Duties Responsibilities obeying laws paying taxes jury duty

Topic: Responsibilities of a Citizen Key Concept: Duties Responsibilities obeying laws paying taxes jury duty serve as a witness

Topic: Responsibilities of a Citizen Key Concept: Duties Responsibilities obeying laws voting paying taxes jury duty serve as a witness

Topic: Due Process of Law Key Concept: Explain the concept of due process of law.

Topic: Due Process of Law Key Concept: Explain the concept of due process of law. Due Process – A fundamental, constitutional guarantee that all legal proceedings will be fair and that one will be given notice of the proceedings and an opportunity to be heard before the government acts to take away one's life, liberty, or property.

Due process guarantees the following (this list is not exhaustive): Right to a fair and public trial conducted in a competent manner Right to be present at the trial Right to an impartial jury Right to be heard in one's own defense Laws must be written so that a reasonable person can understand what is criminal behavior Taxes may only be taken for public purposes Property may be taken by the government only for public purposes Owners of taken property must be fairly compensated

What if….? What if a teacher thought a student had cheated on an assignment and sent that student to the principal’s office? Then the principal expelled that student. What’s wrong with this? In the U.S., we have due process of the law to make sure this doesn’t happen. Let’s look again at the Fifth Amendment.

Fifth Amendment: The Right to Due Process of Law, Including Protection Against Incriminating Yourself People don’t have to give evidence against themselves in court. If they have been found innocent of a crime, they can’t be tried again for the same crime. People have to be treated fairly by the law, and cannot have their lives, liberty, or property taken away from them unless it is fair.

Requires three functions: Fourteenth Amendment: defines what it means to be a US citizen and right to due process and the equal protection of the law. Requires three functions: Enforces the Bill of Rights on the states to make sure that they can never limit the rights of Americans without fairness. Citizenship clause gives individual born in the United States. Once you have American citizenship, it cannot be taken from you by Congress or other authorities. Extends the equal protection of citizens to the state governments. 

Topic: How the Constitution Protects Citizen’s Rights Key Concepts: Describe how the Constitution protects a citizen’s rights by due process.

Topic: How the Constitution Protects Citizen’s Rights Key Concepts: Describe how the Constitution protects a citizen’s rights by due process. (Write about a situation in which a citizen’s rights are protected by the Constitution using due process of the law.)