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

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.

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)

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.”

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

Preamble Clips Andy Griffith Clip School House Rock Clip

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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

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