1. Unit 3: Civil Liberties & Civil Rights
Lecture & Discussion 1: Civil Liberties & the Bill of Rights

2. Enduring Understanding
Provisions in the U.S. Constitution’s Bill of Rights are continually interpreted to balance the power of government and individual civil liberties.

3. Objective(s)
To identify the specific freedoms listed in the Bill of Rights and explain how the U.S. Constitution protects individual liberties.

4. Do Now
Read the Bill of Rights. As you read, annotate the text by circling unfamiliar terms, highlighting specific freedoms, and writing notes in the margin. Then, summarize each amendment below.   
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6. A. Constitutional Rights
civil liberties: basic freedoms that cannot be infringed upon by the government
Bill of Rights: first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution that protect individual liberties (Broad Areas: rights of conscience and those related to crime and due process)
the Supreme Court hears cases and interprets the application of the provisions in Bill of Rights

7. Amendment 1 (Freedom of Religion)
B. Cases to Know
Amendment 1 (Freedom of Religion)
Engel v.
Vitale
(1962)
the Court ruled that school sponsorship of religious activities violated the Establishment Clause in the First Amendment
the policy breached the constitutional wall of “separation of church and state”
Wisconsin
Yoder
(1972)
the Court ruled that compelling Amish students to attend high school violated the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment
the individual liberty to worship freely outweighed the State’s interest in compulsory education

8. Amendment 1 (Freedom of Speech)
B. Cases to Know
Amendment 1 (Freedom of Speech)
Schenk v.
U.S.
(1919)
the Court ruled that speech creating a “clear and present danger” was not protected by the First Amendment (Ie. “Fire! In a crowded theater)
demonstrates how individual freedoms are sometimes sacrificed to preserve social order
Tinker
Des Moines
(1969)
the Court ruled that the school officials had violated the students’ right to symbolic speech protected by the First Amendment
the position that students do not “shed their constitutional rights…at the schoolhouse gate” reflects a commitment to individual liberty

9. Amendment 1 (Freedom of the Press)
B. Cases to Know
Amendment 1 (Freedom of the Press)
NY Times v.
Sullivan
(1963)
the Court ruled in favor of the paper, establishing the “actual malice” standard in cases of defamation or libel
the target of the statement must show that it was made “with knowledge it was false or with reckless disregard for the truth”
U.S.
(1971)
the Court ruled that the government violated the newspaper’s freedom of the press protected by the First Amendment
established a “heavy presumption against prior restraint,” even in cases involving national security

10. Directions:
Register at
Join the group.
Find a political cartoon related to the freedom of religion, speech or the press.
Create a ThingLink.