Bill of Rights PDF

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights Objective In this lesson, you will identify the principles and structure of the Constitution and the protections afforded by the Bill of Rights; explain the amendment process. Basic Principles of the Constitution...

The Constitution and the Bill of Rights Objective In this lesson, you will identify the principles and structure of the Constitution and the protections afforded by the Bill of Rights; explain the amendment process. Basic Principles of the Constitution popular The Founding Fathers were firmly committed to the principle of ________________ sovereignty. However, the majority Framers also feared a government system built on _________________ rule because a larger group could unfairly _______________ control smaller groups. For this reason, the Constitution provides protections for minority ________________ rights. Democracy with Limits direct The Founding Fathers understood that _____________ impractical democracy was __________________ in a country as large as the United States. They also did not trust the mass of common people to vote directly on important decisions political ___________________. representative Thus, they made the United States a ______________________ democracy in elect which the people ____________ respected citizens to make decisions on their behalf. In the Constitution preamble, “We the people” means that the government is developed with the consent of the nation’s people and gets its power and sovereignty from this consent. Limited Government limit Guarding the civil liberties of citizens provides one of the most effective ways to ______________ the power of the government. The Bill of Rights (the first 10 amendments to the Constitution), names and liberties protects US citizens' civil _________________. Separation of Powers and Checks and Balances powers The phrase "separation of ______________" shared refers to a government system in which power is ____________, usually between three branches. legislative The US Constitution divides the national government between the _________________ branch, the executive laws branch, and the judicial branch. Congress, which has the authority to pass ___________, makes up the legislative __________________ branch. The president, who possesses executive authority, implements the laws passed interprets by Congress. The judicial branch, which consists of the Supreme Court and lower courts, _______________ constitutional laws and decides what is _______________________.  appoint Under the system of checks and balances, the president has the power to _______________ the members of session the Supreme Court. The president also has the power to call a special ________________ of Congress and the power to veto, or reject, laws passed by the legislature. Congress on the other hand, has the power to veto override the president's __________ with a two-thirds majority vote. Congress holds the final power to fund approve presidential initiatives and can ________________ presidential nominees to the Supreme Court and other positions. If the president or a judge does something illegal, Congress also has the authority to remove officials impeachment through the process of _____________________. The Supreme Court primarily exerts the power of judicial review. If the court decides that a law passed by Congress or an action of the president goes against the nullify Constitution, it can declare that law or action unconstitutional and ________________ it. Federalism Federalism refers to how governing powers are shared between nation, state, and local governments. states Under the federal system, ______________ national run most of their affairs, but the ______________ government takes precedence in many matters. Articles of the Constitution 7 The Constitution consists of ____________ articles that describe the powers and functions of US government. The Legislative Branch Congress Article I describes the powers, form, and process of __________________. The Constitution allows small and large states to be equally represented: the House represents each state based on population _________________; equal the Senate has ____________ representation for all states, with two senators per 2 state. The people elect representatives to the House every ________ years, reflecting that sovereignty senators rests with the people. Originally, the state legislatures chose ________________, but since 1913 the public equal has directly elected senators to six-year terms. The Senate and the House have almost ___________ powers of legislation. Because all laws must pass both the Senate and the House, each chamber acts as a check ____________ special on the other. Nonetheless, each branch of Congress has certain _______________ powers. Executive Branch president Article II of the Constitution describes the powers of the __________________, the qualifications for the office, the process for indirectly electing the president and vice president through an Electoral __________________ College _______________, and the executive departments that serve under the president. foriegn The Framers gave the president these important powers: conducting _______________ affairs, acting as supreme military director, appointing executive and judicial officers, pardoning those accused of a crime, legislation and vetoing ________________.  The Judicial Branch Article III describes how the Supreme Court will be the chief court of the land. It gives the Supreme Court federal and other ______________ courts the power to check the other branches by reviewing laws and executive __________________ determining actions and __________________ whether they violate the Constitution. Interstate and Federal-State Cooperation Constitution Article IV requires the ______________ to respect one another's laws and court actions, to aid each other in bringing persons accused of crimes to justice by returning fugitives to the states from which they fled extradition (________________). preserving It also states that the national government must assist states in ____________________ order rights of self-government, repelling invasion, and keeping ______________. Amending the Constitution vote Article V describes how the Constitution can be amended: either through a two-thirds __________ of Congress, which must then be ratified by three-fourths of the states, or through a convention called by request Congress at the ___________________ of two-thirds of the state legislatures. Amending the Constitution is a slow ___________ and difficult process, which is why the Constitution has only 27 amendments. The Supremacy Clause Article VI states that the Constitution itself, all national laws, and the treaties made by the federal government supreme hold _________________ authority ___________________ conflict in the nation. Thus, in a __________________ between national law and state law, national law remains superior to state law. Ratification ratify Article VII briefly describes how nine of thirteen states were needed to _____________ the Constitution. Living Document amendement The ___________________ process gives rise to the understanding that the Constitution is a living document. Loose Constructionism and Originalism Choosing to amend the Constitution or deciding whether it allows a certain branch or official to have certain broadly powers brings up various viewpoints. Those who interpret the Constitution ______________ embrace the idea Framers of "loose constructionism." Those who believe that the original intent or meaning of the ________________ should guide the interpretation encourage a view called "originalism" or “strict constructionism.” The Bill of Rights First Amendment protections: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, the right to assemble peaceably _________________, petition and the right to _______________ the government. Religious Freedoms The religious freedom clause of the First Amendment contains two pillars. The first pillar prohibits the official government from establishing an _____________________ religion. The second pillar prohibits the free government from interfering with the "__________ exercise ______________" of religion. The government cannot prohibit make laws that _________________ or limit the practice or expression of religious beliefs. The Founders seperation based the religion clause on the principle of _____________________ of church and state. Political Freedom and Freedom of Speech forbids The First Amendment ______________ laws that prevent freedom of speech or freedom of the press. limits There are _______________ to these rights, however. If you publish a false and damaging accusation libel about someone, you can be sued for __________. The First Amendment also prohibits laws that violate protest people's right to meet, assemble, or _______________ peacefully. Second Amendment: The Right to Bear Arms The Second Amendment guarantees the right of citizens to own and carry weapons for the purpose of militia maintaining a "well-regulated _______________." The Third Amendment: Quartering Troops The Third Amendment prohibits the government from forcing citizens to house soldiers in times of peace. Fourth Amendment: Search and Seizure improper The Fourth Amendment aims to protect citizens from the ______________ or intrusive use of government power, particularly by the police. To protect the people against arbitrary intrusions into their privacy, the searches Amendment bans "unreasonable _________________ seizures and __________________." It also forces police officers warrant to obtain a ________________ before searching or confiscating a person's property. Fifth Amendment: Rights of Persons Before the Law Before someone can be brought to trial for a serious offense, the Fifth Amendment requires an indictment _________________, jury or formal accusation, by a grand __________. The amendment prohibits trying a person jeopardy twice for the same crime (known as double _________________). The government also cannot force people themselves to testify against _________________ due in court. The ________ process _______________ clause of the Fifth Amendment ensures that the nation is governed according to the rule of law and not the personal, unfair decisions of those in power. Sixth Amendment: Rights of Accused Persons accused The Sixth Amendment guarantees a number of rights to people who have been _________________ of crimes. These rights help ensure procedural due process. Two of the rights apply to pretrial proceedings: the informed right to be ___________________ what crime you are accused of and the right to assistance from a lawyer _________________. trials The other clauses pertain to how criminal _____________ are conducted. Seventh Amendment: Jury Trial in Civil Cases jury The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a __________ trial in civil cases. Unlike criminal law, civil __________ law does not determine whether a crime has been committed. Instead, it deals with conflicts individuals between ___________________. Eighth Amendment: Criminal Punishment excessive The Eighth Amendment prohibits the imposition of "_________________" fines or bail and bans "cruel and punishment unusual _________________." The definitions of "excessive" and "cruel and unusual" remain unclear. Ninth Amendment: Unenumerated Rights enumerates The amendment explicitly states that just because the Bill of Rights ______________________, or mentions, certain rights, that does not mean other rights of the people do not exist. Tenth Amendment: Reserved Powers ferderal This amendment reserves the powers not given to the ____________ states government to the _____________ and people the ______________. Beyond the Bill of Rights amendments` Congress and the states added more ____________________ later to help the country live up to its equal founding credo, "all men are created ______________." The Abolition of Slavery After the Union defeated the Confederacy's attempt to secede from the United States, the country passed end three amendments (13th, 14th, and 15th) intended to _________ slavery ________________ and extend freedoms more and rights to __________ people. The Fourteenth Amendment citizenship Congress passed the Fourteenth Amendment to give full ____________________ to all Americans, including enslaved people former ________ born ________ and all people ________ all in the United States. The amendment guarantees ________ equal Americans ____________ protection under the law and prohibits states from violating the privileges and rights of due _____________ their citizens. For all states, the Fourteenth Amendment also reiterates the _______ process clause of the Fifth Amendment. The Fifteenth Amendment vote Although the Fifteenth Amendment theoretically guaranteed African American men the right to ___________, requirments states soon found ways to get around the ______________________ of the amendment. The Nineteenth Amendment women In the early 1900s, support for _____________'s suffrage increased, culminating in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. This amendment gave women the right to vote. Other Notable Amendments In 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment forbade the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol _______________ in the United States. After 14 years, Congress passed the Twenty-First Amendment which repealed the Eighteenth Amendment. The Eighteenth Amendment remains the only amendment to repealed have been ________________. drinking Adopted in 1971, the Twenty-Sixth Amendment lowered the legal _____________ 18 age from 21 to _____. Summary How does the Bill of Rights protect the unalienable rights of "life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" listed in the Declaration of Independence? By explicitly listing out unalienable rights, the Constitution protects them.