The Bill of Rights

“…what the people are entitled to against every government on Earth…” –

Thomas Jefferson

The First AmendmentGuarantees 5 basic Freedoms

The First Amendment

• Freedom of Speech- Allowed to speak against the

gov’t. and in public. - Limited b/c of endangerment of

public safety & slander. - Slander is speech that harms a

person’s reputation.

• Freedom of Press• Allowed to inform the public

through television, books, Internet, etc.

• Limited – b/c of libel.• Libel is something in writing

that harms a person’s reputation.

The First Amendment

•Right to Assemble

• Meet together with others.

•Right to Petition

• Appeal to the government.

The First Amendment

• Freedom of Religion

1. No faith can be the official religion of the U.S.

2. People can believe or not believe whatever they like.

Second Amendment

The Right to Bear Arms “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 [limited]”- Debate about the meaning of this! (personal/military)

Third Amendment

• No Quartering Troops in Homes• “No soldier shall be quartered [housed] in any house without the

consent of its owner.”

The Fourth Amendment

•No Unreasonable Search & Seizures

• Seizure – forcibly taking control of a person or propertyThis amendment protects people and their property.

The Fifth Amendment:

• 5 Important Legal Rights:

• 1. Right to a Jury Trial (group of peers).

• 2. Double Jeopardy; cannot be tried for the same crime twice.

• 3. Cannot force people to Self-Incriminate

“taking the 5th” when testifying in court.

The Fifth Amendment Continued

• 4. A person cannot be “deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law”.

• This means the gov’t. must follow clear rules.

• EX: Innocent until proven guilty.

• 5. Cannot take someone’s property for public use “without just compensation”.

• The gov’t. must pay a fair price if it takes a person’s property for public use.

• EX: to build roads, parks, etc.

The Sixth Amendment

• Criminal Trial Rights:

• Right to a speedy trial.-Cannot hold someone in jail

for a long time without being judged.

• Right to a public trial.-Cannot be held in secret.• Right to an impartial Jury

hearing.-the people listening to the trial

cannot be prejudiced or influenced against the defendant.

The Seventh Amendment

• Civil Trial Rights:• Trials usually

involving money, property, family matters, and businesses.

• Once a jury decides the facts, a judge cannot overrule that decision.

The Eighth Amendment

• Bail and Punishment rights:

• Forbids “excessive bail” and “excessive fines”

• No “cruel and unusual punishment”

The Ninth Amendment

•Rights Retained (kept) to the People

- Problem with the Bill of Rights was that it could not ever be complete.

- 9th Amendment helps to protect the rights not mentioned specifically in the Bill of Rights. (ex:privacy)

The Tenth Amendment

• Powers reserved to the States• Any powers not given to the National

Government in the constitution are “reserved to the states…or to the people.”

• When state and national powers conflict; National power wins.

Summary

The Bill of Rights, that James Madison once thought “unnecessary”, has become the

foundation for all the rights and privileges that we as American citizens are guaranteed. It is

important that each citizen knows and understands their rights!