What Does The Bill of Rights Mean

What Does The Bill of Rights of Mean?

In the first column, write what you and your group-mates believe that each amendment means in your
OWN WORDS! In the second, write questions that you and your group-mates have about each
amendment. You may include more than one question!

What Does the Bill of Rights Mean? What questions do we have about the Bill of Rights?

Amendment 1:

Amendment 2:

Amendment 3:

Amendment 4:

Amendment 5:

Amendment 6:

Amendment 7:

Amendment 8:

Amendment 9:

Amendment 10:
 USING THE BILL OF RIGHTS

Directions: Read and discuss your assigned scenario below. Along with your group members, refer
to the Bill of Rights to identify which protection(s) and amendment(s) are called into question. Then
address the constitutional issue in the second question.

SCENARIO 1 refusing. Nonetheless, Jane believes the public

Mary inherited a parcel of land on the outskirts prayer itself to be unconstitutional.
of an Iowa town that has been in her family for
generations. Even though her family has never
utilized the land, she now wishes to build, along What protection(s) and amendment(s) are
with her brothers, a small family restaurant on involved?
the inherited land. Mary applies for a building
permit, and finds out that the Iowa legislature
recently passed a law preventing further
construction on land designated as “protected Should the students of Lakewood High School
wetlands.” Her land, it turns out, is now be allowed to vote on a prayer to be read
designated as “protected wetlands,” and she is publicly at games?
denied a building permit for any future building
on the property.
What protection(s) and amendment(s) are
involved? SCENARIO3
Benny has been found guilty of a heinous crime:
attacking and killing his boss in a fit of rage. In the
sentencing phase of his trial, Benny’s lawyers
Should the State of Iowa pay Mary for the produced two psychologists who testified to the
inability to use her land? fact that Benny was, in fact, mentally retarded.
Benny’s lawyers and psychologists argued that
the jury should not be allowed to assign the death
penalty as punishment for Benny’s crimes. It was
SCENARIO 2 quite probable, the psychologists testified, that
Benny did not fully understand the outcome of his
The student body of Lakewood High School, a actions, and while this fact does not absolve him
public school, took a vote. By a vast majority, of punishment, he should not be put to death.
they voted to conduct a student-led prayer over
the public address system of their football What protection(s) and amendment(s) are
stadium before the kick-off of each home involved?
game. They elected Paul, the student-body
president, to conduct the non-denominational
prayer. Jane, an atheist, objected. She was
neither required to participate, nor punished for
Should the jury be allowed to assign the death the interrogation to allow Darren access to a
penalty as punishment for Benny’s crime? lawyer, or generally notify of him of his rights.
What protection(s) and amendment(s) are
involved?
SCENARIO 4
Kate and Jim were ardent followers of the
Amish faith, and, following Amish doctrine, did
not wish to enroll their children in school Should Darren’s confession be allowed as
beyond the 8thgrade. Their state legislature, evidence at trial?
however, had passed a law requiring all
children to attend school until age 16. Such a
law, Kate and Jim believed, violated the duties
required of them as an Amish family, and they SCENARIO 6
refused to comply with the law. The state
prosecuted and punished Kate and Jim for Elaine, a respected physician in the community,
violating the law and refusing to send their was accused of murdering her husband, Adam.
children to school. Elaine continually maintained her innocence in
Adam’s death. The murder trial was a media
What protection(s) and amendment(s) are sensation—reporters were in the courtroom, and
involved? were even assigned seats between the jurors and
the defendant. The story was all over the local
and state press for weeks. Editorials demanded a
guilty verdict. The jury was not sequestered and
Should Kate and Jim be prosecuted for had access to the media coverage. Elaine was
refusing to send their children to school? found guilty. After her conviction, Elaine claimed
that the extensive media coverage tainted her
prosecution, and led to an unfair guilty verdict.
She appealed her conviction, arguing that the
SCENARIO 5 media coverage biased the opinions of those in
her community, requiring that her guilty verdict be
Darren was arrested on suspicion of kidnapping overturned.
and rape. He was taken to the police station,
What protection(s) and amendment(s) are
where the victim picked Darren out of a lineup.
involved?
An officer pointed to a woman in the police
station and asked if she was the victim. Darren
told them, “Yeah, that’s her.” The police then
took him to an interrogation room where he was
Should Elaine’s conviction for Adam’s murder be
questioned for two hours. He verbally confessed
overturned?
to the crime, and signed a written statement,
prepared by the police, admitting his guilt.
Darren’s confession included a statement that
he was aware of his rights, and that any
statements he made could be used against him.
However, the police made little effort throughout
SCENARIO 7 What protection(s) and amendment(s) are
involved?
Sara, a public high school student, was caught
smoking cigarettes in the school bathroom. The
teacher who caught Sara took her to the
principal’s office, where a school official
questioned her about whether she was smoking Should Matt have been arrested for his
in the bathroom. She denied it. The principal, advocacy of, and rally for, Klan ideals?
not believing her story, decided to take further
action by looking into Sara’s purse. He found a
pack of cigarettes as well as a bag of rolling
papers commonly associated with drug use.
The official then decided to thoroughly search
Sara’s purse. He discovered a bag of marijuana
and various papers that seemed to indicate that
Sara was dealing marijuana. He placed Sara on
suspension and called the police.
What protection(s) and amendment(s) are
involved?

Was it appropriate for the school official to

examine the contents of Sara’s purse?

SCENARIO 8
Matt was a prominent leader of the Ku Klux
Klan. At a Klan rally, Matt advocated support
for the Klan ideal of “white power.” He gave a
speech full of racial epithets. He also said, in
an apparent threat, “If our President, our
Congress, our Supreme Court, continues to
suppress the white, Caucasian race, it’s
possible that there might have to be some
revenge taken.” He was afterwards arrested for
violating a state law that prohibited the
advocacy of crime, sabotage, or violence as a
means of accomplishing political reform. The
law also prohibited the gathering of any society
or group formed to teach or advocate such
messages. Matt was fined $1,000 and
sentenced to ten years in prison.
 Bill of Rights Quiz

Directions: Read each situation below very carefully. Next name the amendment or
Bill of Right that is being exercised in each of the following situations in the space
provided. Turn this in when finished! QUIZ GRADE! Check the back if needed!

1. Pat was stopped by a police officer on his way home from school. The police officer
wanted to search Pat’s backpack because he heard a teenage boy had just robbed
the candy store on the corner. Pat said to the officer, “Do you have a warrant?” The
officer said, “No.” Pat informed the officer that he could not search his bag because
it violated his rights.

2. Angela arrived home one evening to find a member of the United States navy sitting
at the dining room table eating dinner with her parents. Angela quickly turned to her
parents and said, “Why is there a military person in our home?” Angela’s parents
said, “We were told we had to house this soldier.” Angela quickly kicked the soldier
out and said to him, “Read the Bill of Rights.”

3. Cody is upset over the current curfew effecting teenagers throughout Glendale.
Cody decided that he was going to collect as many signatures as he could on a
petition and present it to the city government’s
office.

4. Zach, a recent immigrant to the United States, was driving around the city of Los
Angeles and noticed that there were churches and temples from several different
religions located throughout the city. He was amazed at the fact that people in the
United States could practice and worship any religion of their
choice.

5. On January 10, 2002, Sergio was arrested for trespassing on his neighbor’s
property. When he appeared before the judge to set his trial date, the judge told
him his trial would take place on January 24, 2006. Sergio immediately informed the
judge that this date was unacceptable.

6. Nowhere in the Constitution does it talk about what part of the federal government
is in charge of education. Today each individual state controls and sets the
standards for their state’s educational system

7. Daisha was caught littering in the park one day after school. When she went to trial,
the jury found her guilty since there was a ton of evidence showing her guilt. The
judge decided to give Daisha a special sentence. He wanted Daisha to walk from
Los Angeles to Washington D.C. Along her journey across the country, Daisha had
to fill up 1 million bags of trash with litter she found along the roads. Daisha quickly
 informed the judge she did not have to fulfill this
sentence.

8. Alexis was told that she could not wear her favorite shirt anymore because of a
slogan that was written on it. Instead she had to wear shirts that were only
approved by the federal clothing agency. Alexis knew that this rule could not
possibly be true because she learned about the Bill of Rights in school.

9. Alston wrote a nice lengthy article for the Daily News describing the changes
students would like to see at Roosevelt Middle School. The principal tried to stop
Alston’s article from being published in the local newspaper, but she was
unsuccessful.

10. Madyson visited one of her elderly neighbors and noticed that she had a gun locked
away in one of her cabinets. During the visit, Madyson turned to her neighbor and
asked, “Why do you have a gun in your house?” Her neighbor simply said, “I am
exercising my right to own a gun legally.”