Download Ch. 15: The Bill of Rights

Ch. 15: The Bill of Rights
Vocabulary:
amendments, bail, citizen, ratify,
Constitution
The Bill of Rights
• Originally, the Constitution
outlined the ideas that the
founding fathers had for the
country.
• But soon, they discovered that
they had to limit the amount of
power that each branch of the
government had or the states
would not ratify it.
• They made a list of 10
amendments to the Constitution
that outlined the rights that people
had in the United States of
America.
• They called the 10 amendments
the Bill of Rights.
The Bill of Rights
• In order to add or subtract an amendment, two-thirds
of the Senate, and then two-thirds of the House of
Representatives must approve it.
• In addition, it takes three-fourths of the states to agree
to add a new amendment to the Constitution.
• At first, the House of Representatives said that 17 of
the amendments were to be the first Bill of Rights.
• The Senate cut it down to twelve.
• The states then looked at it and only agreed on ten of
the amendments in the original Bill of Rights.
• Now there are 27 amendments in the Constitution.
The First Ten Amendments:
Amendment I
•
Congress shall make no law
respecting an establishment of
religion, or prohibiting the free
exercise thereof; or abridging the
freedom of speech, or of the press; or
the right of the people peaceably to
assemble, and to petition the
government for a redress of
grievances.
•
What it means: the government
cannot make you go to a certain type
of church, tell what to say or not to
say, or tell you that you cannot get
together with a group of other people,
and if you don’t like what a person in
the government says, you should get a
piece of paper and have other people
sign it and they will do something
about your concern.
The First Ten Amendments:
Amendment II
• 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.
•
What it means: the states can keep a
group of soldiers who are willing to
fight for them, but not the United
States, the citizens of the united States
are also allowed to own weapons.
The First Ten Amendments:
Amendment III
• No soldier shall, in time of
peace be quartered in any
house, without the consent
of the owner, nor in time of
war, but in a manner to be
prescribed by law.
•
What it means: You don’t have to
keep soldiers in your house if you
don’t want to, unless there is a war
and the government says it is
necessary.
The First Ten Amendments:
Amendment IV
• The right of the people to be
secure in their persons, houses,
papers, and effects, against
unreasonable searches and
seizures, shall not be violated, and
no warrants shall issue, but upon
probable cause, supported by oath
or affirmation, and particularly
describing the place to be
searched, and the persons or
things to be seized.
•
What it means: If the police want to
come into your house and look
around they can do it if you let them,
or if they have a piece of paper called
a search warrant.
The First Ten Amendments:
Amendment V
•
No person shall be held to answer for a
capital, or otherwise infamous crime,
unless on a presentment or indictment of a
grand jury, except in cases arising in the
land or naval forces, or in the militia,
when in actual service in time of war or
public danger; nor shall any person be
subject for the same offense to be twice
put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be
compelled in any criminal case to be a
witness against himself, nor be deprived of
life, liberty, or property, without due
process of law; nor shall private property
be taken for public use, without just
compensation.
•
What it means: If you are arrested, the
police and the courts cannot make you
testify against yourself, put you in jail
without a trial, put you on trial for the
same thing twice, or take your stuff
without paying for it..
The First Ten Amendments:
Amendment VI
•
In all criminal prosecutions, the accused
shall enjoy the right to a speedy and
public trial, by an impartial jury of the
state and district wherein the crime shall
have been committed, which district
shall have been previously ascertained
by law, and to be informed of the nature
and cause of the accusation; to be
confronted with the witnesses against
him; to have compulsory process for
obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to
have the assistance of counsel for his
defense.
•
What it means: You do not have to wait
in jail for years before you finally can
go to trial, you have a right to see the
person who is accusing you of breaking
the law, and you can have a free lawyer
if you cannot afford one.
The First Ten Amendments:
Amendment VII
• In suits at common law, where the
value in controversy shall exceed
twenty dollars, the right of trial by
jury shall be preserved, and no
fact tried by a jury, shall be
otherwise reexamined in any court
of the United States, than
according to the rules of the
common law.
• What it means: If you are arrested
for a crime worth more than
twenty dollars you can have a jury
trial instead of just seeing a judge.
The First Ten Amendments:
Amendment VIII
• Excessive bail shall not
be required, nor
excessive fines
imposed, nor cruel and
unusual punishments
inflicted.
• What it means: Everyone
will pay about the same for
their bail, and will receive
about the same punishments
for breaking the law.
The First Ten Amendments:
Amendment IX
• The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be
construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people.
•
What it means: The Federal government and the State governments cannot take the
rights in the Constitution away from any citizen.
The First Ten Amendments:
Amendment X
• The powers not delegated to the United States
by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the
states, are reserved to the states respectively, or
to the people.
• What it means: The states can give citizens other rights, too, if
they want to, and if it’s not against the law, it’s probably okay.
Questions about Chapter 15
1. What does the Bill of Rights do?
2. Which amendments are called the Bill of Rights?
3. How much of the Senate, and then the house of
Representatives must approve a new amendment?
4. How many states must approve an amendment
before it can go into effect?
5. What does the first amendment guarantee the
rights of?