1. What is the name of the first 10 amendments? When were they

[Pages:6]Name: ___________________________________ Date: ______________

1. What is the name of the first 10 amendments? When were they

added?

2. Quote the two phrases which guarantee freedom of religion.

Explain each.

3. Demonstrate the tension between the two phrases in the case of a

Valedictorian's speech at a graduation from a public high school.

4. What is significant about the ordering of rights in the 1st

Amendment? When the public considers the 1st Amendment today, which right is generally meant?

5. What did the founding fathers mean by "establishment of religion"?

What did they not mean? Demonstrate.

6. State and explain the established religion of the public school

system.

7. in 1791, what was the "right to keep and bear arms" a protection

against?

8. What conditions define a "reasonable search and seizure?

9. What is "double jeopardy"?

10. Give an example of "charges being dropped" because of failure of

"due process."

11. What are the two types of trials (for which citizens have a right to

a jury)?

12. What practice have opponents attempted to have prohibited by

the 8th Amendment?

13. What current right and practice was found in the 9th

Amendment? Explain.

14. Illustrate each of the 3 categories in the 10th Amendment.

Explain.

15. Explain how two elections which necessitated the 12th

Amendment.

16. What is the general name of the 13th-15th amendments?

17. Explain the significance of the 14th Amendment phrase, "Nor shall

any State deprive any person of life, liberty, or property, without due process..." Compare with 1st Amendment language.

18. Explain the "shifting of power" evident in the 16th Amendment.

19. Explain the 2 types of "power shifting" evident in the 17th

Amendment.

20. How did the 18th Amendment further increase federal power?

Demonstrate that this amendment violated the concept of federalism.

21. Why is Amendment 19 democratic?

22. Why did Presidents historically step down after 2 terms? What did

this show?

23. What President did not follow the 2-term precedent? What two

crises allowed this?

24. Why didn't the District of Columbia have electors before 1961?

25. Explain why the poll tax was a civil rights issue.

26. Explain the historical background for the 25th Amendment.

27. Why is the 26th Amendment sometimes called the Viet Nam War

Amendment?

28. Explain how the women's vote, poll tax, and 18 year old's vote

amendments are all democratic.

29. What major amendment almost succeeded, but ultimately failed

since the 26th? What happened?

30. What is historically interesting about the 27th Amendment?

Answer Key - Amendments, Content

1A. Bill of Rights, 1791 (2 years after Constitution)

1B.

2A. Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof. The government cannot institute a state religion; the government cannot stop an individual from practicing his religion.

2B.

3A. liberals argue that since it's a school function, a speech including God would be establishment; conservatives argue that since the Valedictorian is an American, the state cannot prohibit the valedictorian's free exercise to speak about God

3B.

4A. the most important right to founding Americans was freedom of religion, speech

4B.

5A. no national denomination by federal government, did not mean to prohibit Christianity nor to prohibit individual states from establishing denominations; a first act of Congress was authorization of printing of Bibles for Indians, 6 of 13 states had state religions (last to be disestablished was Massachusetts, 1833)

5B.

6A. naturalism (also, secularism or humanism), that all things can be explained in terms of the material or natural (i.e., science explains all)

6B.

7A. a strong or abusive central government

7B.

8A. warrant issued on probable cause, supported by oath, and describing the particular place to be searched and person or thing to be seized

8B.

9A. to be tried twice for the same crime

9B.

10A. an officer's failure to read his rights to the person arrested (Miranda warning)

10B.

11A. criminal, civil

11B.

12A. capital punishment

12B.

13A. right to privacy; abortion; the Bill of Rights does not list the right

to privacy, but this did not mean that the people did not have it

13B.

14A. lay and collect taxes, declare war, educate children; since education is neither delegated to the federal government nor prohibited to the states, the states and the people have that right

14B.

15A. The emergence of political parties created the problems. Since the President and Vice-President would be the 1st and 2nd vote getters, the election of 1796 provided a President and VicePresident, Adams and Jefferson, of opposing political parties. The election 1800 witnessed the President and Vice-President running against each other. Because candidates were not specified, the winners, Jefferson and his running mate for VicePresident, Burr, tied, of course. Congress had to break the deadlock. Though everyone knew who was supposed to President, Burr refused to concede. A crisis was averted after many ballots when some threw their support to Jefferson.

15B.

16A. Civil War Amendments

16B.

17A. The 14th Amendment said, "Nor shall any State deprive..." So the Constitution became, for the first time, a restriction against the states. Previously, the Bill or Rights was seen as a restriction on federal power, now, through the 14th Amendment, it begins to become a restriction on states' power. The 1st Amendment had said, "Congress shall make no law..." The 14th Amendment says, "Nor shall any State deprive..."

17B.

18A. Previously, states were a buffer between the federal government and individuals on taxation. With the direct income tax, the federal government bypasses states and directly taxes individuals. States lost power; the federal government gained power. The individual stands more vulnerable to the direct activities of the federal government.

18B.

19A. states lose power as the federal government and people gain it, the government becomes more democratic

19B.

20A. federal inspectors now police all facets of liquor issue; states originally had power over local issues, federal government gains power in local issues

20B.

21. Giving women the right to vote in 1920, Amendment 19 expanded the electorate once again.

22A. Washington stepped down after two terms, showed that the presidency was not about power

22B.

23A. Franklin Roosevelt, Great Depression and WWII

23B.

24A. D.C. is not in a state and so has no senators or representatives

24B.

25A. a poll tax would cost the poor a greater percentage than the rich, so it is considered regressive and antidemocratic

25B.

26A. Wilson suffered a stroke and was virtually incapacitated, it is postulated that his wife, Edith, made most major political decisions for the duration of his term

26B.

27A. the slogan became, "If you are old enough to die for your country, you are old enough to vote."

27B.

28A. each amendment expanded the electorate

28B.

29A. the ERA, or Equal Rights Amendment, to give women equal rights; having been ratified quickly by 35 states, the public began to consider that this amendment would obligate women for the draft and combat so the remaining states never ratified it (in fact, 3 later rescinded it)

29B.

30. Originally, in 1791 Congress considered 12 amendments and adopted 10 which became the Bill of Rights. Amendment 27 is one of the 2 that were not passed and ratified. Amendment 27 became part of the Constitution over 200 years after it was proposed.

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