American Government
Rights & Responsibilities Notes
The History of the Bill of Rights
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In order for the _____________________ to pass, the Federalists promised to add a
____________________ _____ _________________.
James Madison was the Father of the Constitution and chief author of the Bill of Rights. Madison
introduced his Bill of Rights to ________________ and knew that it was going to be a
__________________ for approval
In the end, Congress approved 12 amendments. The 12 amendments then went to the
_______________ for approval.
Approving the Bill of Rights
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Most states quickly ratified the _______________ _____ ________________.
o By the summer of __________, _________ states had approved at least ________ of the
amendments.
On __________________________________, _____________________ became the 11 th state to
ratify the Bill of Rights – making them a part of the Constitution.
Two of the original 12 amendments failed to win ratification in 1791.
Fun Facts:
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The two amendments that failed dealt with the number of members of the _______________
and limited the ability of Congress to raise their _____________.
Three of the original thirteen states did not approve the B of R: ________________,
_________________________, __________________________.
All three finally approved them in __________ -- the 150th anniversary of the B of R.
Amendment 1
Protects the 5 Basic Freedoms
1.
The Bill of Rights
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3.
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5.
Freedom of Religion
“Congress shall make no _______ respecting an ______________________ of religion…”
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This is called the establishment clause –
o
Engel v. Vitale (1962) – The Supreme Court ruled that the practice of _________
sponsored by a ______________ ________________ violated the establishment
clause (even if it is voluntary)
“or prohibiting the free exercise there of...”
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This is called the free exercise clause –
o
o
Reynolds v. United States (1879) – Reynolds was a member of the ___________
church. He was practicing polygamy. He was arrested because polygamy
violated federal law.
How did the Supreme Court rule?
Freedom of Speech
“Congress shall make no law ___________________ the freedom of speech…”

Free speech__________________________ Americans the right to say what is on our
minds (in _____________________ or _____________________).
 It also allows us the freedom to criticize our ______________________ & government
officials.
There are limits to freedom of speech:
1. Treason –
What type of
government
would punish
people for
criticizing them?
2. Sedition –
3. Slander –
Freedom of the Press
“Congress shall make no law … abridging the ______________________ .. of the press.”
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In colonial times, _______________________ were forbidden to criticize the
government or __________________ ___________________ even if the criticisms were
true.
Freedom of the press is the right to express ________________ in __________________.
Freedom of the press includes both _____________________ and print media.
Press includes:
Limits to Freedom of the Press
 Libel –
The press serves as the watch dog of our
government. What does this mean?
Freedom of Assembly
“Congress shall make no law ... abridging … the right of people _______________________
to assemble.”
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This right gives Americans freedom to hold meetings to discuss __________________,
to protest government ____________________, or to socialize.
Meetings MUST be ________________________.
Freedom of Petition
“Congress shall make no law … abridging … the right of the people … to __________________
the government for redress of ________________________.”
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This right means you have the right to ask the government to address your
____________________.
It also gives you the right to contact your ____________________________.
It ensures we have government “________ ________ ________________”.
LOSING BILL OF RIGHTS VIDEO
 Watch the video: Future Fright: Losing the Bill of Rights. What rights did
you see violated in this story?
RIGHT
AMENDMENT
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7.
Create a visual representation of the rights that are most important to you.
Other Amendments that Give American Citizens Rights
Civil Rights Amendments
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The __________________ of the Constitution is that it can be changed when society’s
____________________ change.
Define Civil Rights –
The _____________ ____ __________________ is the foundation for civil rights in this
country.
There was a series of amendments added to the Constitution after the Bill of Rights that
extended civil rights in the United States.
Amendment 13: Passed in ______________
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What did it do?
Amendment 14: Passed in ______________
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Did 3 Major Things
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2.
3.
Amendment 15: Passed in ______________
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What did it do?
Amendments 13-15 are also called
the Reconstruction Amendments.
Why are they also called this?
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In spite of the 15th amendment, many former ____________________ states passed laws
to keep African Americans from _______________. It was not until the ____________,
that the ______________________________ finally passed civil rights laws to guarantee
voting rights for African Americans.
Expanding the Right to Vote
Amendment 17: Passed in ______________
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What did it do?
Amendment 19: Passed in ______________
Who elected U.S.
Senators before this
amendment was
passed?
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What did it do?
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______________________ was the first state to give women the right to vote.
Famous women suffragists…..
Amendment 23: Passed in ______________
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What did it do?
Amendment 24: Passed in ______________
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What did it do?
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Define Poll Tax –
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This tax was used to …
Amendment 26: Passed in ______________
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What did it do?
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If 18 year olds were old enough to _____ _____ _____, they were old enough to
____________.
Citizens’ Duties & Responsibilities
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In order to __________________ that our ________________ and freedoms are
protected, citizens have duties and responsibilities to the countries.
Citizens must be ________________, active, and ___________________.
Duties of Citizenship
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5.
Attending School
 The U.S. highly ________________ education that is why we have __________,
public education.
 A __________________ cannot function without __________________ citizens.
 U.S. Citizens need to be ___________________ in order to choose our leaders.
Paying Taxes
 If you _______________ or ________________ things, you probably have to pay
taxes.
 Taxes prove us with __________________ we need:
Serving in the Armed Forces
 Whenever America has been __________________, its citizens have come
together to defend it.
 When the country has needed huge numbers of ___________________, it
sometimes has had to establish a _____________ -

The U.S. has not instituted a draft since ___________.
18 year old men must ________________ to serve in the military if they meet the
qualifications.
Appearing in Court
 Citizens must report to serve as members of a ____________, if they are called to
do so. This responsibility is ____________ _____________.
 Our Constitution guarantees citizens a trial by jury of their __________________.
 Citizens must also testify in court if called as _______________________.
 For our justice system to ____________________, citizens must fulfill their duty
to serve on __________________ and appear as witnesses.
Responsibilities of Citizenship
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