What Does the Bill of Rights Mean to You?
You are to create a booklet or pamphlet that discusses the Bill of Rights, a few influential court cases, and
what impact the Bill of Rights has on your life. Your pamphlet must include all of the following:
1. A simple explanation of the 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights written in your own words.
2. Discussion of the Supreme Court cases, Mapp v. Ohio (1961), Gideon v. Wainwright (1963), Miranda v.
Arizona (1965), Brandenburg v. Ohio (1969), Tinker v. Des Moines (1969), Lemon v. Kurtzman (1971),
and New Jersey v. T.L.O. (1985), including:
 What is the issue? This should be summed up in one or two well-crafted sentences.
 Background of the case: Write at least a paragraph explaining events leading up to the case.
 Who makes up the two sides of the case and what is the position of each side? Focus on
details that are relevant to the case. This should be summed up in one or two well-crafted
paragraphs.
 What was the outcome of the case and what precedent did this case set? In other words, who
won, what amendment does this case specifically relate to, and how might this case be used to
help decide other cases?
3. In addition to the above, explain the following and what amendment they specifically relate to:
 Establishment clause
 Exclusionary rule
 Double jeopardy
4. Finally:
 Pick any three of the ten amendments within the Bill of Rights and discuss how these three
amendments relate to you and impact your life today.
I recommend using www.streetlaw.org or www.oyez.org as starting points for your research.
Be creative. You are encouraged to “think outside the box” while creating this. Just be sure that you include
all of the above information and that your final product is thoughtful and well-constructed.
While you may share ideas with your fellow classmates, each individual is responsible for her or his own work.
Also, please do not simply copy and paste things from the web. Plagiarism will not be tolerated.
Your booklet or pamphlet will be due ____________________________________.
Do your best and everything will be great! (Details subject to change if Mr. Robinson sees it fit to do so).