Lesson 27
What Are Bills of Rights and What Kinds of Rights Does the U.S. Bill of Rights Protect?
This lesson provides a foundation for examining many of the rights contained in the U.S. Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and subsequent amendments to the Constitution that are discussed in earlier lessons. It also examines four provisions of the Bill of Rights that usually do not receive as much attention as others: the Second, Third, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments.When you have finished this lesson, you should be able to explain what bills of rights are and how they have evolved.You should be able to examine the Constitution and its amendments and identify which of the rights they contain are (1) held by individuals, classes, or categories of individuals, or institutions; (2) personal, economic, or political rights; and (3) positive or negative rights. You also should be able to identify possible conflicts among these rights. You should be able to describe various interpretations of the Second, Third, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments. Finally, you should be able to evaluate, take, and defend positions about the kinds of rights protected by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.
Section 1
What are bills of rights and how have they evolved?- Discussion and research questions
Section 2
What questions are useful in examining and understanding bills of rights?- Discussion and research questions
Section 3
What kinds of rights are protected by the Bill of Rights?- Discussion and research questions
Section 4
What are the meaning and importance of the Ninth and Tenth Amendments?- Discussion and research questions
Section 5
What rights are protected in the body of the Constitution?- Discussion and research questions
Section 6
How do the rights contained in the Constitution and the Bill of Rights reflect the influence of classical republicanism and natural rights philosophy?- Discussion and research questions
Section 7
How have attitudes about the Bill of Rights changed since 1791?- Discussion and research questions
Section 8
How should one examine the Bill of Rights?- Discussion and research questions