Document-Based Activities

Transcription

1 ACTIVITY 3 Document-Based Activities The Bill of Rights Using Source Materials HISTORICAL CONTEXT The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known collectively as the Bill of Rights. They were ratified in 1791, three years after the Constitution went into effect. These laws protected basic freedoms that former colonists were determined to retain after the Revolutionary War. TASK Using information from the documents in Part A and your knowledge of U.S. history, answer the questions that follow each document. Your answers will help you write the Part B essay, in which you: explain the importance of three rights protected by the Bill of Rights specify how these rights used previous laws and documents as their basis PART A DIRECTIONS Read and examine the following documents. Underline key words and make notes in the margin if you wish. Then answer the questions using complete sentences. DOCUMENT 1 And thereupon the said Lords... asserting their ancient rights and liberties declare... That it is the right of the subjects to petition the king, and all... prosecutions for such petitioning is illegal;... That the subjects... may have arms for their defence suitable to their conditions and as allowed by law;... That excessive bail ought not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted;... from England s Bill of Rights: An Act Declaring the Rights and Liberties of the Subject..., a. Before this law, what risks did subjects take in petitioning the king? 1b. Why was it important to outlaw cruel and unusual punishments? United States History 19 Document-Based Activities

2 DOCUMENT 2 Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to you: impartial, grievous, oppressive. You may want to look them up in a dictionary. 8. That in all... prosecutions a man hath a right to demand the cause and nature of his accusation, to be confronted with his accusers and witnesses, to call for evidence in his favour, and to a speedy trial by an impartial jury... ; nor can he be compelled to give evidence against himself That general warrants, whereby an officer... may be commanded to search suspected places without evidence of a fact committed, or to seize persons not named, or whose offense is not... supported by evidence, are grievous and oppressive and ought not be granted. from The Virginia Bill of Rights, June 12, a. Under the Virginia Bill of Rights, what right do suspects have if questioned about crimes they are presumed to have committed? 2b. According to the excerpt, what is a general warrant? Why might Virginia lawmakers have decided to discourage their use? United States History 20 Document-Based Activities

3 DOCUMENT 3 Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to you: endow, quarter, redress. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.... We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights... That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it... The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries... He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing... his invasions on the rights of the people... For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:... For depriving us, in many cases, of the benefits of Trial by Jury;... For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable laws, and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:... In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated petitions have been answered only by repeated injury... from The Declaration of Independence, July 4, a. List two things the authors of the Declaration of Independence believed to be true beyond doubt? 3b. According to the document, when does it become the right of citizens to alter or abolish their form of government? United States History 21 Document-Based Activities

4 DOCUMENT 4 Before You Read: The following word in the document below may be new to you: controversy. You may want to look it up in a dictionary. XV. In all controversies concerning property, and in all suits between two or more persons,... the parties have a right to a trial by jury; and this method of procedure shall be held sacred... XVI. The liberty of the press is essential to the security of freedom in a state, it ought not therefore, to be restricted... XIX. The people have a right, in an orderly and peaceable manner to assemble to consult upon the common good; give instructions to their representatives, and to request of the legislative body... redress of the wrongs done them, and of the grievances they suffer... from The Massachusetts Bill of Rights, a. Why did the people of Massachusetts consider liberty of the press so important? 4b. What restriction is placed upon the right of the people to assemble? United States History 22 Document-Based Activities

5 DOCUMENT 5 Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to you: proscribe, profess, renounce, injurious. You may want to look them up in a dictionary.... our civil rights have no dependence on our religious opinions, more than our opinions in physics or geometry;... therefore, the proscribing any citizen as unworthy [of] the public confidence... unless he profess or renounce this or that religious opinion, is depriving him injuriously of those privileges and advantages to which... he has a natural right... Be it therefore enacted by the General Assembly, That no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever,... nor shall otherwise suffer on account of his religious opinions or belief... Thomas Jefferson in The Virginia Act for Establishing Religious Freedom, a. For what purpose did the General Assembly of Virginia pass this act? 5b. What reason was provided for passage of this act? United States History 23 Document-Based Activities

6 DOCUMENT 6 Before You Read: The following word in the document below may be new to you: apprehension. You may want to look it up in a dictionary. Law Library of Congress The Debates in the Several State Conventions on the Adoption of the Federal Constitution from the record of New Hampshire s ratification requirements, a. What restrictions do New Hampshire s delegates want put on quartering soldiers in private homes during times of peace? 6b. Paragraphs XI and XII call for two specific rights to be added to the Constitution. What are those rights? United States History 24 Document-Based Activities

7 DOCUMENT 7 Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to you: discharging, dictates. You may want to look them up in a dictionary. Law Library of Congress Journal of the United States of America, 1790 from the ratification document of Rhode Island 7a. What did the Rhode Island convention write about the practice of religion in general and about state-sponsored churches? 7b. Would immigrants to the new United States choose Rhode Island as a good place to settle? Why or why not? United States History 25 Document-Based Activities

8 DOCUMENT 8 Before You Read: The following words in the document below may be new to you: infringe, compel, impartial. You may want to look them up in a dictionary. 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 to peaceably assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. Amendment IV The right of the people... against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause... Amendment V No person 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;... Amendment VI In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury... Amendment VIII Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. from the Bill of Rights ratified December 15, a. What rights are guaranteed by the First Amendment? 8b. What rights do citizens have if they are accused of a crime? United States History 26 Document-Based Activities

9 Writing a Document-Based Essay PART B DIRECTIONS Write a well-organized essay. It should include an introduction, a body of several paragraphs, and a conclusion. Use evidence from at least four documents in Part A to support your response. You may draw on any additional knowledge you have acquired about the subject. HISTORICAL CONTEXT The first ten amendments to the U.S. Constitution are known collectively as the Bill of Rights. They were ratified in 1791, three years after the Constitution went into effect. These laws protected basic freedoms that former colonists were determined to retain after the Revolutionary War. TASK Using information from the documents in Part A and your knowledge of U.S. history, write an essay in which you: explain the importance of three rights protected by the Bill of Rights specify how these rights used previous laws and documents as their basis GUIDELINES In your essay, be sure to: Provide a thorough response to the Task. Be sure to cover all parts of the assignment. Include specific information from at least four of the sources in Part A. Incorporate relevant information from your textbook and class work. Organize your essay in a clear and logical way. Support your statements with facts and information that address the topic. Write a conclusion that sums up your ideas. Note: Do not simply restate the Task or Historical Context. Your essay should include more information. United States History 27 Document-Based Activities