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In this unit, students will learn the importance of being a responsible citizen. The students will understand the beliefs and ideals behind the need for amendments to protect the rights of US citizens and the responsibilities of citizens. Students will also begin to understand basic economic principles by learning about the relationship within production, distribution, and consumption and how the four sectors of the economy contribute to those principles.
SS5CG1 Explain how a citizen’s rights are protected under the U.S. Constitution.
a. Explain the responsibilities of a citizen.
I can explain the responsibilities of a citizen. (Knowledge)
In order to protect civil rights and make sure that the US system of government works, citizens must be willing to fulfill their civic responsibilities. Some of these are obeying laws, paying taxes, voting, jury duty, and volunteering.
The main way that local, state, and the federal government raises the money they need to operate is by charging taxes.
In order for our legal system to work, citizens must be willing to sacrifice and hear evidence presented at trials, and make decisions about people’s guilt by attending jury duty.
b. Explain the concept of due process of law and describe how the U.S. Constitution protects a citizen’s rights by due process.
I can explain the concept of due process of law. (Knowledge)
I can describe how the U.S. Constitution protects a citizen's rights by due process. (Knowledge)
Due Process is the idea that the government must follow the Constitution and respect an accused person’s civil rights when arresting or putting that person on trial. It cannot punish someone for a crime or deny them any of their civil rights without following the rules set by law.
SS5CG2 Explain the process by which amendments to the U.S. Constitution are made.
a. Explain the responsibilities of a citizen.
I can explain the concept of due process of law. (Knowledge)
I can describe how the U.S. Constitution protects a citizen's rights by due process. (Knowledge)
The United States Constitution is the national body of laws that governs the United States of America, it establishes the US government and protects the rights of American citizens.
Citizens of the United States are expected to exercise certain responsibilities or duties. One responsibility of citizens is to participate in the political process by voting. Citizens are also responsible for following federal and state laws in all jurisdictions. In addition, they are obligated to serve their country when they are called upon to do so. This obligation includes serving on juries, participating in military service when drafted, paying taxes, and respecting the rights of others.
The Constitution establishes the judicial branch of government, and that it sets up a legal process applied to people accused of a crime. Situations addressed within the Constitution that those accused experience are searches and seizures, which are regulated by established legal practices and approved by a judge; trial procedures, which must provide for a speedy and fair trial; and punishment, which must be fair and appropriate. These rights and responsibilities to protect citizens are addressed in the first ten amendments to the Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights.
The Constitution was designed to establish a basic system of government for the United States as well as to protect the rights of its citizens. It is important to understand our basic rights as determined by the first ten amendments to the Constitution.
The Constitution protects a citizen’s right to due process through the 5th and 14th Amendments. Together these define who a citizen is and guarantees due process for every citizen at both the federal and state levels.
The phrase “due process of law,” means that someone accused of a crime has the right to a legal process that is fair and intentional. Furthermore, this process protects individuals accused of a crime, and provides those who are judged to be guilty to fair and just punishment. Importantly, under this system, the judicial system operates under a premise that those accused of a crime are innocent until they are proven guilty.
Each addition to the Constitution is called an amendment. Amendments are added to the Constitution. The framers of the Constitution knew that the Constitution would need to be changed, and that an amendment process was created within it. In this described process, the framers of the Constitution established a procedure in which 2/3 of the members of both the House of Representatives and the Senate must vote to change the Constitution. This proposed amendment must be done in the form of a joint resolution. Alternatively, a change can also be proposed through a Constitutional Convention that can be called by 2/3 of all state legislatures. Though this second method of change is possible, it has never been used. To change the Constitution, the proposed amendment must then be approved or ratified by ¾ of the states’ legislatures or when ¾ of a specially called state ratifying conventions vote for the amendment.
The main purpose of the amendment process is to ensure due process is always followed. If two-thirds of both houses of Congress and three-fourths of the states ratify the amendment or if two-thirds of the states call for a constitutional convention. If approved by the convention, three-fourths of the states must ratify the amendment. There is a two-step process for a Constitutional amendment to make sure there is a majority vote to support the change.
b. Describe the purpose for the amendment process.
I can describe the purpose for the amendment process. (Knowledge)
When the Constitution was ratified in 1787, there were many issues about which the states disagreed. To convince states to ratify the document, amendments were promised. Therefore, Article V of the Constitution was established to set forth a process to allow change. The amendment process was deliberately designed to be difficult because the framers of the Constitution recognized that for government to function well, the basic foundations of our government should be stable. They also realized that changes would be needed as new challenges and problems surfaced.
SS5CG3 Explain how amendments to the U. S. Constitution have maintained a representative democracy/republic.
a. Explain how voting rights are protected by the 15th, 19th, 23rd, 24th, and 26th amendments.
I can explain how voting rights are protected by the 15th amendment. (Knowledge)
I can explain how voting rights are protected by the 19th amendment. (Knowledge)
I can explain how voting rights are protected by the 23rd amendment. (Knowledge)
I can explain how voting rights are protected by the 24th amendment. (Knowledge)
I can explain how voting rights are protected by the 26th amendment. (Knowledge)
I can define representative democracy/republic and explain how it is maintained through amendments to the U.S. Constitution. (Knowledge)
Both 15th and 19th amendments gave voting rights to groups of citizens of the United States.
19th Amendment
19th Amendment
The 19th amendment, which stated that “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex,” is the amendment that granted women the right to vote. It was ratified in 1920. Women in the suffrage movement had been working for nearly one hundred years for this right, and many of the pioneers had died before women were able to cast a vote legally.
15th amendment
15th amendment
15th amendment was passed in 1870, granted African-American/Black men the right to vote. This final “Civil War Amendment” was designed to secure suffrage for former slaves and men of color. Unfortunately, for some African Americans/Blacks their right to vote was again infringed upon when some states passed their own laws that limited their rights. Some of the laws that limited these citizens’ rights to vote related to poll taxes and literacy tests especially designed to restrict voting by this group.
23rd Amendment
23rd Amendment
With the ratification of the 23rd amendment in 1961, the residents of Washington, D. C., gained representatives in the electoral college, which permitted them to vote for the President. With this representation, the people who live in Washington had a partial voice in our federal government. Although they are able to vote for president, they are still unrepresented in Congress (except by a nonvoting delegate), an issue which persists to this day.
24th Amendment
24th Amendment
The 24th amendment, which was ratified in 1964, eliminated poll taxes as a requirement to vote. This tax system, which existed since Reconstruction, required voters to pay a tax to vote. While the system was initially established to prevent the poor from voting, by the 1950s and 1960s, it had become an accepted method to ensure that African Americans/Blacks were deprived of their right to vote. To change this, and to ensure that the goals of the 15th amendment were realized, Congress passed and the states ratified the 24th amendment.
25th Amendment
25th Amendment
26th Amendment
26th Amendment
The 26th Amendment in part addressed concerns that citizens who were considered old enough to be drafted into the Vietnam War should also be considered old enough to vote.
The 26th amendment, which was ratified in 1971, lowered the voting age of Americans from 21 to 18. This change occurred because the United States was involved in a war in Vietnam. This war, which was not popular, sparked widespread protest. Protestors complained that it was unfair for young men who were being drafted to fight when they weren’t allowed to vote. They had no representation in the government that sent them into battle. In fact, one common chant from protestors was, “Old Enough to Fight, Old Enough to Vote.” When this amendment was ratified, the voting age and draft age for military service became the same.
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