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GED Social Studies 1.1 Civics and Government
Ever heard of a "living document"? They eat and breathe just like the rest of us! They even walk around on their own two legs. Okay, fine—maybe t...
Bill of Rights 10350 Views
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Description:
The Bill of Rights was made to protect Americans from too many restrictions and regulations in addition to ensuring our well-being under our government. For the past 200 years, it's done a pretty good job, but on occasion it is seen as either too protective or not protective enough. What do you think? Shmoop amongst yourselves.
- Social Studies / Policy
- History / Celebrate Freedom Week
- U.S. History EOC Assessment / History
- Texas EOC / U.S. History EOC Assessment
- Reading Informational Text / Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance
- Reading Informational Text / Analyze seminal U.S. documents of historical and literary significance
- Reading Informational Text / Reasoning in seminal U.S. texts for both legal purposes and public advocacy
- Reading Informational Text / Analyze seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth century foundational U.S. documents of historical and literary significance
Transcript
- 00:07
The Bill of Rights, a la Shmoop:
- 00:09
If the Bill is wrong, I don't want to be Right.
- 00:15
The first ten amendments to the US Constitution are commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights.
- 00:19
This is a bill that actually won't give your parents a headache.
- 00:23
Things like "Freedom of Speech," "The Right to Bear Arms,"
Full Transcript
- 00:27
"Freedom from Cruel and Unusual Punishment"...
- 00:29
...were considered among the ten most important rights we could have.
- 00:33
Little known fact: the right to arm bears just missed the cut.
- 00:37
But a whole lot has changed since the late 1700s.
- 00:39
We have rights for women and minorities, overpopulation, pollution, and reality TV.
- 00:45
If you were in charge of writing a new bill of rights today...
- 00:47
...what would you insist on including?
- 00:52
The Constitution never specifically mentions children's rights?
- 00:56
Should there be something about that? Or maybe something should be taken out?
- 00:59
After all, it's a very different world than it was when we had
- 01:02
13 states and almost everybody lived on a farm.
- 01:06
You're in charge... so go wild.
- 01:08
Add some rights, take some out, scrap the whole thing and turn us into a fascist dictatorship...
- 01:14
Wait... don't do that, actually. Fascist dictatorships are truly awful.
- 01:17
Thomas Jefferson once suggested that the constitution be re-written every 20 years so it could stay
- 01:22
in tune with the society. Well, it's been over 200 years...
- 01:26
..so by that account we should have had more than 10 new constitutions already.
- 01:30
It's all on your shoulders. Come up with a new Bill of Rights.
- 01:34
What do you think should stay put? And what do you think we should get rid of?
- 01:37
Shmoop amongst yourselves.
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