POLSC232: American Government

5.1: American Civil Liberties

• Dr. Patrick Scott's "Civil Liberties and the Struggle for Equal Rights" URL

  Use these slides prepared by Dr. Scott as a reference for taking notes while watching the Civil Liberties and Equal Rights lectures.
  

• Dr. Patrick Scott's "Civil Liberties" Page

  Watch these lectures.

• American Government and Politics in the Information Age: "Chapter 4: Civil Liberties" URL

  Read this chapter. Civil liberties are the rights and freedoms of individuals that the Constitution says government should not infringe upon. What these freedoms entail is much disputed in American politics and affects a wide range of policies.

• 5.1.1: The Bill of Rights and Extending the Bill of Rights to the States

  • The Regents of the University of California: "Incorporation" Page

    Watch this presentation to learn more about how many of the rights protected by the Constitution have been extended and are now protected by the states in a process known as incorporation.

  • U.S. Department of State: "Amendments to the US Constitution, Annotated" URL

    Read the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, also known as the Bill of Rights, and the accompanying annotations. The Bill of Rights lists the individual rights and freedoms that government may not infringe upon. It was adopted in 1791 by the founders to address fears about the potential of the new federal government to abuse power. The Bill of Rights now applies, though unevenly, to the states as well as the federal government. What these liberties are and how far they extend continues to be the focus of political debate.

• 5.1.2: First Amendment Rights: Freedom of Religion, Press, and Expression

  • The Regents of the University of California: "First Amendment Rights" Page

    Watch these presentations to learn about the various components of the First Amendment.
    

• 5.1.3: The Right to Privacy

  • The Regents of the University of California: "The Fourth Amendment" Page

    Watch this presentation to learn more about privacy rights established under the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment prevents the government from conducting unreasonable searches and seizures. A reasonable search is conducted with a warrant issued by a judge and based on probable cause. What is unreasonable varies with how much privacy people can expect when they are being searched.

• 5.1.4: Rights of the Accused 

  • U.S. Department of State: "Rights of the Accused" URL

    Read this article. The framers of the Constitution had fresh memories of a government that accused people of crimes they did not commit and then convicted them in unfair trials. Consequently, they went to great lengths to assure that the new government they established would not engage in such practices. Toward that end, the Constitution and the Bill of Rights guarantee a series of important protections for individuals accused of committing crimes in the United States.

• Checkpoint

  • 5.1 Checkpoint Quiz

    Answer these ungraded questions to see how well you have understood the course material in this section.