The Bill of Rights: match each amendment to the right it protects

Grade 8 Social Studies Worksheet

Circle the best answer.

1. Read this first

   Third Amendment

   Who made it: the First Congress of the United States, which proposed the amendments in 1789. When: Proposed September 25, 1789; ratified by the states in 1791. Where: New York City, where Congress met. For whom: the states and the people. Why: to add protections for individual rights to the Constitution. Excerpt (Constitution, Third Amendment (1791); as printed in 1820, p. 32): "No soldier shall, in time of peace, be quartered in any house without the consent of the owner; nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law." Source card "Fourth Amendment". Who made it: the First Congress of the United States, which proposed the amendments in 1789. When: Proposed September 25, 1789; ratified by the states in 1791. Where: New York City, where Congress met. For whom: the states and the people. Why: to add protections for individual rights to the Constitution. Excerpt (Constitution, Fourth Amendment (1791); as printed in 1840, p. 15): "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

2. 1.

   Ari reads that Mr. Hale cites the Third Amendment to stop a search of his shop, and Officer Park cites the Fourth. Which governs a police search?

   • The Fourth, which limits government searches and seizures
   • The Eighth, because it lists rules for arrests and searches
   • The Third, because police officers count as soldiers quartered in a house
   • Neither, because the amendments do not limit police

3. Sixth Amendment (trial phrase)

   Who made it: the First Congress of the United States, which proposed the amendments in 1789. When: Proposed September 25, 1789; ratified by the states in 1791. Where: New York City, where Congress met. For whom: the states and the people. Why: to add protections for individual rights to the Constitution. Excerpt (Constitution, Sixth Amendment (1791), trial phrase; National Archives transcript): "…the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial…" Source card "Eighth Amendment". Who made it: the First Congress of the United States, which proposed the amendments in 1789. When: Proposed September 25, 1789; ratified by the states in 1791. Where: New York City, where Congress met. For whom: the states and the people. Why: to add protections for individual rights to the Constitution. Excerpt (Constitution, Eighth Amendment (1791); as printed in 1840, p. 16): "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

4. 2.

   Bo reads two claims about one defendant: held ten months with no trial, and bail set at an amount no one could pay. Which pairing fits?

   • No trial: Sixth Amendment's counsel clause. Bail: Eighth's cruel punishments
   • No trial: Sixth Amendment's speedy trial. Bail: Eighth's excessive bail
   • No trial: Eighth's excessive bail. Bail: Sixth Amendment's speedy trial
   • Both claims fit the Sixth Amendment's right to a public trial

5. Barron v. Baltimore

   Who made it: Cornell's Legal Information Institute, summarizing a Supreme Court opinion. When: the opinion was issued in 1833; this summary is today. Where: Washington, DC and Ithaca, New York. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain what the Court decided. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In 1833 Chief Justice John Marshall wrote that the Fifth Amendment's takings clause restricts only the federal government, not state governments. The Court dismissed the case because it had no jurisdiction.

6. 3.

   Esme reads about an 1830 case: a state takes a farmer's land without paying. The farmer cites the Fifth; the state cites reasoning like Barron. Who is right under 1833 law?

   • Neither, because the Court had not read the Fifth yet
   • The state: the Bill of Rights then bound only the federal government
   • The farmer, because a state cannot take property without paying
   • The farmer, because the Fifth applied to the states as well as Congress

7. Ninth Amendment (part)

   Who made it: the First Congress of the United States, which proposed the amendments in 1789. When: Proposed September 25, 1789; ratified by the states in 1791. Where: New York City, where Congress met. For whom: the states and the people. Why: to add protections for individual rights to the Constitution. Excerpt (Constitution, Ninth Amendment (1791), closing phrase; National Archives transcript): "…shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people."

8. 4.

   A student writes, "If a right is not in the first ten amendments, it does not exist." Kira looks for the best reply. Which is it?

   • Amendment III says soldiers may not be quartered in peacetime
   • Amendment IX: listing rights does not deny others kept by the people
   • Amendment X says powers not given to the United States belong to the states
   • Amendment I says Congress must list the rights in writing

9. How the Bill of Rights began

   Who made it: the National Archives. When: today. Where: Washington, DC. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain a founding document. Summary in our words, not a quotation: Congress passed a joint resolution on September 25, 1789 that proposed twelve amendments. The first ten, ratified by the states in 1791, became the Bill of Rights. The Constitution might never have been ratified without the framers' promise to add a Bill of Rights. State conventions had asked for added clauses to prevent misconstruction or abuse of the new government's powers, and such clauses would extend public confidence in the government.

10. 5.

    Luz reads the card on how the Bill of Rights began. Which claim does it support?

    • States asked for a Bill of Rights to end the Constitution
    • States demanded the same twelve amendments in 1787
    • The Bill of Rights was written before the Constitution was drafted and sent to the states
    • The Constitution might not have been ratified without a promised Bill of Rights

11. Tenth Amendment (part)

    Who made it: the First Congress of the United States, which proposed the amendments in 1789. When: Proposed September 25, 1789; ratified by the states in 1791. Where: New York City, where Congress met. For whom: the states and the people. Why: to add protections for individual rights to the Constitution. Excerpt (Constitution, Tenth Amendment (1791), closing phrase; National Archives transcript): "…are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people."

12. 6.

    Milo reads that Congress passes a law on a topic the Constitution does not mention, and a state cites Amendment X. Which question matters most?

    • Does the First Amendment protect critics of the law?
    • Did the Constitution delegate that power to the United States?
    • Is the law popular among most of the people in the state that objects?
    • Did the President approve the state's objection?

13. Fourth Amendment

    Who made it: the First Congress of the United States, which proposed the amendments in 1789. When: Proposed September 25, 1789; ratified by the states in 1791. Where: New York City, where Congress met. For whom: the states and the people. Why: to add protections for individual rights to the Constitution. Excerpt (Constitution, Fourth Amendment (1791); as printed in 1840, p. 15): "The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated; and no warrants shall issue but upon probable cause, supported by oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized."

14. 7.

    Officers see a person drop a bag and run. Pia asks what the Fourth Amendment's word "unreasonable" means for a search. Which statement follows from the text?

    • The text lists the situations in which a search is reasonable and unreasonable
    • Courts must decide what is unreasonable, since the text names that word
    • Any search without a warrant is forbidden by the text
    • Officers decide alone what is unreasonable for each case

15. Eighth Amendment

    Who made it: the First Congress of the United States, which proposed the amendments in 1789. When: Proposed September 25, 1789; ratified by the states in 1791. Where: New York City, where Congress met. For whom: the states and the people. Why: to add protections for individual rights to the Constitution. Excerpt (Constitution, Eighth Amendment (1791); as printed in 1840, p. 16): "Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted."

16. 8.

    Ren reads the Eighth Amendment's phrase "cruel and unusual punishments." Who decides what that means in a case?

    • The Congress of 1789, which wrote a full list
    • The police officers who made the arrest
    • The accused person, who chooses the punishment
    • Courts, reading the words case by case

17. Barron v. Baltimore

    Who made it: Cornell's Legal Information Institute, summarizing a Supreme Court opinion. When: the opinion was issued in 1833; this summary is today. Where: Washington, DC and Ithaca, New York. For whom: readers today. Why: to explain what the Court decided. Summary in our words, not a quotation: In 1833 Chief Justice John Marshall wrote that the Fifth Amendment's takings clause restricts only the federal government, not state governments. The Court dismissed the case because it had no jurisdiction.

18. 9.

    Tala wants Marshall's own reasoning in Barron. Which source is best?

    • The Fifth Amendment's text alone
    • A news story that praises the Court's ruling
    • This card, since it summarizes the case in modern words
    • Marshall's written opinion in the case

19. First Amendment (part)

    Who made it: the First Congress of the United States, which proposed the amendments in 1789. When: Proposed September 25, 1789; ratified by the states in 1791. Where: New York City, where Congress met. For whom: the states and the people. Why: to add protections for individual rights to the Constitution. Excerpt (Constitution, First Amendment (1791), speech, press, assembly and petition; as printed in 1840, p. 15): "Congress shall make no law… abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the government for a redress of grievances."

20. 10.

    Zee reads about a town that asks petition gatherers to stand on one side of a sidewalk so people can pass. A petitioner calls the rule unconstitutional. Which reasoning is stronger?

    • The First does not cover sidewalks or streets
    • Towns may ban petitions that cause crowding, since public safety outweighs the First Amendment
    • Any rule about where people gather breaks the First Amendment
    • The First protects petitioning; a rule keeping the sidewalk passable does not end it