1. What is the Bill of Rights?
2. How does the original text of the Constitution protect civil liberties? What kinds of rights does the Bill of Rights protect that the original body of the Constitution does not?
3. Why might landmark civil-liberties cases tend to be brought by unpopular or disadvantaged groups? What are some of the ways in which powerful interests benefit from civil-liberties protections?
4. Do you think the Bill of Rights does enough to protect civil liberties? In your opinion, are there any ways in which the Bill of Rights goes too far?
5. What is the difference between the establishment and the free exercise clauses of the First Amendment? How do these clauses complement one another? How might they come into conflict?
6. What kinds of speech are protected by the First Amendment? What factors determinewhether speech is protected?
7. Why might it be important for citizens of a democracy to have the right to assemble and to petition their government? In your opinion, what should the limits of these rights be?
8. What rationale does the Second Amendment give for protecting the right to bear arms? What are some different ways this rationale could be interpreted?
9. How have new technologies made it difficult to determine what constitutes an unreasonable search and seizure? What information about you do you think the government should have access to?
10. What are the arguments for and against the death penalty? On what grounds do somepeople argue that the death penalty infringes on the rights of the accused?
11. Do you think people should have a basic right to privacy? In your opinion, does any part of the Bill of Rights seem to guarantee a right to privacy?
12. How do the television programs and movies you have seen about the legal system treat the issue of civil liberties? Who are the heroes of these shows, and what are they fighting for?
13. To what extent do you think there is a tradeoff between civil liberties and law and order? To what extent is it possible to protect individual rights and maintain civil order at the same time?

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The Bill of Rights comprises the first ten amendments to the United States Constitution protecting fundamental rights such as freedom of speech religion and the right to bear arms These amendments wer... View the full answer