Don t Know Much About Liberty

Transcription

1 Don t Know Much About Liberty Americans Are Clueless When It Comes to the First Amendment When it comes to the First Amendment, most Americans don t know their rights from their wrongs! Only one in 1,000 Americans can list all five freedoms protected by the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, according to a recent survey. (Just in case you re one of those 999 people who can t, the rights are: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press, freedom of assembly, and freedom to petition.) 1. Freedom of religion 2. Freedom of speech Article: Copyright 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission. 1

2 One in seven people could name one of the five First Amendment freedoms, and one in five people could name two, according to the McCormick Tribune Freedom Museum in Chicago, which sponsored the survey. 3. Freedom of the press 4. Freedom of assembly every day," he told Senior Edition. Although Americans failed the First Amendment pop quiz, they passed the Bart Simpson section of the survey with flying colors. More than half of the respondents could name at least two of the main characters of The Simpsons. Twenty-two percent could name all five. Those findings made Gene Policinski, executive director of the First Amendment Center, want to eat his shorts (as Bart Simpson would say). "These are such basic freedoms, and they re in our lives "All we have to do is look around." No matter how old you are or what state you live in, you exercise First Amendment freedoms every day, Policinski says. When you turn on the television, you can choose the show you want to watch. If you disagree with a law, you can write a letter to your state Representative. 1 If you don t like something the government is doing, you can say so without getting in trouble. 5. Freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances That s exactly what the nation s founders hoped to achieve when 1 Representative: a member of the House of Representatives of the U.S. Congress or a member of a State legislature Article: Copyright 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission. 2

3 they ratified, or approved, the Bill of Rights in The Bill of Rights is the first 10 amendments to the Constitution. The founders wanted Americans to have control over their daily lives and a say in how the government is run. Here s why the founders included each freedom: 1. Freedom of religion The Colonists came to America in search of religious freedom. They wanted to worship without fear of punishment. The nation s founders included this clause 2 to make sure Congress could neither establish a national religion nor stop people from practicing their chosen religion. 2. Freedom of speech The Colonists rocky relationship with Great Britain made them determined to prevent their new government from abusing its power. This clause ensures 3 that the government can t stop people from saying almost anything they want to say even if it s unpopular or critical of the president. 3. Freedom of the press The nation s founders feared that if the government controlled the nation s newspapers, it could violate the Constitution without anyone finding out. This clause allows U.S. newspapers, magazines, and other media to report on whatever they want, as long as they don t print false information or invade people s privacy. 4. Freedom of assembly Majority may rule in the United States, but the nation s founders wanted to make sure minority voices were still heard. This clause gives Americans the right to protest or parade publicly in support of any cause no matter how controversial as long as they do it peacefully. 5. Freedom to petition the government for a redress of grievances The Colonists started the American Revolution ( ) because they had little voice in Great Britain s government. This clause requires that the government listen to what citizens have to say, whether it be through letter writing or lawsuits. 2 clause: a separate distinct part of an article or document 3 ensure: to make certain 3 Article: Copyright 2007 Weekly Reader Corporation. All rights reserved. Weekly Reader is a registered trademark of Weekly Reader Corporation. Used by permission.

4 Name: Date: 1. According to a survey, how many Americans can list all five freedoms protected by the First Amendment? A one in 10 B one in 100 C one in 1,000 D one in 10, In the passage, the author enumerates the five freedoms. What is the first freedom? A Freedom of the press B Freedom of religion C Freedom of speech D Freedom of the assembly 3. What can you conclude about Americans after reading the passage? A Most Americans can t name the five freedoms. B Americans are very educated about the five freedoms. C Americans don t need to know much about the five freedoms. D No American can pass a test about the five freedoms. 4. Read this sentence from the passage: The nation s founders feared that if the government controlled the nation s newspapers, it could violate the Constitution without anyone finding out. In this sentence, the word violate means A to change direction B to agree to surrender C to break apart into tiny pieces D to fail to comply with 5. The primary purpose of this passage is to A teach Americans about their basic freedoms B show how obsessed most Americans are with Bart Simpson C persuade Americans to watch fewer hours of television D explain why surveys are useful in figuring out intelligence 1

5 6. What is the Bill of Rights? 7. How might learning the five freedoms benefit Americans? Give specific examples from the text that support your answer. 8. The question below is an incomplete sentence. Choose the word that best completes the sentence. Congress can neither stop people from practicing their chosen religion establish a religion for the nation. A or B nor C and D but 2

6 9. Answer the following questions based on the sentence below. The founders of the United States ratified the Bill of Rights in 1791 to protect Americans rights. Who? the founders of the United States (did) What? When? Why? 10. Vocabulary Word: ensure: to make certain. Use the vocabulary word in a sentence: 3