Chapter Overview

A Brief History of the Bill of Rights

• Does the Bill of Rights put limits only on the national government or does it limit the state governments as well?
• How and when did the Supreme Court nationalize the Bill of Rights?

The First Amendment and Freedom of Religion

• How does the First Amendment guarantee the nonestablishment and free exercise of religion?
• In what way has the free exercise of religion become a recent political issue?

The First Amendment and Freedom of Speech and the Press

• What forms of speech are protected by the First Amendment? What forms are not protected?

The Second Amendment and the Right to Bear Arms

• Is the right to bear arms guaranteed by the Bill of Rights? How is its exercise restricted?

Rights of the Criminally Accused

• What is due process?
• How do the Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, and Eighth Amendments provide for the due process of law?

The Right to Privacy

• What is the right to privacy? How has it been derived from the Bill of Rights?
• What forms does the right to privacy take today?

The Future of Civil Liberties

• What is the likelihood that the Supreme Court will try to reverse the nationalization of the Bill of Rights?