Rights and Responsibilities

This Pathway explores the concept of individual rights and the challenges in protecting and guaranteeing such rights. It identifies basic political and individual rights secured under the U.S. Constitution and the reciprocity of rights and responsibilities, such as those related to voting.

Concepts and Topics

• concept of enumerated rights/origins of Bill of Rights
• First Amendment freedoms (speech, press, assembly, religion, petition)
• habeas corpus rights
• rights of the accused
• search and seizure
• intellectual property/tangible property rights
• Second Amendment
• concept of human rights
• concept of the right of privacy
• distinction between political and socioeconomic rights
• voting as a right and responsibility
• judicial protection of individual rights

Suggested Cases

Zenger trial, Amistad trials, Ex parte Milligan, Schenck v. United States, Gideon v. Wainwright, Miranda v. Arizona, Mapp v. Ohio, Griswold v. Connecticut, In re Gault, Roe v. Wade, Tinker v. Des Moines, Virginia v. Black, Lee v. Weisman, Board of Education v. Earls, Lawrence v. Texas, Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District, Morse v. Frederick, District of Columbia v. Heller

Resources

• Pathway Lesson 4 Sampler - Rights and Responsibilities

Lessons

• A Conversation on the Constitution: Freedom of Speech
• Key Constitutional Concepts: Gideon v. Wainwright
• The First Amendment: Tinker v. Des Moines Game
• Youth Voting Rights and Responsibilities