Transcript Chapter 8, Section 3 Changing the Constitution The Amendment Process • Constitutional Amendments can be proposed by Congress or a National Convention: 1.

Chapter 8, Section 3
Changing the Constitution
The Amendment Process
• Constitutional Amendments
can be proposed by Congress
or a National Convention:
1. 2/3 of the House or the Senate
can propose an amendment or...
2. Congress can call a national
convention at the request of 2/3
of the state legislatures. (This
has never happened.)
The Amendment Process
• Amendments can be ratified
in two ways:
1. They can be approved by the
legislatures of ¾ of the states.
2. They can be approved by a
special convention in ¾ of the
states.
• This has happened only once.
The 21st Amendment ended
Prohibition, making alcohol once
again legal.
The Bill of Rights
• One of the first acts of
Congress was to pass a Bill of
Rights. These 10 Amendments
were approved by the states in
1791.
• The Bill of Rights protects
citizens against abuses of
power by the government.
Protecting Individual Liberties
•
The First Amendment of the Bill of Rights
protects your freedom of
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Religion
Speech
The press
The right of people to assemble (gather together)
peacefully
– To petition the government for change.
• Thanks to this amendment, you can criticize the
government and go to any church you like (or none
at all) but there are limits – for example, newspapers
cannot knowingly print lies about someone.
Protecting Against
Abuses of Power
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Amendments 2, 3 and 4 reflect the colonists’
experiences with British abuses of power.
The Second Amendment protects the right of
the people to keep and bear arms (weapons.)
The Third Amendment states that
Congress cannot quarter troops in a
person’s home.
The Fourth Amendment protects citizens
from unlawful searches of home and
property.
Protecting Rights of the Accused
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The 5th, 6th, 7th and 8th Amendments
deal with the rights of people
accused of crimes.
The Fifth Amendment states that
people cannot be forced to
incriminate (give evidence against)
themselves.
The Sixth Amendment guarantees
the right to a speedy and public trial
by a fair jury.
Protecting Rights of the Accused
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The Sixth Amendment also
gives people accused of a crime
the right to know the charges
against them and to confront
their accuser.
The Seventh Amendment
provides for juries for civil (noncriminal) trials.
The Eighth Amendment forbids
“cruel and unusual punishment”
and prevents judges from
ordering excessive bail.
The 9th and 10th Amendments
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Many people opposed adding a Bill of Rights
because they believed that Americans might
lose certain rights that were not specifically
listed in the Constitution.
The Ninth Amendment states that our rights
are not limited to those listed in the
Constitution.
The Tenth Amendment states that all
powers not given to the national government
are reserved for the states.
Later Amendments
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Since the Bill of Rights, there has
only been 17 more Amendments.
Most of them relate to the spread of
democracy to other people.
The Bill of Rights did not include
voting rights. They would be
included in later amendments.
The Nineteenth Amendment gave
women the right to vote (1920.)
The Civil War Amendments
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After the Civil War ended, the
13th, 14th and 15 Amendments
were added to help African
Americans.
The Thirteenth Amendment
abolished (destroyed) slavery.
The Fourteenth Amendment
guaranteed citizenship to
former slaves.
The Fifteenth Amendment
stated that men of any color
had the right to vote.
Chapter 8, Section 4
State and Local
Governments
State Constitutions
• The Constitution divides
power between the
federal government and
the states.
• Each of the 50 states has
a constitution to frame
their governments.
• Though none are the
same, all of them are
compatible with the U.S.
Constitution.
State Constitutions
• Most state constitutions look a
lot like the U.S. Constitution –
they start with a preamble and
include a bill of rights and
three branches of
government.
• However, they are also
usually longer and more
detailed.
• Which one is followed if there
is a conflict between the two?
Changing Constitutions
• State Constitutions can be changed
a number of ways, but in the most
common method the legislature
proposes an amendment to be
approved by voters.
• Citizens can also propose an
amendment by getting signatures of
support. The amendment is then
voted on by the legislature or the
voters.
– This is called a constitutional
initiative.
States Provide Services
• State government influences
your daily life more than the
federal government does.
• States maintain law and order,
enforce criminal law, protect
property and regulate
business.
• State governments also
supervise education, provide
health and welfare programs,
build highways, and operate
state parks and forests.
States Provide Services
• Each state must build and maintain
its own infrastructure, or system of
roads, bridges and tunnels.
• To maintain high standards, state
governments license people who
serve you, like doctors, lawyers and
teachers.
• When you are old enough to drive
(God help us all) the state will test
you before giving you your license.
• State police also keep highways
safe and protect us from criminals.
Local Governments
• The Constitution doesn’t
mention local governments
(county, city, town, etc.)
• Local governments are created
entirely by the states and have
only those powers and
functions that states give them.
• Local governments have the
most impact on us. It is at the
local level that we have the
greatest influence on our
government.
Bud Moran, Tribal
Council Chairman
Local Governments and Education
• The service that local governments
spend the most money on is
education.
• Though the state sets education
standards and guidelines, it’s the
local governments that run the
schools.
• Education is one area of local
government where citizens have a
great deal of control. They may
serve on the school board and vote
on the school’s budget.
Other Services
• Local governments hire and
support firefighters, police and
garbage collectors.
• They provide sewers and water,
maintain local roads and
hospitals and conduct safety
inspections.
• Local government has also
provided more than just basic
needs, like libraries, parks,
museums and stadiums.