Unit 7: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Inquiry Organizer

Guiding Question: How do individuals, groups, and the government interact to protect and promote civil rights and civil liberties in the United States?

Objectives: 

• Students will differentiate between natural rights and civil rights, understanding how both are essential components of a just society. 
• Students will explain the concept of equal protection under the law and its role in ensuring individual rights and preventing discrimination. 
• Students will analyze the Bill of Rights and its incorporation through the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause, including key Supreme Court cases that have shaped our understanding of due process protections.  
• Students will evaluate the role of the Supreme Court and other branches of government in interpreting and upholding civil liberties. 
• Students will discuss the ongoing debate about the scope of individual rights and the scope of government authority. 
• Students will analyze the historical evolution of civil rights and civil liberties, including key social movements and landmark legislation. 
• Students will apply their civil rights and civil liberties knowledge to contemporary issues and debates, such as gun control, abortion, and affirmative action. 

Unit Introduction	Resources Video: Introduction to Unit 7: Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Lesson: Launching Civil Rights and Civil Liberties Essay: Protecting Rights Supplemental Resources Video: Origins and Purposes of the Bill of Rights
How does the First Amendment protect religious freedom?	Resources  Essay: Origins of Religious Liberty Lesson: Introducing the First Amendment Case Study: Religious Freedom Supplemental Resources  Lesson: Religious Liberty and the Supreme Court Lesson: First Amendment Principles and Jefferson’s “Wall” Lesson: From Toleration to Liberty: George Washington and the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, Rhode Island Lesson: Burwell v. Hobby Lobby (2013)
Why is freedom of speech essential in a free society?	Resources  Educator Resource: Freedom of Speech Lesson: Consequences of Free Speech Case Study: Freedom of Speech Supplemental Resources  Video: Schenck v. United States (1919) Video: Tinker v. Des Moines (1969) Video: West Virginia State Board of Education v. Barnette (1943) Video: Texas v. Johnson (1989)
How does freedom of the press contribute to a democratic society?	Resources   Case Study: Freedom of the Press Video: Reading New York Times Co. v. United States Decision Excerpts Supplemental Resources  Why Does a Free Press Matter? Video: Freedom of the Press Video: New York Times Co. v. United States Lesson: Historical Look at the Media Lesson: How the Media Presents Information Lesson: Being a Critical Consumer of Media
How does the Second Amendment protect the individual right to bear arms?	Resources Case Study: Second Amendment Primary Sources: Second Amendment Educator Resource: Second Amendment Discussion Guide Lesson: Understanding the Second Amendment: A QFT Lesson Lesson: The Second Amendment Legislation Action Debate Supplemental Resources  Lesson: What Are the Origins and Interpretations of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms? Lesson: How Has the Second Amendment Been Interpreted? Video: The Second Amendment Video: District of Columbia v. Heller (2008) Video: McDonald v. Chicago (2010)
How does the Bill of Rights protect the rights of the accused?	Resources  Graphic Organizer: Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments Graphic Organizer: Supreme Court Cases Case Study: Rights of the Accused Court Cases Educator Resource: Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Amendments Discussion Guide Activity: Rights of the Accused Scenario Cards Infographic: Rights of the Accused Case Study: Eighth Amendment Court Cases Lesson: Understanding Cruel and Unusual Punishment Lesson: Eighth Amendment Over Time Supplemental Resources  Supreme Court DBQs: Rights of the Accused Video: The Fourth Amendment Video: The Fifth Amendment Video: Sixth Amendment Video: Mapp v. Ohio (1961) Video: Miranda v. Arizona (1966) Video: Gideon v. Wainwright (1963) Video: Eighth Amendment
How do the Ninth and Tenth Amendments protect inalienable rights and address the balance of power between federal and state governments?	Resources Lesson: Supreme Court DBQ South Dakota v. Dole (1987) Lessons: Supreme Court DBQs on Personal Liberty Lesson: The Schechter Brothers and Integrity Video: Federalism Video: South Dakota v. Dole (1987) Video: Reading Excerpts from South Dakota v. Dole (1987)
How has the Bill of Rights been applied to the states through the Fourteenth Amendment’s Due Process Clause?	Resources  Essay: Substantive Due Process and Incorporation  Case Study: Roe v. Wade (1971)  Activity: Fourteenth Amendment Graphic Organizer  Primary Source: Fourteenth Amendment  Infographic: Substantive Due Process and the Fourteenth Amendment Key Terms  Supplemental Resources  Video: Incorporation  Video: Roe v. Wade (1971)
What does it mean for all individuals to be treated equally under the law, and how has this principle been interpreted throughout American history?	Resources Primary Source: Frederick Douglass, “What to the Slave is the Fourth of July?”   Essay: The Women’s Movement and the Seneca Falls Convention  Video: Reading the Declaration of Sentiments  Essay: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)  Lesson: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)  Primary Source: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)  Lesson: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)  Primary Source: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)  Primary Source: Letter from Birmingham Jail  Supplemental Resources  Curriculum: Votes for Women  Lesson: Modern Debates on Rights  Video: The Principle of Equality    Video: The Story of Women’s Rights in Early America (Part 1)  Video: The Story of Women’s Suffrage in America (Part 2)  Video: Plessy v. Ferguson (1896)  Video: Brown v. Board of Education (1954)
Assessments	Multiple Choice Questions  Version 1  Version 2  AP-style Free Response Question