Lesson 27: What Are Bills of Rights and What Kinds of Rights Does the U.S. Bill of Rights Protect?

Lesson Objectives

When you have finished this lesson, you should  be able to

• explain what bills of rights are and how they have evolved,
• examine the Constitution and its amendments and identify which of the rights they contain are (1) held by individuals, classes, or categories of individuals, or institutions, (2) personal, economic, or political rights, and (3) positive or negative rights,
• identify possible conflicts among these rights,
• describe various interpretations of the Second, Third, Ninth, and Tenth Amendments, and
• evaluate, take, and defend positions about the kinds of rights protected by the U.S. Constitution and Bill of Rights.