Logo: Project Citizen

Unit 4: How does the Constitution protect our basic rights?

Many Founders were worried that the rights of the people were not well protected by the new Constitution. They said they would not help to get the Constitution approved unless a bill of rights was added. The other Founders agreed to add one when the first Congress met, and that is exactly what happened.

The Bill of Rights is the name of the first ten amendments to the Constitution. This part of the Constitution was added in 1791. Since that time, other amendments have been added. Many of the amendments give rights to people who were not given these rights in the original Constitution. For example, the Nineteenth Amendment, added in 1920, gave women the right to vote.

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CCE LogoThe Center for Civic Education is a national, nonpartisan, nonprofit organization dedicated to cultivating an informed and thoughtful citizenry committed to democratic principles and actively engaged in the practice of democracy. We do this primarily through our flagship programs, We the People and Project Citizen, but we also provide high-quality, inquiry-driven curricular programs that bring civic learning to life. The Center additionally equips educators with professional learning that builds confidence and capacity to teach civics with depth and relevance, unlocks students’ civic agency by creating opportunities to demonstrate their knowledge and skills, and share their voices through simulated hearings and other public forums. These initiatives build a national community committed to strengthening civic understanding and participation for all and root everything in decades of research and evidence. Learn more.

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