Question 1

The Second Amendment refers to the keeping and bearing of arms in the context of _______________________.

Accepted Answer

The Second Amendment is often interpreted as providing the right to bear arms for the purpose of maintaining a well regulated militia. This interpretation is based on historical context and the language used in the amendment itself, which refers to the "security of a free state." While personal safety and protection may be factors in individual interpretations of the amendment, the primary context is the role of the militia in maintaining the security of the nation.

Question 2

The Seventh Amendment guarantees the right to a jury trial in federal civil suits "at common law" where the amount at issue exceeds ____________.

Accepted Answer

The Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution guarantees the right to a jury trial in federal civil suits where the amount in controversy exceeds twenty dollars, emphasizing the importance of jury trials in civil cases as a fundamental right.

Question 3

Like the Thirteenth and Fourteenth Amendments, the Fifteenth Amendment was an outgrowth of _______________.

Accepted Answer

The Thirteenth, Fourteenth, and Fifteenth Amendments are collectively known as the Reconstruction Amendments and were all passed in the aftermath of the Civil War. The Thirteenth Amendment abolished slavery, the Fourteenth Amendment granted citizenship and equal protection under the law to all people born or naturalized in the United States, and the Fifteenth Amendment prohibited the denial of voting rights based on race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

Question 4

In The Federalist No. 84, ______________ argued that since the Constitution provided for limited government through enumerated powers, a Bill of Rights was unnecessary.

Accepted Answer

The Federalist No. 84 was written by Alexander Hamilton, who argued that a Bill of Rights was unnecessary because the Constitution already established limited government through enumeration of powers.

Question 5

The _____________ Amendment prohibits military authorities from quartering troops in citizens' homes without their consent.

Accepted Answer

The Third Amendment prohibits the government from forcing citizens to allow soldiers to live in their homes during peace time without consent. It was added to the Constitution in response to the British practice of quartering troops in colonists' homes during the American Revolution.

Question 6

In Breedlove v. Suttles (1937), the Supreme Court ruled that __________, in and of themselves, did not violate the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments.

Accepted Answer

In Breedlove v. Suttles (1937), the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of Georgia's poll tax, stating that it did not violate the Fourteenth or Fifteenth Amendments. Poll taxes required citizens to pay a fee in order to vote, which disproportionately affected poor and minority communities. However, the Court argued that since the poll tax applied to all citizens, regardless of race or gender, it did not violate the constitutional rights of anyone.

Question 7

In Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R. Co. v. McGuire (1911), Justice ____________ stated, "Liberty implies the absence of arbitrary restraint, not immunity from reasonable regulations and prohibitions imposed in the interests of the community."

Accepted Answer

The quote is attributed to Justice Charles Evans Hughes in the case Chicago, Burlington & Quincy R. Co. v. McGuire (1911).

Question 8

The Supreme Court refused to entertain a claim brought on behalf of Joshua DeShaney against a publicly funded social agency because, in the stated view of the majority, no _________ was demonstrated.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court's decision was based on the lack of required state action, as the agency involved was a publicly funded social agency and not a state actor. The other options are not relevant to the majority's reasoning in this case.

Question 9

The Fifth Amendment requires the federal government to obtain a (an) ______________ from a _______________ before trying someone for a felony.

Accepted Answer

The Fifth Amendment specifically requires that a person cannot be tried for a capital or otherwise infamous crime without indictment by a grand jury.

Question 10

In 1970, Congress passed a measure lowering the voting age from twenty-one to eighteen in both state and federal elections. The Supreme Court, however, declared this measure unconstitutional in _____________________.

Accepted Answer

The Supreme Court declared the measure lowering the voting age from twenty-one to eighteen in both state and federal elections unconstitutional in Oregon v. Mitchell in 1970.

Question 11

In its most generic sense, __________ refers to the exercise of governmental power under the rule of law with due regard for the rights and interests of individuals.

Accepted Answer

Due process refers to the fair and impartial administration of the law, in which every individual is entitled to notice and an opportunity to be heard before the government deprives them of life, liberty, or property. It is a fundamental aspect of the protection of civil liberties and the exercise of governmental power under the rule of law. Eminent domain refers to the government's power to take private property for public use, while sovereignty refers to the authority of a state or government to govern itself.

Question 12

The two aspects of constitutional rights include _________ and ________.

Accepted Answer

Constitutional rights include both the protection of individual liberty and ensuring equality for all citizens. These two aspects are often balanced against each other and can sometimes conflict, requiring the courts to carefully consider the circumstances and law in question in order to determine the best course of action. While privacy is also an important right protected by the Constitution, it is not one of the two primary aspects asked about in the question.

Question 13

In 1848, a delegation of women, including the famous suffragist ________, met at Seneca Falls, New York to address the "social, civil, and religious conditions and rights of woman."

Accepted Answer

Elizabeth Cady Stanton is the famous suffragist who played a major role in organizing the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. The convention was the first women's rights convention in the United States and produced the "Declaration of Sentiments," which called for women's equality in various aspects of life.

Question 14

_____________ of the Constitution provides that "The Trial of all Crimes, except in Cases of Impeachment, shall be by Jury; and such Trial shall be held in the State where the said Crimes shall have been committed; but when not committed within any State, the Trial shall be at such Place or Places as the Congress may by Law have directed."

Accepted Answer

The answer of _____________ of the Constitution provides that "The...

Question 15

The Fifth Amendment protects people against arbitrary use of __________, the power of government to take private property for public use.

Accepted Answer

The Fifth Amendment protects individuals against the arbitrary use of eminent domain, which is the power of the government to take private property for public use, without just compensation.

Question 16

The ratification of the __________ Amendment in ____ provided an opportunity for the Supreme Court to reconsider the relationship between the Bill of Rights and state and local governments.

Accepted Answer

The 14th Amendment, ratified in 1868, provided an opportunity for the Supreme Court to reconsider the relationship between the Bill of Rights and state and local governments because it included the Due Process and Equal Protection Clauses, which have been used to apply the Bill of Rights to the states through the process of selective incorporation.

Question 17

Although formally granted the right to vote by the Fifteenth Amendment, many Black Americans were still effectively disenfranchised by practices such as __________.

Accepted Answer

All of the given practices (literacy tests, white primaries, and poll taxes) were used to effectively disenfranchise Black Americans despite the formal granting of their right to vote under the Fifteenth Amendment.

Question 18

Reference to unenumerated rights is found in the _______ Amendment.

Accepted Answer

The Ninth Amendment states that the enumeration of certain rights in the Constitution shall not be construed to deny or disparage other rights retained by the people. This has been interpreted as acknowledging the existence of unenumerated rights not specifically listed in the Constitution.

Question 19

In Palko v. Connecticut (1937) the Supreme Court refused to incorporate the _________ Clause of the Fifth Amendment into the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.

Accepted Answer

Palko v. Connecticut dealt with the incorporation of the Fifth Amendment's protection against double jeopardy into the Fourteenth Amendment's Due Process Clause. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled that double jeopardy was not a fundamental right that applied to the states, and therefore was not incorporated.

Question 20

The process of selective incorporation of the Bill of Rights into the 14th Amendment began in 1897 in _______.

Accepted Answer

The process of selective incorporation of the Bill of Rights into the 14th Amendment began with the Supreme Court case Chicago, Burlington and Quincy Railroad v. Chicago in 1897, which incorporated the Fifth Amendment's provision for just compensation for property taken for public use.

Quiz 1: Constitutional Sources of Civil Rights and Liberties