Difference between revisions of "American Government and the Constitution Lecture Twelve"
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==Current Constitutional Controversies== | ==Current Constitutional Controversies== | ||
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| + | More than 225 years after the Constitution was ratified, there are many disputes today about how it should be interpreted and applied to important issues. Here are some of the biggest controversies concerning the Constitution today: | ||
| + | |||
| + | *Same-sex marriage | ||
| + | *Abortion | ||
| + | *Gun rights | ||
| + | *Property rights | ||
| + | *Immigration | ||
| + | *Free speech and campaign finance | ||
| + | *Voting rights | ||
| + | |||
| + | Let's discuss each of these issues in connection with the Constitution. | ||
| + | |||
| + | ===Same-sex marriage=== | ||
Same-sex marriage - decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit created a Circuit split, virtually ensuring review of the issue by the U.S. Supreme Court. | Same-sex marriage - decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit created a Circuit split, virtually ensuring review of the issue by the U.S. Supreme Court. | ||
| − | Abortion | + | ===Abortion=== |
| + | |||
| + | ===Gun rights=== | ||
| − | + | ===Property rights=== | |
| − | + | ===Immigration=== | |
| − | + | ===Free speech and campaign finance=== | |
| − | + | ===Voting rights=== | |
==James Madison's rejected amendments for the Bill of Rights== | ==James Madison's rejected amendments for the Bill of Rights== | ||
Revision as of 16:59, December 11, 2014
American Government and the Constitution Lectures: 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12
Current Constitutional Controversies
More than 225 years after the Constitution was ratified, there are many disputes today about how it should be interpreted and applied to important issues. Here are some of the biggest controversies concerning the Constitution today:
- Same-sex marriage
- Abortion
- Gun rights
- Property rights
- Immigration
- Free speech and campaign finance
- Voting rights
Let's discuss each of these issues in connection with the Constitution.
Same-sex marriage
Same-sex marriage - decision by the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit created a Circuit split, virtually ensuring review of the issue by the U.S. Supreme Court.
Abortion
Gun rights
Property rights
Immigration
Free speech and campaign finance
Voting rights
James Madison's rejected amendments for the Bill of Rights
1. "No person religiously scrupulous of bearing arms shall be compelled to render military service in person." (a conscientious objector)
2. "No State shall violate the equal rights of conscience, or the freedom of the press, or the trial by jury in criminal cases." [Madison called this guarantee, extending protections of the First Amendment and the jury trial right of the Sixth Amendment to the states, "the most valuable amendment in the whole lot." It passed the House, but was rejected by the Senate.]
Additional Amendments
In less than eight years -- from 1913 to 1920 -- four major amendments were added to the Constitution: the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th amendments. We have already discussed the 16th and 17th Amendments (do you recall what they were?), so now we review the 18th and 19th Amendments.
The numerous amendments to the Constitution
A 27th Amendment??
<explain political parties>
<explain polling>
<explain the media>
<explain cases concerning constitutional rights in campaigns>