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Bill of Rights 10349 Views


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Description:

The Bill of Rights was made to protect Americans from too many restrictions and regulations in addition to ensuring our well-being under our government. For the past 200 years, it's done a pretty good job, but on occasion it is seen as either too protective or not protective enough. What do you think? Shmoop amongst yourselves.

Language:
English Language

Transcript

00:07

The Bill of Rights, a la Shmoop:

00:09

If the Bill is wrong, I don't want to be Right.

00:15

The first ten amendments to the US Constitution are commonly referred to as the Bill of Rights.

00:19

This is a bill that actually won't give your parents a headache.

00:23

Things like "Freedom of Speech," "The Right to Bear Arms,"

00:27

"Freedom from Cruel and Unusual Punishment"...

00:29

...were considered among the ten most important rights we could have.

00:33

Little known fact: the right to arm bears just missed the cut.

00:37

But a whole lot has changed since the late 1700s.

00:39

We have rights for women and minorities, overpopulation, pollution, and reality TV.

00:45

If you were in charge of writing a new bill of rights today...

00:47

...what would you insist on including?

00:52

The Constitution never specifically mentions children's rights?

00:56

Should there be something about that? Or maybe something should be taken out?

00:59

After all, it's a very different world than it was when we had

01:02

13 states and almost everybody lived on a farm.

01:06

You're in charge... so go wild.

01:08

Add some rights, take some out, scrap the whole thing and turn us into a fascist dictatorship...

01:14

Wait... don't do that, actually. Fascist dictatorships are truly awful.

01:17

Thomas Jefferson once suggested that the constitution be re-written every 20 years so it could stay

01:22

in tune with the society. Well, it's been over 200 years...

01:26

..so by that account we should have had more than 10 new constitutions already.

01:30

It's all on your shoulders. Come up with a new Bill of Rights.

01:34

What do you think should stay put? And what do you think we should get rid of?

01:37

Shmoop amongst yourselves.

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