William_T._Bianco,_David_T._Canon]_American_Polit

Study guide 145

Defining civil liberties

Define what we mean by civil liberties. (Pages 104–106)

Summary

Civil liberties are the protections that individuals receive from the

government. These are not absolute rights, however, as individual

freedoms can become at odds with the public good and government

interests. The courts often play the deciding role in determining where

to draw the line between individual rights and public safety.

Practice Quiz Questions

1. Civil liberties are rooted in what document?
   a the Declaration of Independence
   b the Federalist Papers
   c the Magna Carta
   d the Bill of Rights
   e Article I of the Constitution


2. Why are civil liberties not absolute?
   a Equality for a group under the law is hard to define.
   b Individual freedoms may conflict with the public good.
   c Laws are often outdated and don’t characterize modern society.
   d The Bill of Rights protections were intentionally weakened by
   Antifederalists.
   e The Supreme Court generally decides not to hear cases concerning
   civil liberties.

Key term

civil liberties (p. 104)

The origins of civil liberties

Explain why the Bill of Rights was added to the Constitution

and how it came to apply to the states. (Pages 106–112)

Summary

The Bill of Rights, which lists individual protections from the

federal government, was included in the Constitution in response

to demands from the Antifederalists, who feared a strong national

government. For most of the nineteenth century, these individual

freedoms were only guaranteed from the federal government

and did not extend to protections from state governments. With

the ratification of the Fourteenth Amendment and the process

of selective incorporation, federal freedoms have been gradually

extended to the state level.

Practice Quiz Questions

3. The inclusion of the Bill of Rights in the Constitution
   reflects the concerns that the federal government
   would be too.
   a Antifederalists’; strong
   b Antifederalists’; weak
   c Federalists’; strong
   d Federalists’; weak
   e president’s; strong


4. The Bill of Rights originally protected individuals from which
   level of government?
   a all levels of American government
   b state governments
   c local governments
   d federal government
   e the bureaucracy


5. Which amendment has been used as the basis for selective
   incorporation?
   a the Eighth Amendment
   b the Fourteenth Amendment
   c the Tenth Amendment
   d the Nineteenth Amendment
   e the Fifth Amendment

Key terms

Civil War amendments (p. 109)

due process clause (p. 109)

selective incorporation

(p. 112)

Study Guide

Full_05_APT_64431_ch04_102-147.indd 145 16/11/18 1:33 PM