Putting the Bill of Rights to the Test: A New Student Workbook

This primary source-based workbook helps students explore concepts found in the Bill of Rights.

Today is Bill of Rights Day — and this year we celebrate the 225th anniversary of the ratification of the Bill of Rights!

Our brand new primary source-based workbook—Putting the Bill of Rights to the Test—helps students explore some of the core concepts, or protections, found in the Bill of Rights, and how they’ve been tested throughout American history.

It’s free and available for download now:

• iTunes – Download with iBooks on your iPad, iPhone, or Mac; and with iTunes on your computer.
• ePub File (20.5MB) – This standard eBook format works with eBook apps on your phone or tablet, your eReader device, or with an ePub reader for your computer or web browser.
• PDF File  (9.5MB) – View the PDF on your computer or mobile device, or print it out for students. This version includes blank spaces for student responses.

Each chapter leads students to consider the implications of one core concept and includes:

• Background Information
• A key question or questions to frame students’ thinking
• Questions to help them analyze the document
• A primary source document or documents
• Discussion questions to help students consider the impact or importance of the concept

This slideshow requires JavaScript.

The concepts covered include:

• No Law Respecting an Establishment of Religion, or Prohibiting the Free Exercise Thereof (First Amendment)
• Freedom of Speech (First Amendment)
• Freedom of the Press (First Amendment)
• Right of the People Peaceably to Assemble (First Amendment)
• Right to Petition the Government for a Redress of Grievances (First Amendment)
• Right of the People to Keep and Bear Arms (Second Amendment)
• Unreasonable Searches and Seizures (Fourth Amendment)
• Deprived of Life, Liberty, or Property, Without Due Process (Fifth Amendment)
• The Right to Counsel (Sixth Amendment)
• Cruel and Unusual Punishments (Eighth Amendment)

We hope you find this to be a useful addition to your curricular materials!

Other Bill of Rights-related resources:

• Congress Creates the Bill of Rights – This eBook, tablet mobile app, and online resources for teachers and students explore how the ratification of the Constitution necessitated the creation of the Bill of Rights, and how the creation of the Bill of Rights, in turn, completed the Constitution. Congress Creates the Bill of Rights provides a distinct way of exploring how the First Congress proposed amendments to the Constitution in 1789.
• Free distance learning programs for the K-12 classroom
• Our DocsTeach Amending America page, with primary sources and teaching activities on how we’ve attempted to form a more perfect union
• Videos, exhibits, blog posts, events and more celebrating the 225th anniversary of the Bill of Rights

You can find additional eBooks at: http://www.archives.gov/publications/ebooks

The year 2016 marked the 225th anniversary of the ratification of the first 10 amendments to the Constitution, known as the Bill of Rights. The National Archives commemorated the occasion with exhibits, educational resources, and national conversations examining the amendment process and struggles for rights in the United States. The initiative was presented in part by AT&T, Seedlings Foundation, and the National Archives Foundation.