POLS1101 - Chapter 4

Which of the following best describes the tensions stemming from debate over the Second Amendment?

individual liberty versus community safety

Constitutional guarantees that protect citizens, opinions, and property are known as civil ...

liberties

To the framers, ______ was the central principle that guided the creation of a new democratic republic.

liberty

The role of the Bill of Rights is to ______ government power.

limit

The framers did not initially see the Bill of Rights as applicable to state governments for which reasons?

- Because state governments were closer to the people than the national government, they were less likely to restrict individual freedoms. - Most state constitutions included a bill of rights of their own that protected against abuses of state power.

Which of the following arguments relate to the controversy surrounding the Second Amendment?

- Gun ownership creates a free and safe society. - Easy access to firearms is a threat to public safety.

The First Amendment freedoms that support civic discourse include which of the following freedoms?

- freedom of assembly - freedom of speech - freedom of the press

Match the term to its appropriate definition. total incorporation selective incorporation

- the theory that the Fourteenth Amendment's due process clause requires states to uphold freedoms guaranteed in the Bill of Rights - the process by which the Supreme Court gradually applied freedoms that served some fundamental principle of liberty to the states

Why was the Supreme Court decision in the 1833 case Barron v. Baltimore significant to the interpretation of the Bill of Rights?

It determined the Fifth Amendment only applied to actions of the federal government.

Which of the following best describes positive acts of government intended to protect individuals against arbitrary or discriminatory actions?

civil rights

Citizens who support gun control laws claim that are seeking a ______ society.

safer

Those who ______ increased gun control believe that the Second Amendment gives individual citizens the right to bear arms free from excessive control.

support

What experience influenced the framers to include protections for civil liberties in the Constitution?

the British government's oppressive actions against American colonists

In what way is the Bill of Rights applied to the states?

through the due process clause of the Fourteenth Amendment