The
Constitution is the framework for the organization of the United States
government and for the relationship of the federal government with the
States, citizens, and all people within the United States. The
Constitution has been amended twenty-seven times, the last occurring in
1992.
To assist in better understanding the Constitution, please answer the
following question: Of the Constitutional amendments we are addressing
in this class (Fourth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth and Fourteenth), which one
is most important? Why? There is obviously no wrong answer, so your
analysis in support of the amendment you choose is key. You
will earn more points if you analyze and compare {see the guide in
introduction} court cases and use Nexis Uni to sheperdize/update your
cases.
Why
is this week’s forum so important? Sadly, a high percentage of
Americans do not know basic information about the Constitution.
Here are some examples:
“What is the supreme law of the land?” Seventy-percent of the 1,000
citizens polled by Newsweek could not answer the “Constitution.”
Sixty-one percent didn’t know that the length of a U.S. senator’s term
is six years, 63 percent couldn’t name the number of Supreme Court
justices on the bench (nine), and 86 percent didn’t know that 435
members fill the U.S. House of Representatives.
And finally, fifty percent could not name an amendment to the
Constitution, and twenty percent said the Constitution has never been
amended.