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Drawn from Virginia Declaration of rights and inspired by John Locke
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With the war won, independence secured, and the Articles of Confederation proving inadequate, the Founding Fathers laid down the law by which the new country would be governed in the elegantly crafted Constitution,
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protects people from unreasonable searches and seizures by the government
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guarantees the right to a grand jury, forbids “double jeopardy,” and protects against self-incrimination.
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guarantees the rights of criminal defendants, including the right to a public trial without unnecessary delay, the right to a lawyer, the right to an impartial jury, and the right to know who your accusers are and the nature of the charges and evidence against you
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Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted.
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The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people
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Congress make no law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting its free exercise
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The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.
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As the new country began finding its feet, U.S. Pres. George Washington sent troops to western Pennsylvania in 1794 to quell the Whiskey Rebellion, an uprising by citizens who refused to pay a liquor tax that had been imposed by Secretary of Treasury Alexander Hamilton to raise money for the national debt
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Marbury v. Madison, 5 U.S. 137, was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court case that established the principle of judicial review in the United States, meaning that American courts have the power to strike down laws and statutes that they find to violate the Constitution of the United States
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The Louisiana Territory, the huge swath of land (more than 800,000 square miles) that made up the western Mississippi basin, passed from French colonial rule to Spanish colonial rule and then back to the French before U.S. Pres. Thomas Jefferson pried it away from Napoleon in 1803 for a final price of some $27 million.
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But in choosing the President, the votes shall be taken by states, the representation from each state having one vote; a quorum for this purpose shall consist of a member or members from two-thirds of the states, and a majority of all the states shall be necessary to a choice.
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On January 8, 1815, a ragtag army under the command of Andrew Jackson decisively defeated British forces in the Battle of New Orleans, even though the War of 1812 had actually already ended.
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McCulloch v. Maryland, 17 U.S. 316, was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision that defined the scope of the U.S. Congress's legislative power and how it relates to the powers of American state legislatures.
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The Era of Good Feelings (roughly 1815–25), a period of American prosperity and isolationism, was in full swing when U.S. Pres. James Monroe articulated a set of principles in 1823 that decades later would be called the Monroe Doctrine.
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Slavery, Due Process, Missouri Compromise · Engel v. Vitale. Prayer in School, Freedom of Religion
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Neither slavery nor involuntary servitude, except as a punishment for crime whereof the party shall have been duly convicted, shall exist within the United States, or any place subject to their jurisdiction.
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No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United State
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granted African American men the right to vote
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The Congress shall have the power to lay and collect taxes on incomes, from whatever source derived, without apportionment among the several States, and without regard to any census or enumeration
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allowing voters to cast direct votes for U.S. senators
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illegalized the manufacture, transportation, and sale of alcohol
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granted women the right to vote
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an amendment to the U.S. Constitution that sets the inauguration date for new presidential terms and the date for new sessions of Congress.
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The Dust Bowl would soon become the worst drought in 300 years, with Hoover originally asking the American Red Cross to support those in need. Later on, as things got worse, Congress provided $65 million for food boxes, seed and feed for farmers.
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Upheld Fair Labor Standards Act; Commerce Clause allows Congress to regulate employment conditions
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Plessy v. Ferguson, 163 U.S. 537, was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that racial segregation laws did not violate the U.S. Constitution as long as the facilities for each race were equal in quality
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"No person shall be elected to the office of the President more than twice
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Upheld involuntary internment of ethnically Japanese American citizens
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Brown v. Board of Education of Topeka, 347 U.S. 483, was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that U.S. state laws establishing racial segregation in public schools are unconstitutional, even if the segregated schools are otherwise equal in quality
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The right of citizens of the United States, who are eighteen years of age or older, to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States
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Mapp v. Ohio, 367 U.S. 643, was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the exclusionary rule, which prevents prosecutors from using evidence in court that was obtained
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The District constituting the seat of Government of the United States shall appoint in such manner as the Congress may direct
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Gideon v. Wainwright, 372 U.S. 335, was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that the Sixth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution requires U.S. states to provide attorneys to criminal defendants who are unable to afford their own
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The right of citizens of the United States to vote in any primary or other election for President or Vice President, for electors for President or Vice President, or for Senator or Representative in Congress, shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any State by reason of failure to pay any poll tax
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In case of the removal of the President from office or of his death or resignation, the Vice President shall become President.
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Miranda v. Arizona (1966) Holding: Police must inform suspects of their rights before questioning
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Terry v. Ohio, 392 U.S. 1, was a landmark U.S. Supreme Court decision in which the Court ruled that it is constitutional for American police to "stop and frisk" a person they reasonably suspect to be armed
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Schools couldn’t prevent students from protesting the Vietnam War
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ensures that citizens' civil cases can be heard and decided upon by a jury of their peers
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protects an individual right to possess a firearm unconnected with service in a militia, and to use that arm for traditionally lawful purposes, such as self-defense within the home.”
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No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. -
The Judicial power of the United States shall not be construed to extend to any suit in law or equity, commenced or prosecuted against one of the United States by Citizens of another State, or by Citizens or Subjects of any Foreign State.
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Texas v. Johnson, 491 U.S. 397, was a landmark decision of the Supreme Court of the United States in which the Court held, 5–4, that burning the American flag was protected speech under the First Amendment to the Constitution, as doing so counts as symbolic speech and political speech
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No law, varying the compensation for the services of the Senators and Representatives, shall take effect, until an election of representatives shall have intervened.
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repealing the 18th Amendment and bringing an end to the era of national prohibition of alcohol in America
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Ruled the 2nd Amendment protects an individual's right to keep and bear arms for self-defense
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Ruled states must grant and recognize same-sex marriage
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the first document to put into writing the principle that the king and his government was not above the law
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Roe v. Wade, 410 U.S. 113, was a landmark decision of the U.S. Supreme Court in which the Court ruled that the Constitution of the United States conferred the right to have an abortion
