Your United States Constitutional Rights

About this course

In the United States, we are a democracy governed by a constitution that establishes the rights of citizens against the potential for governmental overreach. The key to Democracy is sunlight and more people understanding their constitutional rights, as to who is protected and what rights are supposed to be protected. Enlightenment provides the nontangible power of the mind to influence others with facts rather than just passing on fear, as fear is the main weapon of autocrats and dictators. This publication was developed to teach, change, or reinforce views of how the Constitution is designed to protect the rights of the people against an overzealous government. Hopefully, changed minds through intelligent dialogue may equate to changed votes as people learn to vote in their own best interest and recognize misinformation and hostile dialogue that divides workers and families, with no virtuous benefits bestowed on either side of the political spectrum. The most important constitutional concepts to understand and appreciate include the first three Articles, as they define the powers of what are supposed to be the three equal branches of government, the Congress, the Executive, and the Judiciary; the Bill of Rights, especially the First, Second, Forth, Fifth, Sixth, Eighth, Nineth, and Tenth Amendments; and the Fourteenth Amendment, as it defines Equal Protection, Due Process, Privileges or Immunities, Citizenship, and how the Amendment empowers the Bill of Rights through the doctrine of Selective Incorporation. These provisions of the Constitution are key to understanding the fundamentals of the United States' Constitutional rights.

Course objectives

• to educate citizens on their constitutional rights
• to foster intelligent dialogue about governmental powers
• to empower individuals to make informed electoral choices