Living Constitution Project
For your Constitution assessment, you will be researching and completing a project that explains specific
aspects of the Constitution as they relate to and apply to real world events. The purpose is for you to
demonstrate both that you understand specific constitutional principles and that you can analyze and explain
how the Constitution is relevant in the scenarios you find. The emphasis is the United States Constitution as it
applies to the people of the United States.
Choose ONE EXAMPLE from the list of Constitutional issues:
Constitutional Issues to choose from:
1. Trial by Jury
2. Separation of Church and State
3. Gun ownership/rights
4. Freedom of Speech
5. Citizenship
6. Impeachment of a President
7. Freedom of the Press
THEN:
● Describe the Constitutional issue and how the Constitution is potentially being violated.
● Provide exact, relevant text from the Constitution, including Article/Amendment number and
section number for the issue
● Explain what you think should happen with the example so as to not violate the Constitution
●
List all sources in a works cited, in MLA format, at the bottom of each scenario
EXAMPLE:
Constitutional Issue: Search and Seizure
Article/Amendment number and section number for the issue: 4th Amendment
Explain what the Article/Amendment states is the law: The Fourth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
protects citizens and criminal suspects from unreasonable searches of their property and persons, and prohibits police
officers from making unlawful arrests
Each response below should be AT LEAST 3-5 sentences unless otherwise noted each. You may answer each
right next to the question.
Constitutional Issue (1 sentence):
Article/Amendment number and section number for the issue (1 sentence):
Explain what the Article/Amendment states is the law:
Explain your opinion on the issue:
Do you think this issue has been violated recently? Explain in detail with examples to support:
Decide if there should be changes made to this. Explain what they should be or why it should stay the
same:
Explain why you believe this Article/Amendment should or should not be in place:
What changes if any would you make:
In a two paragraph response below:
Paragraph 1 - explain what your constitutional issue is. Explain in detail the issue, what it means, how it is used
in today's society. Is this still relevant to today or do you think this issue was written in a time where it no longer
applies? Lastly, define whether this issue would be more in agreement with John Locke or Thomas Hobbes
political philosophy and why.
Paragraph 2 - You can also talk about whether you think there needs to be any changes made to this and why. If
you believe changes need to be made, explain how that should take place. Who would make that change and
who would be affected by it? Why do you think this was put into place and do you think it should still be used?
After you have read and analyzed your constitutional issue:
● Identify a real-world example from the United States of a situation that involves the Constitutional issue
● Your example must have occurred in the last five years
●
Find a news articles, from two different media sources about that example
●
Find a relevant images/visuals about that example
● Summarize the main details, (who, what, where, and when) of the example in one paragraph using
specific details from your news articles.
News Article #1
Source:
Author:
Title:
Link:
Image:
Write a summarizing paragraph (5-6 sentences) of the source in how it relates to the constitutional issue you
chose. This should include who, what, where, when and why. You should also explain and include if there is any
bias in this article and what side the author takes on the issue.
News Article #2
Source:
Author:
Title:
Link:
Image:
Write a summarizing paragraph (5-6 sentences) of the source in how it relates to the constitutional issue you
chose. This should include who, what, where, when and why. You should also explain and include if there is any
bias in this article and what side the author takes on the issue.
MLA Works Cited