8th Graders Study
Constitution
in the News
Are threats protected by the
First Amendment? Is the Death Penalty a
violation of the constitutional prohibition of Cruel & Unusual
Punishment? Can the government wiretap U.S.
citizens without a warrant?
These and other similar
questions were considered by LCCS American History students as part of the
recent Constitution in the News project.
The project looked at a number of controversial issues facing the U.S.
today—issues that have relate directly to the U.S. Constitution. Each student chose an issue, identified the
Constitutional principle raised by the issue, then researched both and
presented their findings to their fellow students. In May, many of these projects will be shared
with 5th graders, who are also studying the U.S. Constitution.
The Constitution in the News
project was the culmination of two units of study, one that looked at the ideas
behind the American Revolution, the other on the founding of the New
Nation. First, the 8th
graders studied the historical facts related to the writing and signing of the
U.S. Constitution in 1789. Then they
identified some of the underlying principles found in the Constitution, such as
Freedom of Speech, Freedom of Religion, the Right to Bear Arms, Due Process, Checks
and Balances and more.
Although the projects were
done individually, students with similar issues often combined their
presentations and shared a poster. One
group, for example, looked at three cases related to Freedom of Religion. One case involved a high school teacher in
Kearny, NJ, who—in clear violation of the First Amendment—was preaching instead
of teaching in his American History class.
Another looked at the way that Jersey City presents holiday displays at
City Hall. A third student examined the
controversy over teacher the theory of evolution in science class.
Another poster looked at two
cases related to the 7th Amendment’s prohibition of Cruel and
Unusual Punishment. In the 1970s, the
Supreme Court banned the use of capital punishment based, in part, on the 7th
Amendment. More recently, the issue of
youthful offenders has raised similar questions. Should children under the age of 18 who
commit serious crimes be tried as adults?
Should youthful offenders spend time in adult jails? Is this cruel and unusual punishment? These are very difficult questions and these
presentations examined a number of perspectives on these controversial topics.
Many students were interested
in the many constitutional amendments designed to protect the rights of the
accused. Why did the Founding Fathers
pay so much attention to this? The students
understood the answer right away: After facing British (in)justice for so long,
they did not want to create a government that could use the law to mistreat its
own citizens. For that reason, the
students noted, we have things like the right to a speedy public trial, the
right to a lawyer, due process.
Is the U.S. Constitution
still relevant today? After learning
about the many Constitutional issues in the news today, LCCS American History
students gave a resounding yes. The
Constitution defines the proper role of government and protects individual
rights as well. That, the 8th
graders understood, is the basis of our democratic system.
Steve Krinsky is
a longtime Middle School Social Studies teacher. He is also a founder of
the school and was an LCCS parent for the school's first 12 years. Dr.
Krinsky has a PhD in Sociology from the University of Texas.
