Constitution in the News at LCCS Middle School

8^th 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 5^th 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 8^th 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 7^th 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 7^th 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 8^th 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.