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Constitutional timeline

General Overview

The Cheyenne were North American Plains Indians, or in other words peoples of the Great Plains or Canadian Praries. Specifically they inhabitted the areas around the Arkansas rivers during the 19th century. Furthermore, they were a hunting and gathering tribe that also practiced pottery and farming.

CHEYENNE TRIBE

First point of contact

The first recorded contact with foreign setlets or in this case with Europeans was documented by french colonistsnear Peoria, Illinois. The tribe began to relocate more often as the westward explansion of their foreign counterparts pushed the further and further westward.

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Cheyenne Meaning: The name Cheyenne was actually dereived from two other words, Shyela and Shaina. The meaning behind them are "red talkers" or "people of the "little cree". Other sources say that the Cheyenne actually call themseles tistsistas which menas "beautiful people or "like hearted people. "

Language spoken: The language spoken is actually called Cheyenne too. Its a dialect that orginates from the Plains Algonquian branch of the Algic language family. the language is also closely related to Arapaho and Blackfoot (other Native American languages).

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Traditions: The Cheyenne were very spiritual people that believe in the earth, the skies, animals and that all of nature has deeply interconnected parts. In order to honor these beliefs, the tribe performs Sun Dance in which they believe a guardian spirit channels powers upon individuals as they dance.

Food Source: Because the Cheyenne were peoples who relied on farming and rasing crops, their main food sources were corn, beans and squash. When they started to hunt, they also began to consume rabbits and deer.

Cheyenne Homes

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The Peoples of the Cheyenne tribe lived in tepees which were tent like homes. They consisted of wooden like columns covered by a water proof covering usually made of animal skins. They were triangular in shape with a circular base that when put together looked like an inverted cone. They had flaps for doors to enable an easy entrance and exit.

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Brief Overview:

First Amendment

The first amendment of the United states constitution is the first "rule" in the bill of rights. This amendment guarantees Americans the right to religion, expression, assembly, and the right to petition. It also prohibits the government from persecuting anyone for voicing any of these things. This amendment proclaims that citizens have a right to call the government out for any type of violations or injustness. Many claim it is crucial for the maintenance of a democratic government. However, there are limits to this amendment. For example, people are not free to say anything they want. If statements encourage violence toward a certain group of people, or bring direct physical harm, they are prohibited.

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Why was it created?

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The primary reason the first amendment was created was to enable active criticism of the government. Back in england, there had been too much restriction and silencing of the public, especially when it came to the opposition of political leaders. In addition to this, one of the values that the United States constitution advocated for was Freedom, and creating this amendment manifested that value. Guaranteeing people the right to speech and religion for example, gave American citizens a notion of freedom and liberty.

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Negative impacts:

- Some potential negative impacts created by the establishment of the first amendment might include the fact that the limits are not particularly strict. If a speech initiates violence, it is not allowed, however, there is no mention about brining psychological damage to a group of people. If someone were to deliver a racist, sexist or homophobic statement that attacks a direct group of people, they would get away with it. I don't think this is particularly moral, but it's pretty difficult to draw a line. Another negative impact, is that it allows certain radical groups who are often advocating very unacceptable values to exist. An example would be the American Nazi party, or the KKK. Both of these groups advocate for Xenophobia, racism or straight forward harm toward a groups of people.

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Positive Impacts:

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- I believe that there are many positive impacts the Amendment brought to the society of the United States. First, It gave people a very clear sense of freedom. Allowing an individual or a group of people to freely express their opinions, practice their religions and protest freely (for example) allows them to feel listened to and included within a large community. Furthermore, it gives Americans the right to live in a democracy. This is very important because in order to have functioning and efficient countries, people have to be able to criticize and voice their values without fear of government interference.

Court Case: (Board of education, Island Trees union Free School District)

- An example of a courtcase, is the proposal to ban books at aschool or any kind of educaiton center. In 1975, 3 board members of a school sought the removal of books they deemed as inappropriate from the stand point of a conservative political organization. First, the board mandated a removal of the books from the library so that they could read thorugh the books. Their claim to remove the books was that they were "Anti-American, Anti-Christian, Anti-semitic and just plain filthy".

- The case was taken to court and the court determined that school boards did not have the right to remove booksfrom school shelves simply because they advocated forhtings they disagreed with. The board could not ban them because they did not fit their standard of what was "appropriate".

- This case is an example of an attempt to limit free speech. While trying to ban books, this school board was violating the Authors' rights to express their opinion and point of view. It went against the ideal that everyone should have access to all kinds of information, even if sometimes it's deemed as inappropriate by somebody's stantdards.

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Overview/Personal Opinion

Second Amendment

The Second amendment of he United States constitution protects the individual right to possess and keep arms. In other words, this amendment guarantees an individual to own a weapon for traditional purposes such as self defense. Individuals may carry a gun with them in public places, unless they enter a private property in which guns are prohibited. Although I believe this constitutional right may have been necessary in the past, I do not belive that every American citizen should be entitled to have such dangerous weaponry. In my opinion (one that is often backed up by statistical data) guns are taking more lives than they are saving. Although that statement could argually be reversed, I believe that guns only serve to perpetuate violence and harm to American citizens. School shootings, or mass shootings in general, are an obvious example as to why the second Amendment is doing more harm than good.

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Why was it created?

- The original idea behind the creation of the Second Amendment has to do with protecting citizen's rights to counteract any tyrannal federal government. Giving people the access to keep and bear arms, guaranteed them safety if they were to ever face a cruel and oppressive government. What this means, is that they had a way out, in theory. It was also created to protect American civillians from any unprecedented attack, or in other words, as a form of self defense.

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What type of restrictions have local and state government put on weapons?

- Many local goverments have implemented gun free zones. Often where there is private property, people are given the permission to put up signs that ban guns within a limited perimeter. There are also limits in high risk zones, such as schools, where there are lots of vulnerable minors that could be harmed. Governments have also put limits on the kinds of weaponry that can be possessed. No automatic firearms, short barrelled guns, or short barrelled rifles.

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What laws have local and state governments proposed?

- Some governmetns have proposed the idea of an open carry, while others have proposed the idea of a concealed carry. What this means is that while some states allow individuals to carry guns out inthe public, iwhtout needing to hide them while other states preferthat individuals carry guns in a concealed manner.

Do you supportor oppose these restrictions?

- To be honest, I am someone who is very against gunpossesion, whether or not it is concealed or anopen carry. I do not believe that by hiding guns (concealed carry) there is much being done at all. I understandthe argument that many people give when defending their gun rights, but I overall, I think that the harm that guns bring to the world (especially to American society) completely outweighs the positive.

Is it still valid today? Why was it included in the bill of rights?

- The founding fathers included the right to keep and bear arms because they thought it was crucial to a free state. I do not believe that the second Amendmend right is very valid today simply because it is a completely different time. Since the publification of the Bill of Rights, the world has innovated both socially and technologically, and I really don't see a place for guns in the society that we live in today. I think they bring a lot more harm to people than they do good, so owning a weapon that can be the inflictor of such pain could not possibly be a good thing at all.

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Why do you think gun control is controversial?

- Gun control is a very controversial topic because the statement in which it was worded has a lot of room for interpretation. People tend to read the statement and only see the things they want to see. This often happens when a statement is broad. What this means is that when things are not specifically said or mentioned, people tend to give it their own meaning. This in turn, causes controversy. People who are against gun laws do not think they are violating the second amendment, and people who are pro-guns feel it is their right to have a gun. Both have opinions based on their own interpretations, and thus do not seem to comprehend the other side.

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Fifth Amendment

What right does the Fifth Amendment to the Constitution protect?

The fifth amendment right of the constition guarantees citizens of the United states to remain silent, or refrain from self incrimination. In most contexts, Americans can refuse to speak about a proposed allegation, or remeain silent in situations with the purpose to deflect blame from themselves. This amendment applies to both criminal cases and civil legal proceedings

Do you think if someone uses the fifth amendment is an admission of guilt?

To be honest, it all depends on the context in which the fifth amendment is pledged. In the case of Donald Trump for example, I think it is an example of an admission of guilt because of his past opinions were contradictive to his current choices. However, if someone is put in a very uncomfortable situation in which they believe it is best to remain silent, then I believe that it is justifiable. WHich means hat In my opinion it is not always an admission of guilt.

Why was the 5th amendment created?

- The reason the fifth amendment was created was to ensure that an individual would not be tricked into self-incrimination, or serve as a witness to their own judicial proceeding. This is important because often lawyers or other people involved in judicial trials can manipulate witnesses into saying things they really don't believe in, or haven't done at all. In fact, this is what leads individuals to confessing to things they are innocent of. In other cases, some individuals may find themselves in situations that they are uncomfortable speaking about, and thus may have a right to remain silent regarding the manner.

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Why did the Founders include the Fifth Amendment in the Bill of Rights? Do you think that their reasons are still valid today?

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- The main reason that the Founding fathers included the fifth amendment in the bill of rights was because they thought it was important to ensure that anyone accused of a crime was given every opportunity possible to prove their innocence. This was an essential right because taking any action against an individual who did not commit a crime would be severely consequential for that person and for the court. If it was later found out that the individual was innocent, the court coud face some serious repercussions.

Why do you think people assume the fifth suggests the defendant is guilty?

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I think a lot of people assume that the fifth amendment suggests a defendant is guilty simply because they do not understand the context in which the amendment is used. A lot of the time the amendment is pledged when an individual refuses to address allegations of a crime. Although sometimes it is indeed to deflect blame, it doesn't mean that every individual who pledges it is in the same situation. People choose to stay silent for all kinds of reasons, and so it would be naive to assume that people pledge this amendment for the sole reason that they are guilty. It is an unrealistic assumption, and is thus, untrue.

13th Amendment

Reconstruction

- The thirteenth amendment is one of the three amendments that served to re structure American Society. Although these amendments did not have immediate effects, they shaped american society in ways that were unimaginable before. This specific amendment abolished slavery or any kind of compulsory servitude without compensation. This also included any kind of involuntary labor like African Americans working on white owned plantations, for example. Although this amendment was 'intended' to reshape the relationship between white people and black people, it did not really do so in the immediate aftermath of its legitimation. Infact, many black people found themselves in very similar situations after the amendment was established, with only minor (if any), improved changes.

Who opposed? Who was affected?

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- Both democrats and the confederacy opposed the legimization of the 13th amendment. Some argued that the constitution guaranteed the right to own slaves and that introducing this amendment would violate an aready established privilage. Others, like southeners who owned slaves in their plantations, obvioulsy relied on this system of coerced labor to earn capital.

- It is pretty clear that almost everyone in the United States was affected by the abolishment of Slavery. That may include the slaves themselves, of course, who were now considered free people, to white people who could no longer consider these people as their property.

Fight for the 13th Amendment

- The 13th amendment of the United states constitution was one established in the aftermath of the civil war (1865). This war was fought between confederate soldiers and union soldiers who either advocated for the abolishment of slavery, or the keeping of slavery (two polar sides). President Lincoln was opposed to slavery and deemed it as a morally evil act, and thus, in simple terms, he passed the emancipation proclamation. This did not end slavery however, it only prohibitted it from the confederate states. In 1864, the U.S Senate passed a proposed amendment which would ban slavaery, however it faltered as democrats refused to support it. After a prolongued fight however, the Amendment was finally passed by the senate in 1865, with a vote of 119 to 56.

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Court Case

- One court case that is related to the 13th amendment of the United States Constitution is the United States v. Reynolds. In this case, the Supreme court did some investigation regarding a law in Alabama that permitted a form of unpaid labor, which thus violated the 13th amendment. The law stated that if a convict was in debt to a specific individual, then they would instead work for the person to pay of their debt, instead of serving time in jail. the government found that this law violated the constitution as it was a type of coerced labor. Laws similiar to this found in Florida and Georgia were also deemed as unconstitutional, and in consequence, revoked.

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(Coerced Labor in Alabama)

General Overview:

14th Amendment

Reconstruction

- The 14th amendment of the United states constitution is another of the reconstruction amendments that shaped American society into what it is today. This amendment states that all people born within the country are granted citizenship and protection under the law. This amendment also includes ex-slaves as long as they were born in America. Although this all sounds very accepting and unifying on paper, it was long after that African Americans were considered 'equals' in society. Arguably, one could say that we are not yet at that point, regarless of how much the situation has improved. This amendment was ratified in the year 1868, however segration continued well into the 20th century.

Court Case:

- A court case related to the 14th amendment was the case of Ward v. Flood. This case depicts the story of an 11 year old child who was denied admission to a school because of her race. The family of the child brought the case to court, arguing that their rights had been violated. In theory, they had complete right to admission, and a person's race should not interfere with their right to education. Thus, the principal of the public white - only school was compelled to admit the young lady into the school, as she was rightfully entitled to do so.

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Fight for the Amendment

- The procuration of the 14th amendment also came after the civil war. Because it was one of the reconstruction amendments, it was fought for by the union of the United states. Their goal was to give African Americans their freedom as well as guarantee rights that were previously denied to them and only enjoyed by the white. After the struggle that was the civil war, anyone born within the United states was guaranteed equal rights under the law, and official citizenship.

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Who opposed? Who was affected?

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- There were many individuals who opposed the 14th amendment. However, I would like to talk about a group of people (southeners) and President Johnson. First, President Johnson was for the emancipation proclamation, which granted freedom to all enslaved people, but was opposed to the granting of equal rights. He espressed his discontent right before the Amendment was ratified. Many southerners were also opposed to the ratification of this amendment. If black people for example, were granted the same rights as white folk, then the hierarchy in society was going to change. This meant that they could not 'legally' deny them of any privilage.

Again, many people were affected, but I would like to focus on black people specifically. Although they were granted equal rights, they still faced abuse and discrimination. It takes a lot to change societal views, and the establishment of an amendment was not going to change that from one day to another.

19th Amendment

- The 19th amendment of the United states constitution was ratified on August 18th, 1920, which is only a mere 102 years ago. This amendment guranteed that no American citizen could be denied the right to vote based on their sex, thus giving women suffrage. This achievement came only after decades of struggle and protest which meant that many of the women who initiated the fight did not live to see the victory.

Women's Suffrage

- It all started in the early 1800s, when women began to organize petitions, protests and strikes in order to bring attention to their cause. Many challenged constitutional voting laws through written texts, however others began to take part in more confrontational forms of retaliation. All in all, it was only until the end of the 19th century (1878) that the 19th amendment was first introduced in Congress. The campaign for women's suffrage was a very complicated and lengthy one, as the 19th amendment did not include all women at all. African american women, and women from other minorities were excluded from this amendment and it would be a long time before they could properly vote.

Court case

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- Although this court case took place before the 19th amendment was ratified, it is still very much related to women's suffrage. In 1872, several women from the National Woman Suffrage asociation decided to register to vote. Susan B. Anthony was able to register and vote in New York. Later on, she was found out and sent to court where she was found guilty and fined 100 dollars. Susan never payed the fine and instead said "the only chance women have for justice in this country is to violate the law, as I have done, and as I shall continue to do." In the aftermath of the case, Susan was mocked and even cartoons of her depicted as a masculine woman were printed in the paper, however she never stopped advocating for what she belived was right.

Who opposed the changes? Who was indirectly affected?

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- Opposition: Just as there were men and woman that advocated for woman suffrage, there were also men and women who opposed these ideas. These groups of people argued that the place for a woman was at home and that because of this they would have no time to stay updated on politics. Many also argued that women lacked the judgement, expertise or mental capacity to take part in such important decisions.

- Indirectly Affected: Individuals who were affected by women's suffrage apart from women, were polititians. Now that they had a much broader group of people that they had to appeal to, they had to change their tactics and ways of interacting with the public to ensure that they had the most votes possible.

8th Amendment

Independent Research

- The 8th amendment of the United states constitution states that no cruel punishment shall be inflicted upon a citizen. Neither shall exessive bail nor excessive fining be imposed. Bail is the quantity of money that an individual can pay the court in order to avoid jailtime before a trial. A judge would fairly set bail based on how much the defendant is worth, and thus this amendment states that it cannot be excessive. This amendment also talks about the death penalty, and how individual states can decide whether or not to impose it. Cruel punishment is also mentioned in this amendment and it basically prohibits the federal government from commiting any kind of excessive psychological or physical punishment.

Court case: Atkins V. Virginia

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- In this case, Petitioner Atkins was convicted of murder and related crimes by the Virginia court, who as a punishment, had sentenced him to the death penalty. Because Atkins was a mentally challenged individual, the 8th amendment would classify this type of punishment as cruel and unfit. It was deemed as unproportional and without justification, as the court is required to empathize on a greater scale with individuals who are intellectually challenged.

Who opposed changes? Who was indirectly affected?

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- Because the 8th amendment is one that protects citizens and is enforced by the federeal government, there is barely any opposition. This amendment protects the right of citizens from receiving any unjust and cruel treatment from the government as consequence to any type of crime, and thus it would not make sense to oppose this addition to the constitution. Those who are indirectly affected by the 8th amendment include the government officials who are determining defendants' sentences. Obviously, the criminal defendants would be the first affected, as their fates are the ones being set, however the criminal justice system would have to change their approach to sentencing. They would have to ensure that each sentence is well deserved and justifyable under the law.

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