What is our most essential Right?
Critical Analysis
Find answers to the following questions using the visual above, any links below, your big brain, and your knowledge of American government and politics:
According to the chart above, of the following rights, which do Americans think is the least important: freedom of speech, the right to vote, the right to privacy, freedom of religion, the right to own guns?
Why do you think that is?
What is one consequence of Americans' enduring love of freedom of speech?
What other Amendments (not listed above) would you personally describe as indispensable to your sense of freedom?
Is the right to vote protected in the Bill of Rights?*
How would you personally rank these five freedoms on a scale of most to least essential to your freedom and how do you think the average American Republican and Democrat would rank these five freedoms:
If you were an autocratic government, determined to take away citizens' rights (think Russian President Putin, or Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, or Rhode Island Governor Daniel J. McKee) explain which of those five rights would you first take away.* This is hypothetical - don't actually do this!!!!!
What's wrong with Americans that we no longer consider our Third Amendment freedom from having to quarter soldiers as essential to our freedom????!!!! Wake up America!
That Third Amendment right, which seemed essential in 1787 is more or less obsolete today. The Framers also were concerned about an overreaching national government and thus protected the right of states to form militias (2nd Amendment). Do you think that this idea is equally obsolete?
Imagine Americans wanted to abolish the 2nd and 3rd Amendment (we've abolished amendments before). Outline the steps Americans would need to take to do this?
Social Studies Lab
AP Government & Politics
Which Rights Matter Most to You?
A national Pew Research survey asked Americans to rank key rights central to their sense of freedom. Now it's your turn — how do you rank them?
🐾 Hi! I'm Roger!
I'm the official mascot of Social Studies Lab. My job is to sniff out the most important rights! Drag and rank the 5 rights below — then see how your class compares to all Americans. Let's go!
Rank These Rights
Drag to reorder from most important (top) to least important (bottom) to your personal sense of freedom.
Live Results
See how AP Government students compare to the national Pew survey
Woof! The results are in! See how your class compares to all Americans below. Notice anything surprising?
Side-by-Side Comparison
% who say each right is essential to their sense of freedom
🇺🇸 National Ranking
📚 AP Gov Ranking
Write and Discuss
Take ten minutes to write about the question at the top of the page and then discuss with your classmates.
Act on your Learning
Contact President Donald J. Trump or tweet him at @realDonaldTrump and suggest one thing he could do to guarantee our rights.
Get Creative
Create a poem, song, or rap about what is happening to the most essential rights in the U.S.
Learn More
Read the Pew research Report on The Five Freedoms.
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