How can I explain the bill of rights to my seventh grade class?
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You should get the school house rock videos. That is how I learned. "I'm just a bill...and I'm sitting here on Capital Hill" I was a junior in high school when I was that thing but for some reason it stuck...Never underestimate childrens programs.
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For a technical historical answer, contact Jon Roland of the Constitution Society http://www.constitution.org\n\nTraditionally, the Bill of Rights defines specific rights of citizens that were not spelled out in the Constitution, in an attempt to reinforce these as reserved to the people where government could not infringe: (1) free exercise of religion, freedom of speech or of the press, right to peaceably assemble and to petition the government (2) right to bear arms with respect to militia (3) freedom from quartering of soldiers (4) right to security and freedom from unreasonable searches and seizures (5) freedom from self-incrimination (6 and 7) right to speedy public trial, legal defense and other due process procedures, and right to trial by jury and freedom from double jeopardy (8) freedom from cruel or unusual punishment or excessive fines or bails (9 and 10) protection of rights regardless of enumeration and reservation of rights to States or the people not otherwise delegated or prohibited under the Constitution.\n\nHowever, if the existence of these laws in writing were enough to reinforce equal checks and balances, there would not have been a need to add the Fourteenth Amendment about "equal protection under the law." I find this concept of "equal protection" necessary to apply the Bill of Rights fairly to respect the consent of all the governed parties, instead of favoring some interests over others in violation of the Code of Ethics for Government Service (see Public Law 96-303, 1980).\n\nIn practice, I find that only the educated practice and agreed enforcement of Constitutional rights guarantees these to anyone. The First Amendment especially reflects natural laws that govern all humanity -- every human being desires free exercise to act, free speech and press to communicate, and the right peaceably to assemble and to petition as part of due process. Collectively, our individual rights become the three functions of government -- from establishing and interpreting laws and contracts by written and spoken word, to exercising individual freedom and authority, and assembling in protest or petition to represent and defend our interests whether in courts or Congress, or school, churches or other institutions.\n\nAs individuals learn to balance our natural rights with those of others, and between the level of the individual to the collective level of government, that is when we will realize the checks and balances intended between the three branches of government, as well as the levels of government of local, state, and federal. \n\nhttp://www.houstonprogressive.org/isocracy.html
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Bill of Rights.\n\n(but Drama Guy's answer four below mine is the best)
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read the constitution and ammendments
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http://www.house.gov/house/Educate.shtml \nalong with access to the Federalist Papers Declaration of Indepence and other American Historical documents
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Your rights are not dependant on the Constitution but predate it in Common Law.  The Constitution is specifically about creating a general government for the States.  \n\nThe Bill of rights is not a list of personal rights (refer to Article IX of the Amendments).  The first eight articles are statements excluding the federal (general) government from doing specific things.  The last two are declaratory statements of basic truths in part underscoring the fact that individual rights are to numerous too list.\n\nRead Thomas Jefferson’s Kentucky Resolution, preferably his first draft. \n\nBy the way the Constitution of the United States is not long, it is only seven Articles of which the longest only has 10 Sections.  It is written in clear, easy to understand English.
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I believe the basics are: \n1. Obey laws.\n2. Pay your taxes honestly.\n3. Vote & be an informed voter.\n4. Have a basic understanding of how the three branches of the federal government work (this is basically covered in the constitution).\n5. Know who your congressperson & senators are.\n6. Know the bill of rights.\n\nOne thing that I want to specifically point out as NOT being necessary is:\n1. Being a Christian\n2. Believing that our country was based on Christian values (it wasn't).\n\nIf you want to go into advanced mode the other things you could do are:\n1. Work for the government in some capacity.\n2. Police, fire fighter, military, etc.\n3. Learn about the history of the US.\n4. Be able to understand both the good and bad things this country has done in the past.\n5. Understand some of the more important court cases before the Supreme Court.\n6. Be able to identify real (not imagined) biases in news media.  Have an understanding of what is sometimes called the "4th estate" - the news media.\n7. Know about significant civil rights & liberties movements in US history.\n8. Know how the Federal Reserve manages monetary policy and how Congress manages fiscal policy and what effects this has on the general economy.\n9. Think for yourself.\n10. Encourage good relationships between people of different ethnicities that live here by maintaining & encourage mature, civil discourse.\n\nSuper-Advanced Mode:\n1. Understand the Enlightenment and how it's values contributed to our constitution.\n2. Understand our country's relationship to communism and the cold war.\n3. Understand capitalism, mass consumerism, trust busting, deregulation, trade unions, the great depression, globalization and corporate scandals.\n4. Understand current political ideology & rhetoric.  Know who says what, why and for whom.
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Conflicts between liberty and order....officers of the peace!\n\nThe Bill of Rights was necessary....many state leaders feared  that without it, personal freedoms could be lost. They wanted them included or they would not ratify the Constitution. Due process....check the rights of the accused in the Constitution...Aamendment 5 if memory serves
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The bill of rights defines the powers granted to the goverment when conducting criminal investigations (4,5,6,7).  It also defines the rights that citizens have that cannot be impeached upon by laws created at any level of government.
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The Bill of Rights are the original 10 amendments to the Constitution. The Founding Fathers felt uneasy as they thought their Constitution did not do enough to protect the basic Civil Liberties of the American people so they created the Bill of Rights (hence the name.) The Bill of Rights covers things like freedom of the press, right to trial, equal protection under the law, and the right to own a bear arms. The Federalist Papers are explanations written by the Founding Fathers in hope to clear up some of the incredibly vague language used.
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Read the 4th, 5th, and 6th articles of the Constitution. One of them has the answer.
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Power, control, because you allow it. Protest is a right of every citizen, just like all our other rights it must be demanded, protected, and peacefully asserted. If you are truly interested in protecting your rights, formulate a plan to change your school policy. Start a club or student rights organization, get someone on the debate team to enter a question regarding student rights, print up bumper stickers. Find out which teachers might be sympathetic to your cause ask them for suggestions, just remember, there is strength in numbers; do not isolate yourself and always be reasonable and positive, it will draw people to your arguments. Good Luck!
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Go to youthrights.org, they have all sorts of stuff on this sort of thing.  It's ridiculous the way kids are treated in school, but it can't go on forever--pretty soon, they'll get so outrageous that people will take notice.\n\nAnd, alexa2829, kids DO have rights.  How would you like it if you were told that you have no rights, not even to the basic necessities of life, just because of your age?  If a parent withholds the rights to eat, drink, sleep, or go to the bathroom, they could be charged with child abuse, but from teachers it's expected.  You make me sick.
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Tell them it's not a democracy, have them do a project to find out what is the name of the form of government school systems are based on (dictatorship), and find other examples "in real life" where the democracy does not play a part.  (In the U.S.) (Primarily the work force, schools, military, etc...)\nMake sure they know they will be graded on their efforts, and there are correct and incorrect answers.\n\nIf they complain about the extra work or that it is not the subject of the class, just mention that they brought it up so since they think it's a democracy you have to rule with the majority until proven otherwise.  Give them a due date immediately that cannot be changed.
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Ask your teacher. If you can get it back, you may use the paragraph provided you put it in quotes and give the source.\n\ns
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"We the people, in order to form a more perfect Union, establish justice and ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty, to ourselves and our posterity do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America"\n\nTranslation:  We're making this constitution for us and our children, in order to: \n1. create a new country \n2. figure out how we're going to pass laws \n3. defend ourselves and create a national army \n4. help people live in safety and health \n5. make sure we all keep certain freedoms\n\n"Freedom" is easy to create.  The problem is how to make it last, and the writers of the constitution did a pretty good job, more or less.
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You can find information online and at your local library.  Here are some links to get you started.\n\nThe Department of Justice page on civil rights written for kids in grades 6-12:\nhttp://www.usdoj.gov/kidspage/crt/crtmenu.htm\n\nHere's the ACLU's youth page:\nhttp://www.aclu.org/freedomwire/index.html\n\nAnd of course the Wikipedia page:\nhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_rights\n\nYou can do a google search for "civil rights," or any specific subtopic that interests you.  You can also go to your local library and search their catalogs.  Try asking the librarian to help you find information - that's what they're their for!  Also, you can ask the teacher next door who's teaching it if he/she can recommend any books or other materials.  Don't know if you don't know him/her - he/she will be impressed that you're even asking!\n\nEdit: I just looked at your question on contracts and I think I may have been wrong to send you to the kids pages.  But I hope it helps anyway.