After reading this chapter, you should be able to:

• Define rights and liberties and their role in a democratic society.
• Explain how the Bill of Rights relates to the federal government and to the states.
• Describe how the First Amendment protects both church and state, as well as individuals’ religious freedom.
• Show how the protections of freedom of speech and of the press have been tested.
• Give examples of different interpretations of the Second Amendment’s meaning.
• Describe the protections afforded criminal defendants under the Constitution.
• Discuss the extent of an individual’s right to privacy.
• Compare the idea of civil rights with civil obligations.