RealWorldGraduation_Question_29 <– PDF
Article 2, Section 1 of the U. S. Constitution requires the President to take the following oath of office:
“I do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will faithfully execute the Office of the President of the United States, and will to the best of my ability, preserve, protect, and defend the Constitution of the United States”.
An integral part of preserving, protecting, and defending the Constitution is preserving the rights of the people. The rights of individuals specifically called out in the Constitution and its first ten amendments are:
1) Habeas corpus (right to challenge detainment)
2) Freedom of speech
3) Freedom of the press
4) Freedom of religion
5) Freedom to keep and bear arms
6) Freedom from bearing the expense of quartering soldiers
7) Freedom from arbitrary search and seizure (searches require warrants signed by a judge, with testimony under oath by the officials seeking the warrant)
8) Federal indictment only by grand jury
9) No double jeopardy (a person can only be tried once for the same crime)
10) Immunity from self-incrimination
11) Due process of law
12) Compensation for property allocated for public use
13) Speedy and public trial
14) Cross-examination of witnesses in criminal trials
15) Counsel for defense in criminal trials
16) Trial by jury
17) Facts found by a jury not reviewable by a court
18) Prohibition of excessive bail
19) Prohibition of excessive fines
20) Prohibition of cruel and unusual punishments.
Also, rights not specifically mentioned are reserved to the people (individuals) or to the states. Based on your understanding of American history, which three would you rate as the worst Presidents with regard to preserving the rights of the people? The letter after their name indicates their part affiliation (F refers to Federalist, R indicates Republican, N indicates None, D indicates Democrat, D-R indicates Democrat-Republican, which later became the Democratic Party in the 1820’s).
a) Alexander Hamilton (F), Aaron Burr (F), and Benjamin Franklin (F)
b) Richard M. Nixon (R), Gerald R. Ford (R), and George Washington (N)
c) George H. W. Bush (41) (R), James E. Carter (D), and Thomas Jefferson (D-R)
d) Walter Mondale (D), Barry Goldwater (R), and Alf Landon (R)
e) Three among those listed in groups b) and c)
(The answer is on p. 2 of the PDF.)
