The Sixth Amendment provides rights and protections to people accused of crimes. These include the right to a speedy and public trial by an impartial jury; the right to be informed of the charges; the right to confront adverse witnesses, and the right to counsel.

The Sixth Amendment guarantees a criminal defendant the right to have an attorney defend him or her at trial. That right is not dependent on the defendant's ability to pay an attorney; if a defendant cannot afford a lawyer, the government is required to provide one. The right to counsel is more than just the right to have an attorney physically present at criminal proceedings. The assistance provided by the attorney must be effective.

The Sixth Amendment right to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusationâ is another protection meant to ensure that the accused receives a fair trail. A speedy, public trial that is heard by an impartial jury is meaningless if a defendant is left in the dark about exactly the crime with which he or she is charged.

Without this right, criminal defendants could be held indefinitely under a cloud of unproven criminal accusations. The right to a speedy trial also is crucial to ensuring that a criminal defendant receives a fair trial. If too much time elapses between the alleged crime and the trial, witnesses may die or leave the area, their memories may fade, and physical evidence may be lost.

The Sixth Amendment provides many protections and rights to a person accused of a crime. One right is to have his or her case heard by an impartial jury — independent people from the surrounding community who are willing to decide the case based only on the evidence.

Case background and primary source documents concerning the Supreme Court case of Tinker v. Des Moines. Dealing with students rights and the First Amendment's protection of free speech, this lesson asks students to evaluate the extent to which the First Amendment should protect symbolic speech, and the degree to which that protection should be guaranteed to students in public schools.

The Supreme Court decided that the students had the right to wear the armbands because they did not disrupt the educational mission of the school. Justice Abe Fortas stated that no one expects students to “shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate.” This resource includes teacher materials, guides, and activities for teaching about this Supreme Court case.

In this lesson, students are introduced to the three functions of government (legislative, judicial, and executive) through a story about an overworked king who must handle all the tasks of government. Next, students are given descriptions of the three functions of government and asked to match tasks to departments (lawmakers, executives, and judges). Finally, students create job descriptions for lawmakers, executives, and judges. Access to this resource requires a free educator login.

This lesson asks students to examine recent proposed amendments to the U.S. Constitution, analyze them for public policy triggering mechanisms, and compare and contrast them to amendments that have been ratified.

Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration. This is a music video sung to the tune of the same name, but with the Declaration of Independence as the subject of the song--students love it!

Too Late to Apologize: A Declaration. This is a music video sung to the tune of the same name, but with the Declaration of Independence as the subject of the song--students love it!

If your knowledge of Supreme Court scandals begins and ends with the tumultuous Senate confirmation process of Justice Brett Kavanaugh in October 2018, you will either be relieved or horrified to learn that he was by no means the first jurist with a less-than-pristine reputation. From the judge who refused to listen to cases argued by women, to a former KKK member, bad behavior on the nation's highest court is not that uncommon. Here are a few of the juiciest scandals.

The US Constitution was written by delegates to the Constitutional Convention held in 1787. However, it wasn't ratified until June 21, 1788. While many of us have studied the US Constitution in high school, how many of us remember each of the Seven Articles and what's contained in them? There are many fascinating features tucked away in the text of the Constitution. Here are six interesting items that you might not remember or realize are included in the constitution.

This trial in colonial times helped define freedom of press in America. Access to this resource requires a free educator login.

That all men are created equal” is a high and mighty concept, but far from the reality of Virginia in the 18th century. How do we reconcile a body of law that does not live up to our highest ideals?

A list of 25 landmark cases in the history of the Supremem Court of the United States of America

In this lesson, students will explore the views of the founders concerning the relationship between Church and State. They will examine quotes from the founders regarding the relationship of Church and State, as well as analyze excerpts from primary source documents concerning this relationship.

On May 25, 1787, the fifty-five delegates to the Constitutional Convention began meeting in a room, no bigger than a large schoolroom, in Philadelphia’s State House. They posted sentries at the doors and windows to keep their "secrets from flying out." They barred the press and public, and took a vow not to reveal to anyone the words spoken there. There were speeches of two, three, and four hours. The convention, which lasted four months, took only a single eleven-day break. Explore these primary sources to learn more.

On September 25, 1789, Congress transmitted to the state Legislatures twelve proposed amendments to the Constitution. Numbers three through twelve were adopted by the states to become the United States (U.S.) Bill of Rights, effective December 15, 1791.