Class Update: 9/21&9/24

Due to the half day on Friday, we unfortunately did not have history class, and instead attended an entertaining assembly about school activities. Today, after clarifying class questions about current assignments, we became the defensive lawyers for a mock case in which a group of partygoers, a landowner, and Madonna were arrested and punished by the government. Using the Bill of Rights, which gives Americans rights in respect to the actions of the government and limits governmental powers, groups identified conflicts between the Bill of Rights and how the case was dealt with. For example, all citizens have a right to a trial by jury, but the partygoers were given a bench trial without a jury. Madonna was hanged for writing a non-Puritan song, which violates the right to religious freedom in the 1st Amendment and the ban of cruel and unusual punishment in the 8th Amendment. I enjoyed this activity because I feel better informed about my rights as a citizen of the United States.