In our democracy, however, the Supreme Court has stepped in and decided that the First Amendment will protect the very tiny percentage of the American population that wishes to burn the flag as a display of political opposition. When such an overwhelming majority agrees on something, in a democracy the majority should prevail. For example, public opinion polls show that well over 95 percent of Americans feel that burning the American flag should be illegal. For this reason, many issues raised by civil liberties generally rise above the political process, where the majority generally prevails. It is for the very small minority of Americans that find themselves victims of constitutional violations that we find the greatest strength of the Bill of Rights. The vast majority of Americans will go through life without ever having their constitutional rights trampled on. Second, it’s fair to say that while the Constitution sets up a system of government based on principles of representative democracy, the Bill of Rights exists to protect the minority, not the majority. The right of the public to know information about the lives of politicians and other high-profile figures, for example, must often be balanced by the right those citizens have to their own privacy. Instead of absolute rights, courts have to constantly balance competing interests in deciding where the limits of our rights lie. You aren’t allowed to libel or slander someone, for example, or incite a crowd into a riot. For example, the First Amendment states that “Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech.” In fact, there are many laws that limit the freedom of speech. First, there are no absolute rights, in spite of the wording of any specific amendment. In particular, we’ll examine the First, Fifth, and Fourteenth amendments.īefore we begin, it’s worth making some observations about civil liberties generally. In this section we’ll take a closer look at how these rights apply to businesses. Although the Constitution does not contain the word “corporation,” corporations have some characteristics of being a “person,” so various courts have held that several of these civil rights also apply to business entities.
When we speak of civil liberties protected in the Constitution, we often think of how these liberties apply to people. Within two years, the Bill of Rights had garnered the necessary votes to become law. In 1789, the same year the Constitution went into effect, Congress proposed ten amendments to the Constitution, a package that became known as the Bill of Rights The first ten amendments to the U.S. Others believed that the Constitution created a strong federal government and that a written declaration of rights was therefore critically necessary. Some believed that the British common-law system implicitly protected civil liberties, so a written declaration of rights wasn’t necessary. During the debate surrounding the Constitution, there was much discussion about whether or not an explicit protection of civil liberty was necessary. The ink on the Constitution was barely dry when the first Congress began turning its attention to amending it. Learn how the equal protection clause protects companies from government discrimination.Discuss how the due process clause protects companies from arbitrary government action.Explore how the First Amendment protects a company’s right to speak.Learn how the Constitution protects the civil liberties of business entities.Which job would you choose? Why would you choose that job over the other? (1 point)ģ. Using the information you've been given about the fast-food job and the gardening job, complete the chart below. When finished, the chart presents a clear picture of what you stand to gain and what you stand to lose when you choose one alternative over another. It usually begins by creating a chart that lists the benefits and the costs of each choice. A cost-benefit analysis is an organized process that individuals and businesses can use to analyze decisions. But they don't usually organize their likesĪnd dislikes in a way that allows for a meaningful comparison. People often make decisions about their different options based on what they like and dislike about them.