The Bill of Rights

Preview:

Subject: AP US History · The First Ten Amendments 

Short Description: The first ten amendments weren't given — they were demanded. This cinematic indie-folk anthem is sung in the voice of the people who fought for them, walking you through all ten in order, plus the analytical framework AP graders look for. The Bill of Rights, finally unforgettable.

What's Included:

• 1 high-quality WAV audio file
• 1 cinematic lyric video (HD)
• Sound: Cinematic Indie-Folk
• All ten amendments in order, with their key protections
• The "individual liberty vs. federal limit" framework for essay questions

Lyrics:

We feared the crown.
We feared the king.
We feared what power
unchecked would bring.

Seventeen ninety-one,
the states said yes at last.
Ten amendments written down 
the price of a new past.

The first - we speak, we pray, we print,
we gather and petition.
Religion, speech, the press, assembly 
no law shall break the chain.

The second - we keep and bear our arms,
a militia well-regulated.
The third - no soldier in our home,
no quarters uninvited.

We had just bled for freedom.
We knew what tyranny meant.
So we wrote these ten in ink
that could not be bent.

We held these truths in our hands 
ten lines for a free people to stand.
First the voice, then the gun,
then the home, then the rule of one.
We are the Bill of Rights.
We are the limit of the land.

The fourth - no search without a warrant,
probable cause must lead the way.
The fifth - no double jeopardy,
no self-witness we must say.

Due process, just compensation 
the government cannot take and run.
The sixth - a speedy public trial,
a jury, a lawyer, and the sun.

The seventh - civil cases too,
the jury keeps its place.
The eighth - no cruel, no unusual,
no excessive fine or chase.

We had just bled for freedom.
We knew what tyranny meant.ß
So we wrote these ten in ink
that could not be bent.

We held these truths in our hands 
ten lines for a free people to stand.
First the voice, then the gun,
then the home, then the rule of one.
We are the Bill of Rights.
We are the limit of the land.

The ninth - the rights we did not list
do not belong to none.
The people keep what isn't named 
the list is never done.

The tenth - the powers not granted here,
the federal cannot claim.
What isn't ours belongs to the states,
or to the people - the same.

Some of these check the federal hand
the limits of what power dares.
Some of these name the human soul
the freedoms every citizen shares.
And some do both. We wrote them all.
Together, they hold the line.

We held these truths in our hands 
ten lines for a free people to stand.
First the voice, then the gun,
then the home, then the rule of one.
We are the Bill of Rights.
We are the limit of the land.

We feared the crown.
We feared the king.
We wrote these ten
so freedom could sing.

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